If ye do it unto the least of these...

One thing Saki and I share is a desire and joy in helping people. We are always happy when we can be of help to family, friends or strangers! I am a bit shy as far as reaching out to people, and I'm sad I'm not much of a phone person like Saki is, but I am always so happy when I find out there is something I can do for someone. I love people so much and since I was young I've had a soft spot for those who suffer which is why I chose social work as a major. I loved working and doing my internship at Utah State Mental Hospital and getting to know so many extraordinary people there. . .

I was always interested in serving a humanitarian mission and I am so grateful for a church that teaches of our obligation to bless the lives of all of our brothers and sisters. A lot of people have no idea how much the church does in other countries and in our own country. It is so important to live what we believe and to act on a personal level to someone we meet on the street as well as on a grand scale!

• The Church provides relief & development projects for humanitarian purposes in countries all over the world without regard to the nationality or religion of the recipients.
• Humanitarian service may include emergency response to natural disasters, such as an earthquake or a tsunami, or man-made disasters, such as the effects of war and famine. It may also be part of a longer-term effort to meet serious and more entrenched human needs, such as the need to alleviate disease.
• Within hours of a disaster, the Church works with local government officials to determine what supplies and food are needed. Materials are then immediately sent to the area.
• After urgent needs are met, the Church looks for additional ways to help with the long-term needs of the community. The Church’s approach is to help people become self-reliant by teaching skills and providing resources for a self-sustained life.
• Donations, principally from Church members but also from people around the world, are used to make relief projects possible.100% of donations given to the Church’s humanitarian services are used for relief efforts. The Church absorbs its own overhead costs.If you've worked in the field of social services you will recognize how AMAZING and unusual this is for the best of organizations!
  
• The church sponsors five ongoing global projects to help people become more self-reliant; including neonatal resuscitation training, clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, vision treatment and measles vaccinations.

Saki enjoys watching news in fiji (and sometimes the US, smile...) online and we've enjoyed looking at this website where the above info is taken from http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/

Mere says thank you to Monique and Tai and Talei for her cute outfit and purple hippo!



for Robert--the chocolate chip that wished it was a snail.......