My roommate Ian and I conducting student reading level assessments
One of the many reasons I came to Pohnpei was to learn more about service. I wanted to learn what service is all about – what motivates people to serve, how to successfully serve others, and what role service should have in my life. While I still have plenty to learn, my time in Pohnpei has left an indelible mark on how I define service.
I was introduced to service at a young age through scouting. In Boy Scouts I mostly did things like clean up roads and hiking trails and collect cans for food pantries. Throughout college I was too busy most of the time for service. I regret not making time for it, but I did have the opportunity to travel to New Orleans and work on building houses for a week over spring break my senior year. These experiences left me mostly confused about service. I knew that it was a “good” thing to do, and while I enjoyed helping others I felt that I really didn’t understand service. I can’t really put my finger on exactly why – I just knew I was missing something.
This left a nagging feeling inside me. I had the inkling to work with MAHI International ever since I met my good friend Alex freshman year, who introduced me to the organization. After spending eight months in the “real world,” working at two internships in Washington, DC over my Junior year and ensuing summer, I knew that I wanted to delay entering the workforce for a year. I had been in conversations with John, the Executive Director of MAHI International, since my sophomore year and my inkling to serve turned into a commitment. Everyone has heard the extremely true cliché that you learn more by experiences than in a classroom. I knew that coming to serve here in Pohnpei would be a memorable and valuable learning experience. Boy, was I right!
At first, serving here didn’t feel any different than normal work. I had a job to do and I strove to do it well like always. After about a month though, I really started to learn what service is all about. As I have detailed extensively throughout this blog, working in Pohnpei is not without obstacles (big understatement there). I found these never ending roadblocks were especially frustrating when serving. Our mission is to make a difference and to ultimately help the people. When your opportunity to succeed is impeded it’s frustrating no matter what the circumstance, but is especially so when you are investing your time, energy, resources and heart into a mission. While I found the roadblocks frustrating, what drove me most crazy was the overall lack of urgency rampant throughout the island. Many times I felt like I was running through quicksand.
Throughout this learning experience I really looked up to those who have dedicated their life to serving here. I leaned on bits of wisdom, like “making things funny” from Mr. B and spent hours talking with John also trying to access all the wisdom he has accrued throughout his time here. One conversation in particular though sticks out and I will never forget.
In early December Mr. B and I were eating lunch between our visits to the schools. We have spent a ton of time together in all our drives around the island and I have enjoyed immensely hearing all of his stories and learning from him. A little background – Mr. B has been involved in education on Pohnpei for 35+ years, with 19 of those years as the principal of the SDA School. Mr. B is also by far the most selfless person I have ever met. I really wanted to get at the heart of what drove him to work so hard when facing so many challenges in attempts to grasp how to cultivate servant leadership in others. His answer was deep, eloquent, and shockingly simple – you love.
I don’t want to get all cheesy but this really hit home. Most people just talk about their work and accomplishments. You can talk a big game but at the end of the day it’s all just hot air. Mr. B on the other hand is a doer. There’s something beautiful about hearing pure and utter truth spoken by someone who not only speaks it, but has lived it every day his whole life and still does. I can’t think of a better way to learn about service than working side by side with people like Mr. B who embody service in every sense of the word.
So what is service all about? It’s about love. People who are truly motivated by loving others are the ones who make a difference as they are armed with the strength to overcome any obstacle. I can’t write about this without mentioning where this love comes from. MAHI International is a “Christian-driven” organization. Our work isn’t about evangelizing, but after spending so much time with the people who make up MAHI, it is crystal clear that our collective inspiration is coming from something greater than ourselves. While no one here is Jesus, it has been awesome to be around people so impacted by their faith and knowing Christ in their heart that Jesus seeps through them.
After I leave these islands I intend to continue serving. Sure, this will mean doing typical “service” things like volunteer work. After spending so long engulfed in service though, I hope to have opportunities to serve others every day through my daily interactions. While my time in these islands is coming to an end, everything I have learned, including the lifestyle of service I have adopted, will continue to guide me for the rest of my life.
All that said, my time here is not over! This past week we were in the schools conducting student reading assessments in attempts to see their progress since we first assessed them in October and November. The results are not complete yet, but I’m happy to report that overall we have seen major progress! Also, I’m very excited that this coming week I’m going to the outer island of Pakin for a few days. Just for a point of reference, Pakin is about a two-hour boat ride from Pohnpei if the weather is good. The main mission is to install solar panels, but I’m also going to be helping with health screenings and teaching in the small school there. Life on the outer islands is a completely different world so I’m excited for the cultural experience.
In the fun department, this past Thursday was FSM Constitutional day, so my roommate Stephane and I took the holiday to hike Sokehs Rock (the big rock in the banner on the top of this page) and camp there. It’s always a spectacular view up there and the sunset, night sky, and sunrise were well worth the trip. We were very fortunate to have a clear night – the horizon was so clear it was hard to distinguish the flashing lights of boats on the water from the stars in the sky. It was also nice we didn’t get rained on! A few pictures are posted below!
