Opportunities to help

Okay, I wanted to do a post on some of the less fortunate people we encounter here, but I certainly don't want to seem like we are so selfless and help everyone in the world. I will be very honest in this post and say I do much less to help others than I was hoping to when we first planned to move here. I'm hoping as time continues to go on that I will find more ways to help.

There are so many people here that have absolutely nothing. A drive across town can easily leave me in tears as I look out the window and watch the families trying to live in the median of a highway, or people showering out of a bucket on the sidewalk in the middle of downtown. There are many people who love to shower after or during a good rain when the rain guttars have a steady water flow. It's heartbreaking to see people-especially children-just laying on the sidewalk, not even moving to pass the day away. We are discouraged to give money to any beggars...even children... because they often go buy cleaners and inhale them to curb their hunger pangs.

We try to have extra snacks handy to pass out to those who are hungry as we go about our days. Once in a while we have extra food from McDonalds,and that always brings some big smiles.

One day Jeremy ran into this family as he was going about his day. They were begging pretty aggressively. Jeremy went to leave but couldn't after seeing this little baby's head. So he brought them to our home for a shower, some food, and a doctor's visit for the baby.

When they came in our home I was incredibly disappointed in myself. I was surprisingly very uncomfortable to have them in my home. I wasn't quite prepared for that really, really dirty smell from being homeless for so long. I wasn't sure what to say, with the language barrier not helping either. I was nervous to touch the baby. His head looked horrible. I was sure it was some sort of deadly tumor or super ultra contagious leprousy. Like I said, I was uncomfortale and I wasn't sure what to do. Jeremy, however, was wonderful. He made them all feel right at home and took that little baby in his arms and gave him a blessing.

The only clothes they owned were what they were wearing. They were dirty from head to toe. They showered and ate, while we gathered up clothes, toys, a few books, towels, whatever we could throw into a bag, and then Jeremy took them to the doctor. I waited to hear what the diagnosis was, and was greatly relieved when Jeremy let me know it was a big boil that just needed some antibiotics and clean water. I believe the doctor visit and the medicine together cost less than $10.00. The baby had the boil for over a month. Who knows how long he would have had it, and what else it could have turned into if he hadn't been medically treated.

I learned some lessons from meeting this family. Mostly about myself. I have a much longer way to go than I thought to become charitable. I am incredibly grateful for the comfortable, blessed life I have been given. I am grateful for medicine and for the opportunities we all have to reach out and help others when they are down. Sometimes we come away with more than the people we give to. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father to allow all of us-whatever circumstances we are in-to be able to choose how we act and to be able to learn to be better than what we are. I know Heavenly Father loves each of us. He doesn't love that family any less than He loves mine. We are each given our own set of circumstances to learn and grow and to help each of us individually be better, stronger, and more able to empathize for the rest of our lives and into eternity.