Becoming Aware

I don't talk much about my job because I need to protect the privacy of my clients, however, I think I've talked about what I do. I'm a transcriptionist at Brigham Young University. I provide real-time transcripts for deaf students. It's a super fun job. I get to attend class and be a pseudo-student. I get all of the knowledge, but none of the homework.

Today I attended a biology class. Because it's the end of the semester, the professor was trying to sum up the course. We watched several videos put out by the LDS church humanitarian department. They detailed ways that the Church has given humanitarian aid throughout the world.

The video that touched me the most was the Hunger Project in Ethiopia. I heard some startling statistics:

-The world population is 6.4 billion people and over 842 million suffer from hunger.

-1.2 billion people live on less than $1 per day.

-One child dies from hunger and malnutrition every five seconds.

The LDS Church sent 34 containers of Atmit--a porridge, made of oat flour, sugar, powdered milk, and a vitamin/mineral mix to feed thousands of starving children. The video showed people lining up to get a small cupful of the porridge. Mothers tried to give their starving children to Americans, begging them to care for them.

It's not that I didn't know people were starving. It just hadn't touched me in quite that way before. I've had times in my life where my family has struggled financially, but even during the leanest of times, we are very blessed.

In the words of the professor, "You're being educated at an institution that is not just about Provo, Utah. I want you to see how meaningful biology is to the world. Sitting in front of me are people that are going to solve the world crises. You will be part of the solution."

It's my hope that I can be part of that solution. There's no better time than the Christmas season to reach out to those in need. Even if you don't know someone who is starving, I'm sure you know someone who is grieving, hurting, or lonely. Take some time during the holidays to look around you and become aware of what you can give--if nothing else, give a listening ear, a spontaneous hug, or a friendly smile. There is much good to be done.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40