The Newsroom Blog

Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites | 6 November

Mormonnewsroom.org pulls stories from the international Newsroom websites to show 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.

Philippines: Mormon Helping Hands Continue to Help After October Earthquake

Philippines Bohol 2013 2 1

Latter-day Saints and their neighbors have been cleaning up and rebuilding after a 7.2 earthquake struck the islands of Bohol and Cebu in the Philippines 15 October.

Philippines earthquake cleanup2

LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has provided food, hygiene and shelter kits, water filtration equipment and generators to help the several impacted cities.

Philippines earthquake andersen

Church leaders including Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Seventy and other local Church leaders joined with Bishop Leonardo Y. Medroso of the Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran in offering support and assistance to Governor Edgardo Chatto of the Bohol province in a 27 October meeting.

Read more about how the Church and government are working together on the Philippines Mormon Newsroom website.

Kenya: Church Aids Congolese Refugees in Uganda
Humanitarian missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have joined with an inter-ministerial committee to help more than 1,000 refugees to resettle.

Uganda

The Church donated 1,500 mosquito nets, 400 blankets, 400 hoes, 400 pounds of fast-growing seeds for greens, bundles of clothing, 400 jerry cans (metal containers for liquid) and over 100 sets of cooking pots.

Read about the refugees’ gratitude on the Kenya Mormon Newsroom website.

Colombia: Moms and Kids Benefit From Mormon Women
Mormon women in Bogotá created and donated 181 kits for pregnant women and mothers with infants less than two months old. The newborn kits include blankets, diapers and other baby essentials.

Colombia Newborn kits 2013

Members of the Relief Society (the Church’s organization for women) worked with local government and other organizations to identify expectant women and infants who would benefit from the assistance. San Cristobal Hospital also participated in the project.

Go to the original story in Spanish on the Colombia Mormon Newsroom website to read more about how the Mormon women felt about the service they gave.

Peru: Church Members Help Community Recover From Fire
Latter-day Saints are helping residents of the Peruvian city of Callao clean up after a devastating fire burned 300 homes.

Peru Callao fire 2013

Mormon Helping Hands volunteers not only helped clear away debris but were also a positive force of encouragement to the people who lost their homes.

See the original story in Spanish on the Peru Mormon Newsroom website.

Bolivia: Santa Cruz First Lady Accepts Mormon Humanitarian Gifts of Service
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered the results of hours of service to the first lady of Santa Cruz.

First Lady Sonia Costas Vincenti welcomed the donation of 3,000 cleaning kits and said the kits will be distributed to many needy children in Santa Cruz. She explained how her community has always been helped by the Church.

See the original story in Spanish on the Bolivia Mormon Newsroom website.

Pacific: New Zealand Park Beautified by Mormon Helping Hands
New Zealand’s Long Bay Regional Park, north of Auckland, was the focus of attention by 100 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers recently.

New Zealand MHH 2012

The volunteers provided mulch to keep trees healthy, picked up rubbish and fixed a walkway. Park rangers provided volunteers with shovels, rakes, garbage bags and gloves.

Go to the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website to read how the volunteers enjoyed their service.

Ghana: Church Leaders Help Young People in Life’s Challenges

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Nearly 900 Latter-day Saints, ages 18 to 30, met in Accra to receive counsel and encouragement in dealing with the challenges of growing up in the world.

Presenters followed a theme of “Be Strong and Courageous” as the people participated in two days of workshops, games and making new friends. Elder Joseph W. Sitati of the Church’s Seventy (a governing body of the Church) was the keynote speaker. He said, “Define your vision of what you want to be.”

Read more of what Elder Sitati said on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website.

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