A Meaningful Start for the Year 2012!!!

We miss the year 2011 and we expect a lot of things this year 2012. Helping our brothers and sisters is a great way of starting the year and we just did that. Last January 14, 2012 we visited Lakes Pandin and Yambo in San Pablo Laguna for our very first SMILE this year.

This was a different SMILE compared to the past ones that we did wherein we visited schools. This time we focused on two families who were living near the lakes/mountainside. The group had a first hand experience in the ways these families spent their daily life. It was simple yet filled with abundance of what nature can offer them. The first family primarily relied on planting and making charcoal. They sell what their produce by hiring a horse and going down to the town. The second family were caretakers of the land owned by a certain doctor. They were making a hundred pesos per day. They care for the owners goats and made sure that the land was safe and clean. We asked them if they had plans to live in the town but they preferred to stay where they are. According to them they don’t need money where they are now and everything is provided for them by the land. They say life in the town is too complicated and expensive…………

It was a grand feeling to see the smiles of the children when we were there. We gave them food, toys, school supplies, clothes, groceries and medicines. We did our best to make the event fun and our resident host/comedian (is she really a comedian???) Riz wowed us with her skills hehehe. We had our moments, laughing, listening to the stories of the families and of course taking lots of pictures.

First Family we visited

Second Family we visited

Aljie, one of the pioneer members told me that he was thinking……………….. can we do more next time??? I think we will. WIth the help of everyone, YES WE CAN DO MORE!!!

After the SMILE we camped in Lake Pandin and as usual we had a fun-filled socials in the evening. We had the chance to know more about the new members. It rained but it did not stop us from having a grand time.

We would like to thank everyone who supported this event. The SMILE won’t be a successful one without your help and with God’s grace we were able to deliver and make the families happy.

‘Till our next SMILE……………. and climb…………….. and trip………………… and activity……………… and SMILE………………….. and so on……………

GO SMB Mountaineers!!! GOD BLESS!!!

CLICK HERE for more pictures!!!