I love hearing about your Sundays in your ward! I am interested to hear about what kinds of things you see that some of the families need that aren't so obvious. I wonder if I am good at this? I don't know, but I am trying to get past that "let me know if there is anything I can do" thing too! Especially with this new sister I am VT, I call her alot to see if I can take her shopping, or anything. Whereas before, it seems like you never really know how or what to do to serve someone who really doesn't have any known needs. Thanks for your great example!
liz, i guess in our ward the basic needs of daily living. like just dropping off a bag of groceries. one time one of the Young women had asked the YW president if she wouldn't mind if she bought her a stick of deodorant. things that are so normal to me to have around my house that would be such blessing for someone else.
Another amazing post. And I have been the recipient of service since having my oldest (with autism)- it has changed my view of service in a totally different way. I used to be the one to say, "Oh thanks I'll let you know." Now if I really need something, I am not as afraid to ask. If nobody accepted service then nobody could give service. I think it's a pride thing. I was too proud to think I could use service. ALSO- THANK YOU for my birthday good mail. I was sooooo excited when I came home from my slumber party and there was a Trix box on my doorstep. I knew it had to be from you (I've seen glimpses of your creative packages in the past). And full of ribbon- what could be better?!!?! Awesome. Made my day. Thank you so much!
I too enjoy reading about your adventures in your ward. It gives me a little perspective shift, when I feel crummy about not getting to go to church with my husband. I need to give that service (not being with my husband) with a glad heart.
Kristi- I really know that you and your family were specifically called to be of leadership and service in this ward. You are making a marvelous difference : )
I just commented on Jill's about seeing the needs and then not acting on them. Something I am working on too. The whole bridge thing is pretty amazing. How will you ever stop going?
11:55 PM
Anonymous said...
The bridge analogy is amazing- especially since you are living it weekly.
I loved what you said about the "let me know if you need something" kind of service, but also what Mique said about how accepting service is providing a way for others to serve and getting over the pride of needing help. That is something I have learned this year over and over.
Between this post and Jill's- my paradigm has been shifted this week!
My church is ridiculously affluent. I told them about your free book drop thing that you did a while ago. I thought it was brilliant. I got a few very dead stares, but it doesn't deter me. I'm working on it! I think our members who are financially rich seem to think effective efforts have to be BIG efforts with HUGE, visible results. You're so right that the small little gestures go a long, long way.
I am so glad your home ward is good about sponsoring your D.C. Ward. As you were talking about helping half of them with Christmas I thought of you putting the two wards together somehow, since it would be so easy for your home ward people and such a great, great way to celebrate Christmas!
Your stories of the floral arrangements and dad dropping the boys off the week you have clothes for them are evidence of the Lord looking out for you guys. It must be incredible to see weekly miracles like this and to know that you're making such a difference.
Wow! Love the inspiration that you tell us about. We all need that at times. Love the bridge analogy too. Good Luck with your Primary Program! our is in December, so our practices are just getting underway. It really is a neat experience being in the mission field. Growing up in Utah, it sure has been different for me and alot I have learned. My mom is always amazed at what I do each week. I just tell her, you have to, there is no one else to do it!
what miracles.. that dad dropping the boys off.. the interior designer.. what blessings your are witnessing.. I like that idea.. of you being a bridge.. I hope I am getting better at recognizing and finding ways to serve.. a few years ago one of my little primary girls was killed.. it is an awful story..(her mom was involved) the grandparents were suffering miserably.. I didn't know what to do, or how to do it.. I had to speak at the funeral.. and I wanted so badly to help the poor grandparents of this little girl.. I took them food, which I know is common, but I try to remember to send them a card around the anniversary of her death to let them know little mariah is not forgotten..
I love it when people reach out to me.. I look as though I am always happy.. (just a trait handed down) so I really enjoy it when people really want to know how I am and listen...so I try to be that for others one to really listen and hear how they are..just taking the time to listen you can find all sorts of ways to give of yourself..
