Many “Firsts” for LDS Charities in Timor-Leste

LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just completed its first humanitarian project in the country of Timor-Leste. Humanitarian missionaries, Douglas and Lucinda Johnson, became the first representatives of the Church to maintain a presence in Timor-Leste when they were sent there from the Church’s Asia Area office in Hong Kong on August 8, 2015.

Since their arrival, the Johnsons have looked for ways in which LDS Charities could partner with other organizations to make life better for the people who live there. An opportunity presented itself recently, as described in their own words:

How do you find a partner in a new country where you don’t know anyone? One day we were out walking and saw NGO (Non-Government Organization) Caritas Australia--Timor-Leste and decided to stop in to see them. We met Father Adrian Ola who said he would take us to the AHISAUN Disability Center--right next door to our apartment! We met the young men and women at the center and asked what we could do to help them. They came up with a list of four things--one for their center and three for the children at the kindergarten schools they support. It was interesting that they would think of others’ needs before their own!

There are 24 young people (18-25 years of age) who live at the center. They are all physically disabled in some way. The young women were cooking over the smoky fires; the roof on the area was not completely covered so when it rained they got wet, and the area was not very hygienic. We were able to cover the area and put in walls, a cement floor, a sink with plumbing, and a cooking spot off the floor. We were also able to provide two kerosene burners for cooking, a freezer, new dishes (cups, bowls, plates, and spoons), a dish rack on which to store the new dishes, and a kitchen table.

Domingos dos Santos, Director of AHISAUN said, “Having God with us is very easy, but how we walk beside the Lord is difficult. Your help is the sign that God walks together with the disabled.”

The purpose of LDS Charities is to relieve suffering, foster self-reliance and provide opportunities for service for people of all nationalities and religions. Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Charities follows the admonition of Jesus Christ to help others in need. Jesus Christ taught His followers to give meat to the hungry and drink to those who thirst. His gospel includes taking in the stranger, loving neighbors, and visiting those who are sick or imprisoned. He taught that we are to love and care for each other, visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and lift up those whose hands hang down and whose knees are feeble.

The organization sponsors relief and development projects in 179 countries, giving assistance without regard to race, religious affiliation, or nationality. Aid is based on the core principles of personal responsibility, community support, self-reliance, and sustainability. Largely run with volunteer labor, LDS Charities operates both independently and in cooperation with other charitable organizations and governments. More than one million workdays of labor are contributed each year by volunteers in support of welfare initiatives.

In addition to emergency relief assistance in times of natural disasters, signature programs include clean water, neonatal resuscitation training, vision care, wheelchairs, immunizations, food production, and other community projects.

The assistance is made possible by generous donations of cash and materials from members and friends of the LDS Church.