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.
Malaysia: Mormon Missionaries Tackle Yard Work at Day Care Center for Handicapped Children
Mormon missionaries, who are most often seen in their white shirts and ties for the men and dresses and skirts for the women, changed into work clothes to battle a yard threatened by the flora of the local jungle.
Their work was a labor of love for the Tasputra Perkims, a day care center for severely handicapped children in downtown Kuala Lumpur. They battled humidity and mosquitos to complete the job, leaving the yard tidy.
Read more about the project on the Malaysia Mormon Newsroom website.
Puerto Rico: School Is Ready for Students
Before some Puerto Rican students returned to school this year, members of the Church joined with school employees, parents and even students to get the building ready for an environment of learning.
The service including cleaning and painting, and the school’s director said the Mormon Helping Hands’ efforts were invaluable.
Go to the Puerto Rico Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish) to read more about the project.
Uganda: Three-Month Community Service Project Is Completed
A Mormon Helping Hands project, which began in June and involved communities throughout Uganda, has been completed successfully.
Church members and the community put in several hundred hours of service to improve hygiene and cleanliness in their neighborhoods. This year’s service projects included cleaning hospitals and health centers and local community market and residential areas.
Find out how many communities were helped on the Uganda Mormon Newsroom website.
Honduras: Young Mormons Care About the Environment
More than 100 youth from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tegucigalpa planted over 200 trees recently as a way to improve their surroundings.
The youth worked with the Institute for Forest Conservation (ICF) and planted different kinds of trees, including oak, cedar and mahogany.
Go to the Honduras Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish) to read more about the activity.
Canada: Syrian Refugees Benefit Through Young Mormons’ Service
Young Latter-day Saints gave of their time and talents to raise money to help refugees settling in Canada’s eastern provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Under the local Church’s leadership, 130 youth organized and operated a fund-raising activity that included singing and dancing.
Catherine Potter, a Young Women leader, said, “Today the youth spread a message of hope, of love, of unity, of acceptance and of welcoming to our Syrian brothers and sisters.”
Read more about how much money was collected to help refugees on the Canada Mormon Newsroom website.
Tonga: Community Cleanup Is Cause for Celebration
Latter-day Saints and friends of the Church in Tonga, dressed in the familiar yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests, celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission by performing community cleanup.
One participant described the participation. “Before dawn, it was like an army seeing the Latter-day Saints scattered throughout the whole of Tonga in their Mormon Helping Hands vests, with lawn mowers, weed eaters, rakes, shovels, trash bags, blowers and even painting equipment, working together in unity.” Go to the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website for more information.
In addition to the community service, a monument was unveiled honoring the first missionaries of the Church arriving in Tonga. Participating in the ceremony was His Majesty King George Tupou VI and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u, His Royal Highness Prince Ata, and Prince Tungi, the King’s nephew.
Several Church and community leaders attended the unveiling.
