First of all, please let me greet you all a very Joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
As we commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we were also reminded of His teachings and ministry during His earthly life.
As you all know, I came from one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty is a widespread challenge in almost all households in the Philippines. Obviously, when a person is poor he is mostly affected physically. But the emotional and spiritual damage to that person is more unbearable.
I came from a poor family and I can sincerely say that I can deeply feel how hard it is to be in a position that you can’t even afford to buy a meal for your family. At a very young age of eighteen, I was the breadwinner of my family.
With a meager income and a family of ten, I have to make sure that the immediate needs of my family come first. I beg each night to the Lord to bless me that I may continually have the strength in order to stand strong so I can support my family. I can tell you that I have a strong testimony of the blessings of fasting. I am who I am today because of my testimony that God really hears and answers prayers.
We don’t have all the details of our Lord’s temporal life, but he once said, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to rest his head.” Even He, who was the creator of heaven and earth and everything there is in it, in His adult life, He was homeless.
In our day, the restored Church of Jesus Christ on its first year anniversary, the Lord commanded the members to look after the poor and the needy and to see to it that they are taken care of their daily needs.
A journalist once told Mother Teresa of Calcutta that statistically, her effort in helping the poor will accomplish nothing at all. Mother Teresa shot back to the journalist by saying that her work was about love and not statistics. True, she said, that her work is nothing but a drop of water in an ocean; but if we didn’t do it, the ocean will be one drop less than it is.
I sincerely believe that as a true disciple of Christ we have a sacred duty to care for those who are needy. For one thing, we can as King Benjamin taught that we should not withhold in sharing our blessings to those who are poor and needy.
“For are we not all beggars?”
As you all know, I came from one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty is a widespread challenge in almost all households in the Philippines. Obviously, when a person is poor he is mostly affected physically. But the emotional and spiritual damage to that person is more unbearable.
I came from a poor family and I can sincerely say that I can deeply feel how hard it is to be in a position that you can’t even afford to buy a meal for your family. At a very young age of eighteen, I was the breadwinner of my family.
With a meager income and a family of ten, I have to make sure that the immediate needs of my family come first. I beg each night to the Lord to bless me that I may continually have the strength in order to stand strong so I can support my family. I can tell you that I have a strong testimony of the blessings of fasting. I am who I am today because of my testimony that God really hears and answers prayers.
We don’t have all the details of our Lord’s temporal life, but he once said, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to rest his head.” Even He, who was the creator of heaven and earth and everything there is in it, in His adult life, He was homeless.
In our day, the restored Church of Jesus Christ on its first year anniversary, the Lord commanded the members to look after the poor and the needy and to see to it that they are taken care of their daily needs.
A journalist once told Mother Teresa of Calcutta that statistically, her effort in helping the poor will accomplish nothing at all. Mother Teresa shot back to the journalist by saying that her work was about love and not statistics. True, she said, that her work is nothing but a drop of water in an ocean; but if we didn’t do it, the ocean will be one drop less than it is.
I sincerely believe that as a true disciple of Christ we have a sacred duty to care for those who are needy. For one thing, we can as King Benjamin taught that we should not withhold in sharing our blessings to those who are poor and needy.
“For are we not all beggars?”
Are we not begging from Heavenly Father to hear and answer our prayers? Don’t we beg for the forgiveness of the mistakes that we have made that caused others to suffer? Don’t we implore to Heavenly Father that His grace will be sufficient to compensate for our weaknesses? Is there any wonder that only by pleading to God that we can be forgiven of our sins?
Rich or poor, we are all beggars in the sight of God!
In the Book of Mormon, the Zoramites have driven away from their houses of prayers because they cannot afford to buy beautiful dresses. The missionary companions Alma and Amulek told the Zoramites that whatever privileges others may deny them – they can always pray in their fields and in their houses, in their families and in their hearts.
To those who rejected the poor Zoramites, Amulek told them, “after you have prayed, and turned away the needy, and the naked, and not visit the sick and afflicted, and not impart of your substance… your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and you are as a hypocrite who does deny the faith.”
I bear witness of the miracles, both temporal and spiritual, that comes through the blessings of fasting. I bear witness of the miracles that come to me. The humanitarian service of the Church has helped millions of people around the world. Our fast offering reaches the hearts and souls of those who are needy, sick and afflicted, naked and hungry. These offerings come from the grateful Latter-Day Saints.
I am thankful for God has answered my prayers. Heavenly Father has blessed me with a family of my own. He has given me a wonderful life. In return, it is now my turn to give what I can give.
Time after time, people come to us to ask for help. In our own little humble way, Brother Ganzon and I share the little things that we have. Be it a tiny bed for a terminated sister, a small amount of money for a family who wish to go to the temple, a pair of shoes for a needy missionary, a priesthood blessing to a weary heart and forgiving those who have sinned against us.
We don’t think these are enough to give in return to our many blessings. The only little things we hope for is that we may have lightened someone’s heart and soul through these small and simple things we do.
I hope and pray that as we live and share our blessings, those little beams of sunshine we plant in every human heart may grow brighter and brighter each day until we stand before the judgment seat of God, and He shall proclaim, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
In closing…I would like to share one of my favorite hymns which go like this…
"Because I have been given much
I too must give,
Because of thy great bounty Lord
Each day I live,
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see,
Who has a need for help from me."
I know these things to be true, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
