What Should We Celebrate?

We asked one of our work-from-home volunteers to talk with some of our recovering clients and write an article for the newsletter.

Alexander Kao, from New York, volunteers remotely for Street Youth Ministry (SYM). Here is what Alex shared on the subject of celebration, as seen through the eyes of SYM clients.

One might argue that the greatest celebration of all time will occur when Jesus comes back for a second time. But, I would propose that we need to celebrate small things just as much. The greatest celebration might be when a child got straight A's. Or, when a baby was born. Or, when a child read his first book.

We could consider celebrating more than what might be considered normal. You have a dad? Celebrate by thanking God. Have a penny? Wear clothes? Celebrate! It is great to celebrate the Advent. However, do not forget that you can celebrate almost everything in life with zeal.

Congrats David! We are proud of you!

What can other people celebrate? I interviewed David Doyle, a recovering client from SYM, and he has a lot that he can celebrate.  David was homeless. He was living in squats (abandoned sites), the woods, and under bridges for about 5 years. Working with social workers, he got his GED. Then he got a job. Because of what happened to him, he found housing. He applied for financial aid and was accepted to community college. (Supporters of SYM helped provide college textbooks for David.)

David did well, making straight A's. He applied to UT and was accepted.  Now, he has completed at least 111 hours in college towards his degree in Physics!

David can celebrate the positive things that have happened in his life. He's worked hard to accomplish a lot. However, he can also celebrate the negative things that have happened in his life. He can even celebrate that he was homeless! It's part of his life and his story.

What's in your life, your story, that needs to be celebrated?

Blog post author, Alex, is a member of our work-from-home Action Team. You can join the Street Youth Ministry action team at sign-up.StreetYouthMinistry.org. You can view items needed to be done at volunteer.StreetYouthMinistry.org/actionteam.