A member on Twitter, Kwaku El, posted the following tweet: “People like to malign The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by calling it all sorts of names, in hopes of getting people to believe it is a bad cruel institution. This member then decided to post a list of some of the incredible things that the Church is doing.” He continued: “Here is some good fruits of the Church that sometimes go unnoticed.”
What followed was a list of some of the incredible things that the Church does in its efforts to promote freedom, education, health and wellness, and self-reliance across the world. To see his full thread, click here. We like the post so much we even added some amazing things to the list.
What a blessing it is to belong to a Church that does so much good in the world. Here are just a few of the many things The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does to make the world a better place.
BYU Pathway Worldwide
BYU-Pathway Worldwide provides an accessible path to a spiritually based degree completely online at an affordable price. (If you live in Rwanda, it’s $5.25 cents per credit hour. In Romania $25.25. In the USA, $79)
Deseret Industries
“When you donate and shop with us, you make Deseret Industries (DI)Whether Prophetic Teaching is Subtle or Direct, Public Reception is Often Sadly Predictable much more than a thrift store. At DI, we take the stuff you don’t need and put it to really, really good use. We train our employees in a range of career fields to enable them to find work specific to their skills. So, by donating to DI, you are not only giving your things new life—you are giving people new life.”
“Deseret Industries is a training program—we provide you with the support you need to find meaningful, long-term employment in a field that interests you. Our associates have become CNAs, realtors, machinists, commercial truck drivers, phlebotomists, teachers, and more.”
AgReserve
The AgReserve website states: “We’re a world-class agriculture company, a family of farms and ranches, working together. From legacy ranches to new plantings, we share a noble endeavor: We grow food. And we grow people.
Learn more about the crops, orchards, and ranches that are part of AgReserve.
Bishop’s Storehouse
Bishops’ storehouses distribute commodities to the poor and needy. The Church is a frequent target for “wasting” money on the building of temples and not providing for the poor and the needy, but providing for the poor and needy is what we do.
“While [bishops’] storehouses provide many of the same services as any retail food store, not one has a cash register. … These are goods that money cannot buy. No price tag is put on the time, effort, and love so generously contributed to the common good of those in need.” —President Thomas S. Monson
JustServe.org
JustServe is a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community.
LDS Charities
Latter-day Saint Charities is the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our purpose is to relieve suffering, foster self-reliance and provide opportunities for service.
Deseret Mills
The Deseret Mill and Pasta facility in Northern Utah produces more than 30 products to help families increase their food storage during times of emergency and to benefit those in need.
Addiction Recovery Program
“Whether you yourself struggle with addiction or associate with someone who does, this guide can be a blessing in your life. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have been adapted into a framework of the doctrines, principles, and beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are presented in this guide as key principles at the beginning of each section. This guide will help you learn how to apply these key principles; they can change your life.”
The Perpetual Education Fund
The Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) loan program helps members of the Church of all ages get an education that leads to a self-reliant job. Since 2001 this program has touched the lives of more than 90,000 individuals around the world. Through loan repayments and generous donations, this fund will continue to lift individuals and families out of poverty and into self-reliance for decades to come.
We want to make this article a living document, where we continue to document the incredible things the Church does. What would you add to this list?
Barbara and William shared:
Ministering to ward and family members: The human touch that may be needed in a hug; the physical assistance to raise arms that hang down or to steady someone as they walk, or to help hold the hymnal in Sacrament meeting; the listening ear when an individual has no one to speak with; the babysitting when Mom/Dad just need time together; the healthy snack to lift the spirits of one who has suffered disappointment. Reading scriptures and/or discussing a Sunday School lesson with someone who needs a lift for a variety of reasons. We could go on and on!
Elizabeth White
Wednesday 3rd of August 2022
Helping Hands projects and disaster relief - our stake in CA did a 3 hour Saturday morning environmental reclamation project with ripping out exotic weeds in a wetland area. For the participants, it was a fun romp; we pulled weeds for three hours, had a “pull the biggest weed contest”, ate doughnuts when we finished and went on with our lives. The regular employees on the site were awestruck and so immensely grateful; they said they could not have accomplished the same amount of work in 6 months - they just were trying to minimize spread. That is when I thought that (Article of Faith 10) when “the earth will be renewed and received its paradisiacal glory”, some of that renewal could stem from stake helping hands projects helping to reclaim damaged parts of the earth (fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, there are lots of choices).
With recent flooding in St Louis neighborhoods, one interviewed woman in a news clip said “volunteers just showed up out of nowhere and started helping people clear out the damage.” I had to wonder if some of those volunteers wore yellow helping hands vests. Also, in many disaster relief efforts, there are semi trucks loaded and waiting with emergency supplies ready to be directed to the areas that are the hardest hit, so response time is minimized.
Ben Arkell
Thursday 4th of August 2022
I love your thought about that renewal! How neat! Thank you so much for sharing, and for serving.
Victor Lora
Thursday 28th of July 2022
There is wisdom in the Lord's church; The work of salvation for the children of God goes forward while still providing relief for the temporal needs of mankind!! One purpose does not take away from each other. By their fruits thou shall know them. So no "waist" of money on building temples, that's where some of "the mysteries of heaven" are revealed.
Barbara & William Ewing
Thursday 28th of July 2022
Ministering to ward and family members: The human touch that may be needed in a hug; the physical assistance to raise arms that hang down or to steady someone as they walk, or to help hold the hymnal in Sacrament meeting; the listening ear when an individual has no one to speak with; the babysitting when Mom/Dad just need time together; the healthy snack to lift the spirits of one who has suffered disappointment. Reading scriptures and/or discussing a Sunday School lesson with someone who needs a lift for a variety of reasons. We could go on and on!
Ben Arkell
Thursday 28th of July 2022
Beautifully said!