Helping others has always been a important goal to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. We love to help people and we are encouraged to by Church leaders all the time. I have heard so many inspiring stories of people helping other people but one sticks out in my mind as such a truly inspiring story of one selfless person: Mike Shiffler.
Mike (wearing shorts) and a villager.
Mike is a friend of my daughter and son-in-law and we kept in touch on Facebook. After Mike graduated from college, he set he set his sights high to help others. Eighteen years later, he has accomplished a lot of good. Mike came up with his own non-profit organization that would be instrumental in help other countries recover from disasters. Just recently he had been helping the people of Nepal recover from the earthquake that hit the South Asian country on April 25, 2015.
Documenting all they have done, Mike tells the story of a people now mostly without shelter and food trying to recover from not only one earthquake, but two, and several aftershocks.
His story is inspiring:
May 4, 2015
Digging for food in a home the earthquake destroyed.
“We walked like crazy and the GPS tagged eight villages with about 2,500 to 3,000 people. We found a handful of people among them who needed medical attention and had just the right contacts to get two of them evacuated by helicopter. It was an epic adventure in service. I’ve never done anything like it.
The majority of the homes we saw in these mountains were either completely destroyed or damaged to the point of being unsafe to live in. The problem is compounded by the fact that a series of landslides have cut off all road access, so the only way in is by walking. The situation is even more worrisome in that crops won’t be ready for another two to three months.”
May 6, 2015
Solar Charger delivery
“Even though I volunteer for the Salvation Army, I have my own small aid group called Red Lightning and I have received a few small donations. It’s interesting to me that most of the donations came from women who don’t have a lot to give, but give what they can. We ran into two villages that had cell coverage, but lost their electricity. I called my friends and told them to bring the solar panels. One of our contacts from a far away village came down the hill with us, and my little charity gave him the panels. We had one for him and another for a second village on the way. Just like that, less than $100 of donations from these kind women restored communications with two villages and over 1,100 people. We have already called both of them, and the man that I’m presenting them to in the photo above is now coordinating the information with all 15 villages in his area. That’s about 4,000 to 5,000 people for which we can now coordinate a series of deliveries.”
People in Nepal
May 9, 2015
“When we hiked up into the mountains last week there was a man sleeping right by the path that literally everyone travels on. His legs are twisted, thin. and stiff. They were almost like a pretzel. He was laying in his own filth and was no longer eating or drinking. There he lay, day after day, with everyone who lived on the mountain walking past and ignoring him.
Just because I didn’t know him personally, didn’t mean his position was acceptable. My unfamiliarity with him shouldn’t change how I felt about the need for action to help him. Because someone out there, alive or dead, at some point loved him that much. And if not, then he was even more worthy of our help and support.
Helping a man on the path.
I started thinking about what could be done for this guy. I get some smaller donations, like $25 here and there and I try to use all these little donations in a worthy way because they are all that these donors can give.
We went out and bought a bucket, some soap, a new mat, a bed pan, and some new clothes. We tracked his caretaker down and let him know it was not okay to leave this poor man like this.
The caretaker, who turned out to be his brother, and I washed this guy right there on the side of the path. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life because I learned something that has changed my heart. I grew through being able to do something I never would have considered. Compassion, it seems, is an incredible tool for good. I feel like if I can tap into that same deep feeling again, I’d be able to really make stuff happen. I have lots of room to grow in understanding true compassion.”
May 16, 2015
Napal Village
“There are hundreds of villages on the edge of a mountain, thousands of feet up, scattered all over Nepal. They are only accessible by helicopter or by hiking for days. This is why aid work is nearly impossible in some regions.”
May 17, 2015
Food delivery
“We have a great team here in Nepal and we are going to keep it going as long as we can. USB solar panel chargers are a huge success with our remote village deliveries. Many of them oddly still have cell network coverage, just no way to charge their phones. Once we deliver these, they can charge their phones and they can update us with their needs in real time. The restored communications will allow us to plan right up to the time we might make a return flight, which is important because needs are constantly evolving.”
One of the last tasks Mike did before leaving was visit the man he helped on the path:
Man on the path at his new home.
“We were able to locate and transport the man we found by the path from his remote village to a care facility in Kathmandu. He has moved 3 hours up the mountain and will now have the proper medical attention, food, and care he needs. I am so very grateful to be part of this experience. And I’m especially thankful to everyone who came together to make it happen. It’s been over a month that I’ve been helping in Nepal. – I’ve made so many great new friends, great experiences, and memories I will treasure for the rest of my life. That said, it’s time for me to come home and rest up.”
To read more of Valerie’s articles, click here.
If we could all be like Mike and help the people of Nepal get back on their feet our world would be a different place. It is inspiring and emotionally moving. We need more people like him to do more good in the world. Count me in.
If you’re interested in helping Mike- his full name is Michael Andrew (AKA Michael The Maven) and his charity’s web page is redlightning.com. LDS Blogs is not affiliated with this web site.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
