Service strengthens families
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"Strengthening families, building communities" was the theme for the Fifth Annual All Africa Mormon Helping Hands event held Saturday, Aug. 20. Latter-day Saints joined hands with neighbors and community members, donning yellow vests and performing service across the continent. Under the direction of the area presidencies, projects in the Africa Southeast Area and Africa West Area were planned to clean up and improve communities throughout the continent.
Projects chosen in the Africa West Area, under the direction of the Africa West Area Presidency — Elder John B. Dickson, area president; Elder Joseph W. Sitati, first counselor; and Elder LeGrand Curtis, Jr., second counselor — were as varied as the seven countries represented. More than 10,000 members of the Church from 59 stakes and districts in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin joined with members of other faiths, the media, private business, government officials and tribal chiefs to exemplify the Savior's example through rendering service.
The Ikpokpan Nigeria Stake kicked off the event by holding a health seminar for the community after which members donated 25 pints of blood. In the Umuahia District, a special school for the blind received a "face lift" as the grounds were tended, refuse cleared and floors were scrubbed. In addition, with the donation of ten ,drums of paint, the walls received a fresh coat of paint inside and out. In view of the local service events, Mr. Richard Iyade, of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Lands, noted that "an atmosphere of love and unity characterized the exercise."
Saints in the Kumasi Ghana Stake tidied up at the Edwunase-Kwadaso Rehabilitation Center by mowing lawns, de-silting gutters and clearing bushes. The project culminated with the donation of crates of eggs, bags of rice, bars of soap and rolls of toilet paper being presented to the center. Honorable Asare Dediako, the assembly member of the area, thanked the Church for the good work done, stating, "Worshipping of the Lord will not be completed if service to humanity is not part of it. The service rendered today will go a long way to set an example for others to follow."
More than 1,000 members in the Freetown and Bo Districts of Sierra Leone were joined by the Freetown City Council, Sierra Leone Road Authority, Freetown Waste Management Company and the Kissy Youth Concern to tackle the roads running through town. Activities included clearing drains, filling potholes, weeding and sweeping gutters. Two local radio stations and three newspapers were on hand to cover the event as local priesthood leadership invited members of the community to attend the open house of the Kissy meetinghouse, which was to be dedicated the following weekend.
Under the direction of the Africa Southeast Area presidency — Elder Dale G. Renlund, area president; Elder Ulisses Soares, first counselor; and Elder Carl B. Cook, second counselor — members from Accra, Ghana, down to Cape Town, South Africa, joined in the continent-wide day of service.
Elder Renlund and his wife, Sister Ruth Renlund, participated in a project planting trees in Springs, South Africa. It took place at Chief Luthuli Park and at the school where members of the Daveyton Ward cleaned, painted and cleared the grounds for the children. Service was also rendered at the iThemba Hope Crisis Pregnancy Center. Elder Dale Renlund and his wife Ruth presented the Rev. David Holdt with a King James Version Bible, a coin that symbolizes the need to turn to God and framed pictures of Jesus Christ to hang on the walls of their chapel.
In Malawi, volunteers spent the day cleaning the center market place. Chief Kauma of Lilongwe, Malawi, was grateful for the service and said, "People have been selling their products in a very dirty area but with your coming, diseases will be reduced because everyone now will have taken your service and example to heart."
A market matron added, "I have not seen any church with a program like this, it is really a very inspired one. Let other churches learn from what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has done. This is what the Savior encourages us to do."
For some, the day of service was a chance to give back to an area that they live and work. One man said, "Many of us have attended classes at this school, therefore it is nice that we have offered our hands of service. This school will educate our children and our grandchildren and as a result will strengthen our families and build better communities."
Throughout the ages, time has proven that strong families do indeed build strong communities. Members of the Church in West Africa are inviting families everywhere to "Come unto Christ." The essence of this annual service was captured in a brief statement made by Sylvester Nyaim, principal of the St. Paul Bridge Elementary School in Monrovia, Liberia. He said, "We are pleased to have your Latter-day Saint 'family' in our midst today."
