Mariana Hansen

Family and Community Relationships

November 11, 2020

Lift Others Report

What a historic day to write this paper on! The news of Joe Biden winning the

election has me on so much serotonin. His campaign really thrived on loving one another, so I

am thrilled to write about lifting others on the same day he won the presidency. In regards to

what I have been doing, I volunteered to drive people places. I offered it to my branch

presidency and put on the Facebook page saying if anyone ever needs a ride to a place I am more

than happy to help. This experience has been so impactful and brought me friendships I never

thought on pursuing. One more relation to Biden winning is that he fought hard on bringing back

unity in this country. As we have seen several big cities go outside with masks on and celebrate,

I am hopeful for what is to come. I feel as though these new friendships that I have made while

doing service will continue that process of unity as well.

A girl a couple years younger than me, but from my home ward deals with

epilepsy and dietary issues. She has a hard time making friends, but I have always reached out to

her if she ever needs someone to talk to. Her parents go to the family ward, and I noticed that

they wait for her in the parking lot to be finished with the YSA activities. I decided to offer her a

ride whenever she needed, especially since she lives down the road from me. This way her

family did not feel like it was out of my way. Her and her family were so thrilled. Every Sunday

morning now, I go to her house and pick her up to go to church with me and then drive her back

home. This has turned my Sunday drive into something I look forward to and thoroughly enjoy.
 Her name is Cianna, and she’s taught me more about having a patience than I

have learned from anyone. She has dealt with epilepsy since she entered middle school. Even

though she got it from genetics, she taught me that it’s mostly driven from her anxiety and her

diet. She has had to have a very nutritious diet with less gluten than the average person. She’s

also taught me that flashing lights can be a source of an episode starting, and how the emergency

vehicles should really only have one color. Nobody really thinks about these details though.

She’s explained the burdens and trials she has had to go through. As she has worked through

them, she is now finally able to concentrate and handle college on her own. She’s thriving in her

art major, and she hopes to become an illustrator or writer someday.

The service experience from just a half hour every Sunday and some Monday

evenings has brought me a friend. Cianna has shown me that there is a lot more to a person than

their weaknesses, and often, they can turn them into strengths. Driving her has shown me the

little acts of kindness we can do for people in any circumstance. We can have an effect on people

more than we know, so we should really strive to bring kindness to everyone in our communities.

In regards to this class, my service hours have shown me to be more loving and nurturing to

people from all backgrounds. I am grateful for this opportunity and assignment. I hope to

continue these habits throughout my life, and like Joe Biden, bring people together. I believe that

is the most important aspect in life is uniting our brothers and sisters.