Fix, Help, Serve

I loved the article we read for class "Fix, Help or Serving?" I especially loved the statement, "Serving requires us to know that our humanity is more powerful than our expertise." I believe this reflects a humility and trust that is required for true service. If we rely on our own expertise and skill set then we may enter a situation believing we will singularly help or fix the situation or person rather than serve an individual. But if we acknowledge that we are not going to just apply our skill set to the benefit of an individual but apply our whole self (our heart, our spirit, our body, our time, etc.) and treat them with the respect every human being (including yourself) deserves, then we are able to see ourselves as equal to the other person and deliver true service that benefits both the individual and yourself.

I thought that was beautiful and that it tied in beautifully with our discussion of poverty. Encountering poverty was rare and awkward for me as I grew up. I mostly encountered it when I saw homeless people on the street with cardboard signs on my trips to downtown Salt Lake City. I would avoid eye contact and try not to even look at these people because it made me feel so uncomfortable. That was until I attended a regional conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake last spring and Elder Eyring and Elder Bednar (I believe) spoke on building a "zion-like" community. As my siblings and I walked out of the meeting to our car we passed a homeless man on the corner outside the center. Sister Barlow in our ward had stopped to give the man some change while the packed mob of members passed her and the homeless man by. I caught up to her right as she finished giving the man spare change. We exchanged greetings and then she said something to the effect of, "Did we not just get a talk on being charitable and building a zion-like community?"

This small moment was an experience that showed me how counsel from church leaders could be immediately implemented. It also taught me something about charity and giving unto the poor. I was ashamed of myself for never helping and vowed I would keep a dollar and some coins loose in my wallet at all times in case I had the chance to help. Previously I had refused to give because I assumed the homeless used the money for drugs and alcohol whereas I could easily give to a man at the gas station a little short on change to fill up because I knew where the money was going. But Sister Barlow's Christ-like example showed me that every person is human. And that may sound silly and obvious but that isn't how I acted previously. My actions or lack thereof displayed a separation or inequality in the status of certain individuals the homeless man being inferior to the man with a car. I knew I was human, and they were different, so what exactly where they? In my young mind, not human. O how false that is though!

Now, after some more experience and practice, it is easy to look at homeless people with a smile. I am always prepared with some change to spare. It is easy to give as well because I have pre-decided that I will always share when I can. And I've tried to do it because I'm sharing this community with them, not because they are broken or weaker but because I have something to share and they are asking. But I am not sure this is the best philosophy when I travel to Ghana. I suspect I will see a lot more want and begging in Ghana then I do on the clean swept streets of Salt Lake City. I probably cannot attend to all the requests or needs I perceive. How can I show true service and not feel like I'm fixing or helping while I am in Ghana. Can I maintain my same holistic view towards the homeless or impoverished in Ghana as I have developed for those here in Salt Lake? How might my views be challenged and what things will I need to consider in Ghana? Do I need to put conditions on the situations in which I share? Will I experience those emotions such as annoyance, fear, anger or depression Dave mentioned in class that can sometimes come from beggars in poverty? How can I deal with these situations? I think I need to give it some more thinking time, but I welcome any ideas.