Knitting a brighter future for Syrian refugees in Lebanon (Wikicommons)
Here’s something of good report that crossed my desk yesterday.
The First Presidency of the LDS Church has issued a statement to be read in sacrament meetings around the world this weekend, bringing the plight of refugees to the forefront.
It’s a brief statement, but a welcome and powerful one.
As reported by the Daily Herald and the blog Zelph on the Shelf (which kindly agreed to allow RNS to use its photo of the letter), the Church is extending special help to refugees and has encouraged Mormons around the world to donate to the LDS Humanitarian Fund to further this work.
The Mormon Newsroom reports that through the years, the fund has provided “hundreds of thousands of blankets, clothes, emergency medical supplies, food, and other resources to refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria.”
In addition to donating, the letter invites individual wards and stakes “to participate in local refugee relief projects, where practical.” I’ve been hearing stories of wards doing this, including a Dumfries, Scotland ward that posted some really inspiring photos on social media of all of the goods it was getting ready to ship to refugees last month.
Here’s a link about some Welsh saints collecting over 2 tons of non-perishable food for refugees; Mormons in Germany have helped to house and feed the refugees who have flooded into their country.
I hope that many other wards will get involved with this effort.
(Courtesy of Zelph on the Shelf)
Note: This post was updated on October 30, and the video added.