Taman Indah Jaya BEC Brings Christmas Cheer And Joy To Those In Need

Jan 08, 2015

SANDAKAN (Herald Malaysia): Pope Francis in his exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (#48) said, “Today and always, ‘The poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel. There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.’

During the Third Sunday of Advent, Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom in his homily at St Mary’s Cathedral, shared that doing little good deeds for the underprivileged are signs of us preparing the path for the Lord’s coming. Carolling definitely brings us joy, the joy of Christmas but we must endeavour to move beyond that. We need to reach out to those who have less in life. That act of charity will bring deeper and greater joy to the less fortunate, and a much more meaningful Christmas for us.

It has been the practice of Taman Indah Jaya BEC for the last three years, to bring Christmas joy and cheer to at least one needy family within the community during the Advent season. The message of Love invites us to open our hearts, to care for others, encouraging one another to practice charity, to do good work.

This Advent, Indah Jaya BEC repaired and renovated a 1960’s dilapidated wooden house without toilet facilities at Sungai Manila, some 30 kilometres from town.

They constructed a toilet and bathroom at the back of the house, put up a 10 feet by 18 feet verandah with proper zinc roofing, repaired the staircase, changed wooden windows to louvres and painted the frontage of the house. It may not be a complete renovation but with the little assistance extended, the family of eight may at least enjoy a little more comfort.

On December 17, members of the Taman Indah Jaya BEC visited the family. They presented Bibles, Daily Reading and Reflection, Christmas ‘ang-pows,’ clothing and some tit-bits to the family. Also present was Sr Veronica Kandaung fsic, the one who had raised the plight of the family to the attention of the mentioned BEC.

A Good Samaritan touched by the plight of the family, contributed two mattresses, a dining table and six chairs. The Samaritan, who wished to remain anonymous said, “I am happy to be able to contribute to others. Reaching out to the needy is, in fact, giving light and hope to them, especially during this season of Advent.”

Dominic Sintar, the out-reach coordinator of Taman Indah Jaya BEC shared, “Advent is a time to touch those in need. By doing so, we are sharing God’s love with others. Our yearning for the Kingdom of God may be renewed within us. I hope every individual or community will commit to helping someone else during this season of Advent.”

Haslinda, the owner of the house, and a parishioner of St Peter’s Chapel, Sungai Manila, expressed her sincere appreciation to all those who had come forward to assist her and her family.

She said, “This is the greatest Christmas gift my family and I have received from the community. We want to say thank you to Indah Jaya BEC and kind individuals for their contributions in cash or in kind and, above all, for sharing God’s love with us. We will cherish this special day. We will treasure your kind deeds. Hopefully, one day we may be able to touch others the way you have touched us today. May the Lord shower upon all of you his choicest blessings.’