NCHThis I Believe...
I Believe in Helping the Less Fortunate
Carrie Handell
The summer before I started junior high, I went with my church on a mission trip to Honduras. I did not know what to expect because I had never been outside the United States. When we arrived in the village we were to work in, I was thoroughly surprised. The village had no electricity, no running water, and the bathroom was at most a hole in the ground. Seven-person families were living in houses made out of torn tarps. Children played soccer with no shoes and a ball to flat to go anywhere. It broke my heart. How can they have so little when I have so much? Through this experience, I came to believe that it is important to help people less fortunate than myself.
God put Jesus on earth to help us and so we can learn from his example. God calls us to love people and what better way to love people than by serving them. Jesus helped so many people less fortunate than himself and he did it to show that he loved us. Jesus even helped the people most of society shunned like prostitutes and tax collectors. We must follow Jesus’ example and lend a hand in any way we can.
Helping others can also be a very rewarding experience. I tutor once a week at an elementary school. I feel that since I was blessed with a good education, I should try to better the education of others. I tutor a second grader with some learning disabilities, so when he gets a math problem right or sounds out a word correctly, I am ecstatic. It is rewarding to know that I am making a difference in this second graders life. Serving other people makes me feel better about myself. However you are helping for the wrong reasons if your sole purpose is to make yourself feel better, but it is a pleasant bonus.
For that week in Honduras, we helped build permanent housing for the villagers and provided arts and crafts for the children because they did not normally have the materials to do crafts. This was such an eye opening experience to see that there is so much that is needed to be done in the world. I can help. Since that summer, I have been to Honduras six times and I plan to keep returning. Now there are no houses made out of tarps, but out of cement blocks and there are latrines for each family. The village has come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. It is very pleasing to know that I showed these people God’s love by taking part in improving their village. So, help someone. You do not have to travel Honduras to make it count; donate clothes to a homeless shelter or bake cookies for a friend when they are feeling sad. It does not matter how you help, just help.