I'm giving a lesson on Sun. Oct.8. It is on Service/Love...Does anyone have a good story or thought, I might be able to use? Thanks Rachel
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
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I'm giving a lesson on Sun. Oct.8. It is on Service/Love...Does anyone have a good story or thought, I might be able to use? Thanks Rachel
8 comments:
the two best service stories i can think of, that aren't personal ones, are:
#1 the one where the fields of beets had frozen in the ground, and the farmer and his teenage boy had to dig them out one at a time with shovels, in the frozen dirt. then they get up one morning, knowing what is facing them, ate breakfast, and head to the feild. on the way they pass wagon after wagon full of beats. the boy says to the dad, "wish those were ours." they get to the field, and the ward had harvested all thier beats for them over the night. the dad sits down on the pile of beat tops in the field, and weaps.
#2 brother Smith in a ward gets a impresson from the spirit that a sister in his family needed food and help (i think she was a widow). he grabs a bag of flour, some oil, etc (basic food staples) and heads over. she answers the door, and was praying for some help as they were out of food. he is able to help them out, and then writes in his jounal that night, "i am thankful that the lord knew there was such a man as brother Smith tonight." he was thankful that the Lord could depend on him when a sister in the ward needed help and that he would follow the promptings from the Spirit.
those are just the punch lines of the stories, not the whole thing obviously. i am sure there are stories from your life and your familes life that would be better anyway. like something about austin saving pennies for the kid at school, or i am SURE your hubby helps out a lot of the people he does work for, or in the ward, or whatever. YOU CAN DO IT!
sam
Hey Sam, I sure appreciate you taking the time to help me. Those are great stories. It helps to get my mind a thinkin! Thanks!!
I heard about this family that had 5 girls. They were really close and loved each other. They not only loved all those in their family but reached out and blessed their extended family. One example was when one of the 'sisters' with two small boys hurt her elbow and really couldn't tent to the needs of her family..she couldn't pick up her baby...but never fear a near by sister (8 months pregnant) took her and her two boys in and nursed not only her elbow but her 'soul' until she could take care of her little ones.
Also...
Here is the Beet Story from Ensign 1998
In 1918 Brother George Goates was a farmer who raised sugar beets in Lehi, Utah. Winter came early that year and froze much of his beet crop in the ground. For George and his young son Francis, the harvest was slow and difficult. Meanwhile, an influenza epidemic was raging. The dreaded disease claimed the lives of George’s son Charles and three of Charles’s small children—two little girls and a boy. In the course of only six days, a grieving George Goates made three separate trips to Ogden, Utah, to bring the bodies home for burial. At the end of this terrible interlude, George and Francis hitched up their wagon and headed back to the beet field.
“[On the way] they passed wagon after wagon-load of beets being hauled to the factory and driven by neighborhood farmers. As they passed by, each driver would wave a greeting: ‘Hi ya, Uncle George,’ ‘Sure sorry, George,’ ‘Tough break, George,’ ‘You’ve got a lot of friends, George.’
“On the last wagon was … freckled-faced Jasper Rolfe. He waved a cheery greeting and called out: ‘That’s all of ‘em, Uncle George.’
“[Brother Goates] turned to Francis and said: ‘I wish it was all of ours.’
“When they arrived at the farm gate, Francis jumped down off the big red beet wagon and opened the gate as [his father] drove onto the field. [George] pulled up, stopped the team, … and scanned the field. … There wasn’t a sugar beet on the whole field. Then it dawned upon him what Jasper Rolfe meant when he called out: ‘That’s all of ‘em, Uncle George!’
“[George] got down off the wagon, picked up a handful of the rich, brown soil he loved so much, and then … a beet top, and he looked for a moment at these symbols of his labor, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Then [he] sat down on a pile of beet tops—this man who brought four of his loved ones home for burial in the course of only six days; made caskets, dug graves, and even helped with the burial clothing—this amazing man who never faltered, nor flinched, nor wavered throughout this agonizing ordeal—sat down on a pile of beet tops and sobbed like a little child.
“Then he arose, wiped his eyes, … looked up at the sky, and said: ‘Thanks, Father, for the elders of our ward.’ ”
Flour story:
One of the great missionaries of pioneer times was Joseph Millett, who served a mission to the Maritime Provinces of Canada when but eighteen years of age. His mission was marked by discouragement, yet punctuated by faith-promoting experiences—even miraculous intervention by the Lord. This lifelong servant of the Lord, who learned on his mission, and never forgot, what it is like to be in need and how to give, leaves us with this final picture of himself, taken from his personal journal and using his own words:
“One of my children came in, said that Brother Newton Hall’s folks were out of bread. Had none that day. I put … our flour in sack to send up to Brother Hall’s. Just then Brother Hall came in. Says I, ‘Brother Hall, how are you out for flour.’
“ ‘Brother Millett, we have none.’
“ ‘Well, Brother Hall, there is some in that sack. I have divided and was going to send it to you. Your children told mine that you were out.’
“Brother Hall began to cry. Said he had tried others. Could not get any. Went to the cedars and prayed to the Lord and the Lord told him to go to Joseph Millett.
“ ‘Well, Brother Hall, you needn’t bring this back if the Lord sent you for it. You don’t owe me for it.’ ”
His journal continued, “You can’t tell how good it made me feel to know that the Lord knew that there was such a person as Joseph Millett.” (In Eugene England, New Era, July 1975, p. 28.)
Can you tell Sam is a 'service' kind of guy?
Arlene
Arlene,
Thank you for the stories...especially that first one...It reminded me of a quote I like..."Blessed are those you give without remembering and those you can recieve without forgetting"
Thanks for all the help! I really appreciate it. Barb sent me some good stuff too!!
P.S.
Sam is awesome! He is a kind, servicable, Christlike individual! Glad he is in the Hilter Fam!!
Rachel, I read all the good stories that were sent to you. I want to send you a real life story about the Hilters.
Jack and I had baled all of our hay and it laid in the field waiting to be hauled. Waiting because Jack had stepped in a hole and twisted his knee real bad. The ward got news of our predicament. Who?!?! knew we were desperate. On Monday morning we looked out and saw every able bodied male in our ward out hauling in our hay. The Lord knew of out plight and he sent us the necessary help. Oh, how thankful we were. We sat down and cried,too.
I took my camera out and got a picture. The doctor advised me to send Jack to his folks so he could rest the knee and give it a chance to heal.
SERVICE IS GOD'S PLAN. Our prayers are answered thru his servants. I am so glad I am a member of the true church. The Lord knows each of us and hears our
prayers.We must acknowledge how he answers our prayers.
I could give a sermon on service.
But this is how we were served. Gma
Service is not only giving, but someone has to be willing to recieve. That is the harder part. It isn't fun being on the charity end of needing help, but is necessary for someone else to give! I was served for many years with 14 kids. One day we had come home from church and it was Christmas Eve or close to it. In front of our garage was boxes and boxes of gifts for the kids for Christmas. We were very poor and had NO money for Santa.
Only until I was married to Bud some 9 years later did he tell me that his daughter in laws had been called by Twila, his sister in law, now my sister in law, to help sew outfits for 'some' family of 14 on the northside who needed Christmas!!! Ya, the Lord knows!!! Bud's family was serving me before he even knew me!!!! bev
Thanks Gma I love the personal stories they are always the best!! Thanks so much!
Mom, that is crazy about the christmas gifts. I bet we were the talk of many welfare mtgs.
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