3. Being A Humanitarian
A talk given about 2000 in a Rupert West Stake Leadership meeting

This subject that was assigned to me is dear to my heart. I have served many capacities in the Church, but perhaps the most rewarding one was as the Humanitarian Representative in the Heyburn Wards. On a 5th Sunday, about six or seven years ago, our ward was presented with the Humanitarian plan of the Church, which was then completely voluntary. I was so excited about it, that after that meeting, I couldn't get up to the stand fast enough to ask the Bishop Price is I could be the representative. I was afraid somebody else would beat me to it! I was given the go ahead, and I called our efforts, “Paint a Bright Spot on Your Soul., and the good people of the ward responded by attending projects where we quilted, assembled hygiene, newborn and school kits, sanded and painted wooden cars and toy blocks. In addition, ward members worked on their own, sewing blankets, baby gowns, school bags, and handed in purchased donations, which filled a small table by the RS room every Sunday. Over the years, our modest efforts resulted in, among other categories:

These items were delivered to the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake, where they are shipped all over the world where needed. This is just one part of the Humanitarian and Welfare arms of the church. In the last several years the Church has concentrated its efforts in helping those in need in five major areas: Neonatal Resuscitation, Clean Water, Measles Vaccinations, Wheelchairs and Vision Treatment.

The World Health Organization estimates that one million babies die each year because of birth difficulties. The Church sends volunteer physicians and nurses to train birth attendants in 3rd world countries, and they in turn, train others. Over 80,000 birth attendants have been trained in thirty countries as of last year.

In 2003, the Church partnered with the International Red Cross and other agencies to help in the worldwide fight against measles. In 1999, 873,000 people, mostly children were killed by measles. The Church donates a million dollars per year, as well as adding support from volunteers help with the actual vaccination. Between the years of 2001 and 2005, 360 million children had received the vaccine, resulting in a 60% decrease in the world measles mortality rate. Each dose of vaccine costs 83 cents.

Over one billion people do not have access to clean water, and suffer the diseases of cholera, typhoid fever and other water born ailments. Since 2002, the Church has helped 5 million people in over 4,500 communities dig bore holes and install wells. The people themselves help in the work to help themselves, and are trained to maintain and care for the pumps and wells.

The Church also works with other organizations who provide help to the disabled throughout the world in providing wheel chairs to more than 300,000 people in one hundred and one countries. A case in point tells of a mother who had to carry her crippled son for years, a severe hardship for her as he grew heavier and for him, severely limiting his opportunities. She wept, when he was presented with a wheel chair and could become mobile and more self sufficient. For the first time in his life, he could move about without someone carrying him.

In addition, The Benson Institute at BYU goes to countries all over the world, to teach farming methods to poverty stricken people, in order to help them improve their food supply, and provide proper nutrition to their families. They can also sell surplus food to others and earn enough to send their children to school. They are also given training to care for small animals such as goats, pigs, chickens rabbits and guinea pigs, providing severely needed protein to their diets.

We are all familiar with the great Welfare program of the Church, and have probably all hoed beets, cut seed potatoes or otherwise worked on the Stake Farm, and thus contributed in some small way to feed others.

The Perpetual Education Fund has lifted many out of poverty, by assisting them in gettint education, and we can contribute financially to that cause.

The great Helping Hands program of the Church has eased the burdens of thousands, as members in their yellow T shirts with the Helping Hands logo printed on the front, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints printed on the back, has become very familiar in areas of disaster. Another church asked to join a group of LDS cleaning up after a terrible storm in the South, and their only wish was that they too, could wear the yellow Helping Hands shirts!

Why is our Church and people so focused on helping others? We only need to look at out Heavenly father and try to emulate Him. For what other purpose did he provide the amazing plan of salvation, but to show His live for His children. He could have found easier things to do than to assist His Son in creating and peopling worlds without number. No one made His Son , our Savior Jesus Christ suffer for us through the Atonement, except that he loved us so much. This pure love of Elohim and Jesus Christ is the basis behind everything they do for us. This love that they have for us called charity, and they have commanded us that we have charity also, because we strive to be like them. “Except men have charity, they are nothing” If we do not remember to have charity, we are as dross. Without charity, men cannot inherit a place prepared in the Father's mansions. The RS motto is, “Charity Never Faileth”. Charity is the pure love of Christ and endures forever, and” except ye have charity, ye can in nowise be saved in the Kingdom of God.”

Paul told the saints in Corinth, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, I am nothing.” I guess he meant that we can participate in assigned humanitarian projects forever, but if we don't do it with a willing and loving heart, it is as if we never did anything at all.” If we go home from making quilts and assembling hygiene kits, and dig pits for our neighbors, our time was pretty well wasted. Unless we love our neighbors as ourselves, which would be pretty easy if they were as lovable as we are, we are wasting our time in service projects.

So how can we develop this pure love of Christ, and act on it in our daily lives? We can be more courteous in all aspects of our lives. When someone shows anger towards us, can we respond with a soft answer and turn away their wrath? As we walk through a parking lot at a store, can we pick up a cart and take it with us and spare the cart attendants one less cart to handle. I was with a woman who left a store on a very cold day, and she noticed that the young man gathering up carts in the parking lot, had no gloves to protect his hands from the cold metal. She went right back into the store and bought a pair of gloves, and took them out to him. We will surely regret lost opportunities, but I doubt if we will say, I regret being too kind!

Parents, do we teach our children to be kind? We know the warning in Mosiah 4 (read) When I worked in the schools, I would be very aware of children who were unkind to others. I would take them aside and tell them there was something very wrong when a person feels happy about making other people sad or afraid. They would respond that they were only teasing, and we would talk about how teasing was ok if both people were having fun, but if one was having fun by making the other sad or afraid, it wasn't teasing, it was bullying. It is an important part of parenthood to teach charity to our children. I know that intentional parenthood is a big responsibility, and takes so much of our time, and sometimes we think as I used to, that I would be a great mother if I weren't so busy raising kids, but it vital that children learn the Golden Rule while young. This rule is so important, that if everybody in the world would follow it, there would be no wars, nor crime, no poor going without. Eleven little words of the Golden Rule would solve all those problems. Those eleven little words are, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

We are not only supposed to love our neighbors, even if they aren't as lovable as we are, but we are supposed to love our enemies, and do good to those who despitefuly use you and persecute you. That can be pretty tough!

When one of our sons went into Iraq, they met with some resistance. And the first night, our men settled into trenches dug by the enemy, and Ethan was just a few yards away from some of their dead. He looked at their bodies and felt great compassion for them. They lay with their poor rations of bread and little silver pots for making tea, and they looked hungry. Their clothing was worn, shoes had holes in them, and one's shoes were laced together with wire. They had been forcefully sent to defend their country, some on bicycles, ill prepared and frightened, against the best prepared fighting force in the world. All the terrible suffering that resulted from that war and all the other wars that have ever been fought, and all that will yet be fought, could have been prevented if the leaders of the world heeded eleven little words!

I will close with this quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. By the way you know that when the devil goes to bed, he looks under it to see if Elder Holland is there...”May God, who has blessed all of us so mercifully and many of us so abundantly, bless us with one thing more. May He bless us to hear the often silent cries of the suffering and afflicted, disadvantaged, the poor. Indeed, may He bless us to hear when any neighbor anywhere is suffering, and to drop everything and come running.”