What an amazing testimony of service and of truly being an instrument in the Lord's hands! There is no doubt your family and friends are blessing those familes in countless ways, probably even more than YOU realize!
You hit the nail on the head with your comment about saying "if you need me, let me know." It won't happen...we just have to DO IT! Something I could improve on for sure!
It truly is a gift to see what is truly needed. I don't think I have that gift, but I am working to acquire it. I am consistently amazed when you post about your downtown ward. What a blessing to have your local ward members helping the downtown members. I can hardly even imagine how wonderful you must feel when you make these amazing deliveries to people truly in need!
Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough response yesterday. I really appreciated your insights.
What an amazing experience you are having by serving downtown. I served 9 months of my mission in the inner city of St. Louis and was able to help establish a branch there. It was such an amazing blessing to serve with the people there. I loved the diverstiy and felt like I was seeing the kingdom built at such a "grass roots" level. I learned so much about humility and faith through trials. The people there have such a deep love for their Savior and truly learn to rely on Him!
I had to smile at the "good afternoon" tradition they share there. Your kids are experiencing such neat things.
This really sounds like a life-changing opportunity. It reminds me again to open my eyes to the needs of others and then act - even though the needs are probably not as significant as the needs you are dealing with in this ward. Good luck with the Christmas service. That sounds exciting!
The dad dropping the boys off at church and you able to fill his trunk with clothes is a real miracle. I love the image & metaphor of the bridge.
8:57 AM
[Image] Service It is truly amazing how much I feel I have changed from this year of going to church downtown. I almost have so many feelings about it I don't even know where to begin. I know our leaders think they asked us to go to church down there to help out but we have been given so much more than we could ever give. I am a different person. I serve differently. My mind thinks different about service. I don't wait as long to act as I used to. The words, "let me know if I can do anything to help" don't have as much meaning anymore. I used to say that every week to the wife of the soldier who was injured and she would always say, "oh I will let you know" But then I realized it was almost more work for her to think of what I could do to help. [Image]
So a few weeks ago I made these. Little bags of treats for her 2 year old (who spends all day at the hospital with her dad) to pass out to the staff. The idea also was something I sent to my nephew's to pass out when they visit their sister in the hospital. At first I got kind of worked up thinking about it too much - will they think this is weird, will they want to pass them out... then I thought who cares! Who cares if they throw them in the trash, just something to let them know you are thinking of them. [Image] We are already organizing Christmas for all the families in our Congregation and it is a huge undertaking. We will need to do this for more than half the ward. I know this will be such an awesome experience for us this year and has already had a impact on how I am looking at Christmas shopping this year. In one of our meetings we talked about finding the needs that are not as obvious to find. To serve where it is not as obvious to serve. It is an acquired skill for some and others a gift - to just get in there an do - and not wait to be asked. I think I have been given the gift to see the needs of others but don't know how good I am at acting on it. I want to work on that.