I was introduced to service at a young age through scouting. In Boy Scouts I mostly did things like clean up roads and hiking trails and collect cans for food pantries. Throughout college I was too busy most of the time for service. I regret not making time for it, but I did have the opportunity to travel to New Orleans and work on building houses for a week over spring break my senior year. These experiences left me mostly confused about service. I knew that it was a “good” thing to do, and while I enjoyed helping others I felt that I really didn’t understand service. I can’t really put my finger on exactly why – I just knew I was missing something.
This left a nagging feeling inside me. I had the inkling to work with MAHI International ever since I met my good friend Alex freshman year, who introduced me to the organization. After spending eight months in the “real world,” working at two internships in Washington, DC over my Junior year and ensuing summer, I knew that I wanted to delay entering the workforce for a year. I had been in conversations with John, the Executive Director of MAHI International, since my sophomore year and my inkling to serve turned into a commitment. Everyone has heard the extremely true cliché that you learn more by experiences than in a classroom. I knew that coming to serve here in Pohnpei would be a memorable and valuable learning experience. Boy, was I right!
At first, serving here didn’t feel any different than normal work. I had a job to do and I strove to do it well like always. After about a month though, I really started to learn what service is all about. As I have detailed extensively throughout this blog, working in Pohnpei is not without obstacles (big understatement there). I found these never ending roadblocks were especially frustrating when serving. Our mission is to make a difference and to ultimately help the people. When your opportunity to succeed is impeded it’s frustrating no matter what the circumstance, but is especially so when you are investing your time, energy, resources and heart into a mission. While I found the roadblocks frustrating, what drove me most crazy was the overall lack of urgency rampant throughout the island. Many times I felt like I was running through quicksand.
Throughout this learning experience I really looked up to those who have dedicated their life to serving here. I leaned on bits of wisdom, like “making things funny” from Mr. B and spent hours talking with John also trying to access all the wisdom he has accrued throughout his time here. One conversation in particular though sticks out and I will never forget.
In early December Mr. B and I were eating lunch between our visits to the schools. We have spent a ton of time together in all our drives around the island and I have enjoyed immensely hearing all of his stories and learning from him. A little background – Mr. B has been involved in education on Pohnpei for 35+ years, with 19 of those years as the principal of the SDA School. Mr. B is also by far the most selfless person I have ever met. I really wanted to get at the heart of what drove him to work so hard when facing so many challenges in attempts to grasp how to cultivate servant leadership in others. His answer was deep, eloquent, and shockingly simple – you love.
I don’t want to get all cheesy but this really hit home. Most people just talk about their work and accomplishments. You can talk a big game but at the end of the day it’s all just hot air. Mr. B on the other hand is a doer. There’s something beautiful about hearing pure and utter truth spoken by someone who not only speaks it, but has lived it every day his whole life and still does. I can’t think of a better way to learn about service than working side by side with people like Mr. B who embody service in every sense of the word.
So what is service all about? It’s about love. People who are truly motivated by loving others are the ones who make a difference as they are armed with the strength to overcome any obstacle. I can’t write about this without mentioning where this love comes from. MAHI International is a “Christian-driven” organization. Our work isn’t about evangelizing, but after spending so much time with the people who make up MAHI, it is crystal clear that our collective inspiration is coming from something greater than ourselves. While no one here is Jesus, it has been awesome to be around people so impacted by their faith and knowing Christ in their heart that Jesus seeps through them.
After I leave these islands I intend to continue serving. Sure, this will mean doing typical “service” things like volunteer work. After spending so long engulfed in service though, I hope to have opportunities to serve others every day through my daily interactions. While my time in these islands is coming to an end, everything I have learned, including the lifestyle of service I have adopted, will continue to guide me for the rest of my life.
All that said, my time here is not over! This past week we were in the schools conducting student reading assessments in attempts to see their progress since we first assessed them in October and November. The results are not complete yet, but I’m happy to report that overall we have seen major progress! Also, I’m very excited that this coming week I’m going to the outer island of Pakin for a few days. Just for a point of reference, Pakin is about a two-hour boat ride from Pohnpei if the weather is good. The main mission is to install solar panels, but I’m also going to be helping with health screenings and teaching in the small school there. Life on the outer islands is a completely different world so I’m excited for the cultural experience.
In the fun department, this past Thursday was FSM Constitutional day, so my roommate Stephane and I took the holiday to hike Sokehs Rock (the big rock in the banner on the top of this page) and camp there. It’s always a spectacular view up there and the sunset, night sky, and sunrise were well worth the trip. We were very fortunate to have a clear night – the horizon was so clear it was hard to distinguish the flashing lights of boats on the water from the stars in the sky. It was also nice we didn’t get rained on! A few pictures are posted below!
My favorite picture from Pohnpei so far - Mr. B and I standing in front of "the Green Machine" - i.e. the education program's car, used to take us from school to school
Sunset from atop Sokehs Rock
Good morning, Pohnpei International Airport!
