"Why do I serve?" This was a question that I thought I knew the answer to. However, after reading "What We Don't Talk About When We Don't Talk About Service" by Adam Davis, I felt that my answer wasn't enough. After reading about the reasons people serve listed by Davis, I wasn't sure if I fell into one of those categories, or if I was a bad person because I do fall into one of them. However, the article pushed me to really evaluate why I serve, and this Slideshare is how I interpreted my thoughts. I serve for many reasons, but one of them is because I identify strongly with the people I am serving. Although Davis's article discourages this reason, I believe that identifying with others has helped become a better and compassionate person of service.

1. This is where I’m from.

2. This is where I went for my brigade.

3. Look similar?

4. This is just one reason that I serve. I serve
because of the close connection I have with the members of the
communities we visit. I serve because I find my family in these
people. I serve them because I love them like I love my family.
And I love because I am human.

5. When I first arrived in Nicaragua and drove down the streets to
our compound, I recognized the scenery all too well. Being from
another third world country with similar poverty issues, seeing
that kind of stuff really hit home for me. However, it served as
reminder to me that during this trip I was going to help
people…give them hope, care for them, show them that they were
not alone, and that someone in this world loves them.

6. Our group traveled to many different communities during our
time there. We did everything that the brigade description said we
were going to do. We saw hundreds of patients, gave out medicine
and vitamins, took blood pressure and weight, and taught kids
how to brush their teeth. However, I feel that we
did more than just that.

7. We listened to every problem these people were having. We
sat and talked to them about how to take their medicine until
they understood. We played baseball with the kids until we
had to go back to the compound. We made up silly
handshakes. We learned about their culture and where they
were from. We made personal connections
with the community members.

10. The issues I saw in the Nicaraguan
communities truly saddened me. When we set up
our clinics, they were usually in the only school building for many
miles. The building was confined to one room, and that’s where
children of all ages came to learn…in a small cramped space with
desks that were falling apart. Their homes usually had dirt floors,
improper sanitation, and offered little to no protection from
unwanted bugs or bad weather. It saddened me even more to think
that a majority of the country lived like this, as well as so many other
third world countries. I felt slightly discouraged by the fact that I was
only one person, we were just one group of 32 people, and there are
thousands of people who need help.

11. But that is why I serve and why I will continue to serve. At first,
it was hard to see how I was making any difference. But one
more family that we give a cement floor, a latrine, and a septic
tank is one less family that we will have to see later on with
illnesses that could have been prevented if they had those
resources in the first place. Every person we see,
every family we help, every life that we
make healthier, is just another step in
the road towards a better world.

14. In What We Don’t Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Service,
Davis says a reason people serve is because we find ourselves in
others. He states that people serve because they themselves do not
want to suffer, and service emphasizes the good of the server more
than whomever they’re serving.

15. This is partially true for myself. I identify with the people of
Nicaragua because it is a lot like my home in the Philippines.
The hardships that the Nicaraguan people go through are
hardships that were encountered by my relatives, including
my parents. But I do not serve because I don’t want to
suffer myself. I serve because I don’t want anyone to suffer.
That’s how we feel towards people we care for…people that we
love. And I serve out of love, and I love because it is human
nature.

16. I agree with Davis…service is not simple. The reasons for why
people serve are different for everyone. But for me, I serve out of
love. I saw my family in the Nicaraguan people. I cared for them
like I would care for my family. And in return, I was
loved right back.