Contributed By: Angelita Tenorio-Barlongo CODI Urdaneta
I never experienced Christmas caroling in my entire life ever, until last Sunday night (and lasted till last night, December 20-23). So when the youth coordinator of our church asked me if she could leave the charge of Christmas caroling of our youth ministry to me, I had second thoughts, but eventually I said yes.
So after Sunday service, we practiced for a couple of hours and with our guitar and tambourine, off we went. When we arrived at the first house that we are going to carol, I was so nervous but eventually, I got the hang of it. And I got on with the caroling just fine. I enjoyed the rest of our caroling time; it was great.
Now I understand why kids love caroling. It is fun, it’s so much fun! And it is not the money or the gifts that they are going to receive that makes it fun, it is the fact that friends are together, singing together, laughing together and simply having fun together.
On my part, I did appreciate the caroling, but what I enjoyed more (just like the kids) is being with the young men and women of our church. Being in charge of the youth for 4 days is an ultimate experience for me. Not only that I get to be on the job training (I’m telling you I learned a lot about teenagers’ complexity in 4 days!) in preparation when my own children would be teenagers, I was also reminded on a lot of things about life, and one is how to enjoy it, something that adults tend to forget.
When we are in charge of the youth, or in simple terms, we are given the responsibility to take care, teach and guide the young people, we think we are to teach, take care and guide ONLY. We think we are the only one in the position of giving something, while the youth’s position is receiving the teachings that we are to give; we are grown ups, guiding growing up people. That’s what I thought too, before.
When we are in charge of the youth we teach them, we help them become into the best person they could ever be. But we’re not the only one who will teach, the young people on the other hand have a lot to teach us too. And we could learn a lot from them. As we help them grow up to be good people, they as well will help us grow to be matured adults. They serve as reminders, sort of check and balance of the important things that along the way we have forgotten, or have taken for granted.
In four days, I was reminded how to enjoy life. How to love life. I was reminded how it is to laugh, really laugh your heart out. I was reminded that there is joy in simple things. Like sharing a portion of burger, taking pictures, it amazes me so much how the young people love taking pictures. They pose, smile, emote, it’s funny. Their pictures are funny. But if we take a closer look, if we just pay attention unto why they love taking pictures, simple, they appreciate the moment they are together. They value the time they spend together that they want to have remembrances through the endless clicks and shutters of the camera.
They love to laugh, not caring what other people think or say, they don’t hold themselves, they just laugh. Although sometimes they really go below the belt, and I have to make those faces to remind them that they’ve gone beyond what is acceptable, but they don’t deprive themselves of happiness. Something that a lot of adults do, we deprive ourselves of the simple joys of life in pursuit of vanity, of things that are fleeting and trifle.
There are a lot more of things that I learned and it would take me long to enumerate them all, but my point is, “the youth are indeed empty vessels, and we need to fill them up, but as we fill them up, we are taught of patience, love, caring, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and how to appreciate and find joy in the simple things that we do’.
My four-day caroling experience is one of a kind. And I thank God for the opportunity to have both taught and learned valuable lessons in life. As for the young people who were in my charge for that 4 days, I pray that their heart and soul would stay open to the voice of the Lord and that they stay trudging the right way in fulfilling their purpose in life. And as well I am grateful to have shared lots of laughs, lots of lessons, with them. I am looking forward for that another opportunity that they may be in my charge again.
