Several months ago, I was asked to fulfill a role as a humanitarian service leader for my church. My main responsibility is to organize activities for local church members that will benefit those in need. We started working on our Hearts and Hands Extravaganza in July and after nearly four months of planning, we held our activity last Friday night, and it was a gigantic success. I was absolutely thrilled!
The project was to collect donated items for hygiene kits that would be distributed to those in crisis around the world—something particularly in high demand right now with the recent increases of natural disasters, from tsunamis and earthquakes internationally to floods and fires domestically. My friends and neighbors contributed hundreds of bars of soap, toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste, combs, and bins of hand towels in preparation for Friday’s assembly activity. I asked several women to cook up a crock pot of their favorite soup so we could make a fun evening of it. (I brought tortilla soup and my own special chili.)
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would anybody show up? Would there be enough food? As it turned out, we had more than 75 people arrive, happy, prepared, hungry and willing. We laughed and talked as we bagged needed items, excited about how these simple gifts could bless the lives of others—people we will never know but who we believe share a connection as our brother or sister on this earth.
What I learned: when you give, you get much more in return. I walked away from this amazing evening with a tremendous sense of peace, gratitude, and renewed appreciation and friendship for the fine people I work and serve with. The chili warmed my stomach and the activity warmed my soul.
P.S.: If you’d like to warm up yourself, visit my blog on Friday, and I’ll post the full recipe for my zesty chili. You won’t be chilly with my chili!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What We Get When We Give…
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Looks like a great activity. Can you come organize one for our ward in Lehi! :)
ReplyDeleteDo LDS church's look the same all over the world? It only took a glance to know we are "sisters". :) Thanks for sharing the photos of your great event!
ReplyDeleteGreat cause! And, getting together to help others is lots of fun -- esp when there is food to share. Looking forward to your recipe.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy your blog entries, even when they are not CTMH related.
I love seeing the response you got! It warms my heart. I wish you were the Humanitarian Service Leader in my Relief Society organization!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! You should post your tortilla soup recipe also!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're sharing this - it is so much fun to work with other people on something worthwhile! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteour yw group did school bags...they each bought stuff for one school child and then made bags to put them in...it was great! they have also made teddy bears (sewed and stuffed them) pretty cool how simple little things like a stuffed teddy or a notebook of paper can really brighten an other wise sad life! we are truly blessed to live where we do and to have what we have! you are a fabulous example!
ReplyDeletewhat a great community service project for you and your church community to participate in. you must have a connection with someone at Close To My Heart to get those great boxes to ship everything in ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great service you and everyone did. It only takes a few hours and a little bit of work and you have helped so many people.
ReplyDeleteYou can be proud of your efforts for sure!
What a wonderful thing for your ward to do! Looking through the pictures I had the same thought as Kerry did...your cultural hall looks just like my parents', minus the carpet!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try out your recipe!
Awesome!! Our stake just collected clothing and other items for missionaries in Africa. We ended up with enough to supply 7 Elders and 3 Sisters with needed items. I love the service projects, even though sometimes the crafty things seem like more fun. I'm impressed that the men even showed up to help in your ward!! The food looks great too. Can't wait for your chilli recipe!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for organizing such a great cause. I know when I did the American Red Cross hurricane relief back in 2005 so many people needed just simple things like toothbrushes and soap. They were grateful for people's support and knowing that people cared. I agree, when you give you get so much more in return.
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