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 the communities in which they live.
Cambodia: LDS Charities and Mormon Helping Hands Assist Fire Victims
More than 60 homes were destroyed in a fire that swept through the Russey Keo Commune in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in early July. The village is comprised of Vietnamese citizens. Fortunately, no lives were lost.
Mormon Helping Hands and LDS Charities stepped in to provide relief for the residents with cleanup and food. A sense of hope could be seen in the faces of village’s residents as they begin to rebuild their lives and homes.
The Cambodia Mormon Newsroom website offers additional information on what was accomplished.
Peru: Church Responds With Relief Supplies for Frost and Flood Damage
Blankets, mattresses and cleanup assistance are among the donations provided by LDS Charities and Mormon Helping Hands to Peruvians suffering from flooding and frost in several regions of the South American country.
Maribel Diaz, the nation’s first lady, met with Church leaders Elder Hugo Montoya, of the Seventy; Moroni Torres, Church welfare manager; and Public Affairs director Guillermo Estrugo to thank them for the humanitarian help and donations.
Read more about the Church’s humanitarian relief on the Peru Mormon Newsroom (Spanish) website.
Australia: Sharing Faith, Giving Service and Building Friendships in South Australia
Young adults, ages 18 to 30, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Muslim, Sikh and Catholic communities served together in the third annual “Faith Matters” service project.
They volunteered their time assembling 400 birthing kits for the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. The kits are designed to help combat maternal and newborn mortalities in developing countries.
Go to the Australia Mormon Newsroom website to learn more about the interfaith project.
Brazil: Mormon Helping Hands Brings Love to Children in Cancer Treatment
Latter-day Saint women together with Mormon Helping Hands voluntarily knitted caps for children being treated with cancer.
The project resulted in dozens of children’s caps being completed.
Go to the Brazil Mormon Newsroom website (Portuguese) to learn about the project’s goal.
Australia: Being Happy While Serving in Tasmania
Mormon women in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, recently found great joy and happiness in making fleece blankets, little bears and rugs for the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and the Royal Hobart Hospital.
When asked about the event, Sheree Gaughan, a local member of the Church, said, “It was fun being together and learning creative ways to make something for a higher purpose. We felt joy knowing that what we were doing would help lift the heart of someone else and make a difference in their life.”
Read more about the service they gave on the Australia Mormon Newsroom website.
USA: Massachusetts Latter-day Saint Youth Reenact Pioneer Trek in a Unique Way
This summer about 60 youth, ranging in age from 14 to 18, boarded a ferry to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Girls, dressed in floor-length skirts and bonnets, and boys wearing straw hats, button-down shirts and pants complete with suspenders were quite the conversation piece as other ferry passengers asked the youth questions.
This trek happened to coincide with a large storm system, making the ocean crossing choppy, which was reminiscent of what the early pioneers experienced coming from other countries as they crossed the ocean to America and begin the months-long journey from east to west. Similarly, the youth found themselves battling a little sea-sickness before reaching land and pushing their handcarts first through mud and rain and then in the intense heat and humidity that followed.
Go to the Mormon Newsroom website for more on the youths’ experience.