BE GRATEFUL

Hello Po!!!!

So my message to you is short. It begins at 7:00pm. Its dark outside. We walked to a family about 20 minutes away. We came to their door (curtain). Their home had three rooms. Each room could maybe fit three people lying down shoulder to shoulder, and the walls were made of thin plywood. The ground was concrete, and there wasn't a bathroom. The family had 10 people in it. I'm not sure how, but these ten people somehow managed to sleep and live in this small space. This is their home. We visited with them a while, they recently joined the church of Jesus Christ. The kids were obviously lacking nutrients, and most of gotten very rare amounts of food. I couldn't tell the 12 year old from the six year old because they were the same size. I could see the outline of their bones easily through their skin. But THEY HAD SMILES ON THEIR FACES. Their kindness was immense. One of the children ran to a nearby store and came back with Oreos and Sprite. They gave them to us, but we kindly refused saying we already ate and were fine. They DID NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. They shoved the food in our bags. With my heart aching for the kids that needed the food more than me I had to accept with gratitude in my heart. These kids needed the oreos more than me. The family needed that money. But their kindness was too large to allow us to go unfed. They are a loving people. They are a grateful people. They have little, but they are grateful for everything they have.

My advice to you. BE GRATEFUL!! For everything!! The Lord gave you everything. Nothing is yours. It is given to you by the Lord. Give thanks to him. You know the roof over your head. The curtains that cover your window. The running water that magically comes out of a metal tube. The Lord blessed you with those things. thank him for those things!

Alma 7:23 "Always return thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive."

BE GRATEFUL

Elder Hemmert