On the first Sunday of the month at our church(all over the world) anyone can get up and share their feelings and beliefs about Jesus Christ. It is a pretty awesome meeting in any church in the world but just amazing every month at ours. A sweet little sister who is 72 gets up every month and sings her testimony. She has poor vision and has no front teeth but has such a strong spirit to make up for both. She shared her gratitude for getting a job this past week. Annie Kate got up to share her short testimony (first time she has done this in this ward)and it was very touching. She started off as everyone does, "Good Afternoon" the entire congregation says "good afternoon" back. As she paused to hear them say it, it almost looked like someone turned on a large fan and she blew back a few inches. [Image]theme for the program is "I will follow Him in Faith"
We practiced the primary program and it going to be just awesome. Crazy but awesome. We had two visitors come to church that want to be in the program so we wrote them parts to come next week. They are so excited. If feels good to be so relaxed about it all and not so worried as I think I would have been in past years or other wards. We have a darling 19 year old girl who just moved in the ward with her husband and her second week here we handed her the written script and put her in charge. She is INCREDIBLE! She never thought twice or questioned it and has run with it and the kids love her. I think next Sunday is going to be pretty incredible. [Image]photo of a bridge we biked over this summer in Germany
a friend of mine said the most amazing thing to me when our family was called to do this last year. She said, "you will be a BRIDGE to us of what we can do to help other members of our church downtown" I have thought of that so many times this year. She was right. There has not been a week in months that the back of my car is not full of books, clothes, dishes, bedding, toys,that my local friends have given me to take downtown. A few weeks ago I had noticed that our ward building had no floral arrangements. It was not two days later a interior designer called me and said she had 4 floral arrangements she would like to give me if I thought they could be used downtown. It was a miracle. A couple hours before we left for church another friend brought over bags full of little boys clothing to take down there. I knew exactly who they would go to. There were a few suits just this one boys size. He is only 4 and often takes the metro and bus to church and comes with just his 3 brothers. Sometimes he sleeps on the floor in primary because it is such long day for him. I had wondered how I would get all these bags of clothes for him to his house. All four boys could not carry them on the bus. As we pulled up to church his dad dropped them off. It was perfect timing - a miracle really - he opened his trunk and I was able to FILL it with bags of clothes, shoes and coats for them. I did feel like a bridge on Sunday and many other Sunday's. I love going home and calling those generous friends and telling them the reactions on people's faces when they see new toys in the nursery, new books to take home, a floral arrangement in the chapel or a trunk full of clothes.
[Image]I am quite amazed at how little the drive and difficult details of the day don't bother me anymore. It is second nature to us what once was such an inconvenience. It is really amazing! I don't know how long we will go down there and I would do whatever we were asked to do at this point. I think that is when we learn to master service, when it doesn't feel like service anymore. I told Jeff on the drive home that this year has been such an incredible one, I really don't want it to end.
Jill had a great Sunday Post (if you are not reading this every Sunday put it on your to-do list) about some of these same thoughts and it was awesome.
posted by everything pink! at 7:11 PM on Nov 5, 2007
Untitled
16 Comments -
I love hearing about your Sundays in your ward! I am interested to hear about what kinds of things you see that some of the families need that aren't so obvious. I wonder if I am good at this? I don't know, but I am trying to get past that "let me know if there is anything I can do" thing too! Especially with this new sister I am VT, I call her alot to see if I can take her shopping, or anything. Whereas before, it seems like you never really know how or what to do to serve someone who really doesn't have any known needs. Thanks for your great example!
8:19 PM
liz,
i guess in our ward the basic needs of daily living. like just dropping off a bag of groceries.
one time one of the Young women had asked the YW president if she wouldn't mind if she bought her a stick of deodorant.
things that are so normal to me to have around my house that would be such blessing for someone else.
8:27 PM
Another amazing post. And I have been the recipient of service since having my oldest (with autism)- it has changed my view of service in a totally different way. I used to be the one to say, "Oh thanks I'll let you know." Now if I really need something, I am not as afraid to ask. If nobody accepted service then nobody could give service. I think it's a pride thing. I was too proud to think I could use service.
ALSO- THANK YOU for my birthday good mail. I was sooooo excited when I came home from my slumber party and there was a Trix box on my doorstep. I knew it had to be from you (I've seen glimpses of your creative packages in the past). And full of ribbon- what could be better?!!?! Awesome. Made my day. Thank you so much!
9:04 PM
I too enjoy reading about your adventures in your ward. It gives me a little perspective shift, when I feel crummy about not getting to go to church with my husband. I need to give that service (not being with my husband) with a glad heart.
9:11 PM
Simply inspirational post.
Kristi- I really know that you and your family were specifically called to be of leadership and service in this ward. You are making a marvelous difference : )
-Katie
9:35 PM
I just commented on Jill's about seeing the needs and then not acting on them. Something I am working on too. The whole bridge thing is pretty amazing. How will you ever stop going?
