Am I My Brother's Keeper?

As we prepare to live and learn from the feasting of the Lords words which we have witnessed and heard over this weekend I think of the words spoken about service to others and the celebration of 75 years of the church welfare programs. The answer to that question “Am I my Brother’s Keeper?” is written in those teachings from the Lord. And the blessings of that answer flood my heart every time I accept an opportunity to serve for the works of the Lord. Many of you know the blessings of service in the Lords Temples- Blessings that I can not even begin to explain or describe. But it is service in other parts of the Lords kingdom that I would like to Blog to you about— Have you ever served on a Saturday morning with your family to clean the Ward House? The blessing seen on Sunday of your teenagers not leaving their programs on the bench, their gum wrapper in the hymnbook holder, or little Clair not opening the glass door with her little hands but pushing on the bar because she spent great care to clean that glass yesterday… Have you ever served on a hot summer’s day at the stake farm? The blessing of the blisters left by the fencing repair lesson— the knowledge that the Lord not only has flocks of sheep but herds of cattle. Have you ever sat in the shade with the young men and young women after an afternoon of neighborhood weed pulling? The blessing of knowing that Sister Lizenbee or Brother Hawker will still be able to have that beautiful garden and knowing that when they have more zucchini then they can handle you will reap the reward and the YM/YW with enjoy your wonderful zucchini brownies. Have you ever taken a friend to the church cannery? Learned of the wonderful blessings of service to those we will never know. Saw the great love the Lord has for those in need? Or seen the quality and care that is shipped all over the world? Have you ever been a volunteer at the Bishops Storehouse? Looked into the eyes of young sister who just can’t make the two ends meet after the loss of her dear husband. Seen the Blessings of the Lord work though you, as you hold her sweet baby while she shops for her other three children. Knowing that her Sunday roast would be from one of the Lords cattle. And seeing the circle of service to the Lord continue as she takes her children to the Ward House on Saturday to clean all the little finger prints off the glass. Many of my greatest blessings have come though serving the Lord in His house, on His land, in His flocks, to His children. As the celebration of the greatest act of service, our great blessing of the Atonement comes I would say to you – Go and Do the things the Lord commands… The blessing you will receive will be more than you can count.