This week was a lot of service. We got a text one night that if we were free the next day we could go to the Thai Red Cross Society and do some service. One missionary said he had helped here before so was like "Yeah, go in missionary clothes. We won't be doing anything crazy. Just packing boxes."
So yeah. We did. And packed these bags of rice, boxes of batteries and ramen noodles and ready to eat mackerel. All into shipping containers. To be sent down to southern Thailand.
It ended up being a 6 hour service project, but even after that the work was yet to be done.So yes. You can do just about anything and everything in a white shirt and tie.
Packing a shipping container full of food? Check.
Yeah. Just a bunch of random acts of service of helping with housework, gardening, lifting stuff. Just going out and doing. As we help, people realize who we are. Many of them will talk about us too hahahah..."Hey I don' tthink they actually speak Thai." "Yeah, they probably don't, but they're pretty skilled yeah?" "Skilled, not skilled, doesn't matter they probably get paid."
And then BAM.
We explain to them and share with them how we don't get paid at all to do these things. That's the biggest shocker for these people. For most people I guess. Why would you spend your time serving, where you don't really have a day off, where your "work" is a lifestyle.
Why?
Love. Always goes back to love.
A bell is no bell till you ring it,
A song is no song till you sing it,
And love in your heart wasn't put there to stay,
Love isn't love till you give it away.
"May this truth guide our lives. May we look upward as we press forward in the service of our God and our fellowmen....Our hearts will then be lighter, our lives brighter, and our souls richer...Loving service anonymously given may be unknown to man- but the gift and the giver are known to God." - Thomas S. Monson
The small things that we do may seem to go unnoticed, but they aren't. Every little bit of love that we share helps us become happier and way more relaxed and just joyful. Give that love freely. Just a quick thought about anonymous service and stuff like that.
For some reason these computers aren't loading my external hard drive so I can't get to any of my other pictures up...oh well. Life goes on. Love is still real.
But yes. Here in the B(ang)B(ua)T(hong) things have been going pretty well. We are going out and serving everyone, talking to people and just helping others feel of the love of God. The BBT is way way fun, and it's a real blessing to be serving here with Elder Kartchner, Elder Noyce, and Elder Holland. This is looking like the start of a pretty solid transfer.
Bridges Ft. The shadow from the pole and the light above E. Kartchner's head.
Aloha,
Elder แอลลิส
Forward Ever. Stopping Never.
You're obviously doing a cracking job helping people out there. All out of the goodness of your hearts, or for love, as you say. I wish there were more love in the world, especially in these turbulent times. Packing a container full of goods to ship off to those in need is a pure and selfless act when you don't get paid!
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