Working at Wal~Mart brings many characters, and sad to say a lot of them aren't the best of characters. One lady, however did something that really stuck out to me.
While on the register, an elderly lady came up with three items. She looked to be having trouble in her life, and the lady behind her could probably tell as well. As I was ringing up these few items for this lady, she had told me that she only had 3 dollars. As I was ringing up the items, the amount crept up way too fast. After two of the three items, the price was already to her limit. I then proceeded to tell her the total of the two items, to which she pulled out one crinkled up dollar bill, which held some loose change.
As she counted out the change, she handed me the wad of money and humbly asked, "is this enough?" I humbly took the bundle and counted out the change. I told her it was enough for the two items, but the last item (a big bag of frozen green beans), was too much. That is when the lady behind her really stood out to me.
As I was pulling the bag away, the other lady said that she would pay for the bag of beans. The appreciation this elderly lady had was overwhelming. She constantly said thank you, and just had a pure sense of gratitude. I will never forget the overwhelming joy this simple act of kindness had given to this elderly lady.
As I was then reading my scriptures one morning, later on through the week, I came across a scripture that reminded me of this act of kindness. It is in Jacob, chapter 2: 18-19 (was a scripture mastery last time I checked).
"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good-to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."
I don't have the scripture right in front of me, but also remember the story of the good Samaritan. How he helped out his enemy (their countries were pretty much at war at the time if I'm remembering correctly), and truly gave of himself to the point where he had magnified his service.
When it all comes down to it, this lady just really stood out to me. It wasn't much, just a 2 dollar thing of frozen beans, but this meant the world to this other lady, and I will never forget the joy in her eyes. May we always remember the love of Christ, and how he helped out the sick and needy. It doesn't have to be much, we don't have to heal a leper or anything like that, just look out for opportunities like this. I promise everyone reading this that as we strive to be more Christ like in this way that our joy will overflow, that we will be more grateful for that which we do have, and more willing to help others in need. Remember always that when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in the service of our God (Mosiah 2:17). I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
<<<He will ease our burdens and carry our sorrows>>>
Check out this short film, it's really great.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
One last Mormon time!
One of the missionaries who was in this area a few months back was visiting with another missionary for a meeting just the other night (the 16th). They had recruited me to go out teaching with them, and I gladly accepted. It was good to see this Elder again and the joy that it brought for him to see some of the people he had taught. After visiting the last Sister, we were on our way out back to the car.
Upon exiting, however, I had heard someone coming down the stairs. A college student who had recently graduated came down, and I simply felt inspired to say hello. I asked him if he had internet, to which he replied no, but he could look up a website later on, at which point we gave him a Mormon.org card. We then went on to talking to him a little bit about the church, and telling him what we believe, why we serve the Lord for two years, and how he can attain a greater knowledge of Christ.
He ended up being a really great guy. He was in a band, Lutheran, and just graduated from UNF. He was heading down to Orlando, so we didn't have much time to talk to him, but like I said, gave him a great place to go.
This simple experience taught me several things that night. For one, it taught me that this church adds onto the knowledge of Christ. As missionaries, we offer people the chance to learn more of Christ (and who wouldn't want that?). Through learning more of Christ, and coming closer to Him, we can feel of the peace and love that He has for us.
Another thing this experience taught me was the importance of opening our mouths and obeying the promptings of the spirit. Had I simply said "hey man," and let him go, we wouldn't have had an opportunity to impart our message on this young sir. Had I chosen not to say anything at all, not even a positive image would have taken place. The fact that I felt the need to ask this gentleman if he had the internet ended up planting a seed of faith. As we were talking, he wanted to hear our message, and if I would've ignored that feeling I had, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to hear our words.
Lastly, the importance of being an example. Seeing these two missionaries had an impact on this young man. He had great respect for us that we would put off two years of our life to serve the Lord. By being an example, missionary or not, others can see the effects the gospel brings. This will in turn give us missionary opportunities, and chances to explain why we live the way we do.
