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.
Cambodia: Good Works Are Contagious!
Latter-day Saints in Cambodia converged on the riverbanks of the Tonle Sap River to clean up a day after the Siem Reap Water Festival ended. A French visitor said she came to the water festival and found trash everywhere. “Today, angels have been sent from heaven. It is clean.”
Families came to beautify their city, and while doing so a Singapore tour group saw what was going on and asked if they could help. One person was heard to say, “It seems that good works are contagious.”
Read more about the story on the Cambodia Mormon Newsroom website.
Zimbabwe: Clean Water, Reading Glasses and Repaired Roofs — Made Possible by LDS Charities
Two schools in Harare, capital of the African country of Zimbabwe, recently received much welcomed help in the form of a drilled borehole for clean water.
In addition to helping facilitate the water for the schools, LDS Charities, the Church’s humanitarian arm, also donated 40 pairs of reading glasses, repaired blown-off roofs, provided new desks and painted another school.
Go to the Zimbabwe Mormon Newsroom website to understand what motivates the Church to provide assistance.
Germany: Mormons Welcome Refugees
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Darmstadt, Germany, invited refugee families to their meetinghouse for a Christmas party. Mormon children chose gifts to give to the refugee children.
The party included a Christmas dinner and entertainment especially for the children.
The Germany Mormon Newsroom website (German) has more information about the story.
Ghana: A Celebration of African Culture
Mormons in Ghana recently organized an event to recognize their African culture entitled “Our Culture, Our Heritage: The Lord's Way.”
The celebration drew local chiefs, community leaders and citizens who participated in traditional dances and music.
See the traditional clothing they wore on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website.
Canada: Celebrating Christmas With “An Evening in Bethlehem”More than 300 nativities and a Christmas program highlighted the annual “An Evening in Bethlehem,” open free to the community in early December in Ontario, Canada.
Joining Latter-day Saints for the program were the youth and adult hand bell choirs from the Trinity United Church. The two-night event was held in the local Mormon meetinghouse, where 306 nativities from Chile, Germany, Kenya, Peru and other areas of the world were set up to give people a feel of Bethlehem and the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ.
Read more about the event on the Canada Mormon Newsroom website.
Maine, USA: Maine Pioneer Trek and Storm Rescue
Recently, Mormon youth in the Bangor Maine Stake (similar to a diocese) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints honored rescuers for saving them during a summer storm last August. Local Church leaders invited the rescuers to a dinner where they were thanked and presented with letters of appreciation.
On only the first day of their pioneer trek last August, a severe summer storm with pounding rain, thunder and lightning stranded the 400 youth and adult leaders on the trail. Fortunately a firefighter and a member of the Church from a nearby town understood the trouble they were in. He launched a rescue.
Go to the Mormon Newsroom website to read how the youth recently thanked their rescuers.