As I listened to Bishop Dean M. Davies talk, The Law of the Fast: A Personal Responsibility to Care for the Poor and Needy, it struck me how many people are blessed by this program. Fasting itself can have great physical and spiritual benefits, even if all you do is go hungry for a short period of time. Couple that with prayer, followed by a contribution for the poor, and the spiritual blessings of fasting are added to and multiplied. The money then passes through the hands of Bishops and workers appointed by Bishops, most if not all of whom donate their time as volunteers, who use that money to produce food and other needed items for the poor. Industry has many benefits, and that's especially true of volunteer work. The ones who receive the most obvious blessings are those who are poor, but they receive less-obvious blessings as well. They are made aware that they're loved enough to make sacrifices for, and they're frequently brought to places where they can feel the spirit.
Everyone involved in the church welfare program receives great blessings, from the beneficiaries to the contributors and everyone who helps to keep the program running. I wouldn't have thought that a group of people going temporarily hungry to give money to the poor could bring so many blessings to so many people, but it works. I'm reluctant to say that it's an inspired program because I've heard that phrase used a few too many times, but I think that in this case it applies. At the very least, it's an excellent program that sheds numerous blessings on everyone involved. I look forward to volunteering more at the Bishop's Storehouse this semester, partly because I look forward to receiving the blessings that I know will come from doing so.
1 comment:
I am so grateful for Fast Offering. We are besieged by requests for aid for innumerable worthy causes. We cannot afford to support them all. It is difficult to know which are truly honest and which ones actually get the money and the help to where it is needed. With Fast Offering there is no doubt. ALL that we donate goes to help those in need. It is even multiplied by the volunteer work you mention. No overhead. No siphoning off. No paying the workers. What a wonderful blessing! And for the most part, the help goes to those who honestly need it, not charlatans. When I am approached by one solicitor or another, it is a great comfort to know that I already am doing what I can to help others in need through Fast Offering, Humanitarian Services, Perpetual Education Fund, and Temple Attendance Fund. Not that I think it is wrong to contribute through other causes. Follow your heart if your wallet allows. But it is good to be able to give with confidence.
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