May 18, 2011

*Service*

A few weeks back Ashley from Heart2Heart asked us to make a post about service, And we just wanted to share it with our {trulie-scrumptious} readers..

Rozalynn here...

A little while back a few girls from my school and I went over to the Assisted Living Center that is down the street from my house. We went room to room and spent time with the elderly. There was one cute old man who spoke very little English that touched my hear.. We tried to talk to him in the little Spanish that we learned last semester, but we didn't get to far.  He got a little teary eyed and it reminded me so much of my grandpa who passed away almost a year ago. It brought back memories of the many hours I spent holding his hand at a place very similar to where we were that day. Before I knew it there were tears streaming down my face. I felt the spirit so strong and I could almost hear my Grandpa whispering how much he loved me. There was so much joy in that little room. I rushed right over and gave that man a hug because he helped me remember not only how much I love and miss my grandpa, but he also reminded me how something so simple can bring so much joy to your heart. Every person was SO grateful just to have someone stop in their room and ask how they are doing and listen to their stories. I learned a lot about the residents in such a short amount of time. There was another man who just lost his wife a short 5 weeks ago. He bore his testimony to us of the love of his wife and how he can't wait to spend eternity with her. (to learn more about the our church click HERE) He shared a poem his wife wrote to him on Valentines day which also was the birth of their first child. He gave me a copy and I'd like to share it with you all...

For My Eternal Sweetheart

God made a lot of sweethearts
In his royal courts on high,
And deep within each heart he placed
A love that would not die

These sweethearts made Eternal vows,
Were promised royal birth,
And if they'd keep His holy laws
Would meet again on earth.

I do not know, I only feel-
My darling, we were there
And felt the thrill to know we'd meet
Again sometime, somewhere.

The years flew by, we wondered where
And when we'd meet each other
But God had planned a meeting place
Away from dad and mother.

In His own time, In His own place
I gave myself to thee,
Our eternal love was sealed
For time and eternity

Each day since then is Sweetheart day
Our vows we live anew
So accept Sweetheart these sentiments
Wrapped in my love so true.

Forever- Louise L. Harmon
February 14, 1950


This adorable man had this entire poem memorized and spoke right to my heart. I hope we can all realize how important service is. I have found no greater joy than when I'm serving others. I've also found that when I am serving, I feel like I take away more than what I intended to give. So if you have a little prompting to go visit someone or to give them a simple phone call, take heed to that prompting because you never know how much some one needs you. I called my grandma to tell her I was thinking about her and the experience I had earlier and she said, "Bless you're heart, you were someone's little Angel today." This of course brought me to tears once again, but just remember, take a little time each day to be "someone's little angel"...



Hey All!
 Ashlie here...


This instance doesn't have to do with a service I've done, but a service that was done to me.  It's been several years since it's happened, but I will never ever forget it.  


I had just moved to Boise for collge and I knew not a soul on campus.  I come from a small town where everyone knows everybody, so the concept of going out of my way to make a friend was very hard for me.  I've always had kind of a hard time making new friends so my aunt thought it would be good for me to go to the "Spectacular" which is a big get together the Institute (a religion class) puts on at the beginning of each school year.  


I reluctantly agreed so I drove to the park where it was taking place.  Before I got out of my car I said a little prayer.  I told my Heavenly Father I was just going to go get something to eat and if  no one talked to me by the time I was done eating, I was going to go home.  


I got out of my car and started to wander around.  There were so many people there!  I was extremely nervous and scared.  I stood looking around, trying to take it all in, trying to figure out where to go and two girls immediately spotted me and came over and introduced themselves.  They took me around introducing me to everyone they knew there.  We ate together and got to know each other very well by the end of the night.  


When I got back into my car, I said another little prayer thanking my Heavenly Father for those two girls -my "little angels" who made my entire night.  They made a huge difference that effected the rest of the time I was in collage.  Because of that simple act of kindness, I not only met lots of new people, but it made me brave enough to sign up to be on the Institute Committee Board.  I later became president of the Good Times Committee, helping to plan events for the Institute.  (Ironic huh?!)


Just like Rozalynn said, It really doesn't take much to be someone's "little angel" and make a difference in someone's life.  Even if it's just a smile, a hug, or a hello.  You will never know how much it really means for them to be on the receiving end of service.  It may just change their life.  Because you know what? If I had never gotten involved with the Institute, I would have never bumped into a guy named Brent Eborn.  That guy is now my husband...


What does Service mean to you??
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3 comments:

  1. That poem just seriously touched my heart and made me want to cry! I was and still am a lot like you Ashlie, it's hard to make friends. I'm so grateful to many people who talked to me first and made that leap of friendship. My mom always taught me that if I'm going through a rough time, to go out and serve. It really makes a difference!

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  2. That was BEAUTIFUL!!! I worked in a nursing home as a CNA before I got married, so I know that feeling so well.

    Service is such a big thing in my life, and it doesn't have to be big things like service projects. My life's thing is that I remember that I can have an effect on EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON I encounter throughout the day. It can be a good thing, or a bad thing. So I always make sure to try and make my encounter a super happy one, even if they don't seem happy back. I love making people smile and laugh and making small talk in lines...sometimes the best service is just to being a smile to brighten someone's day!

    I was on the Institute Committee Board too! SOOOO much fun!

    Y'all are AWESOME!!!

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  3. I was really close to my grandpa as well and found myself in a similar situation.

    It's fun that y'all are so close :)

    giveaway! :)

    ReplyDelete

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