Mormonnewsroom.org pulls stories from the international Newsroom websites to show what leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.

Pacific: Church Rushes Emergency Supplies to Tongan Residents After Cyclone

TongaCiclone Approximately 8,000 Tongans living on the island group of Ha’apai experienced Tropical Cyclone Ian on Saturday, 11 January, with gusts up to nearly 180 miles per hour.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent water, food, chain saws, water filters, generators and other emergency supplies from nearby Tongatapu Island to help in the clean-up. Mormon missionaries were also dispatched to help.

The Pacific Mormon Newsroom website includes additional information and photos on Tropical Cyclone Ian.

Brazil: Latter-day Saints Clean Up After Heavy Rains


End-of-the-year heavy rains in the southeast Brazilian states of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro created damage to local neighborhoods and businesses, leaving many residents homeless.

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Under the direction of Church leadership, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donned their traditional yellow Mormon Helping Hands shirts and assisted in the cleanup efforts as well as the distribution of needed supplies.

Go to the Brazil Mormon Newsroom website in Portuguese.

Brazil: Church Donates 211 Wheelchairs


As a part of the three-year partnership with the Rede Brasileira de Cooperao ao Desenvolvimento (Unepe), the Humanitarian Services Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in December, donated 211 wheelchairs to special needs individuals in the Campo Grande Area.

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The ongoing donation has reached nearly 700 chairs and was acknowledged by local Church and community leaders of the Mato Grosso do Sul state.

The Brazil Mormon Newsroom website has additional information in Portuguese.

Ghana: Young Ghanaians Receive Measles and Rubella Vaccine

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In an effort to eradicate measles and rubella in Ghana, national and global organizations joined forces with LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the first national campaign to immunize children ages nine months through 14 years against the two highly contagious diseases.

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The global partnership includes the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Services, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi Alliance and LDS Charities.

“Ghana will have another success story to share with the rest of the world,” said Dr. Albert Tia Surgi, deputy minister of health in Ghana. He said the cooperative efforts will help establish an immunization program with wide coverage throughout the country.

Read more about how the immunization program will be beneficial for the future on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website.

Guatemala: 90 Guatemalan Missionaries Enter the MTC


More than 90 Guatemalan missionaries reported to the missionary training center (MTC) in Guatemala City earlier this month.

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Missionary and missionary families’ emotions are usually a mixure of joy and sadness with the young man or woman leaving home perhaps for the first time.

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The new missionaries, assigned for 18 months for women to two years for men, are excited to begin a new chapter in their life by serving the Lord in a full-time capacity.

Read more about what missionaries do on the Guatemala Mormon Newsroom website in Spanish.

Pacific: Music and Sports Bring Interfaith Youth Together

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Samoan youth gathered in the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa recently for a two-day inter-denominational event complete with spiritual encouragement, music, dance and sports.

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Local leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Fulutusi Apineru of the Upolu Samoa Saleilua Stake (similar in size to a diocese), was the main speaker and said the purpose of the event was to promote good relationships between members of different denominations. President Apineru invited all people, young and old, to come unto Christ and to live faithful, clean and chaste lives.

Go to the Pacific Mormon Newsroom website to read more about the conference.

Canada: Montreal Citizens Committed to Religious Freedom

A pair of videos, posted to YouTube, produced by the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Montreal (CJDM) prior to the provincial government’s public hearings on the charter of values, included interviews of 15 diverse local residents. Those interviewed responded in support of a community committed to the values of respect, understanding, tolerance and inclusion in religious freedom.

“CJDM wishes to promote the idea that we can live together in harmony and that we can equally celebrate our diversity,” said Catherine Jarvis, public affairs representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Quebec region, and a CJDM executive board member. “Quebec has a rich history, and we are all part of it. It is this spirit that we are trying to capture in the videos and bring to the forefront.”

The committee, through its nondenominational organization, emphasizes that religion remains important in the lives of many Quebec citizens, inspiring them to work toward peace, social justice and open-mindedness toward others.

Refer to the Canada Mormon Newsroom website to read more about these positive values.