I had the opportunity of going to Africa for the sacrifice organization with Cansuyu Organization that was founded by group strong hearted men with certain self devotion,
I had the opportunity of going to Africa for the sacrifice organization with Cansuyu Organization that was founded by group strong hearted men with certain self devotion, particularity and motivation by performing activities in accordance with the “the one who is sleeps with a full stomach while his neighbor is hungry is not from us” principle and devoted their lives with this principle to able to end the hunger, cruelty and outrage; I also had the chance of watching and analyzing their activities.
When they asked me if I wanted to spend my Sacrifice Holiday with our brother in Africa I was quite excited and said “of course”
Even though I did not know what was waiting from there, I could estimate more or less. I was preparing myself to this exam with the information that I receive from my friends from written and visual media
Everybody knew that it was not a touristic travel or safari program. Everyone was thinking they would spend the sacrifice holiday with the brothers there and we will enjoy sharing.
These people that accepted the aids made in Turkey as a consignation and appointed to deliver them to the needers were working very hard not to leave one family without meat.
I participated to them with the same of being late and with the joy of “ I am here now “and joined that voyage which made me very happy
After a very long travel, I made my first step in Africa. Poverty shows itself instantly and my shame continued to be doubled.
The aids, consignations were like sacred load on our shoulders and the excitement of sharing with our brothers was the unique force making our load even lighter.
These people who knew Cansuyu after longs years of experience were giving us hugs and started nice conversations as if they knew us forever.
That sight affected me a lot and put me in deep thoughts. Sincere and warm approach of these people that I see for the first time in my life and my approach to them with the same feelings needed to have a logic reason or a name. That would only be the unifying yeast that makes the Muslims brothers; otherwise it would never be possible to have such a brotherhood.
After thanking and gratitude to Allah we made our program and started to work. The regions were selected and poor villages have been determined, plan and scheme of reaching each house have been made and we started to have a rest after thanking Allah once again
Sacred morning, the most merciful of the mornings, the morning when there was mercy rain and when we are the closest to Allah….
Sacrifice, share and getting closer
Our souls have been released to all foamy waves of the endless seas, our hearths full of excitements as if they were kissed by angles… we welcome the festival morning with that feeling
I was dazzled in front of the sight that I was witness of when we went to the endless area where we were going to pray and we found ourselves praying for gratitude. "Ä°nnemel mü'minine ıhvetün" verses have been read to our hearths at that moment. It was not only me but also my friends near me who was crying as well as many people there while praying with women, men, older, younger, children in total almost five hundred thousands of Muslims.
We felt ourselves very lucky and removed everything else from our minds and we opened our hands and hearths to almighty Allah to our creator.
However this view did not excite in the same level. When we went to the places, villages, urban areas where we would sacrifice the lambs we saw that sorrow could not be described with words. Poverty, hunger was in the top level possible. Oh My Allah, forgive me, how I was unaware of everything, how I was late. What I was doing while these people were living in this way. Their clothes had the fatigue of the years all over them, the bodies that were unaware of the fact when was the last time they had something to eat were trying to stand up and only the lucky ones had some shoes on. What we have seen in the places we have been took our minds elsewhere and we were no more able to hide our tears from each other.
Right here I will tell you about a friend of mine. This is a volunteer friend named Yasin UÄŸur. We had the opportunity of knowing each other there. Not only Yasin but also Ogün, Hızır, Hacı, Fatih, Enes… they were sacred people who were there for helping. Yasin came with a full bag of chocolate while coming and he had many clothes and sufficient pocket money for himself. I saw that Yasin, who came with a lot of money for shopping and for his costs, called his parents and told them that he would be at the airport at that time and they could pick him up at that hour etc. Later I became the witness of that event that made me cry and made me be grateful to Allah. Yasin did not have any money that could be necessary for the bus, he did not do any shopping and he spent all of his money to help the poor children there. He had only the clothes on him and he has given all other things to our poor brothers and returned to his country without a penny but with a huge heart. Yasin became even more sacred in my eyes and I learnt from other friends that I was talking with that they had the same thing too. Ogün, Hızır, Hacı, Fatih who was only 20 or 21 years old and Enes as well as Mustafa, Yunus Emre who I was proud to be in the same activity… They all showed how big hearth they have. Yunus left even the shoes on his feet; he has made the same thing during his previous organizations with Cansuyu which became like a tradition for him. The tears on my cheeks were leaving traces.
Knowing what these people were doing was making me stronger and increasing my courage. My hearth extended so much that I was able to hug all Africa. We met other friends from other organizations and assistance foundations that have devoted themselves to the verses” Be in competition with each other for helping people” and we had we had good times with them. They spoke we cried, we said they cried. We accepted sorrow as our friend and we left our friend with a smile. We felt the mercy rain of Allah all over us and we were running to everywhere not leave one single house without meat.
We were working until late night by ignoring our tired bodies and we were starting work early morning and visiting the poor villages and we were delivering the consignations of our benefactor people to the required places on by one.
We were filling the candies that the organization gave us to distribute them to the children and we were giving them to the children wherever we see one and we were playing with them. Mustafa was wrestling with some of them, running after them and put us in laugh crises with the jokes he was making.
Despite the tough conditions of that regions of which culture and living conditions we are not familiar with, nobody was complaining from the condition. The smiles on our faces were spreading to the sky. When the children saw us, they were running towards us; some of them were jumping over us, cuddling us or turning around us to play with us. We were giving them what we have brought with us for them and we were giving them by playing certain games.
The sacrifices were being made, prayers were reaching to Allah, and gratitude was being presented to Allah. We are at least comfortable with the peace of delivering the consignations and the people that have delivered assistance did not know how to help us.
We were gathering where we were staying in the evening and we were doing the assessment of the day.
When we were having rest for a few hours before the morning, we were questioning our lives. How few we were grateful, how we were wasting our lives. We did not decide on which region we would live. We could have born in any region and this could be Africa lands so we could have been the ones living in these conditions. However one could only feel that when you are there; therefore I can honestly and clearly say that:
We do not grace them; we are doing what we have to do and we will continue doing this. Having this conscience requires serving for that understanding.
One verses of Allah: “the ones who are shame to ask for, has the right from your earnings” and we were there to give them what they have already had as right. We did not give grace, we did not do any favor, and we give them their shares and returned. We did that not to let our children eat illicit
Fortunately grateful and glory to Allah
Since I had that experience, as I was one way of giving one of the children there to have a smile on his face, since it helped me to question my current life, it made me come to myself, it let me live the Sacrifice Festival I should live and to approach to Allah, I could have the opportunity of telling all these to you; I thank to all these strong hearted self devoted friends, especially Cansuyu Organization and all sensitive people who send their Sacrifice donations to Africa and poor countries to give smile to hungry children and to let their mothers not to worry at least for one day.
May Allah accept your donations. May Allah bless your services
We brought your consignations while going there and we have returned with their salutation consignations; they sent salutation to each of you one by one. May the blessing of Allah be upon all of us. With welfare
My salutations
Ahmet Turan Latif YILDIZ
02-01-2013