Mormon Life - Humanitarian tag

New Presiding Bishop has witnessed faith in action

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:41:00 -0600

source: ldschurchnews.com

Witnessing the death, damage and destruction caused by last year's historic natural disaster in Japan was a life-altering experience for Bishop Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson. The Stevensons were, at once, terribly saddened by the heavy toll that was exacted by such cataclysmic events — but also uplifted by the sustaining comfort and support the Lord offered through His Church and its members.

LDS volunteers continue to serve

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:19:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon volunteers join forces with their local community in an effort to show their faith in Jesus Christ and follow his example of service.

In Murrieta, Calif., members of a stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were planning to work together with the local Catholic and Methodist churches to replenish food supplies at local food banks this Saturday, April 28.

Mormon Media Observer: AP story about measles vaccinations shows media do report good news

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:18:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

One of the most common complaints about the news media seems always to be that the news is too negative.

While it is true that disaster, corruption and threat will always be news, a story this week from the Associated Press shows the complaint isn’t always true.

The story is this: According to the World Health Organization, millions of children’s lives were saved between 2000 and 2010 because of immunization for measles.

It’s a project the LDS Church has played a role in, along with many other organizations.

LDS Church pilot program for construction in Congo

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:58:00 -0600

source: cestlavie.com

Here in Kinshasa the church is doing a new pilot program for developing nations. It's the first one of its kind and is probably the last big thing done by Bishop Burton before he was released. He was very anxious about the lack of employment in the Congo and this was the idea that they came up with to help that problem. PEF is in Kinshasa, and is wonderful. Our missionary couple, Staggs, have really worked to get it started here in the Congo. It's a good program and many are benefiting from it. But it's very hard to get a job even after you go to school. There are fewer jobs than people looking for work, even for those who are trained. So another alternative will be a great blessing too. This new program is addressing the problem in a completely different direction.

LDS volunteers serving communities

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:02:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

People in communities across the country are engaging in service projects this spring that will benefit and beautify their communities.

Among the countless volunteers and organizations performing service are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Inner City Project: a chance to serve from home

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:03:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Whether you're finding an apartment for someone newly homeless, explaining to a foreign refugee what a flush toilet is, or connecting addicts with resources for recovery, the Inner City Project has something nearly anyone can do to fulfill Christ's call to serve "the least of these" right when it matters the most.

Mike and Allene Ross — Elder and Sister Ross for now — are assistant directors for this innovative program that is changing the lives of both recipients and those who serve in downtown Salt Lake City. In this audio interview they share amazing stories about this program that lets you serve for a number of hours each week while still living at home, sleeping in your own bed and even before you retire.

Mormon Helping Hands Busy Lending a Hand

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:33:00 -0600

source: Newsroom.lds.org

With the recent tornadoes in the Midwest, in what has been a destructive tornado season so far, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) are giving needed assistance.

More than 300 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers from the Church’s Bloomington Indiana Stake (similar to a diocese) cleaned up fallen trees and debris from the 2 March tornado. Volunteers also traveled to New Albany, Pekin, Borden and Henryville, Indiana to render service to those areas that suffered severe destruction and loss.

Building hope: How the LDS Church is helping thousands fleeing war and drought

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:49:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: I love hearing stories about the Church Welfare System. Read this - it's good. Not far from Somalia on a barren, windswept plain, a girl named Amina gathers firewood in the fading light of late afternoon. She is slightly built, with a long, delicate neck and thin, bony arms. The cheap Casio watch on her wrist tells her that she doesn't have much more time before she has to get home to help her mom.

Amina lives in a sprawling refugee camp that sits at the base of a mountain in the Horn of Africa. From where she stands she can see the rows of white tents stretching to the horizon, a small, teeming city of some 40,000 souls.

Inside, the air reeks of the sharp odor of donkeys and open latrines, of charcoal cooking fires and the sweet scent of tea. It is a city unto itself, where boys fly kites and marriages are made, where donkey carts crowd the dusty paths. But it is largely unknown to the outside world.

Refugees meet basic needs with help of LDS Church

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:18:00 -0600

source: ksl.com

The worst drought in living memory has devastated the Horn of Africa, causing hundreds of thousands to flee Somalia. Some have been lucky enough to land in Utah, but most who leave end up in massive refugee camps along the border.

To see just how big the refugee camps are in Ethiopia, we had to get a bird's eye view. They aren't camps -- they are sprawling cities where boys fly kites, marriages are made, and miraculously, life marches on.

There are five refugee camps in this area of Ethiopia, which is called the Dolo region. In the oldest and largest camp, there are about 40,000 people. At the height of the crisis 6,000-7,000 people crossed the border to get in to Ethiopia every day.

LDS youth group raises $13,000 for charity

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:17:00 -0600

source: ashburn.patch.com

Mormon Life says: This is so impressive! The youth group from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brambleton Congregation raised $13,000 for Loudoun Habitat for Humanity during an auction earlier this month to help with the construction of a home in western Loudoun.

The home is the third of five planned in the Erin Petersen subdivision in the village of St. Louis west of Middleburg.

