"The Lord does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other. The righteous life is achieved as we magnify our view of life, and expand our view of others and of our own possibilities. Thus, the more we follow the teachings of the Master, the more enlarged our perspective becomes. We see many more possibilities for service than we would have seen without this magnification. There is great security in spirituality, and we cannot have spirituality without service!"
--President Spencer W. Kimball
The first time I remember hearing this quote was when I was a missionary, and in line with my missionary assignment, I immediately identified myself as a service giver. As a missionary, I would be a person that would help the Lord meet the needs of others. Even as my life circumstances and roles have changed, I think that more often than not I identify myself as a service giver, that I try to see the needs of those around me and serve them.
As those who know her can attest, Alisa is a wonderful example of service giving. I think that Alisa is inherently blessed with the magnified perspective of life that President Kimball described. She has an ability to see so many possibilities to serve others. I enjoy the privilege of watching her every day in the ways that she builds others, whether it's a listening ear to a friend or visiting someone in the hospital that she just met a week before or babysitting for a relative or friend.
But Alisa and I now find ourselves in a more unfamiliar role, that of a service receiver. Neither Alisa nor I would have expected to need the service of others to help us fulfill our desire of having children, but we now find ourselves in this position. We are receiving service from many who have expressed that they are praying for us. We are receiving service from people who work in or have passed through the adoption process and are providing us with information to best manage the process. A service that we may yet receive could be that one of you knows someone who is placing a child for adoption and helps us make contact with the birth parents. And, of course, an immensely valued service for us would be that of a birth mother who makes the heart-wrenching decision to place her child into our family.
"It is vital that we serve each other." Sometimes we give service, and sometimes we receive. Through it all, we progress together.
-Lonnie
Dear Lonnie,
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most beautiful compliments from a husband to his lovely wife I have ever heard.
Alisa truly is what you describe her as, she has always been the one to lend a helping hand and she has always been the one to comfort in time of need.
She is one of the most sincere and happy people I have been blessed to call a friend. You are a blessed man to have such a wife and it is appear ant that she is dually blessed to have you for a husband.
To anyone looking for a home for their child or a friend's child, this is a home you can feel safe and sure of. They will love your child as you do, there will be no difference in the depth of their love for any child.
God bless you, Julie
Lonnie and Alisa,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog...it really reflects who you are! And Lonnie, I have to echo your compliment to your wife...Alisa touches every life she comes in contact with and is one of those who is a mother to everyone she meets. It is her nature to nurture others and she has the gift of being able to see a need and then do what she can to fill it. She really does make life-long friends while standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for a bus. She radiates love and it draws people to her.
The first time we met, she helped me tow my roomate's broken-down jeep with the help of some strong men that she recruited. She invested her entire evening in helping me with my problem and I had just learned her first name. And that was just the beginning of countless things she has ever done for me. She is one in a million.
You are in our prayers...a child couldn't ask for better parents and no one is more deserving than you two.
To any prospective birth parents who are unable to raise their precious child, I can tell you that your sacrifice will bless the baby that comes to this home.
Much love,
Joanna