Take a minute now to think back when you have been struggling. It might have been one of the darkest times in your life you faced, or you had to overcome the hardest thing in your life. Or just a bad day when nothing wanted to work for you. Like a bad hair day and it was just not working or you did not felt not very important. Then out of nowhere someone did a service for you. Thanked you for something you did, cooked you a meal, walked you to class, told you looked cute, even just said hello. That service was either a big or a little act of kindness but made the differences to you. Think back when someone served you and think about how it made you feel. I know when someone gives me service, I want to go out and server and help other people feel important and loved. Mary N. Cook of First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency spoke at general conference in April 2011 her talk was addressed “Remember this Kindness Beings with ME.” She said “I know that our Savior live and loves each of us. He has given His life for all. I pray that we will center our lives on Jesus Christ and follow in his ways by loving and serving one another. By doing so I know that we can make the world a better place.” I absolutely loved this, it hits so many good points like first off you need Jesus Christ to be a part of your life he love you and he has done so much for us. Take time in life to just look around you. Look and see if there is someone in need of help that you could serve. We all pray to our heavenly father asking for help and for comfort and ask god to serve us. That is not a Bad thing, the lord wants us to go to him for help but because we do go to him he wants us to help others. HE expects us to help others. It doesn’t mean we have to spend all our money or all our time. Christ died for us he was giving a hug service to us so we should at least do something simple to help out someone in need. If we just gave a little of our own time each day to help someone the world could be so much happier and peaceful. Dallin H Oaks tells us “Loving and serving one another can solve so many problems.” This is so true sometimes the people we do serve are the hardest people to deal with. But we need to remember they are a Child of GOD just like you and he loves them too just the same. Try to look through Gods eyes. You will be able to see everything differently. Pray for that help to see them the way he does. God will help you find different ways to help serve that person, only if you are willing. ARE you willing? How can you become more willing? I have a really good friend right now that is on his mission in the West Indies and in one of his emails to me he sent Moroni 7 vs. 40-48 this scriptures talk about having Hope ,faith and charity. One of those scriptures I want to share is verse 45: “And charity suffereth long, and is kind , and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked , thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” You have to be humble and be ready to help with the love of Christ like in verse 47 says: “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” God loves us and because he helps us he tells us in D&C section 20 verse 19: “And gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship.” So when you gave us this assignment in the being of the semester I quickly started praying about it and trying to keep an open mind. One day I was at my apartment and I was trying to find a way to help with my roommates and it hit me, SERVICE. So I quickly got thinking of different ways I can do service. I prayed daily to have help to be able to see through Gods eyes and to be able to see people that could use help. First my roommates came to my mind. So throughout this semester I have written letters to my roommates, thanking them for being my roommate and telling them there strength’s and how I appreciate them. I also did the dishes for them several times throughout the semester and I am not going to lie there were times I did not want to do their dishes. I felt like I was being used and too nice. I did not have nice thoughts but I thought about Jesus at those times and thought about everything he did for me, and the dishes are really a small thing in the big picture. I also noticed when my roommates would notice what I have done and thanked me I felt more giving and would want to serve those roommates more than the others that did not thank me.
I am in the relief society presidents in my ward and with that calling I have many opportunities to serve the girls in my ward. I have been able to get to know these girls and help them in there trails. Every Sunday the presidency bakes a treat and we all go to girl’s apartments and talk to them and see if there is any way we can help them. I also have gave a lesson in relief society. That was a growing experiences for me. I had to rely on the spirit and when I was standing up there it amazed me the love I felt for the girls. I hardly knew them at that time but I cared for each of them.
A couple of weeks ago I went home and my family had the assignment to go to the church house in Tetonia and clean it. So instead of sleeping in like I really wanted to, I got out of bed and went with my family to go clean the church. It ended up lasting an hour and half but my family was and is and will be blessed. It was enjoy able to just be with my family and be doing a serves for the lord.
One of the other services I had been doing and has been the most enjoyable to me has been going to the temple and doing baptisms for the dead. I have gone almost every week on Thursday. To me this is the best part of the week for me! I enjoy going and doing this service for the people that have already passed into the spirit world. I want to give them the gospel of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints and give them the opportunities I have, like being with my family for eternity. The temple is an amazing place and I love being this close to the temple and being able to go to the temple whenever I can. The temple will bless you and the other people that you do the work for. The temple is my refuge in this crazy world we live in. It would always amazes me that ever Thursday when I woke up I knew I would go to the temple but throughout the day I could see satin try to discourage me and try to make me feel bad about myself by no matter how I felt I knew I should go to the temple, and always did.
In my family class I have this book that is centered on the family and I found a quote that I loved it was taken from a Latter-day Saint father of six, William. He said “I believe that people are at their happiest when they’re serving others… Service in the church is based on doing things for other people, and going outside of yourself.” This quote is so true. I have personally felt that happiness. I love seeing my family, friends, and strangers smile and feel grateful. I have hopped that when I have done a little act of kindness others would do the same.
Having this opportunity to give my time and help others has been an amazing opportunity for me. Service is a very important thing to do. When you are serving others you forget about yourself and are helping God with the things which he sees that needs help. My testimony has been strengthened so much! Service is the best way to go. I am so thankful for the church and I KNOW without a doubt that this is the one and true church. I know that God hears your prayers and will help you. I also have a testimony for service. It does bless your life when you forget about yourself and put others in front and help them. I have enjoyed the opportunity to grow and learn more about myself and learning to have a better attitude towards others. In closing I want to thank Brother Bolingbroke for giving me this challenge and pushing us to be better people. I have love the BOM class and appreciate everything you have done for us.
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