REXBURG— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well-known worldwide for its contribution to humanitarian services. The Church works with over 20 different humanitarian groups to provide help and aid to those in need. Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Services for the Church, has teamed with Mr. Beast to create more service opportunities for those who want to serve, but aren’t sure how.
Eubank has worked with the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Department since 1998. In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, she says her testimony has grown since working with humanitarian efforts.
“I think all the time about people who are in trouble, and they pray, they pray to God to ask for help. And God answers that prayer in lots of different ways, but I don't know why He wouldn't send His church to help people,” Eubank said. “God answers prayers and that He sends us, and that if we pay attention to the Holy Ghost, we can do something for other people.”
Eubank says it is important to realize that everyone can participate in humanitarian work in their own communities. She says the simple acts of service are some of the best ways to participate in humanitarian work.
“You don't need to be wealthy,” Sister Eubank said. “You don't need to be part of a huge organization to have a huge impact. But the focus is local for us. We're most powerful in the places where we know everybody, where we speak the language, where we live every day.”
In her forum address, Eubank used an analogy of trees which interconnects to a spirit of generosity. She says as we connect our roots and help each other, we can make a bigger difference than we could ever imagine.
“That spirit of generosity and of recognizing that the long win is more important than the short win and the absolute assurance that we're in this together and your success is my success, boy I love that,” Eubank said. “That's the finest spirit of tree friendship or human friendship that I can think about.”
To encourage community involvement, Eubank invited students to make simple adjustments to be more service oriented. Isaac Davis, a BYU-Idaho student, was moved by the address and plans to change some of his habits to better help in local humanitarian efforts.
“One of the things that she invited us to do was put your phone away and actually interact with people,” Davis said. “And I know sometimes if I have a second, I’ll check my email or scroll. So, I think trying to have more interaction with people will really help.”
JustServe just partnered with Mr. Beast in a push that Eubank says is an amazing partnership that not only helps the publicity of JustServe, but also invites a bigger audience with opportunities to develop that spirit of generosity and serve and do humanitarian work within their community.
“The thing I like about that partnership is you'll be able to unlock the food and that'll be a great thing,” Sister Eubank said. “But then you're registered on JustServe and you can find other opportunities as you're ready. So, it lives long into the future.”