Lesson 3: Caring for the Needy

Objective

Each participant will be more committed to care for the poor and needy.

(Note: Remind participants not to disclose confidential information as they discuss this topic.)

Materials for This Lesson

In the Service of Your God DVD (54645)

Statements from the Church Handbook of Instructions

Invite a participant to read the following statements:

“Church members can show compassion for the poor and needy in many . . . ways. They can minister personally to those in need, giving of their time, talents, and spiritual and emotional strength” (Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders [1998], 256).

“[The Lord’s] storehouse is established when faithful members consecrate to the bishop their time, talents, skills, compassion, materials, and financial means in caring for the poor. . . . The Lord’s storehouse, therefore, exists in each ward” (Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, 256).

Ask participants to share examples of how they have been blessed as they have consecrated their time and means to care for the needy.

Scriptures

Invite a participant to read the following scriptures, and discuss how they apply to their callings as ward and stake leaders:

“And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26).

“Remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple” (D&C 52:40).

“Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:27).

Key Points

Help participants understand the following points, and discuss them as necessary:

1. The needy are not always monetarily poor.

Ask participants: What types of needs, other than financial needs, might an individual have? (Answers may include: spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and social.)

2. The Lord answers the prayers of the needy by prompting others to righteous deeds: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another mortal that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other. . . . So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help with mundane tasks—but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds!” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 252).

Ask participants to share experiences in which God has cared for them by working through another individual.

Discuss specific ways that participants could help care for the poor and needy (see Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, 255–56).

3. We should directly serve others on our own and at the request of the bishop or other Church leaders. We should also participate in priesthood quorum and Relief Society efforts to care for those in need (see the lessons Welfare Duties of Priesthood Quorums and Welfare Duties of the Relief Society).

If desired, read or tell the story "To Build a House in Ecuador" accompanying this lesson. Ask participants to share experiences in which they helped carry another’s burdens as individuals, families, priesthood quorums, or members of the Relief Society.

4. The effort of lifting another brings an increase of charity in our own lives. Elder Marion G. Romney said, “I am persuaded. . . that one can [acquire] charity, the pure love of Christ, in building up the unfortunate, quicker than in any other way” (in F. Burton Howard, Marion G. Romney: His Life and Faith [1988], 125). Elder Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “In remembering . . . the poor, the needy, and the oppressed, there is developed, unconsciously but realistically, a love for others above self, a respect for others, a desire to serve the needs of others” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1963, 127).

Testify of the blessings that come from caring for the needy.

Video Presentation: Example of the Good Samaritan

Show "The Good Samaritan" (part of the DVD In the Service of Your God), if available, or invite a participant to read the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. Ask participants: What principles of caring for the poor and needy did the Savior teach in this parable? What do you think kept the priest and the Levite from helping the wounded man? What do you think motivated the good Samaritan to help him?

Practice

Ask participants to think of a time they did or did not follow a prompting of the Holy Ghost to help someone. Encourage them to honestly assess the things that prompted them to help or the obstacles that hindered them from helping when they could have. Suggest that they ask a friend or family member to help them think of ways to better respond to prompting to help or overcome obstacles that hindered them from helping.

Bear testimony of the blessings and joys that come to those who care for the poor and needy.

"To Build a House in Ecuador"

Among the people of Otavalo, Ecuador, lives a man who used to hate the Church. He hated everything about the Church: its members, its doctrines — everything it stood for. Whenever the members wanted to build a new meetinghouse, this man opposed it. When graffiti appeared on Church property, it was rumored that he had taken part in it.

No one knew why he hated the Church. All they knew was that any time opposition or persecution arose, this man was at the foundation of it.

Then last summer an earthquake hit the Otavalo area and the man's house toppled over. He had no place to stay, nowhere to live. He appealed for help first here, then there. He appealed to the city, then to the churches. But Otavalo is a humble community and few had the resources to do anything. Although some wanted to help, it was a case of too many needs and too few resources.

And so it happened that late in October, this man who hated the Church did something he thought he would never do — he knocked on the door of Rafael Campo, the high priests group leader [of the local ward].

“There is something I would like to talk with you about,” he said. “It's just that my house fell down and I don't have the money to fix it. I know we haven't seen eye to eye in the past and that I have no right to ask anything of you, but the fact remains, I have no house for my family and I wondered if there was some small way your Church could help?”

Brother Campo had joined the Church 30 years earlier. He was one of the first to be baptized in all of Otavalo. He had personally witnessed the man's often vindictive words and actions towards the Church. Numerous thoughts passed through Brother Campo's mind that day. But, ultimately, the words that struck him with the greatest power were those of the Savior, “but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39.)

“We have been teaching this for 30 years,” he told himself. “Perhaps it is time to practice what we have been taught.” Later, Brother Campo explained the situation to his son-in-law, Mario German Cacuango, the bishop of the ward. Bishop Cacuango felt the same way.

The next Sunday, during a combined high priests and elders quorum meeting, the bishop and the high priests group leader explained the situation to the priesthood brethren.

“We all know this man,” the bishop said. “We all know what has happened in the past. But the man does not have a home and he has come to us seeking help.”

The bishop passed around a list and asked the brethren who desired to help to indicate what they were willing to donate. There were 23 men in the meeting that day. When the list had finished circulating, 23 names appeared on it. One offered to bring 5 pounds of nails. One said he had some framing wood. Another could bring 50 cement blocks. One offered sand, another labor.

After reviewing the list, Bishop Cacuango proposed that the brethren meet at 7 a.m. the next day to help build the new house.

When Brother Campo returned to the man and told him what the members of the Church were willing to do, his heart melted. He fell upon the shoulder of Brother Campo and wept.

Brother Campo wept as well.

On Monday, Nov. 6, the combined priesthood quorums of the Peguche Ward assembled at 7 a.m. and built a modest but sturdy home for a man who only a few days before had been their greatest enemy.

By the time they finished, they had not only built a house, but in the process they had also erected a bridge of understanding that may never erode — a bridge of service, compassion and forgiveness. [Neil Newell, “To Build a House in Ecuador,” Church News, Jan. 20, 2001, 11; paragraphing altered]