Counting blessings while giving service to others
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BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Latter-day Saints in the state of Queensland have been counting their many blessings considering how few were personally affected by what has been labeled the worst natural disaster in the state's history.
With more than 200,000 people being forced from their homes in 31 towns in the devastating January floods, only a handful of members were reported to have suffered significant losses.
Fewer than 100 members were directly affected by the floods, according to Australia LDS Service Center Manager, David Murphy. Reports came in that members had been evacuated or otherwise affected in Emerald, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Ipswich and the greater Brisbane area.
One family in Ipswich had their house shoved from its foundation while several other families lost many of their possessions in the floodwaters. Fortunately, no Latter-day Saints were numbered among the several fatalities of these floods that began as a slow-motion disaster, taking a sudden, violent turn with a cloudburst sending a raging torrent down the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane in what Queensland police commissioner Bob Atkinson described as "an inland instant tsunami."
While all missionaries, meetinghouses and the Brisbane Australia Temple were safe and spared, Church leaders wasted no time in focusing their assistance efforts on neighbors in their communities who had not been so fortunate. Coordinating relief efforts with government officials, Church groups quickly began forming clean-up teams as well as assembling cleaning kits and other relief items.
"We had about 28 members affected by the floods that had to evacuate their seven homes due to water in property and/or water in their homes. Two members' houses went totally under and lost most of their gear," said Emerald Branch President Warrick Hatch.
Australia Brisbane Mission President Fritjof F. Langeland reported that all missionaries were safe, with many having been relocated, and all being actively engaged in community cleanup and relief efforts in their respective areas.
Bishop Cameron Preston of Camp Hill Ward reported, "On the first day of cleanup we had more than 20 members on short notice attend the cleanup and provide refreshments at a flood-affected family's home at Rocklea. Others helped the neighbors of a sister in the ward who was saved because of her raised home. The next day our ward supported the Brisbane Australia Stake cleanup to be assigned to different projects around the city for the day."
Concerning that first day after the floodwaters had subsided, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Campbell Newman, said, "We were hoping for 6,000 people all day and we had over 11,500 volunteers by mid-day, which was simply brilliant. I can tell you that Council and the flood victims are so very grateful to everyone for donating their time to help get Brisbane back on track."
Three Brisbane Latter-day Saints — Jolea Rogers, Clinton Davis and Jascha Johnston — formed a Facebook group named "LDS Army — Help Clean Up Brisbane," and within days they had over 254 people "attending" this event. They were then able to direct this group into four different meeting locations to work with Council-organized cleaning crews.
Dean Nicholson and his family decided they could offer help by going as a family out to Rocklea, one of the worst affected areas, where they handed out cold drinks, fresh baked muffins and bananas to the army of workers covered in mud.
President Dale Maurer of the Brisbane Australia Stake said, "We have appreciated all the work that has been performed by members of the stake for both members of the Church as well as for those in the community. In each case there has been a great spirit involved in helping others and doing as the Savior would do. While there is lots of work to be done, we are grateful that the loss of life and damage has been less than what it could have been."
