Light the World – Blessings from Giving and Receiving

Photo by Wendy Santiano

Are you ready to Light the World? On December 1st, Mormon.org will be kicking off the Christmas season with a worldwide day of service. My friend Wendy and I got a jump start on serving with our families and I am so excited to share our experience with you!

Why participate? Because you have so much to give! This year I discovered that even in difficult times, I have something to offer.  Every year I prayerfully choose a few words to live by. For 2016 I was strongly impressed to “give more.” When these words first came to my mind, I laughed and then I cried. My husband had been laid off and I was working around the clock. I was tired, mentally and physically. I felt I was already giving all that I had to keep our family afloat.

So I humbled myself and accepted the challenge to give more. It forced me to be creative. Waking in the early morning hours, I began indexing more. We donated clothes and shoes to Deseret Industries and Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry South County. We collected toys and supplies for an orphanage in Italy. We prayed for daily opportunities to serve.

As we increased our service efforts, it was humbling to see our blessings multiply as well. Blessings appeared when we needed them most. Mentors, jobs, and opportunities came at just the right moments. It has been an amazing year and I have much to be grateful for.

For example, late one night there was a knock on our doorstep. Opening the door, I discovered grocery bags filling our small doorstep and spilling out onto the sidewalk. Bags overflowed with pasta, baking supplies, and more. Alongside them sat cases of soup and vegetables followed by large bags of flour and rice.

As we brought the groceries into our home, our 9 year old daughter danced circles around us singing, “We are so blessed. Somebody loves us. We are so blessed.”  This made me cry even more. This is what I wanted my daughter to remember during this tough time – that we were so blessed. That God loves us and will answer our prayers.

My heart bursts when I think of the many ways others have served us this year. Equally just as wonderful are the feelings that have come about as we have served others. Even tiny hands can make a big difference. My children know that they can work hard and do good things.

Photo by Wendy Santiano

One of my favorite service opportunities is working with Tabitha’s Way in Spanish Fork. Last week, we helped sort out cans for their Thanksgiving baskets. Earlier this year, we were able to go in for a family night to stock shelves. They do so much good for the community, it is fun to work alongside them! If you are in Utah County email them at info.tabithas@gmail.com to see how your family can help!

Photo by Wendy Santiano

There are so many ways to serve during this Christmas season! Check out the Light the World homepage to discover inspiration for 25 days of service with your family.