From Rags to Riches

Trevor Sayers at 25 was employed as a waiter in an elegant Guyanese restaurant. During his time in Guyana, his work permit expired and he encountered many challenges while trying to have it renewed. Then, as if to add insult to injury, his girlfriend decided to end their relationship.

Trevor was in a foreign country living there illegally. Of course, that caused him to loose his job. He began to suffer from depression. Almost instantly, this tall, handsome young man seemed to have aged 10 years. He was unkempt and unshaven and worst of all, he felt very alone. On Various occasions he seriously considered committing suicide. After several weeks of suffering, he found a new job. How-ever, he continued to be depressed. He thought only of himself and his deplorable condition. Then one day, he met another young man who had a similar experience, but, who had managed to overcome his challenges.

That young man encouraged Trevor to forget his own problems and to think for a while about the real needs of others. Trevor though at first that it was silly to think that considering the needs of others would make his own problems disappear. Then he said to himself, "since nothing else seemed to be working, I might as well give this a try."

It was then that Trevor decided to volunteer at an organization called "Naturalized Herbs". That organization helped people who suffered from physical, mental and Spiritual problems. He offered his services there for up to 20 hours per week for sometime. Trevor started to notice improvements in his mood. He discovered that he had more energy and aspirations.

In one month, his depressive state almost disappeared. He was now looking to the future with hope. He still had his problems to deal with, but his attitude toward them had changed. Trevor remembered two factors were decisive in his recuperation:

The happiness that he saw in people with whom he worked

His own personal satisfaction at being able to help people who were worse off than himself.