Light The World

   It's December again and that means that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is starting their annual Christmas campaign. There are the usual Christmas devotional,concerts and social gatherings. There is also Light The World.
   Light The World is something The Church has been doing for several years now. The most recognizable item is the Giving Machine. The Giving Machine looks like a vending machine. The difference is that instead of purchasing something for your use, you can purchase something that will be donated to someone else. There are a variety of things from soccer balls, to school supplies, to food, livestock, clean water, medicine and other basic needs. The Giving Machines are placed in large cities in the United States, one in England and one in the Philippines. The church has partnered with several organizations to distribute the items purchased from the Giving Machine.
  In the interest of fairness, I have never seen a real Giving Machine. One thing I like about them though is that you can see what you are getting. Many times when you donate to an organization, you don't know if your money is used to help others or if it is being used for operational costs. If one ever comes to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, you can be sure I will be there buying medicine, food or shoes for someone in need.
  Another recognizable thing, at least to those of us who are members, is the Light The World service suggestions. It seems like every year Christmas is becoming more and more about getting things or giving things. Many, myself included, find the emphasis on consumerism a bit sickening. Light The world is all about service and doing things for others.
  There is a calendar for the month of December. Every day the calendar has a suggestion of something that you can do to serve someone. The earliest one that I remember was doing things that Jesus did. For instance, One of the days on the calendar said "Jesus healed the sick and so can you". The there would be suggestions for how to help the sick like be an organ donor or donate blood. Every day there would be an example of something Jesus did and how we can do those things in our time. I thought that was pretty neat. The past few years have focused on serving. The thought is that there small things that everyone can do that make a big difference in the life of someone else. You don't have to give large amounts of money or do large splashy things to help. This year you can sign up to get a daily text message with an idea or two of things you can do.
  I signed up at the end of November. I look forward to 10 AM every day. That's when I get the text with my service idea for the day. Sometimes there is an alternate idea if the original is something you cannot do. One of the suggestions was to recognize someone on social media for Christlike Service. It was fun to see all the posts of Facebook. People recognized their parents, friends, bishops and former bishops. I recognized the Primary leaders and teachers.
  This has helped me to like Christmas again. It's not that horrible retail holiday. I especially like that, at least for the month of December, I'm doing what I feel I was put on earth to do which is make my corner of the world a little better. It reminds me that as a Christian, I'm supposed to let my light shine. It doesn't have to be a large bonfire or fireworks. A good solid candle can provide light as well.
  Now off to do today's suggestion. Donate to a reputable global charity.

#LightTheWorld