While living in Salt Lake City, my wife and I were approached by our Church and asked to volunteer our time to serve the Hispanic people in the area we lived. After some thought and discussion we agreed to do what we could to help. This assignment, while totally voluntary, required on average nearly seven hours a week of service, a huge sacrifice considering I was going to school full time, had a part time job, and would be expecting my first child. As part of my responsibilities, I helped the small church officiate its meetings, taught lessons in Spanish, and visited the homes of those struggling spiritually, emotionally, and economically.
While most of my responsibilities were ecclesiastical, I soon realized I was not content only offering religious service. One day while at church I noticed Miguel, a Colombian in his early twenties, was not focused on the lesson being presented. After class I approached him and asked if something was the matter. He confessed that he was struggling with a few of his classes at the local community college. Miguel worked all night at the Airport and went to school in the mornings; he lived with his mother who had moved to the United States hoping to offer her only son a better life. Understanding his difficult circumstances—he had only begun learning English a few years prior and was still not a fluent reader—I offered to help any way I could. We set up a time on Sunday evenings for him to come to my apartment and work together on his homework. I was happy to help him in his studies and even more excited when I later found out he had been accepted into Utah Valley University (formerly Utah Valley State College). To me Miguel was a great example of the success many immigrants can accomplish with a little help, patience, and determination. He did not allow language to be a permanent barrier to his education, and I was pleased to be a small part of his success.
Another opportunity to serve came after I began to befriend Maria. She was the single mother of two beautiful girls; Sofia, five years old, and Mikela, ten years old. Maria came from Uruguay in 2003, where she had been a nurse. Once in the United States she was required to take several difficult classes to be certified to work in the health profession. Maria struggled to provide for her daughters and get through the nursing classes. On several occasions I received desperate phone calls from Maria asking if we could watch her children while she worked odd jobs late at night. Having her children spend several nights in our home was a rewarding experience. As we developed a relationship with her family, birthdays, family activities, and even Christmas were all experiences we shared with her daughters in our home. I admire Maria’s resolve to provide for her family and the love she has for her daughters.
Serving people like Miguel and Maria are special to me because of the real virtue of service I learned. Without my experiences as a missionary in Chile I would not been able to effectively communicate with the Hispanic people in Salt Lake City. Also, the empathy and love I developed on the cobble streets of Concepcion helped me to understand and care about the situations of immigrants within the United States. I am proud of my desire to serve people like Miguel and Maria despite my own struggles to get through school, work, and take care of my family. My unique experiences have developed me to reach out to persons in need without thinking about ulterior motives. I love to serve and understand the need to strengthen and support people in need. I want to use my talents, experiences, and future training in the law profession to continue to serve the Miguels and Marias of my future communities.
