December 4, 2010
I have Matt; the Lone Wolf. I love Matt. I love the way he loves life and embraces the things he loves. He is an outdoor man who loves nature and bike riding, and sports, and music and family. I love his enthusiasm for the things he cares about.
I admire the way he works and the way he loves and honors his parents. I love the sly smile he gets on his face when he teases Megan. I love that he always takes my side! Very smart young man!
I’ve been thinking about what I know about him. He is one of the kindest and most thoughtful men I have ever met. He is constantly coming up with ways of serving others. Service is second nature for Matt; he does it instinctively. Megan has mentioned many times how much she appreciates his attitude of service.
I have been thinking about my service for a long time. I’ve been trying to figure out how I could do something that would be meaningful to him and all of the things he values.
I decided that I was going pick different people to serve based on the things I have seen Matt do. My inspiration for this service is the wonderful basket he put together for us for Christmas the year he asked Megan to be his wife.
Dear Hock Family,
Thanks so much for letting me visit you this Christmas-break; I have had so much fun and feel so grateful! Over the past summer, the highlight of my week was visiting your family. I particularly enjoyed the great company, food & “Movie Day”. Please enjoy the gift and have another one for me! Matt
My initial idea was to fill this basket and give it to someone else, but to be honest, I just couldn’t give it up! So I decided to call the mission office in Independence, Missouri where Kevin is serving his mission to see if there were any missionaries in his mission that needed some special attention.The first time that I called I was given two names, one Asian Elder and a Polynesian sister. But, big surprise, I lost the paper that I wrote it on and the next time I called the mission secretary had gone home and a new one had been called so I had to start all over.
This time she talked to the mission president and he gave her the names of three missionaries who needed some extra support. Interestingly enough, they were from Logan, Provo and San Diego; not what I expected at all.
Well, today I went out with Michael to start on my project. I had decided that I was going to spend $50 on each missionary. I was told that was too much. But considering that I was doing this in Matt’s honor, I really didn’t care how much I spent; I just wanted to do something special. We ran into some missionaries at Marshall’s and asked them if they had any ideas of things that missionaries would like; they didn’t.
After we finished our shopping we decided to go to lunch. We went to one of my favorite places, Paniera Bread because I wanted to pick up a loaf of their wonderful bread. Michael and I ordered and sat down to eat. While we sat there I noticed a man sitting at the back of the restaurant. He was sitting in a comfortable chair, but not at a table. I noticed he kept staring at me and occasionally we would make eye contact. He looked homeless and hungry. He would doze off occasionally. The thought popped into my head, “random act of kindness”.
We were basically sitting face to face but with some distance between us and I could definitely feel that he was watching me eat. I kept getting the impression that I should do something for him, but I didn’t really know what to do. I started going through my purse trying to find some change from a previous purchase, but I couldn’t find the money I was looking for. The longer I looked, the more sure I was that I needed to do something for this man. I just wasn’t sure how to approach him. You can’t just walk up to a person in a restaurant and ask them if they need money. So, I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help me know what I should do, and how I could identify if he was in need. Within about thirty seconds two women walked in and sat at the table between us and as soon as they sat down he asked them if they could give him a dollar for the bus. That was just the answer I needed. I wanted this act of service to be private and personal, I gave Michael some money and asked him to go over and order a sandwich for Mike. As soon as he left I walked over the man, down next to him and asked him if he had had any lunch, he said no. So I gave him a $20 bill and told him to go and have some lunch and added that pehaps now he would have some money for the bus as well. I went back to my table and he immediately got up and left. I felt so happy inside.
I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I honestly felt like this was a test; and that he was sent there just for me; almost as if he were an angel. I felt such joy, I wanted to burst. I almost told Michael, but decided to keep it to myself.
For my three missionaries I finally decided on a $25 gift certificate and my friend Cyndi made some really cute Christmas pillowcases. I also included some stamps, a Testimony of the Prophets DVD, and some hot chocolate packets. I also wrote each of them a letter expressing my gratitude for their service and commitment.
I loved doing this service. I loved doing it for Matthew. I loved being able to follow his example of generosity and kindness. And I love knowing that maybe, just maybe we made a difference in someone else’s life today.
Well, today I went out with Michael to start on my project. I had decided that I was going to spend $50 on each missionary. I was told that was too much. But considering that I was doing this in Matt’s honor, I really didn’t care how much I spent; I just wanted to do something special. We ran into some missionaries at Marshall’s and asked them if they had any ideas of things that missionaries would like; they didn’t.
After we finished our shopping we decided to go to lunch. We went to one of my favorite places, Paniera Bread because I wanted to pick up a loaf of their wonderful bread. Michael and I ordered and sat down to eat. While we sat there I noticed a man sitting at the back of the restaurant. He was sitting in a comfortable chair, but not at a table. I noticed he kept staring at me and occasionally we would make eye contact. He looked homeless and hungry. He would doze off occasionally. The thought popped into my head, “random act of kindness”.
We were basically sitting face to face but with some distance between us and I could definitely feel that he was watching me eat. I kept getting the impression that I should do something for him, but I didn’t really know what to do. I started going through my purse trying to find some change from a previous purchase, but I couldn’t find the money I was looking for. The longer I looked, the more sure I was that I needed to do something for this man. I just wasn’t sure how to approach him. You can’t just walk up to a person in a restaurant and ask them if they need money. So, I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help me know what I should do, and how I could identify if he was in need. Within about thirty seconds two women walked in and sat at the table between us and as soon as they sat down he asked them if they could give him a dollar for the bus. That was just the answer I needed. I wanted this act of service to be private and personal, I gave Michael some money and asked him to go over and order a sandwich for Mike. As soon as he left I walked over the man, down next to him and asked him if he had had any lunch, he said no. So I gave him a $20 bill and told him to go and have some lunch and added that pehaps now he would have some money for the bus as well. I went back to my table and he immediately got up and left. I felt so happy inside.
I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I honestly felt like this was a test; and that he was sent there just for me; almost as if he were an angel. I felt such joy, I wanted to burst. I almost told Michael, but decided to keep it to myself.
For my three missionaries I finally decided on a $25 gift certificate and my friend Cyndi made some really cute Christmas pillowcases. I also included some stamps, a Testimony of the Prophets DVD, and some hot chocolate packets. I also wrote each of them a letter expressing my gratitude for their service and commitment.
I loved doing this service. I loved doing it for Matthew. I loved being able to follow his example of generosity and kindness. And I love knowing that maybe, just maybe we made a difference in someone else’s life today.
I know it made a difference in my life. I felt the joy of selfless service and knew that these small acts were not only honoring Matt, but were a tribute to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
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