This is a How To......Post

Every so often when some object is needing fixing or taking apart or creating or what have you I jump on this world wide web, type in how to..... and so many explanations of "how to" come up in the form of a Wiki or videos or pictures or written explanations.  

Yesterday I had an experience that blew my socks off.  Full explanation to come in a moment.  After several comments about said experience over Facebook one comment struck me differently.  It was something about being taught to serve.  Over the last few hours I've given this some thought.  Taught to serve.  I've been taught to serve ever since I was little when I watched by example, my parents, grandparents etc. serving the Lord. Then in my growing up years I was taught to serve by doing.  I've wondered a time or two if this happens in other families who aren't necessarily LDS or overly religious.  

So this morning I decided to fall back on previous successes of instruction.  I Googled "How to Serve".  The results were very interesting.  The first four results were on tennis.  The next was 100 ways to serve others and then the rest were a variation of setting a table, serving certain food, a Twilight Zone episode and of course more tennis!  There was only one mention of the service I talk of.  I was very impressed with the list of 100 ways to serve so here's the link. 

This all stems from what happened yesterday and instead of retyping it I'm going to copy and paste an email from a friend and my response back to her.  I think you will get the gist.

• Barbara

  • These Fairies must be from your church. I've heard a lot about the goodness of Mormon women! 
•  Cyndi
  

  • Barbara these ladies are from church! I'm simply humbled by the kindness and loving nature of these women. They jump in at a moments notice and do amazing feats of service. Our church has a women's organization called the Relief Society and it is basically just as it sounds, a society that provides relief! It's more than just jumping to someones physical needs though. Its relief through spiritual and emotional need. Relief through financial and health. It's providing in all aspects of life. Our motto has been for a very long time, Charity Never Faileth, and it's my personal belief that through our charity toward others everything is learned! Humility, sacrifice, love, service, kindness, hard work, dedication, and the list goes on!
    
    I want to tell you about today. It kind of starts actually several years ago. We have always wanted more kids but I've never been able to get pregnant again. We've been through so much between adoption and dr.s and it's just never happened. We keep on trying though because at this point we don't feel like it's right to take it out of the Lords hands! Well I've thought, because of certain things that have taken place the last couple of weeks, that I might be pregnant. Today I started my cycle though. It is hard. It's always hard! Almost 9 years of trying is, trying on us! I had a miscarriage in November and since then it's been even harder. Well starting today really got me down. Also not being able to be physically active because of my shoulder has had me down as well. I had been texting my friend Amy with my woes and she was helping me to feel better but it was still hard to pull out of it! Tonight Bonnie and I gave the program on cooking with tofu. I had stuff to prepare and when I went into the kitchen it was a disaster (as the  picture showed). I was trying to cheer myself up so I put that picture up on FB. Right after that happened I found out my sink was clogged. I took the couple of dishes I needed and went and washed them angrily in the bathtub and then prepped the stuff I needed. Moments later I was sitting there "woeing" when a knock comes on my door and there is Amy in a fairy costume telling me she's going to clean my dishes. When I told her my sink was clogged she didn't bat an eye she just said oh....well, we'll wash them in the tub!
    
    Barbara she knew how down I was and she came to "wash my dishes"? I was blown away! The thing is though is that these are the kind of things these women do and I'm so humbled by them. Humbled to be a part of this great work!
    

That was last night.  This morning Amy posted a comment and that is what spurred on my thoughts of teaching service.

• Amy - I've learned in this Ward, if you want to fill someone's need, you've got to do it quickly because there are 7 or 18 other people who do it right away, too. YOU guys are the ones who taught me to just go out and serve! 

There's that word again, taught! The longer I'm around good honest people the more I'm humbled by these acts of service.  I never considered that through their actions, I'm learning or rather being taught to better my own.  How profound examples can be in our lives when we open our eyes and watch is awesome but how much more profound can they be when we choose to act on the things we've witnessed.  It's been my experience that the Holy Ghost will bear witness to me swiftly and softly if I am in tune to hear Him.  My life becomes more meaningful and I find incredible amounts of joy by listening to the Holy Ghost and acting on His promptings.  

The last few days I've had two friends tell me about people in their lives who have it hard but both those friends point out that we all have it hard.  Not a single person in this world has it easy.  What makes life easier is this service business.  There is something about reaching out of your own self no matter how hard your life is and serving a sister or brother.  Needs are great and small.  Yesterday morning my friend  helped a man who had lost his job.  He was so down on life.  As she helped him she laughed, smiled, made jokes, and spread joy.  He said, "If you only knew how bad I have it right now."  She turned to him and said, "If YOU only knew how bad I have it right now.  My husband just lost his job and I've been out of work."  By the time he left her side he was smiling and she, was beaming!  That's what this service stuff is.  She was helping him but the real service came through her happiness.  Amazing! In the end I've come up with my own How To in three easy steps.

HOW TO SERVE
1. Watch - Service opportunities are happening all around us.  Sometimes we have the upper hand because we know inside information, like Amy yesterday was texting back and forth with me and knew my heart was heavy.  If we watching for opportunities we will find them.

2. Listen - Heavenly Father knows us so well.  He sends Kitchen Fairies, which I think I'll dub Kitchen Angels now, to us when we are in need but He will also MAKE you the Kitchen Angel when His other children are in need.  He uses the Holy Ghost to prompt us.  

3. ACT -  The first two are pointless without the third.  In order to have that joy in my life I must act on the promptings of the Spirit.  There have been times when I have been in the darkest of places and it seems as if my world is so hard and there is nothing that is getting easier.  During those times everything is a challenge and a trial.  It is during those times that the only thing that pulls me though is relying on my Savior and often He is getting me to help others who are just as down on life as myself.  This pulls me through.

Charity, service, all these things are like an addicting drug.  You start to serve and it feels good.  It feels so good that you want to do it again and again and again.  Thank you my Kitchen Angel!  You've taught me well!