As we go about our daily lives, may we live in remembrance of who we are. Let us be more friendly, and look for ways to serve others. As we strive to live by Gods commandments I know that he will direct us to opportunities to help others find the peace and knowledge this gospel brings. Always remember the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16:
"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"
I promise that as we do this, great shall be our joy. I have a testimony of this because I have applied it to my life, and my joy overflows every time I help out the missionaries. As we serve Him we will receive the blessings found within this scripture. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
<<<Click this.>>>
Upon exiting, however, I had heard someone coming down the stairs. A college student who had recently graduated came down, and I simply felt inspired to say hello. I asked him if he had internet, to which he replied no, but he could look up a website later on, at which point we gave him a Mormon.org card. We then went on to talking to him a little bit about the church, and telling him what we believe, why we serve the Lord for two years, and how he can attain a greater knowledge of Christ.
He ended up being a really great guy. He was in a band, Lutheran, and just graduated from UNF. He was heading down to Orlando, so we didn't have much time to talk to him, but like I said, gave him a great place to go.
This simple experience taught me several things that night. For one, it taught me that this church adds onto the knowledge of Christ. As missionaries, we offer people the chance to learn more of Christ (and who wouldn't want that?). Through learning more of Christ, and coming closer to Him, we can feel of the peace and love that He has for us.
Another thing this experience taught me was the importance of opening our mouths and obeying the promptings of the spirit. Had I simply said "hey man," and let him go, we wouldn't have had an opportunity to impart our message on this young sir. Had I chosen not to say anything at all, not even a positive image would have taken place. The fact that I felt the need to ask this gentleman if he had the internet ended up planting a seed of faith. As we were talking, he wanted to hear our message, and if I would've ignored that feeling I had, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to hear our words.
Lastly, the importance of being an example. Seeing these two missionaries had an impact on this young man. He had great respect for us that we would put off two years of our life to serve the Lord. By being an example, missionary or not, others can see the effects the gospel brings. This will in turn give us missionary opportunities, and chances to explain why we live the way we do.
As we go about our daily lives, may we live in remembrance of who we are. Let us be more friendly, and look for ways to serve others. As we strive to live by Gods commandments I know that he will direct us to opportunities to help others find the peace and knowledge this gospel brings. Always remember the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16:
"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"
I promise that as we do this, great shall be our joy. I have a testimony of this because I have applied it to my life, and my joy overflows every time I help out the missionaries. As we serve Him we will receive the blessings found within this scripture. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
<<<Click this.>>>
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Lessons in my youth
I've been encouraged, by one form or another, to remember the lessons of my youth. I don't remember a whole lot, but one certain event has been recovered from my broken memory.
In the year of maybe 2005 or 2006 or so, we (the young men of the ward) had a brother become sick with something. I can't entirely remember what it was, it could have been just some surgery of some sort, but it hospitalized him either way. As service, we decided to write him get well cards for priesthood. As I sat there, I wondered how you tell someone that you 'hope they get better' without saying just that. In about a minute, one of our others leaders had already finished his card and it stood to as an example to me. His card read on the front cover, "I hear the hospital is full of a bunch of sick people..." then on the inside, "so don't die." (or something to that effect).
This simple crack of sarcasm and hilarity got the crowd of under-15-year-old boys laughing up a storm, and with renewed enjoyment of our task at hand, we got back to work. I had thought of this leader's lightheartedness and desire to help our brother's infirmities through the power of laughter, bringing him a little bit of joy and reaffirmation that we were thinking of him. With this in mind I looked to my leader's example and thought of something I could use. Remembering that this brother of ours had been playing World of Warcraft with me at the time (yes, I was once a wow nerd for a time haha), I had the idea to make a gaming reference.
I went through the game, from armor to weapons; anything I could use even as a lame pun. I then thought of an item that everyone knew, even outside of wow users. Being in the hospital, I thought of how useful health potions would be (I think I had even thought of the [sensu?] beans in DBZ haha).
