MormonNewsroom.org features stories from its 80 international Newsroom websites as well as those from around the United States to share what members and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better to serve their communities
Europe: Woman with Down Syndrome Serves Mission
Esther Fletcher, a woman with Down syndrome, has been serving as a missionary with her parents in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Among Esther Fletcher’s responsibilities is preparing more than 2,000 copies of the Book of Mormon for missionaries to give to people studying the Latter-day Saint faith. She glues a color-coded index page into the front of each book with questions from the missionary preparation manual, “Preach My Gospel,” and then marks 16 important passages with corresponding plastic page marker tabs. Multiply 2,000 books times 16 references, and Esther has marked more than 32,000 scriptures.
Read more about this Church-service missionary on the Ireland Newsroom. Her touching story has also been shared on the Finland, Hungary, Poland and Portugal Newsroom websites.
Guatemala: Young Latter-day Saints Become Good Samaritans
The youth of Guatemala truly took to heart the term “good Samaritan” recently as they gave service to the elderly at the Good Samaritan home. Their service included donating food, cleaning windows, trimming bushes and entertaining the residents with dancing and a piñata.
The project was a part of the Church’s youth conference in Guatemala for youth ages 12 to 18. They shared their talents and put smiles on the faces of those being served.
Read more about the service activity on the Guatemala Newsroom website (Spanish).
Ukraine: Latter-day Saints Honor National Monument With Service
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine gather at the Babin Yar National Memorial twice a year to help with upkeep and preservation of this national treasure. Babin Yar is dedicated to victims of the Second World War, and historians have said that it has become a brotherly burial place for more than 100,000 people.
As Latter-day Saints have served their community, the activity has also provided an opportunity to reflect on the historical meaning of the memorial.
Learn more about the monument and the service Latter-day Saints provided on the Ukraine Newsroom website (Ukrainian).
Ghana: Journalists Tour Church Facilities
Latter-day Saint leaders in Accra, Ghana, recently hosted 27 journalists for an informational tour on how the Church serves the people of Africa.
The journalists were divided into four groups and began their tour starting in the Africa West Area office complex. The tour moved to the Accra Ghana Temple grounds, the Christiansborg Stake Center (similar to a diocese) and finally ending at the missionary training center, concluding with a question and answer session.
To learn more about the outreach efforts of the Church in Ghana, go to the Ghana Newsroom website.