Forces for Good

Service always makes me happy. I know that's not why we should do it, but it's true that it does. And beyond that, with the increasing opportunities to serve I find that it is within those places that I find true beauty and some of the greatest goodness. I had the chance to volunteer several places on Thursday, with my hospice patients doing music therapy, at the Mesa temple, and packing food with Feed My Starving Children.  We hear often about the dark despair in the world today- the news is full of horrible crimes, discrimination and prejudice, political corruption, and all kinds of evil. In a world surrounded by all that, it may at times be challenging to find the very best people have to offer. It has long been my belief that while dark times bring out the worst in people, they also bring out the best of mankind.

I see that as I sing to my sweet hospice patients. As they near the end of this mortal life, more often than not there is some pain and hardship, but at the same time you find those caregivers who compassionately serve through all of it. You can feel the sweetness of peace as they reflect over lives well-lived and families well-loved. And I am reassured time and time again that the mortal life is not the end, rather it is the beginning. That the pain they feel now, whatever physical or mental deformities they have, will be healed and made perfect in the resurrection. Because of them, I feel like I can be a force for good in this world; I can take the wisdom they share with me to bless others.

As I serve regularly in the temple, I never cease to marvel at the complete peace and protection the temple brings. Many temples are in the midst of busy cities, yet within those walls the voices of the world fade away and you can center yourself again with Heavenly Father. Not only that, but as I go regularly to do work for my ancestors, to allow them the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am uplifted by an immeasurable joy. Never am I more aware that I am in the temple that I am part of a very large family--I feel connected not only to living relatives, but I have come to know my great-great grandparents (and way beyond that). As I discovered a woman eight generations ago in Ireland whose 5 year old daughter died while she was pregnant with her second little girl, I cried for her and rejoiced with all my heart when I was able to perform the sealing work for that family.

Within the past six weeks or so, I was introduced to a wonderful non-profit organization called Feed My Starving Children. "Founded in 1987, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God's children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: volunteers hand-pack meals specially formulated for malnourished children, and we send them to partners around the world where they're used to operate orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. FMSC food has reached more than 70 countries in our history." In a world in which 6,200 children die from malnutrition and starvation every day, we have the opportunity to make a difference and to change that statistic.While we obsess so much about appearance, fashion and beauty in our society, some of the most beautiful people I have met work all day in hairnets, little make-up, and jeans and T-shirts to pack and ship meals for children around the world.

These thoughts of reflection and gratitude were already simmering when I saw the news yesterday morning regarding the memorial services held in Armenia and Turkey to commemorate the Armenian genocide 100 years ago. A devastating tragedy in all respects, not only in the millions of lives lost, but in the respect that we did not learn from it quickly enough to stop the Holocaust and the acts of genocide committed around the world from Russia to the Dominican Republic. But again, during the darkest hours the brightest lights can be seen. One American man in the midst of the Armenian genocide managed to save over 250,000 people. Miep Gies, Oskar Schindler and Corrie ten Boom are some of the well known rescuers of the Holocaust, along with thousands more like the Danish fisherman who hid Jews on their boats to take them over to Sweden and Norway for refuge. Incredible acts of compassion and heroism, both published and relatively unknown, can be found when the goodness of man rises up to fight the darkness.

I would be naive if I didn't acknowledge the amount of greed, corruption, filth, cruelty, and evil in this world, but I would be foolish not to recognize that at the same time the forces of light, truth, courage, and kindness are just as strong. And when I serve (and you serve) I put myself not only to in places to find those sources, but also on the path to become a source of goodness.

If you are looking for opportunities to serve near you, whether it be a regular thing or a big service project, here are some websites that are wonderful resources : JustServe , Volunteer Match,  and Create the Good.