faith hope and charity

7/29/2019 Faith Hope and Charity

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FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY

BY: Melissa Theodora Wee (Form 5D 2006)SMK St Elizabeth, Sibu

Sweat was trickling down Jons face as the sun blazed

mercilessly in the blue cloudless sky. He sighed to himself as he

wiped the perspiration off his forehead. However, his sigh was not

that of regret but one of pure contentment as he and his friends toiled

through the hot, sunny afternoon to lend their helping hands at the

Faith, Hope and Charity Childrens Home. With radiant smiles carved

on their faces, their laughter filled the air as they helped repair and

beautify the area with the help of their newfound little brothers and

sisters.

According to an age-old adage, more hands make light work

but to the contrary, the eager beavers seemed to get in the way more

than they were of any assistance. Nevertheless, Jon and the rest

allowed them to chip in their two cents worth so as not to dampen

their enthusiasm. They watched in amusement at the sight of a mere

seven-year-old boy struggling to carry a big pail of water, filled to the

brim just to win the affection from his new big sister, Barbara.

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The members of the Red Crescent Society were engaged in a

community service project to help the children less fortunate than

they were. Just as Jon had predicted, the children, boys and girls

aged seven to twelve were eager to impress. They were tireless,

running helter skelter and appeared to be all over the place at any

one time.

Exhausted from the toil, Jon sat underneath a shady Angsana

tree to have a brief rest. Deeply immersed in his own thoughts, he

was amazed at the amount of love those unfortunate little ones could

give, compared to the many in todays materialistic world where

selfishness reigned and the policy of everyman for himself was

somewhat predominant. As he scanned around the vicinity, one

solitary little boy stood out among all the other little children. He was

all alone, keeping to himself and holding on to an old stuffed teddy

bear in his arms. As Jon approached him, little did he know the

impact that the little boys story was going to have on him.

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Hello, there. Whats your name? Nice teddy bear youve got

there, exclaimed Jon as he knelt down facing the boy, trying to break

the ice. The little kid stared at him with big brown eyes as though

contemplating on whether to answer or not.

My names Jeremy. Im eight years old, the lad answered, his

voice, barely audible. Jon probed further to find out more about his

background. Suddenly, Jeremys countenance formed a small frown

and he held on even more tightly to soft toy as if for some kind of

protection. Jon put his arm around him and touched by that caring

gesture, the boy leaned on his shoulder and broke down in tears. In

between sobs, Jeremy began his story.

Jeremy could only remember his parents vaguely. He has a

younger sister, also staying in the same home and promptly, he

pointed out a chubby pig-tailed little girl. His father was a hopeless

drug-addict and a compulsive gambler who had squandered away

whatever money he had and neglected his responsibility towards his

family. Left with very little choice, Jeremys mother took it upon

herself to support the family by selling homemade cakes and biscuits.

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He could vividly recall his father beating his mother every day for she

refused to hand over to him the hard-earned money she had

painstakingly earned to put food on the table.

Mummy would always cry late into the night. Daddy just didnt

care, mumbled Jeremy as tears welled up in his eyes again. The

beatings continued until one day, his mother could take it no longer

and left home, abandoning the two helpless kids to the irresponsible

father.

Jeremys father resorted to the bottle even more in his wifes

absence. He started walloping the children to vent his anger when he

lost all his money at gambling. Jeremy lifted up his trousers, revealing

the scars on his legs where his father had burnt him with cigarettes

when he was about five years old.

Sometimes my daddy didnt return for two days and we had to

starve as there wasnt any food in the house, said Jeremy.

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One day, Jeremys aunt happened to drop by and noticed the

burnt marks on the childrens limbs. She was furious and promptly

took Jeremy to a doctor. Later, she lodged a report on the matter to

the police as a result of which Jeremys father was arrested for wife-

battering and child abuse and was sentenced to prison for ten years.

What happened to your mummy? Did she return to see you

and your sister? probed Jon. Jeremy shook his head plaintively.

I havent seen mummy since she left. I miss her very much,

replied Jeremy, his voice quivering with his bottled-up emotions. He

folded his arms around his teddy bear again as if searching for solace

in his solitude.

Jon had to force himself to hold back his own tears as he gazed

at the pitiful little boy in front of him. He glanced around at the other

children who seemingly, were nonchalantly running around playing

catch or hide and seek. He wondered what tragic story each child

had, locked within their hardened hearts. Jon realized there and then

fortunate he was to have such caring and supportive parents unlike

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Jeremy. Jon held Jeremy closely to him to give him a sense of

consolation and reassurance.

Dont worry, kid. Everythings going to be all right. Your

mummy still loves you. Shell come back one day to look for you and

your sister, Im sure. When your daddy is released from jail, you can

be sure hell not beat you anymore, Jon told Jeremy as he wiped the

boys tear-streaked face though he doubted it very much himself.

Jeremys face lighted up instantly and he peered into Jons

eyes. Will they? he seemed to question.

Guess what, Jeremy? From this day onwards, Ill be your big

brother, Jon announced and for the first time after a long while,

Jeremys face broke into a huge smile.

Really? You mean it? Youll visit me as often as you can, wont

you? asked Jeremy excitedly. Jon nodded his head and gave the

boy his telephone number with instructions to call him whenever he

needed anything.

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Jon watched Jeremy as he ran towards his little sister to break

to her the good news and a nice, warm feeling filled his heart. He was

grateful that in his own small way, he had reached out a helping hand

and touched someone less fortunate than he was.

[1,108 words]

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