LDS Charities director and BYU alumna Sharon Eubank shares her experiences and advice with BYU students and faculty.
PROVO, Utah (Oct. 16, 2014)—Sharon Eubank didn’t know that an accidental explosion of a ketchup packet onto several women at a fast food restaurant at age 15 could become an opportunity to learn a life lesson. “I have done a lot of stupid things over the course of my life, but over time I realized that I can learn from doing stupid things,” said Eubank, speaker at the 2014 College of Humanities Alumni Achievement Award Lecture. “I learned that there are a lot of resources to help us move past those things.”
Eubank, who graduated with an English degree from BYU, has certainly moved past those things. After graduating from BYU, Eubank taught English in Japan. She also worked in Washington, D.C., began a retail store in Utah, was the regional director over the Middle East for LDS Charities, and currently is the director of LDS Charities.
She appreciates her time at BYU, but said that it wasn’t easy. “I had a very good experience at BYU but I was extremely shy,” said Eubank. “I had trouble overcoming the feeling of being small on such a big campus.” Eubank expressed gratitude for her teachers, her friends, and personal revelation during her time at BYU.
Her teachers taught her a passion for the books she read and showed her how they applied to her life. Her friends, from her roommates to her mission friends, helped energize her college experience and create lasting memories and relationships. And it was during her time at BYU that Eubank learned about personal revelation.
“These things became a pattern for my life,” said Eubank. The people she has met around the globe have taught her about different ways to see life and the world. “These experiences all strung together—they let me know different people and different situations.
Eubank said that those same principles still apply to her life now. On assignment for LDS Charities in Beirut, Eubank met people who had to worry about food and safety each day. “They taught me a lesson, because my life has been prepared by the generations before me; these are the people who are preparing their future generations.” Eubank continued, “There are many people who have deferred their hopes to the next generation – and that is a very Christ-like thing.”
She connected to the beauty of giving and receiving, explaining that the interaction is a powerful thing.
Eubank also said that her co-workers have become her friends. “I admire the people I get to work with. I feel such power from having friends and for the ability to keep friends in difficult circumstances,” said Eubank.
Along with teachers and friends, Eubank stressed the importance of revelation in her daily life.
When Eubank was assigned to present on LDS Charities at the United Nations, she felt unequal to the task. Although she was prepared, the night before her presentation, while sitting in her hotel, Eubank felt something was missing. After praying and feeling no answer, she scoured the Church’s website. She came across an LDS article about impoverished Dutch saints who were asked to send their potatoes to the saints in Germany after WWII. Despite the fact that Germany was their enemy, the Dutch saints sent all of their potatoes. “The Spirit told me, this is the story you need to start your remarks with,” said Eubank.
“This became the piece of the 90-minute talk that everyone wanted to talk about. It energized people. It isn’t about charity that has predicable outcomes or any investment – it’s about charity against all odds, when you wouldn’t expect people to do it,” said Eubank.
“The Lord cares about the everyday things we do. He will always infuse the secular of our lives with the sacred. I’m grateful for revelation and the ability to use it in life,” said Eubank.
She concluded by giving five points of advice. Make friends, especially with those who aren’t like you; talk about what you learn because it’s a way to share faith and passion; forget all the things that you do that are stupid and focus on what you can do right now; refuse to separate sacred and secular; and seek revelation in every aspect of your professional and personal life.
“BYU’s motto – “Enter to learn; go forth to serve” – actually came true in my life,” said Eubank. “I hope you have the same experiences. Share things with others, lift up those around you. That’s something we can do for each other because we are all givers and receivers.
Alumni Achievement Awards, who are honored during Homecoming week, are awarded to BYU graduates with significant professional accomplishments. For more information on Eubank’s work with LDS Charities, visit their website.
—Stephanie Bahr Bentley (B.A. English ’14)