The famous saying, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return…” originated from Nat King Cole and was later adopted into the movie, Moulin Rouge. The saying is true and we sure need more love in this world at the moment.

I’ve learned the reason why we need relationships in our lives: it is our innate desire to know and to be known.

Why do so many people want fame? And go to extreme measures for it? We want to be known by others.

On the other hand, why do so many people suffer from depression and the feeling of being alone in this world? Because though we are constantly surrounded by people, we don’t feel known by them.

We have become such an individualistic and self-centric generation which has caused us to become the most depressed and lonely people. One of the reasons is our human desire to know and to be known. We are created for community. We are created for relationships. We need each other. We want to be known, in a deeper level. But in order for us to be known, we must be willing to reach out and get to know others. If all of us only care about ourselves, how will we ever satisfy the desire to be known by another person?

This is why I believe our trips to our orphanage in Fond Doux, Haiti is different and valuable. Many people are surprised that we constantly go back to the same area, the same community, and the same people. Our team leaders have invested in this community for over 18 years. We have fostered kids to become young adults and adults grown to be elders of the community.