Serving Others Is a Good Thing

Recently I was thinking about a former co-worker.  John was a good man of a faith different than mine.  John and his wife Imelda (Mel) were very active in their faith and thrived on helping others in need.

On one occasion John told me about a woman with several young children who lived in an apartment with no furniture.  They had no beds, no table or chairs, no couches. They had nothing!  The entire family was sleeping on the floor and eating while sitting on the floor.  John told me he knew that our church has resources available that might provide furniture for this lady and her family.  He asked if I would speak to my bishop (a title equivalent to pastor or priest in other religions) and ask if he would make available furniture for this family. I asked my bishop and he said he would help her.  I gave him John’s phone number.  My bishop set up an order from our local Deseret Industries store and furniture was made available to this family.

I know that service has been a way of life for John and Mel.

Every year John and Mel helped provide and serve Thanksgiving meals at their church to feed the poor and needy.

The last time my wife and I saw John was in December of 2006.  My wife and I had recently retired and we were in the process of moving to Utah. We visited John in the hospital, where he was dying of pancreatic cancer.  Mel was there with him. We had a wonderful visit with John and Mel.

In our conversation with them, Mel told us that she felt badly about her latest experience in providing turkeys for the Thanksgiving meals at their church.  John was in the hospital and Mel had gone home to prepare and bake four turkeys.  When she arrived home, she found that the water heater had burst and had flooded the kitchen.  She told us that because of the flooded kitchen she was only able to bake two turkeys instead of the four turkeys she had planned originally.

John and Mel were the kind of people who were always looking out for others – and helping them.  They are a great example to me for showing the love of Jesus Christ to others.

The Savior taught that we should feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and visit the sick.  “Verily, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me”. Matthew 25:40

That is precisely what John and Mel did.  May God bless them for the love in their hearts, for their willingness to take the time and to make the effort to help others.

Hopefully, each of us will look for opportunities to serve others, to be loving enough and bold enough to DO WHAT IS NEEDED to help.

Elder Norm Masters, Full-Time Missionary

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

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The Upper Country News-Reporter     Cambridge, Idaho     July 14, 2014