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more then knocking on doors

jodywy

Well-known member
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565759/500-LDS-missionaries-helping-neighbors-in-Sandys-wake.html
NEW YORK CITY — Some 500 full-time missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took to the flooded streets and wind-blown neighborhoods still reeling from the effects of superstorm Sandy Wednesday to assess the status of LDS Church members in the area and to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

“It’s been a long day of hard, dirty work,” said President Kevin E. Calderwood of the church’s New York New York South Mission late Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve been in basements, on roofs, in yards cutting down trees, hauling things out of people’s houses, pulling out carpet and doing whatever people need us to do to help.”

A total of about 500 LDS missionaries from Calderwood’s mission, as well as from the New York New York North and New Jersey Morristown missions, have been working non-stop in the most heavily impacted areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut since the storm’s high winds subsided.

“Under the direction of our local church leaders we’ve been spreading out to the hardest-hit areas,” Calderwood said, indicating that in his mission that included the Far Rockaway and Long Beach areas. “The devastation is overwhelming. Some of these people have lost everything. We’re doing everything we can to help.”

A number of members in those areas are living temporarily in the LDS Church’s Lynbrook and Freeport meetinghouses because their homes have been completely demolished.

“They don’t have any place else to live, so for now they’ll be living at those meetinghouses until other arrangements can be made,” Calderwood said. “We’ve arranged for some generators to provide power for them while they are there.”

In addition to helping members of the LDS Church, the missionaries are reaching out to the families of first responders (“They are all out working and helping others, and their families are in need,” Calderwood said), those with special needs (including the elderly) and community members in general.

“This isn’t about just helping our members,” Calderwood said. “We’re here to help anyone and everyone. We’re here to serve. And right now, this is the service that is needed.”

What generally happens, he said, is the missionaries start working at one location in groups of six or more. “Then while we are working,” Calderwood said, “people come over to us and say, ‘Can you help us here?’ And of course we can. So before long we get pretty spread out, helping wherever we can.”
 

mrj

Well-known member
It would be interesting to know the total involvement in HELPING PEOPLE in that situation by ALL the faith based individuals and organizations. They surely can get on the job faster and target the neediest more quickly than any government assistance can. Tho govt agencies can get more, better, bigger EQUIPMENT in many cases.

I wonder if it is correct to think the LDS has the background of rural living in often very hard conditions (climate, terrain, distances to 'infrastructure' of large towns, cities) to teach them what is needed to live on little and to always be prepared for emergencies and that equips them very well in helping others.

Doesn't it seem reasonable that if everyone would learn to prepare a basic kit to survive for even a few days without being able to leave ones' home (assuming the home is reasonably intact) for at least a few days? I do hear some mentions of doing that, and what to have on hand, quite often on both TV and radio. Maybe if our churches pushed that idea, it would help. I fear that many ranch families no longer have enough food on hand in these days of most having a 'town' job they must go to every day. It is easy to just 'pick up a few groceries' every day. Few of us have a milk cow or chickens these days.

mrj
 

jodywy

Well-known member
LDS church teaches to have a food storage , to have a 48 hour kit, to try had have 6 month of expence money in the bank. The wards have team that in case of and emergancy familys they call, list of equiment that members have that can be used. They fast the first Sunday of the month and donate the money that would have been spent on food to the Church Welfare program. In our ward the men and young men sawed up 10 cord of wood and split and stacked it in a shed, the Elders deliver it to the widows and to other people that need wood in the winter time. Thats just one porjects and it not just for member they give to the community too, like most all Churches do.
 

mrj

Well-known member
Thanks for explaining the LDS system, jodywy.

More of us should be doing those things.

We had friends who believed the growth of the US welfare system was because our churches failed their duty to assist and educate the poor, and I add, that is right behind our families failing to teach our children how NOT to be among the "poor and needy".