LDS youth give day of service

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:50:00 -0600

source: oakton.patch.com

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Oakton spent St. Patrick’s Day sharing their good fortune with others by donating blankets and hygiene kits to area charities.

About 1,400 blankets and 1,000 hygiene kits were hauled from the Church’s regional Bishop’s Storehouse in Upper Marlboro, Md., to the Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston and Shelter House in Fairfax. Bishop’s storehouses distribute commodities to the poor and needy as requested by local Church leaders.

The Church Is Reaching Out and Helping

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:53:00 -0600

source: news.lds.org

One year after a horrific earthquake and tsunami, prominent signs standing amid the miles and miles of devastation and destruction in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture send a one-word message of the resiliency of the people: Ganbaru, which means “hold out, stand firm, and hang in there.”

It is the same message the Church sent over and over again as it distributed immediate relief supplies after the disaster and, 12 months later, continues to support recovery efforts in the country.

Natural disasters across the globe, including the Japan quake, made 2011 the costliest year of disasters on record, according to a report issued by LDS Welfare Services. The first six months of 2011 alone saw $265 billion in economic losses—well above the previous record of $220 billion from 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the United States’ Gulf Coast.

Mormon church celebrates relief-giving women's group

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:02:00 -0600

source: columbiamissourian.com

Birthdays often mean cake and celebration, and the case was no different for the 170th birthday of the Relief Society, the Mormon church's organization for women, on Saturday.

But the women from the 13 congregations, called wards, in the mid-Missouri stake of the church weren't opening any presents. They were giving them.

Mormon volunteerism highlighted in new study

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:57:00 -0600

source: Newsroom.lds.org

Mormon Life says: The Church created another really cool infographic. Click on the forwarding link to see the whole picture. As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) continues to receive heightened media attention, a new study focuses on the generous charitable donations and volunteerism of active Latter-day Saints in the United States. University of Pennsylvania professor Ram Cnaan and fellow researchers Van Evans and Daniel W. Curtis jointly published the study, titled “Called to Serve: The Prosocial Behavior of Active Latter-day Saints.”

LDS, Catholics team up for tropical storm recovery in Philippines

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:17:00 -0600

source: sunstar.com.ph

THE Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has teamed up with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to provide transitional houses to victims of Tropical Storm Sendong in Cagayan de Oro.

Representatives of the groups signed a memorandum of agreement last week and agreed to pledge a hefty amount of $350,000 for the construction of decent temporary houses.

Church responds following devastating tornadoes

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:45:00 -0600

source: ldschurchnews.com

More than 100 tornadoes touched down across 12 U.S. states over a recent four-day period, claiming dozens of lives and destroying thousands of homes.

No LDS members or missionaries were harmed, although three member homes in Indiana were destroyed and at least 15 others were seriously damaged. No Church buildings were impacted.

Church Humanitarian Aid Helps During Costly 2011 Disasters

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:30:00 -0700

source: Newsroom.lds.org

Mormon Life says: I love the chart at the bottom of this article that shows how the Church is helping different countries. Earthquakes, a tsunami and massive flooding have combined to make 2011 the costliest year for natural disasters on record according to a recently released Welfare Services report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The report indicates the first half of the year had economic losses totaling $265 billion, well above the previous record of $220 billion from 2005 (the year of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf region of the United States). Japan’s earthquake and tsunami damage alone has been estimated at $235 billion.

Young Men Lesson 11: "As I Have Loved You, Love One Another"

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:02:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Discussion Questions

• How could your behavior contribute to a quorum member not wanting to come to church or other activities? What can you and your quorum do to help resolve such a situation?

• What should you do if you feel you have been hurt by others’ bad decisions?

Excerpt from "'You Are My Hands,'" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010 General Conference:

A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”

We Are the Hands of Christ

There is a profound lesson in this story. When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation.

That is what He did during His mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To read the full talk, click here.

Church Members in Fiji Provide Humanitarian Aid to Flood Victims

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:56:00 -0700

source: news.lds.org

Three stakes in the Suva, Fiji, area recently held a drive to collect food, household items, and school supplies for flood victims in northern and western Fiji.

Elder Taniela Wakolo, Area Seventy and the Church’s Fiji Service Centre manager, initiated the drive on February 6, shortly after local Church leaders were alerted about the flood. Members collected food, clothing, bedding, kitchenware, and school supplies.

FHe will give families the opportunity to provide Guatemalan villagers with training and hope

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:32:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

In the “land of eternal spring,” the people of Guatemala are being taught “how to fish.” This summer Family Humanitarian experience, known as FHe, will carry out its first expedition to the remote Polochic Region. FHe provides families and singles over 40 the opportunity to work alongside villagers to present them an opportunity to become self-sufficient and also share in the spiritual experiences that come through service.

The story behind the launch of FHe is also spiritual. In 2010, Tyler DeLange, an emergency medicine physician in the Washington, D.C., area, had the strong impression that an organization should be established that would allow families to serve together in developing countries throughout the world. David and Michaela Shirley of Texas also felt the urgency that they needed to dedicate their time to humanitarian service. They read an article in the Deseret News about Singular Humanitarian experience, known as SHe, international humanitarian service projects for Mormon singles, and in Novermber 2010 contacted DeLange, who told them about his vision.