MormonNewsroom.org features stories from its international Newsroom websites 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.
Guatemala: Church Humanitarian Services Help Those Affected by Flooding
Guatemalans affected by the recent heavy rain and flooding are receiving help from Humanitarian Services of the Church. Supplies have been delivered for those who have taken refuge in schools and community centers in the country’s central cities of Panzós, Tactic, Tamahu, Tucurú, La Tinta, the area of Cobán and Petén.
Most of those receiving help are not members of the Church. The Church offers aid and development projects for humanitarian purposes in countries around the world. The projects operate regardless of the nationality or religion of the recipients.
Read more about the help on the Guatemala Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish).
USA: Mormons and Catholics in Colorado Help Homeless Find a Place to Sleep
Latter-day Saints and Catholic Charities in Greeley, Colorado, are working together to find suitable accommodations for the homeless.
The two faiths have partnered in this act of caring for many years. Local Church members saw a need earlier this year and wanted to do something to remedy it. They made a request to the Humanitarian Services arm of the Church and received beds and bedding.
Read more about the success of the two faiths’ relationship, which has blessed many lives, on the Mormon Newsroom website.
Ghana: “Today, My Heart Is Full of Happiness”
Young Latter-day Saints, ages 18 to 30, and LDS Charities assembled aids and materials that will be used for a Maternal/Newborn Care Seminar held in Accra.
“I receive much more than I give. My life is better because I try to help others, said Sarah Nelson, one of the young people who spent part of a day assisting. “Putting a smile on someone’s face makes me happy,” she expressed.
Read additional comments about the service project on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website.
Australia: Anniversary Celebration Helps Homeless Youth
Mormon women in Australia have been celebrating the 175th anniversary of the beginning of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the year by giving service to disadvantaged and homeless youth.
The effort was coordinated with SalvoCare Eastern and included fleece quilts, 100 hygiene kits, 106 smiley hampers and other supplies. “You don’t know how much the young people who receive these gifts are overwhelmed to know that somebody actually cares enough to do this for them,” said Kate Williams, a youth supervisor with SalvoCare Eastern.
Go to the Australia Mormon Newsroom website to read more about the service project.
Canada: Church Assists Ontario Black History Society Ancestry Research
The Ontario Black History Association invited representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share updates on the Freedmen’s Bureau Project. In 2015, the Church released 1.5 million digitized images containing 4 million names from the Freedman’s Bureau of Civil War-era ancestors through FamilySearch with the help of the black community.
The forum, titled “A Freedom Seeker’s Toronto,” involved several speakers, including Nikki Clarke, president of the Ontario Black History Society, and Sandra Pallin, national director of public affairs for the Church.
Read more about the event on the Canada Mormon Newsroom website.
USA: Mormons in Chicago Host Meetinghouse Interfaith Concert and Tour
An interfaith concert was the setting for an invitation to tour a house of worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
Members of several faiths attended, including Jewish, Presbyterian, Baha’i and others. In addition to the tour, a program of interfaith music was presented, involving members of the Baha'i, First Methodist, Hindu, Saint Mary of the Woods Parish, Sikh and Latter-day Saint congregations. As a concluding number to the concert, all the choirs sang “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Go to the Mormon Newsroom website to read more about the three-day event.