We congregate at Le Phare every Tuesday and Thursday; we talk with our friends, we enjoy a coffee with them, and we serve a meal. It is wonderful to meet big people in a little place: every day I learn to listen, I learn languages, I learn to be patient, and I learn to love. It is fantastic because I receive hugs, smiles, and lots of love in return.
Sometimes I feel like destiny brings a special person to a certain place, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful people at Le Phare. I met a Spanish man who was very shy at first. I talked with him about his life and listened to his stories. I also met a very special couple: they live in the street and she is pregnant. They are fantastic people, very grateful and kind. I think that it is important to be generous not only with material things, like gloves and meals, but also with love, empathy, and the ability to listen actively and completely. Perhaps volunteering can be an individual action: helping out only to feel good about yourself, but I feel more than that in the smiles and hugs of the people I meet.
Odie is the super woman who started Le Phare. She is always with people who need help. She is such a special person that I think she is made out of some other material. She is love. She is power. She is the protagonist of every story. The first time that I came to the special corner of Le Phare, I heard everybody call her “Mama.” In that moment I realized that she means everything to that place and to those people.
One day when we were preparing the meal, I heard one of the guests say “Mama.” I was serving coffee and I didn’t notice that the speaker was looking at me. She had said “Mama.” At me. It was a very emotional moment in which I realized I am with them and that I too am made of this “other stuff” – this love. I felt good. Extremely good. It was fantastic. It may sound typical, but the prize I win is truly the big smile that I have when I finish my shifts at Le Phare, the most special corner in Brussels.
If you would like to serve at Le Phare as well, please find more information about it here.
