The message is in the scriptures. "God helps those who help themselves" must be simply a modern wording. Check out James 2, starting with verse 14:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/james/2/18,20,26#18

I have seen people quite literally sit at the top of one hill and pray that God will provide for all of their needs, insisting that they have the faith that God will grow a garden under their feet. Meanwhile, God is sending others to offer these people opportunities to work and participate in growing that garden on the next hill over, and these people will not budge because they have faith that God is going to grow that garden right there under their feet and all they have to do is sit there and wait for it.

Another thing that strikes me as ironic is when we see many prayers for "the starving children in Africa" or others suffering in some other area of the world, when if those offering up the prayers would look around and find a neighbor that they could help, and if everyone around the world would lift up their neighbor in need, the world's problems could be solved. Praying is good, but the other half of it is asking God what He would have us do to help someone in need, and looking for the part that He would have us play in answering someone's prayer.

We have to be willing to do our part, even when it isn't convenient, fun, glamourous, or prestigious or popular.

http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics/love/love500382.htm

If it isn't our place to be a lighthouse, we can be a day mark.
http://daymarkers.blogspot.com/2008/...ns-height.html

I hope I didn't get too far off the topic. One thing that just seems to go hand in hand with doing service, for me, is doing it where you are. You are where you are for a reason, and often it is because there is something you can do in that place to help somebody. Another catch phrase is "bloom where you are planted."