11:55 PM
The bridge analogy is amazing- especially since you are living it weekly.
I loved what you said about the "let me know if you need something" kind of service, but also what Mique said about how accepting service is providing a way for others to serve and getting over the pride of needing help. That is something I have learned this year over and over.
Between this post and Jill's- my paradigm has been shifted this week!
6:20 AM
My church is ridiculously affluent. I told them about your free book drop thing that you did a while ago. I thought it was brilliant. I got a few very dead stares, but it doesn't deter me. I'm working on it! I think our members who are financially rich seem to think effective efforts have to be BIG efforts with HUGE, visible results. You're so right that the small little gestures go a long, long way.
6:23 AM
I am so glad your home ward is good about sponsoring your D.C. Ward. As you were talking about helping half of them with Christmas I thought of you putting the two wards together somehow, since it would be so easy for your home ward people and such a great, great way to celebrate Christmas!
Your stories of the floral arrangements and dad dropping the boys off the week you have clothes for them are evidence of the Lord looking out for you guys. It must be incredible to see weekly miracles like this and to know that you're making such a difference.
6:40 AM
Wow! Love the inspiration that you tell us about. We all need that at times. Love the bridge analogy too.
Good Luck with your Primary Program! our is in December, so our practices are just getting underway.
It really is a neat experience being in the mission field. Growing up in Utah, it sure has been different for me and alot I have learned. My mom is always amazed at what I do each week. I just tell her, you have to, there is no one else to do it!
7:49 AM
what miracles.. that dad dropping the boys off.. the interior designer.. what blessings your are witnessing.. I like that idea.. of you being a bridge.. I hope I am getting better at recognizing and finding ways to serve.. a few years ago one of my little primary girls was killed.. it is an awful story..(her mom was involved) the grandparents were suffering miserably.. I didn't know what to do, or how to do it.. I had to speak at the funeral.. and I wanted so badly to help the poor grandparents of this little girl.. I took them food, which I know is common, but I try to remember to send them a card around the anniversary of her death to let them know little mariah is not forgotten..
I love it when people reach out to me.. I look as though I am always happy.. (just a trait handed down) so I really enjoy it when people really want to know how I am and listen...so I try to be that for others one to really listen and hear how they are..just taking the time to listen you can find all sorts of ways to give of yourself..
10:40 AM
What an amazing testimony of service and of truly being an instrument in the Lord's hands! There is no doubt your family and friends are blessing those familes in countless ways, probably even more than YOU realize!
You hit the nail on the head with your comment about saying "if you need me, let me know." It won't happen...we just have to DO IT! Something I could improve on for sure!
11:54 AM
It truly is a gift to see what is truly needed. I don't think I have that gift, but I am working to acquire it. I am consistently amazed when you post about your downtown ward. What a blessing to have your local ward members helping the downtown members. I can hardly even imagine how wonderful you must feel when you make these amazing deliveries to people truly in need!
12:49 PM
Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough response yesterday. I really appreciated your insights.
What an amazing experience you are having by serving downtown. I served 9 months of my mission in the inner city of St. Louis and was able to help establish a branch there. It was such an amazing blessing to serve with the people there. I loved the diverstiy and felt like I was seeing the kingdom built at such a "grass roots" level. I learned so much about humility and faith through trials. The people there have such a deep love for their Savior and truly learn to rely on Him!
I had to smile at the "good afternoon" tradition they share there. Your kids are experiencing such neat things.
Awesome post!
1:19 PM
This really sounds like a life-changing opportunity. It reminds me again to open my eyes to the needs of others and then act - even though the needs are probably not as significant as the needs you are dealing with in this ward. Good luck with the Christmas service. That sounds exciting!
4:21 PM
The dad dropping the boys off at church and you able to fill his trunk with clothes is a real miracle. I love the image & metaphor of the bridge.
8:57 AM