Today I had the privilege to go with McKay's ward to help clean up damage from the hurricane. It was cold. It was beyond putrid. But it was great. We cleaned out the basements of three homes--we tore up walls, cleaned out mold, pulled up carpet, handled some gross unmentionables, and filled a lot of garbage bags with soggy debris. But there was work to do, and so it went by quickly.
The first family we helped had four darling little kids, and they were so happy despite all that they had gone through. (Their cute little 3 year-old was decked-out in pink, head to toe, and had silver nail polish. She was adorable.) Another woman that we helped lost her husband to a heart attack the week before the storm hit. I honestly cannot fathom what life must be like for them having to deal with post-hurricane life. Even though we helped, we knew that we would say goodbye to the mess and to the awful stench at the end of the day....but these people have to continue on with everything post-disaster as a part of their lives. They have to clean, rebuild, and pray that it doesn't happen again.
This experience reinforced something that I have been learning during my time at BYU, and especially this last semester: We have been placed in our personal circumstances to serve. We live in families and in communities because we are meant to help each other. That is why we each have different talents, abilities, interests, and skills, so that we might build up our own lives through serving one another's needs. God never meant for us to try to make it through life alone. He fulfills His purposes and blesses our lives through others, and we in turn answer others' prayers by serving as a tool in His hands. That's what I got a glimpse of today. That lesson is why I was privileged to have this humbling experience. I am so blessed. And the only way I can thank the Lord and be worthy of these blessings is by serving Him.
.....And I am really grateful for sanitary masks. And warm showers.
