MormonNewsroom.org features stories from its international Newsroom websites to share what leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.
Ghana: Water Becomes Available to Students
LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was made aware of a need for clean water at Ghana’s Jukwa Senior High School, where there has been a shortage of the vital commodity since the school started 25 years ago. The students have had to walk a few miles across a major highway to access clean water from a stream.
Once LDS Charities heard about the need, Church officials began working to provide a mechanized borehole and grinding mill to produce the water.
Go to the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website for the full story.
Pacific, Samoa: Latter-day Saint Volunteers Prevent Samoan School Closing
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped save a Samoan school from closing when they asked LDS Charities to assist in renovating restrooms.
The restrooms were unusable, and the Samoa Ministry of Health said the school would have to close unless the bathroom facilities were brought up to the required standards.
Read on the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website how the work of Latter-day Saints with LDS Charities saved the school.
Kazakhstan: Disabled Man Saved From His Crumbling Home
Mormons in the Astana congregation of the Church (Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan) learned from a local blogger that a 55-year-old man was living in deplorable conditions. His home was unlivable due to flooding, and he was living in a doghouse.
The Latter-day Saints went to work clearing the area to build a new home for Hasan Temirbaev, a survivor of having one of his lungs removed. The project not only included cleaning the area where his house once stood but also building him a new home and furnishing it as well.
Go to the Kazakhstan Mormon Newsroom website (Russian) for more on Hasan’s story.
USA, New York: Interfaith Effort Results in 7,500 Hygiene Kits
Members of the Church in New York participated with 900 volunteers in an interfaith service project that produced 7,500 hygiene kits bound for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The project was organized by Heart to Heart International, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.
Go to the NY, NJ, CT Latter-day Saints Facebook page for more information.
Nicaragua: Wheelchairs Donated to 19 Hospitals
Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health received a donation of 270 wheelchairs, which will be given to 19 local hospitals, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder José Ernesto Maravilla of the Church’s Seventy delivered the wheelchairs to Dr. Carlos Vital Cruz Lesage, director general of the Health Services Ministry of Health.
Read what the two community leaders said about the donation on the Nicaragua Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish).
Cambodia: Cambodian Artist Featured in International Art Competition
Latter-day Saint Sopheap Nhem from Cambodia is a featured artist in the 10th International Art Competition sponsored by the Church History Museum. The museum, in addition to displaying artifacts from Mormon pioneers and other historical items, features art by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sopheap Nhem’s has titled her work “Early Morning with the Savior,” following the museum’s theme “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.” The artwork for the competition came from 944 submissions from over 40 countries; a five-member jury chose the featured selections.
Read more about the painting on the Cambodia Mormon Newsroom website.
Pacific: Prince of Tonga Visits Utah Church Sites
The prince of Tonga, His Royal Highness Prince Ata, a new member of the Church of just over a year, visited various Church sites in Utah as well as the state’s governor.
His travels also included viewing the Church-produced “Mormon Miracle Pageant” at the Manti Temple in central Utah, a meeting with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a meeting with two former Tongan mission presidents.
Go to the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website to see what else Prince Ata did.
Colombia: Mormons Celebrate 50th Anniversary of the Church in Self-Sufficiency Project
Latter-day Saints in Colombia are celebrating the establishment of the Church 50 years ago in the country by helping each other grow gardens as a way to become self-sufficient.
Mormons are being taught how to raise egg-laying hens and quails. The instruction focuses on helping families increase their food supply to improve their quality of life.
Go to the Colombia Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish) to read more.
Papua New Guinea: Wearing Out Soles to Save Souls
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 70,000 missionaries serving throughout the world. One those missionaries is Elder Joseph Jone Kauvesi, who was assigned to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and give service for two years in Papua New Guinea.
Elder Kauvesi said he started his mission with new shoes and intended to use them throughout the 24 months — and he did wear them to the end. His desire was to wear out the soles of his shoes while trying to bring souls to Christ.
Get the rest of the missionary’s story on the Papua New Guinea Mormon Newsroom website.