A Madera Christmas

Lately I've been working for the church, editing videos from home about their humanitarian work. It is astounding how far reaching it is and how much they rely on the development of a culture of caring to make it work. I personally think resources are used more effectively on both ends when the relationship between those who are giving and those who are receiving remains close. When government largely takes over the responsibility to care for the poor and needy I think we lose our culture of caring, take on debts to be paid off by future generations, and see feelings of entitlement develop. As a family we try to work with our communities and teach our kids to serve others. We serve because it's the right thing to do, and because any of us may need to be the recipient of these programs at some point in the future. Our ward is very active in serving as well, a few months ago we participated in our annual tradition of making 1,000 lunches and delivering them to homeless people downtown, our Relief Society is making blankets for an orphanage in Mexico on Friday, and we're organizing a blood drive with three other wards for the Los Angeles Children's Hospital in April, and in June will volunteer at the Los Angeles Food Bank.
Who is responsible to help the poor and needy? It's a complicated answer, and I believe the government may have a small role, but ultimately, we are the ones responsible. And while people are selfish and unreliable when it comes to such an important thing, there are those who, when given the opportunity, will rise to the challenge, such as in this video.
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