Teddy bears donated to orphanages

ARACAJU, Brazil — A former missionary to Brazil, Nathan Gwilliam, recently organized a nationwide drive to provide teddy bears for orphans in this and other Brazilian cities. With the help of currently serving missionaries, he delivered more than 450 of the stuffed animals to several orphanages in this city and to others in northern Brazil.

"Children were overwhelmed by the love we showed them," said Crystal Gwilliam, Nathan's wife, who assisted in the distribution. "At each orphanage, we spoke about how the little children are the sons and daughters of God, that He loves them and that they are never alone.

"The need for love was overwhelming at each orphanage," she said. At one orphanage, they stopped to play a Brazilian version of "duck, duck goose" (rato, rato, gato, or rat, rat, cat). In each city, Church members and missionaries helped get the teddy bears to the children.

Stakes join in humanitarian relief

SPOKANE, Wash. — Young women and Relief Society sisters from three stakes here gathered Nov. 6 to make humanitarian service items to be shipped to Salt Lake City for distribution to the needy throughout the world. Gathering at six meetinghouses, the youth and sisters of the Spokane, Spokane North and Spokane East stakes used donated fleece to make hats, mittens, booties and toys. Quilts, crib sheets and other usable items were also made. An estimated 2,500 hours went into the project.

The service event was covered by local KHQ-TV for the 6 p.m. news, during which Spokane stake member Courtney Lynn, who participated as part of her Laurel service project, was interviewed. She had previously written letters to vendors and businesses and raised more than $1,200 to buy products to assemble hygiene kits. In addition, members donated toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss, as well as other items. The young women of the Spokane stake assembled the kits, served food and helped with the fleece project.

Luau unites members on reservation

FORT YATES, N.D. — The sprawling Standing Rock Indian Reservation that straddles the border between central North Dakota and South Dakota is a long way from Hawaii — 5,000 miles and worlds apart in topography and climate.

But for one evening in September a bit of the aloha feeling was present here.

A Hawaiian luau was held Sept. 27 on the grassy area behind the Fort Yates Branch meetinghouse, an activity designed "to get our people to come and mingle together," said Sister Roberta Loveland, who, with her husband, is serving a mission on this vast Sioux reservation. Elder Odell Loveland is the branch president in Fort Yates, the primary reservation community, about 70 miles south of Bismarck, N.D.