So I had my idea. On the front, I put something to the effects of: "Your health is low..." then inside: "so drink plenty of health potions!" and I drew a bubbling red potion. It wasn't much, but it was a fun reference I thought.
A few weeks later, he was better and came back to church. He thanked everyone for the cards, and laughed at our leader's "don't die" card. I then talked to him later on in the day after church and he told me that the nurse was in the room when he was reading my card. He mentioned how she played W.o.W and had got a good laugh out of my card.
This then got me to thinking, especially as of late, now that it's been years since then. I thought of how here was this nurse, and even though it was indirectly (as far as U know), she was exposed to the gospel. I'm sure everyone in the hospital gets cards and stuff, but the fact that my card made at least some kind of impression on her.
The more I think about it, the more it strengthens my testimony on service. It might not have been such a big thing, and for all I know it might not even turn out to be anything at all. However, maybe they did have an opportunity to talk about the church to some degree, and if so, something as simple as a get well card has planted that seed of faith, and has made an impression on this nurse.
I know that as we serve others and represent Christ to the fullest of our extent, they will want to know why we are so willing to serve. This will open up opportunity for telling others of why we are happy to help and what we believe. As we go about our day, may we look for more ways to serve and be Christlike, that we may bring others unto the fold.
"He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all." -Thomas S. Monson
<<<More on service.>>>
In the year of maybe 2005 or 2006 or so, we (the young men of the ward) had a brother become sick with something. I can't entirely remember what it was, it could have been just some surgery of some sort, but it hospitalized him either way. As service, we decided to write him get well cards for priesthood. As I sat there, I wondered how you tell someone that you 'hope they get better' without saying just that. In about a minute, one of our others leaders had already finished his card and it stood to as an example to me. His card read on the front cover, "I hear the hospital is full of a bunch of sick people..." then on the inside, "so don't die." (or something to that effect).
This simple crack of sarcasm and hilarity got the crowd of under-15-year-old boys laughing up a storm, and with renewed enjoyment of our task at hand, we got back to work. I had thought of this leader's lightheartedness and desire to help our brother's infirmities through the power of laughter, bringing him a little bit of joy and reaffirmation that we were thinking of him. With this in mind I looked to my leader's example and thought of something I could use. Remembering that this brother of ours had been playing World of Warcraft with me at the time (yes, I was once a wow nerd for a time haha), I had the idea to make a gaming reference.
I went through the game, from armor to weapons; anything I could use even as a lame pun. I then thought of an item that everyone knew, even outside of wow users. Being in the hospital, I thought of how useful health potions would be (I think I had even thought of the [sensu?] beans in DBZ haha).
So I had my idea. On the front, I put something to the effects of: "Your health is low..." then inside: "so drink plenty of health potions!" and I drew a bubbling red potion. It wasn't much, but it was a fun reference I thought.
A few weeks later, he was better and came back to church. He thanked everyone for the cards, and laughed at our leader's "don't die" card. I then talked to him later on in the day after church and he told me that the nurse was in the room when he was reading my card. He mentioned how she played W.o.W and had got a good laugh out of my card.
This then got me to thinking, especially as of late, now that it's been years since then. I thought of how here was this nurse, and even though it was indirectly (as far as U know), she was exposed to the gospel. I'm sure everyone in the hospital gets cards and stuff, but the fact that my card made at least some kind of impression on her.
The more I think about it, the more it strengthens my testimony on service. It might not have been such a big thing, and for all I know it might not even turn out to be anything at all. However, maybe they did have an opportunity to talk about the church to some degree, and if so, something as simple as a get well card has planted that seed of faith, and has made an impression on this nurse.
I know that as we serve others and represent Christ to the fullest of our extent, they will want to know why we are so willing to serve. This will open up opportunity for telling others of why we are happy to help and what we believe. As we go about our day, may we look for more ways to serve and be Christlike, that we may bring others unto the fold.
"He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all." -Thomas S. Monson
<<<More on service.>>>
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