We also forget that one can be pretty 'poor', yet not be in true need, if we learn to practice frugality in the best sense of the word. If we don't take care of ourselves and our own first, we surely can't help anyone else!


mrj
 

James T

Well-known member
While it's true that the LDS will offer help to "non-members", it is also true that the practice has proven to be fantastic marketing for them. I don't say this to be derogatory, it is simply fact. They are here in this small town too offering free hotdogs at the baseball games. It's a nice gesture and good marketing. In their defense, I will say that they do far more for non-members than Christian groups do who tend to serve just there own group. During a catastrophy though, it is not uncommon for groups to help anyone they can just due to basic survival. Watch them when there is no catastrophy
and you'll note the differences.
 

okfarmer

Well-known member
James T said:
While it's true that the LDS will offer help to "non-members", it is also true that the practice has proven to be fantastic marketing for them. I don't say this to be derogatory, it is simply fact. They are here in this small town too offering free hotdogs at the baseball games. It's a nice gesture and good marketing. In their defense, I will say that they do far more for non-members than Christian groups do who tend to serve just there own group. During a catastrophy though, it is not uncommon for groups to help anyone they can just due to basic survival. Watch them when there is no catastrophy
and you'll note the differences.

Not everything is televised James. In my home town, all the churches got together to take turns giving to families in need (partly to be effective and eliminate people abusing the churches). There was a lot of stuff I didn't know occurred until I got a little more insight from seeing how ours functions from the inside. There is a lot of giving that goes untold, as it often should.
 

LazyWP

Well-known member
If we would go back to the way the Bible explains to us how to take care of the widows and children, it sure wouldn't take long to totally eliminate the US welfare system!!
While I am not a LDS member, and have at times butted heads with some on doctrine, they do more in the way of social out reach, then any other group I know.
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
I think most faith based organizations help to the extent they can and could care less what your faith is. Seen it too many times myself and am proud of all of them. Catholic charities is one doing all they can in NY/NJ.

http://www.catholiccharitiesny.org/get-help/disaster-relief-what-we-are-doing/
 

mrj

Well-known member
It is great to hear so many groups up-held on their giving. Of course it is meant to be 'invisible'. And isn't that a scramble at times? Figuring how to achieve a gift where needed in communities where 'everybody knows everybody! But such fun to succeed and remain unknown!!!!

It also is biblical teaching that those in need are expected to work for it, that is, a portion of fields were to remain unharvested so that those in need could harvest what they ENOUGH for their own NEEDS. I think the mandate of a few years ago that those who were able must work to get government help was a good step. I believe the current administration has totally bypassed that somehow. Better we should "teach a man to fish than to give him a fish".

mrj
 

James T

Well-known member
LazyWP said:
If we would go back to the way the Bible explains to us how to take care of the widows and children, it sure wouldn't take long to totally eliminate the US welfare system!!
While I am not a LDS member, and have at times butted heads with some on doctrine, they do more in the way of social out reach, then any other group I know.

I couldn't agree with you more! The majority of today's Christian religious clubs are not much better than our government. Yes, they have their token "let's lend someone a hand" drives but otherwise, they are pretty much self-serving. The Bible I read displays no such divisiveness. I have no problem with the LDS folks and talking doctrine with them can be fun!
 

okfarmer

Well-known member
mrj said:
It is great to hear so many groups up-held on their giving. Of course it is meant to be 'invisible'. And isn't that a scramble at times? Figuring how to achieve a gift where needed in communities where 'everybody knows everybody! But such fun to succeed and remain unknown!!!!

It also is biblical teaching that those in need are expected to work for it, that is, a portion of fields were to remain unharvested so that those in need could harvest what they ENOUGH for their own NEEDS. I think the mandate of a few years ago that those who were able must work to get government help was a good step. I believe the current administration has totally bypassed that somehow. Better we should "teach a man to fish than to give him a fish".

mrj

Amen!
 

flyingS

Well-known member
I am not a LDS member, but I can tell you that their ability to respond to an emergency is unimaginable to most. I worked for a LDS company and was sent to Salt Lake to tour some of what happens there. There is not enough time to explain, but I would feel safe saying that if there is a disaster they are there, you just probably don't know it. They are a fantastic group of people and I was very proud to be associated with the company and it's cause.
 

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