Yay for Senior Missionaries

We receive a news letter in Mongolia about the Humanitarian work that is going on in Asia.  Nepal, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Lao, India, and Timor Leste are some of the countries where we have Humanitarian Missionaries that often have a short news item of something they have done in their country.  It is amazing to us to see all the good the Church is doing:  Wheel Chair Projects, Disaster Relief Efforts, Vision Clinics and Training, Clean Water Projects, Gardening and Food Production, English Teaching, Drug Rehabilitation Projects.  We have seen projects in hospitals, schools, prisons, public safety, and employment centers. Besides all this humanitarian work that is going on there is a similar effort to help church members gain education, skills, and employment.  It is simply staggering what is going on.  

The money comes from faithful member donations. Without missionary couples most of the money would be eaten up in salaries and wages, but because of the senior missionaries volunteering their service at their own expense the donated funds can be stretched to reach more people.  Most of these projects are to help the poor and needy without concern about their beliefs or religious associations.  We are humbled to see the tremendous amount of good that is being done to help and bless others.  There are many other charitable organizations that do a lot of good but none come even close to what the church is doing because of the huge volunteer force of senior missionaries.  

Joseph Smith taught that,“A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”  We are honored to be part of this work even though our efforts are small in comparison to the need throughout the world.