Humanitarian Work - Something We Care About

My sister's father-in-law joined the church because he was invited by a guy named Don Clarke to church while the two were getting MBAs at Washington State University. Don Clarke has been the area president of the church in Guatemala (and the rest of Central America) the last couple years. I served my mission there from 2003 to 2005.

I just read an article in the church news about a humanitarian project being done there. A humanitarian missionary helped the community get running water into a town of 2,000 (the church bought the supplies but got the town to volunteer almost all of the labor) and also build a school there as well as other projects. It was great to hear what was accomplished as well as the approach the church used to get the entire community involved so that the project could be larger but also have greater long-term effects.

I love being in this church and look forward to seeing more and more of these projects get done as a greater number of senior couple missionaries serve in the church. We look forward to being missionaries ourselves.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700150533/LDS-Church-helps-as-Guatemalans-bring-water-education-to-their-village.html?pg=1

Incredible Prophesy

So I spent 2 years in Guatemala, and something interesting is true about Guatemala and most Latin American cities/towns. In most normal cities and towns (i.e., places that aren't extremely wealthy, which most aren't) in Latin America you can expect to find that the two nicest buildings in town are A) the Catholic cathedral that's really old, and B) the LDS Church building which is really new. That's pretty interesting since where do the local Guatemalans get the money to pay for those buildings? The money comes from the tithing paid by church members in the U.S.

Here's the amazing part. This is mentioned in D.C. 42:39, when the church was less than one year old and probably had no more than 1,000 members, few of whom had money. The church certainly didn't (in fact it didn't have all of its debts paid until the year 1906).

D.C. 42:39

39For it shall come to pass, that which I spake by the mouths of my prophets shall be fulfilled; for I will consecrate of the ^ariches of those who embrace my gospel among the Gentiles unto the ^bpoor of my people who are of the house of Israel.

There is just no way that Joseph Smith could have known that the riches of those who join the church in the U.S. would fund the poorer church members in the rest of the world. It's happened though. This is certainly at least part of the fulfillment of the numerous times Isaiah and 2 Nephi and 3 Nephi talk about the Gentiles being nursing fathers and mothers to the house of Israel and carrying them on their shoulders to Zion.

Amazing prophecy. I've seen it fulfilled.

LaDon