"If you waited to be asked,then, you waited so long."
After I have submitted my writing assignment, they requested if I could present it to the would be teachers of the lessons. I said yes to their invitation with a valid concern, my transportation.
Why? The venue is so far from Manila that it will fall on the last, if one will alphabetically arranged all the provinces in the Philippines. There was no reply to my text.
Days passed and I was asked again to handle the said task. This time, I was the one who did not reply. Actually, I have to serve as a moderator to a lecture that day in another activity. But since I consider the task in the province more challenging and exciting, I prefer to do it instead.
More days passed, I said yes to the request. I told her I am not familiar with the place and asked on how we would go there. I asked her more than one question to imply that my transportation is important. She gave me a vague answer. Should I commute? Should there be a vehicle to transport us? I am clueless until now.
Honestly, it pretty upsets me with all these unclear answers. And it even went to a point that I tend to blame myself for asking about my concern. The fact that there was no response to my text made me wished that I should have just kept silent.
Should I just remain living a life of "assumption." Well, if the venue is within Manila, there is no reason for this post. But a venue that would require more than five hundred pesos, kumusta naman ang budget ko? Hahahahaha!
This has been my problem with the way things are in our system. One has to wait for something or for nothing. Hahahahahaha!
Let me go back to my previous experience to shed light to my sentiment. I was invited then to give a talk in Nueva Ecija. I prepared for my talk and photocopied materials as supplement materials to my lecture for close to a hundred participants. In short, I spent more than I have to for this invitation. Not including the transportation fare that I spent going to the venue. After my talk, they gave me a "mug" as a token of appreciation for my time and talent. There was no TALENT FEE at all. Hahahahahaha! A generous person that I am would definitely not expect for a fee. But giving back my transportation and the photocopy expenses I think was not too much for them to consider. Am I right?
If I have it my way, I would include in the budgeting, the "love gift" for speakers. It is quite sad that even some pastors have this poverty mentality. That is, inviting a resource speaker but caring less about the just appreciation because there was no "just compensation." All they think of giving are certificate of appreciation and a basket of fruits. They will even justify that the invited speaker does not need money at all. Well, that is what they think. Of course, pastors are aware that they don't have to ask. They just have to wait. My opinion on that is, give to the person what is due to him or her and it is up to him or her if he or she would refuse. By doing so, we are giving him or her an impression that we recognize his talent by giving corresponding pay. Moreover, a bishop or an elder deserves the best. They will not be in that position for nothing.
I hope people will get away with the idea that church workers are not after with money. Yes, they are not after for it because they NEED it, oftentimes, very badly! And based on the standard of living today, a thousand or two would not make a speaker rich.
Some Christians are not comfortable with speaker who give monetary rate for their talk. I am not. I know how to recognize the efforts and time of a person. I am aware that he needs to spend for his or her transportation and other miscellaneous expenses on his way to his or her speaking engagement.
I guess, I have said my piece and my point. I just hope that I am not scaring away those who are planning to invite me. If so, there are more "generous" and "waiting" persons out there to invite.
If it is a sin to ask, then, I am asking for forgiveness.
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