Service Opportunities

I had the chance to offer service this semester as an effort to better my community and to better the character traits I've been trying to instill in myself. Here is a review of my experiences.

The Lessons Learned

For my service opportunities this semester, I was able to volunteer with Kids on the Move for 10 hours. As I first heard at the beginning of this semester that I would be required to have service hours for another class as well as this class, I have to admit that I was quite irritated. I was working full-time, attending school full-time, and I had a girlfriend who I loved spending time with on top of everything else I had to do at home. I asked myself nearly every day; how am I going to fit this into my schedule? I began to find the meaning of the scripture 2 Nephi 2:11, and there sure was an opposition in all things. Every time I asked myself the question, I found myself boiling up inside and feeling that I couldn’t handle it with my schedule and that it was unfair to require service hours for a class at a university. I began to work on my Become project, and realized that I had less time than I thought I did! I felt overwhelmed at the thought of service, and one day, I found myself complaining to my mom. I said, “If others want to give service that’s awesome! But shouldn’t this be done out of free will? How can they require something like that from me?” I was surprise by her response. She laughed at me! She assured me that I could handle taking a little time to give service. In fact, she quoted scripture AT me. “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) As I fulfilled the 10 hours that had been required, I found myself enjoying the connections I made, appreciating the organization, and even having fun giving service. It turned out to be a nice break from my busy schedule. That break could have been spent on the couch, but I found a better use for it. I came to realize that my desire was to serve God, and I needed to put my whole heart into it. (D&C 4:2). I even came to find out that my fiance’s father was a member of the board of directors at Kids on the Move. After a while, I received an offer from my mission to Skype in and teach English to refugees. This recalled my memory to a talk from Linda K. Burton I heard on my mission. She told us to ask ourselves the question, “What if their story were my story?” (Burton, Apr 2016). From this opportunity, I was able to reconnect with the people that I taught and establish contact and connect with them. I believe if it wasn’t for my time giving service this semester, I may have rejected the offer to teach English to refugees in Munich, and missed out on several good opportunities. I have truly seen the truth of the scripture in Mosiah 2:17, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” I found a quote from Max C. Caldwell in Sacred Truths of the Book of Mormon, which says, “How deeply do we love him? Does our love depend on favorable environments? Is it diminished or strengthened by our experiences? Is our love for him evident by our behavior and our attitude? Charity, or love for Christ, sustains us in every need and influences us in every decision.” This accurately describes the question I needed to ask myself, one that I will continue to ask.

The People

I’d like to tell you about an experience I had with one of the children from Kids on the Move. Although I was able to interact with several children, one stood out to me, and each time I came back, he was always there. It got to the point in the semester that when I would come, he would clap his hands and bounce up and down in his wheelchair. The first day I showed up, I stood by the entrance not really knowing what I should do. Someone pointed me in the direction of Jeremy. I took one look and thought, “Wow, what am I going to do?” Jeremy is an 8 year old boy who has autism and muscular dystrophy. It is difficult for him to move much. He can’t speak either. I was filled with fear of what I could do with this child. I couldn’t play catch with him or build blocks. I didn’t know what would be best. As I sat next to Jeremy, I found myself saying a silent prayer that I would somehow be able to connect with this child and that my attitude about the whole thing would change. I was reminded of the scripture shared in Matthew 25:45, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

At the end of the first day, I was able to approach Jeremy’s parents and ask what he enjoyed doing and how I could best help their son. They told me Jeremy loved music and that he was big into drawing as well. The next time I went, I sang Jeremy kids songs, and brought an old coloring book from home. He was so happy that he clapped his hands the entire time and I could feel that it was a good experience for him. I was only there for an hour that day, but I knew what I could do to help Jeremy the rest of my time serving there. I was reminded of the covenants I made at baptism, when I promised that ‘my days would be spent in the service of God.’ (2 Ne 2:3)

In the following weeks, I was able to connect with Jeremy, and as I sat and watched him, I realized my heart had changed. I understood that I was in the position that Christ would choose to be in if He were here ministering among us. I further understood Alma 7:11-13, where we learn that Christ took upon Him all of our sufferings, pains, and afflictions. I am more than positive that Jeremy fell under that umbrella. President Howard W. Hunter said in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, “There is no infirmity, affliction, or adversity that Christ did not feel in Gethsemane. . . .” Being by Jeremy’s side helped me understand that on a new level. When I looked at Jeremy, I could see a glimpse of eternity, and felt as though I were already there. I began to comprehend Christ’s love for Jeremy and for me. The love as pure as an innocent child’s love.

I’d like to tell another story, which begins as I was serving my mission. In my last area, we met a man named Assahd. Assahd was from Syria and had been part of the mass destruction there. He had fled to Egypt, purchased an illegal passport, and flew to Turkey before walking to Austria. There, we met him. He was attempting to learn better English and German while reading the Book of Mormon and attempting to get a job. For the last 2 weeks of my mission, I wasn’t able to get in contact with him to exchange contact information. Through my efforts with the missionaries in my mission, I was able to reestablish contact with Assahd and help him work on his German and English, as well as working his way to baptism. He was baptized just a few weeks ago.

A similar story happened as I served in Munich. During the 8 months I served there, over 1 million refugees arrived in our one city alone. We were able to work with them in the shelters and to better understand their circumstances. It was quite the experience to watch the kids from the Middle East draw pictures of how they pictured Germany would be. They would draw brick roads and huge buildings, with money everywhere. They pictured it as paradise. I remember being unable to communicate with those kids and they loved to play soccer. So I, an American kid speaking English, played soccer with Arabian kids, who spoke Arabic. It was such a good feeling, I’ll never forget it. I was able to volunteer at that shelter again, over Skype this time. It brought back several memories as I was able to see the pictures and the faces of people. I was taught a lesson from Mosiah 4:16, that as servants of Him, we will “administer of our substance to him that standeth in need.” In this case, my substance I had to offer was my time.

So What?

My time serving with the Kids on the Move foundation as well as my time with refugees in Munich helps me to understand the meaning of life better. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The church produced a video called LIFT, where priesthood holders from a certain ward learn to recognize how service affects them in their callings and individual lives. There is a quote I would like to emphasize for the next part of my life from that video. It says, “Reaching out and serving others heals the soul.” If, during the next stressful stage of my life, I can have my soul constantly healed through service, I’d be doing pretty well. Because of my service, I will continue to try harder in my church callings. I will continue to serve with the kids that I have learned to love, and to teach English to the refugees living in the country that I call my second home. Elder Bednar said, “The Atonement gives us the capacity to do things we didn’t think we could do on our own.” (Bednar, 2012) I think that I have been more affected by the Atonement this semester than I have realized. Another thing I’ll continue to ask myself are the questions found in Alma 5:26, “Can ye feel so now?” If one asks this question, it becomes difficult to stray along the gospel path. I will continue to ask myself that I often ponder from Moroni 7:12, which says, “All good things cometh from God. And that which is evil cometh of the devil.”  As I examine my life, I will ask if my decisions I wish to make, (ie not serving), are selfish. If they are, it can’t come from God, but rather as part of the natural man. I’m grateful for this opportunity I have and will look back on it fondly.