This post is addressed more to those of religious faiths, but of course you are welcome to read it still. I throw out some unfamiliar jargon so if you have a question about something I am more than willing to answer it for you. Enjoy!
I had an amazing experience tonight after I got off of work. I have a lot of things on my mind right now with a rhetorical analysis paper, a research paper outline, a psychology midterm and a religion midterm all coming up within the next 3 days. I am naturally a little stressed but it is bearable. Anyway, after work I got invited by a co-worker to go and volunteer at the T.R.C. For those who are not familiar with this term, it is the Teaching Resource Center which helps missionaries get comfortable with teaching people about the gospel. I basically portray someone with a trial in my life and the missionaries learn how to apply the gospel personally to the "investigators" life. I was joined with a dozen or so people who came to help out the missionaries.
In the group I saw a man who was strikingly different from the rest of the group. He was handicapped. He had some short pants that came down to the top of his ankles along with a blue, long sleeve shirt that didn't appear to fit him very well. The features of his face seemed to be skewed by the rather large, potent lenses resting on his nose. His language was at times labored and disconnected, yet understandable. His bright smile obviously showed his excitement to be there and volunteer and serve the missionaries.
We were all assigned to a room where we would invite the missionaries in and have them teach us about the gospel based on our needs at that present time. When they taught me I felt like I was right back on the mission, but now looking through the investigators eyes. It was an experience that helped me realize just how special the missionaries are and how the spirit truly does teach and testify of the gospel through them. So pretty much after that I got super mission-trunky. I desired to be a missionary again and help bring people to Christ. I remembered the special experiences and people that have forever changed my life and helped me see what really matters in this world.
Ok now I am going to share with you the real purpose of my post. Since I don't have a car right now, I was walking home from the MTC(Missionary Training Center) and as I was crossing intersection when I saw the handicapped man happily strolling down the street to his home somewhere near mine.
I just stood there in amazement of this man. Here is a guy who has all the excuses in the world not to go out and serve other people. He has plenty of his own issues to take care of, why is he doing this for the missionaries probably every day!?! Then again maybe I knew why all along.
He knew that the work of the Lord is paramount in all the priorities of life. Although he may not be mentally able to serve a mission, he made sure well that he could help the work of the Lord progress by serving those missionaries.
I was humbled by this spiritual giant of a man. He epitomizes true religion in every way. I am grateful for this man and the tremendous reminder he gave to me. "You don't have to be a missionary to bring about 'miracles', you just need to serve as Christ would and the miracles are inevitable."I am now going to attend the T.R.C. as often as I can to help in this great work.
And to the BYU students here in provo, I invite you to do the same. You don't need to give away an entire day for this act of service, just a few hours and I promise that you will see how the great plan of salvation is coming about.
Give some of your time for the Lord and the Lord will give you the time of your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment