The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE

“I wish to plead [with] other organizations to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ in serving others to bring light to the hopeless and needy this festive season and beyond. On this note and together with the leadership of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] we declare Light the World 2022 duly launched,” said the honorable Ernest Arthur, mayor of Cape Coast, Ghana, at a community and interfaith cultural event on November 30, 2022.

The Church’s #LightTheWorld global initiative was launched at the end of November, inviting “every nation, kindred, tongue and people” to share the light and love of Jesus Christ through acts of kindness each day of December.

Here are some of the service projects, acts of kindness, charitable giving and Christmas celebrations that have been organized to light the world:

Africa

In Cape Coast, Ghana, a community event complete with cultural dance performances kicked off the Christmas season. Interfaith and civic leaders shared messages of hope and encouraged attendees to light the world by creating peaceful and united communities. Imam Mulvi Abdul Hamid quoted the Bible in his remarks. “In the book of Matthew [it says] ‘blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.’ For us to enjoy peace and tranquility and harmony there is a need for us to have brotherly unity. This also conforms to the teachings of the Quran. We need to help each other. We need to also be tolerant enough to accept each other so that we can have peace prevailing in our society.”

In South Africa, nearly 700 residents participated in service in Soweto and Bedfordview. Donations for hygiene kits for a women’s shelter were gathered during Light the World Carols Festivals. Festival attendees were also given a roll of red wrapping paper with the “Light the World” logo on it and challenged to “Light the world by wrapping a gift for someone in need.”

South America

Nearly 1,500 guests attended recitals and community concerts held in Lima and Chorrillos, Peru. More than 1,000 children received a gift from Santa at the annual “Christmas of the Chorrillano Child” show.

Residents of Bogota, Colombia, and Guayaquil, Ecuador, held interfaith festivals showcasing music and dance from different cultures.

Youth from the Church of Jesus Christ in Castilla, Peru, cleaned the Special Basic Education Center (SBEC) and provided Christmas-themed entertainment for children.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE