SMW (recount text)

🤍 serve God 🤍

1. See 👀

 In September, Santa Maria Junior High School held an SMW (Saint Mary Way) activity. Essentially, we, the 9th graders, were invited to join a church visit, and some went to an orphanage. When the announcement was made, I was given a schedule to go to the GPIB Maranatha Church. Honestly, at first I didn't really imagine what we would be doing there, but I was quite curious because I was told we would be participating in service with the PA students. This made me a little scared and nervous, but also a little excited because this was my first time accompanying the students. Before the day of the event, my group and I had to create a proposal. We neatly compiled it, containing the activity plan, task division, and service objectives. After the proposal was submitted to the GPIB Church and approved, we prepared ourselves for the service on Sunday. It felt like we were about to undertake an important mission. There was nervousness, enthusiasm, and hope that everything would go smoothly. 

The most memorable moment for me was when I was leading the children in the Bible study group. The atmosphere was truly lively. Many children were running around, some were chatting non-stop with their friends, some were having trouble concentrating, and others were just messing around. The noise was like being at a night market—busy, lively, and full of energy. I also heard other older siblings trying to calm the children down. From that moment, I realized that guiding young children is not easy. They require extra attention, a gentle approach, and understanding. But even so, I felt incredibly happy to be able to accompany them and serve God through small things like this.

Even though I was tired and my ears felt filled with noise, I still felt joy. There was a warm feeling when I saw some of the children begin to follow directions and listen. At that moment, I felt like I was being taught to be more patient and humble. I remembered the values taught about Mother Mary—how she always obeyed God's will even when the situation was difficult. Those values felt very real in this moment. I learned not to get angry, not to complain, and to continue serving with a sincere heart.

2. Judge

Besides humility and loyalty, I also experienced the value of caring. During my service, I learned to be sensitive to the needs of the younger siblings. Even though they are small, they still need attention, affection, and a good example. From them, I realized that sometimes service isn't just about teaching, but also being there as someone who is willing to listen and accompany. 

From this SMW activity, I learned one important thing: we must be patient with others and also with ourselves. I just realized that I really like small children. I feel comfortable around them, even when they are noisy. From there, I learned that being a big brother or sister is not enough to just be present, but also requires patience, sensitivity, and perseverance. One thing I want to continue after this activity is trying to become a more patient person. I want to be more sensitive to the people around me, starting with small things like greeting others, helping my younger siblings at home with homework, or simply tidying up the room without being asked. I want this service not only to stop at SMW, but to become a daily habit. 1 timothy 4: 12 ''Let no one think less of you because you are young. Be an example to believers, in your words, in your behavior, in your love, in your faithfulness and in your holiness''

3. Act

Oh yes, at church I also helped the older brothers tidy up the church inventory. Starting from arranging chairs, cleaning worship equipment, checking items. When I did all of that I was very tired, I also realized that a neat church can make it comfortable. From there I was immediately sensitive to small things that maybe I had never done before. At that time I also had time to think, it turns out that service does not have to be big and seen by many people but service can also be done with small things, such as tidying chairs, sweeping, cleaning worship equipment, etc. That taught me to be more disciplined and responsible.

In conclusion, whatever problem we face, if we bring God there will definitely be a way out, we also have to be very patient with small children, when accompanying the PA children, I really saw that there were a lot of children who were difficult to manage. But from there, I learned more about how to strengthen my heart and remain patient. This SMW experience ended up being something very valuable for me. Not only for school reports or grades, but for myself. It feels like I got a new lesson about the meaning of service, the meaning of cooperation, the meaning of patience, and the meaning of caring. Maybe the things I do seem small, but the impact on my life is much bigger than I imagined.