I Love Service.
What beautiful principles
"Love one another"
"Lift up the hands that hang in sorrow"
"Help someone in need".
So when I got home I wanted to keep thinking about service. The opportunities that I've had to serve others and the times that I've been helped. It is amazing the impact that service has on our lives. I don't remember a lot of my childhood because I don't have the best memories but I do remember lots of little moments of service. Doing the dishes at a house where I was babysitting, even if they were the whole days dishes. Watching my mom make burial gowns for stillborn babies. Filling plastic bags with hygiene essentials for disaster victims.
Some of the biggest things to impact who am today have been service opportunities. Sometimes they wouldn't even be my service activities. For example, I remember my brothers and dad spending quite a few weekends down further south with other members of the ward, helping to clean up and rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. I remember how impressed I was that my brothers who were in middle school and high school, would willingly give up their weekends to go help people they didn't know. It was hard work, too. They would always come back really tired but very happy. They loved going down there.
Another thing that really brought home the importance of service to me lately, was on my mission. When I heard about the tsunami hitting Japan I was at the church building with about 20 other ward members, quilting blankets. These blankets were for fire victims in the area because we had recently had a large fire that took many houses. One of the members asked if another had heard about the tsunami. I over heard and asked for details as my heart stopped with fear for Chris. They didn't have many and couldn't even tell me where the tsunami had hit. It took more than 24 hours for me to get any kind of real information because I didn't have internet access but I remember how grateful I felt that I was doing what I was doing when I found out. And also so grateful that other wards all over the world had been doing the same kind of activities and storing up supplies so that when a need came, they could send those supplies. I was so grateful for the help that was going out to Japan.
The last thing that I thought about was all the service that my family has received since Konnor's diagnosis. How grateful I am for everyone who has visited him, when I couldn't. How grateful I am for all the help that has been given to my parents. How grateful I am for the loving support from so many friends for him. Friends, who in some cases, haven't seen him for years.
Today has reminded me how important it is to keep others in mind. To focus on giving. To put others before yourself. Our church does this thing called Fast Offerings. Once a month we are asked to go with out food for two meals and then donate the money we would have spent on those to meals to the church welfare program. We our encouraged to give a generous fast offering if we have the means (like pretend it was a steak dinner, even if we probably would have just made fried rice.) As a young married couple I often think, our means are $10 a month and that seems pretty reasonable to me. Chris is never satisfied with that. He always gives more than that. I hope that I can become more like him. Where it isn't a question of how much do I think I can afford to give of my time or money? but how much can I possibly give?
I also watched some videos on line because who doesn't like inspirational videos. And of course, because I'm pregnant, I cried at all of them. Here are a few of my favorites. They are short. : )
Other good ones:
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics?lang=eng&id=2009-01-60-humanitarian-efforts-review-bishop-burton#2009-01-60-humanitarian-efforts-review-bishop-burton
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics?lang=eng&id=2012-01-001-pass-it-on#2012-01-001-pass-it-on
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics?lang=eng&id=2011-02-002-unselfish-service#2011-02-002-unselfish-service
I am so grateful to be part of an organization that reminds me and encourages me to serve others.
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