The story begins with one celebrity arriving at the airport, and, being a celebrity, he was recognized by the citizens, and they asked him who he is waiting for at the airport. He answers that he was waiting for his friends from Italy. Then the story about that chance encounter was told.
This celebrity and his companion, another celebrity, were in Italy doing the show. They were befriending locals, and when they ask if they could have a sleepover, they were turned down so many times. The houses of the locals were too small, they had other plans, and things like that, so of course, after trying for several times with no success, they became disappointed and was thinking that they might have to sleep on the streets that night. Just as they were about to give up, a young lady and her mother approached them and asked if they were Koreans, and they said yes.
After spending some time chatting and getting to know each other, the million dollar question was asked, and, after just a moment's hesitation, the mother and daughter said yes, causing the celebrities to shout out in joy cos they finally found someone who will take them in. And mind you, they were doing this in broken English. Of course there is an interpreter around just in case but the celebrities must do all the talking most of the time.
They then went to Marta's home, and her family welcomed them so warmly. They were fed Italian food of course, and the next morning, as a way of saying thank you, they cooked Korean food and gave gifts from Korea. In the process, they learned that Marta has a twin sister, who had polio when she was young, and she is wheelchair bound. They were both born prematurely, so Marta, on the other hand, is small compared to her peers, and so she grew up very shy, and even suffered from depression at one time.
She then shared that she came across the music of a K-pop group called Big Bang, and yes, it is amazing that K-pop has reached nations on the other side of the world. When she started listening to their music, it was as if she found a friend in them, she began to open up more, and overcame her depression. So when they learned that these guys were from Korea, they did not hesitate to welcome them into their home, as their way of showing their gratitude to Big Bang, though indirectly.
To make the story short, they formed a bond and a friendship only a chance encounter could bring, and through that short period of time, they grew very close. The Koreans invited the family to visit Korea in turn and offered to host them. Fast forward six months, and finally, the dream trip to Korea is happening, and Kim Jong Min is at the airport waiting.
The family has never traveled before because of Julia's condition. Bound to a wheelchair, her movements are dependent on her father, like going to bed and other things, so travel was almost impossible. After so much preparations of course, they finally arrived, and for Julia and Marta, who have become very ardent fans of Big Bang, even their mom has become a fan as well, with their dad fully supporting them to make his daughters happy.
The stars of the show then asked the family what they would like to do now that they were in Korea. Their answer? To go to YG Entertainment! Ha ha ha! For those who do not know, just like me before, YG entertainment is the agency that manages Big Bang. And since bothe celebrities on the show are not from this agency, they do not have access to the building, let alone Big Bang! But that did not stop them. They did their very best, asking people they know, asking for favors, putting down their pride as Korean celebrities, only to grant the ardent wish of the sisters to be able to see for themselves the place where their idols record their music since they were already there.
Slowly but surely, through the hard work of both celebrities of the show, and of course with the help of the staff of the show, things began falling into place. They were given permission to visit the building, which in itself was a miracle, because the building is virtually impregnable. Not only were they given permission to enter and tour the building, they were prepared a special menu to let them taste Korean food, because the canteen of the agency is well known to serve the most delicious dishes, but only those with access can try the food!
What happened was, Julia, during the show was asked to sing one of Big Bang's song, and she sang it so beautifully that every one had tears in their eyes when she finished singing.
The video was shown to the people that be in YG, and upon seeing it, they were so touched, and so they made the visit for the family extra special, and they were so grateful for the opportunity. The greatest surprise was that, they could even go to the last concert of Big Bang, even though tickets were sold out months before! And before the concert, while they were waiting to be seated, the members of Big Bang came to personally talk to them! They each gave gifts to the twins, and they could not express their joy and gratitude to those two celebrities for making things happen.
Lesson learned: We will never know what kind of impact we can make to a person's life as we do random acts of kindness. The Italian family extended kindness to these Korean strangers, and by doing that, they had the experience of a lifetime, a dream come true, even beyond their imaginations!
There is a verse in the bible, in the book of Galatians chapter six that says, 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.'
As I finished watching that show, I too, had tears in my ears, I was actually crying my eyes out, but at the end of it all, I prayed and thanked the Lord, grateful to have seen once again that acts of kindness often brings unexpected surprises into our lives. I prayed for Marta's family, even though I don't know them, thanking God for their kindness, and I prayed that above all, Marta's family would always experience God's hand in their lives, in their whole family. That they would come to know Him and find that He has been watching over them all this time.
Hebrews 13:2 in the bible also says, 'Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.'
Although the people that Marta's family entertained were definitely people, they have become like angels to Marta's family bringing them so much joy in return for that seemingly small act of kindness they extended.
How about us? How do we show acts of kindness to other people? Sometimes, even just extending a smile helps. One time when I was in Hong Kong, I was walking, and this lady was coming up the stairs with so many shopping bags in her hands, definitely burdened and tired. As she came up, I smiled at her and greeted her Merry Christmas, as it was Christmas Eve. She then said my smile and my greetings to her erased all the fatigue in her body.
Who knew that a smile could do that to someone? Sometimes in the bus, when it's really full and everyone is packed like sardines, and everyone looks grumpy, isn't it nice when suddenly someone stands up and offers their seat to you? Some gentleman sometimes does that and I always make it a point to say thank you, thinking that there are still some gentlemen left in this world!
One time though, a mother with children got on the bus and no one was offering their seats. I readily stood up and offered them my seat, knowing that at one time someone did that for me as well. The grateful mother then sat down and asked her child to say thank you to me.
When we do little acts of kindness, it is not only the person we do the act to that gets happy. Somehow we also get a certain sense of satisfaction, and more importantly, a sense of joy, knowing that we were able to extend kindness to someone. Kindness comes in so many ways. It could be an encouraging word needed at that specific time, it could be a much needed hug just when someone is feeling so down. It could be food given to someone on the street, it could be anything. And you know its kindness when you feel good inside.
Everyone, I'd like to encourage us all then, to not stop in doing good, even when we see bad things around us. Let us be the instruments to make this world we live in worth living. Let us be instruments of peace, of joy, of love, and a helping hand. And in doing so, we make this place a better place. Have a great weekend everyone!
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