With Clean Hands And Pure Hearts, They Spent Their Holiday Serving Others

More than 200 women from the Hong Kong area including many domestic workers from the women's organization of the Hong Kong China International District of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent their holiday in service to others.  Over the course of the day education, worship and hands-on service were combined to learn about the church's global humanitarian initiatives, and to participate in scraping and packing soap to send to those in need in the Philippines.  The women's group teamed up with Soap Cycling, a non-profit organization based in Hong Kong, the first of its kind in Asia, that works with the hospitality industry to collect, sanitize and recycle slightly used soaps and other sanitation amenities.  These life-saving items are then distributed to underprivileged families and schools in disadvantaged communities around the world, particularly Asia.

Participants attending the day of service included members from the district's English and Mandarin speaking congregations, including the 'everyday' congregation, made up of women who attend church services held on their day off, Tuesday through Saturday.  The majority of Latter-day Saints in the Hong Kong China International District are domestic workers from the Philippines who, despite the daily care and labor they provide to Hong Kong's families, cheerfully give up holidays to attend church meetings and support church-sponsored activities, such as this day of service.  They worked diligently preparing over 40,000 bars of soap, to be sent to those in need throughout the Philippines