"You Are the Gift", Charity and Learning to Serve

You Are The Gift

The past couple of days have been absolutely great. We have continued to work with St. Thomas Eye Center. We have continued to serve the people of Ghana by assisting St. Thomas Eye Center. This week we visited an outreach close to a local primary school. It was a treat to work with not only adult patients, but with students as well. The aim of some of the clinics we work with is to treat any eye-related issues during youth age before those issues become irreversible. Like we did three weeks ago in Kumasi, we helped many students check that their vision was okay.

This trip is almost over. It’s zoomed by. One of the things we are required to do over this trip is to read a speech given by Sharon Eubank titled Turning Enemies into Friends. Sister Eubank, then head of LDS Charities, asked us about what we do in our spare time. As people with various and numerous responsibilities, we hardly ever have free time. And if we do, how do we spend it?

For some reason I always convince myself that I’m busy. There has been a lot of time in my life that I have wasted on menial things when I could have been doing something more meaningful. This trip has helped me realize that there are more important things to be doing. After spending the greater part of six weeks here in Ghana, I feel like I have a better understanding of service. It must be done with whole and willing heart. Sometimes we serve others to put ourselves on a pedestal, resulting in admiration and praise. This should not be why we serve. After thinking about it, I’ve come to understand that we should serve out of pure love for others, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status. If we try to emulate Jesus Christ’s example of pure love, I believe that we can uplift and restore the afflicted. In what is now becoming a selfish world, we need those who are selfless. If we use our time wisely to help others in need of aid, the world can become such a better place. I’ve seen people here in Ghana who have never been able to see before. After wearing a pair of eye glasses, their vision improves significantly.  Their eyes lighten up when they see the world clearly for the first time. I remember seeing an elderly woman jump for joy just because she could see for the first time after literally decades. She had never received any eye care until the day we helped her. I know that the quality of life for her has improved substantially. To simply put it, I know she is much happier. This has been such a great experience. I’m glad I can serve. Only a few more days and I’ll be back home. This will simply become a memory. The lessons of charity that I’ve learned here I hope to take with me for the rest of my life.