Feeling Appreciated By An Award

By Manuele Teofilo

I’m a writer for the Young Writers Program established by Press Service International a Christian ministry based in Australia.  Christian young adults are given a unique opportunity to develop and express their views through comment writing through this program.  I’ve been writing monthly comment articles for PSI for over a year.

Writing articles is a great way to express my thoughts and get my voice heard.  Therefore, I am happy to volunteer as a young writer. I support this Christian ministry because they allow young people like me to have a voice and to encourage others with our writing.

I Write to Express Myself

My speech impediment can restrict the kind of conversations I can have with people. Sometimes it’s difficult to have in-depth conversations with people because they have trouble understanding certain words I say.  Therefore, my hearers can sometimes misunderstand the points I make. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t even attempt to carry on a conversation with me beyond exchanging names.
So, another reason I write is to share my thoughts in a way that can be understood by many. People can read my articles and understand every word I write.

The Recipient of the Chairman Award

Recently, I attended the annual Young Writers Conference which was held in Melbourne Australia this year. The young writers get to gather together at the one-day conference and have discussions with the leadership team of the program. We also get encouraged by listening to guest speakers.

 There is an award ceremony component of this one-day conference. I received one of the major awards, the chairman award for the New Zealand 18-30 age group. The award is awarded to someone who is demonstrating special qualities and helps the young writers’ program. I truly feel appreciated by the chairman and the leaders of the program receiving this award.

I love to Serve

A few months ago, the chairman, Mark Tronson, started delegating responsibilities of the program to the young writers in New Zealand. I put my hand up for one of the roles. On alternate months I send emails to NZ Christian publications with the daily articles written by Kiwis.
 I love to serve and be of help when I can. Due to Cerebral palsy, I am limited in what I can do practically to serve. Sending daily emails is something I can do easily, so I’m able to take up this role to serve the Young Writers’ Programme in this new way. Receiving this award and hearing the chairman telling people about my role throughout the day tells me that my service is appreciated.

The appreciation I feel encourages me to find more ways to serve in ways I can. Even if I can do another small task to fil a need would feel awesome. When you know people appreciate the things you do then tasks become a delight to do.