The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Antonio

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

“When I think about our ministry here I think about the reality that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were refugees after Jesus’s birth,” said Rt. Rev. Dr. David Read, Episcopal Bishop of West Texas. “They had to flee to Egypt to avoid Harod.” The ministry that the Bishop is referring to is the Plaza de Paz Respite Center in San Antonio.  

The Respite Center opened as a collaborative effort between the Diocese of West Texas and the Southwestern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. According to Flor Saldivar, Director of Immigration and Refugee Ministries with the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, “Plaza de Paz was a small pastoral project founded in 2021 when many migrants were just being dropped off at random parts of the city, in parks and parking lots. People were suffering. They were sitting outside in the heat.” 

So in July of 2021 a small shelter, Plaza de Paz, was opened. It provides day-time welcoming services for families and individuals seeking asylum. The services provided include meals, assistance with travel arrangements, personal hygiene care, emergency housing, and transportation within Bexar County to the airport or bus station.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was such a big part of making all of this happen,” Saldivar said. “On the first day the missionaries showed up and helped us establish the layout of the building. They helped us check people in and the sisters were playing with the children.” 

“We are so excited to be part of this interfaith ministry,” said Tish Rodriguez, San Antonio Regional Just Serve Coordinator for the Church of Jesus Christ. “Plaza de Paz is one of the premiere needs in our area. At first, people in our congregations started dropping things off, then they saw there was a bigger need. The need for showers and hygiene was huge.” 

Because the refugees didn’t have proper hygiene facilities the two faith groups got together and applied for a grant from the Church of Jesus Christ for a shower trailer. The grant was approved and at check for $87,000 was presented to the Plaza de Paz staff.   

In presenting the grant President James E. Mears, President of the San Antonio East Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ, said, “When we are baptized we make a covenant to morn with those who morn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort.” 

Addressing the Plaza de Paz staff Mears remarked, “I have been so impressed with what you do here and have seen the Christlike service that you provide. You are certainly providing comfort to those who have needs.”

Read summed up the mission of Plaza de Paz saying, “So that’s the model for why we do this ministry for migrants and asylum seekers. It’s because Jesus and His family were refugees. So, as we serve these people who come here, we are serving Christ Himself.”  

by Ken Jarvis, San Antonio Region Media Specialist

Joey Choi grew up on the island of O’ahu in Hawai’i. He was a big kid and enjoyed playing football.  In fact that’s what he thought he wanted to do after high school.  

He started his freshman year in high school on a positive note. He had a homeroom teacher who was very supportive of him. In fact, for a while, he thought he wanted to be a teacher and often helped his fellow students.  

In his senior year he struggled with a lot of high level courses. He talked a lot in class and his grades weren’t very good. “I barely had a C average,” Choi admitted. 

Then one day one of his teachers dropped a bomb. He looked Choi in the face and said, “Don’t go to college. You’ll never make it.”  For whatever reason what that teacher said struck home.  “For many years after that,” Choi recalled, “I was convinced that I was unable to go to college and succeed.”

Choi was always a very active Christian and a member of The  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He went on a two-year mission to Korea and enjoyed the work and the people very much. After he came home, he was self-conscious when everyone asked him where he was going to go to college. His plans were simple; get a job and travel back to Korea as often as possible.  

Then Choi got married and later a cousin who was working in San Antonio convinced them to move here in 2020. “I still lacked confidence in myself but my wife, Kristi, changed all that.” With his wife’s encouragement he started looking for a way to go to college. He decided to earn a BYU-Idaho online degree through BYU-Pathway Worldwide .

Fast forward to today. He now is a graduate with a degree in marriage and family studies. Choi was very grateful to find a program that helped him get a higher education online and for such a reduced cost.  “I love [BYU-Pathway]! It’s set up to help people succeed.”  

But Choi didn’t stop there. He is now enrolled to get an online graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, at Lamar University, in Beaumont, TX. He admits his father’s example influenced him to choose that field of study.

His father, Stewart Choi, is a well-known marriage and family therapist in Hawai’i. “For the longest time I was known as my dad’s son, and I hated that. I never wanted to be like my dad,” Choi admitted. “But I always wanted to help people and finally when I was in school and debating what I was going to do I realized that the best way I could help people and serve them was through counseling.” That was a humbling experience for Choi. “In the last year or two I’ve really learned to appreciate my Dad. To be frank, I just want to be like him.”  

In an address to the youth in Nairobi, Kenya, Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “In the Church, obtaining an education and getting knowledge are a religious responsibility. We educate our minds so that one day we can render service of worth to somebody else.”

With one college degree under his belt and well on his way to becoming a counselor what advice does Choi have for younger people? “It’s simple.  Just show up and care.”  

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

“We may not always look where we are going, but we always go where we are looking” said Kacee Carlson, one of the speakers at Friday night’s Women’s Conference for the San Antonio North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If we have a desire to grow closer to the Savior, and “Come Unto Jesus” we must be looking that way. Speakers at the conference addressed the theme of “Come Unto Jesus” and how we can draw closer to Him. Women and girls ages eight and up participated in this weekend’s conference.

“God doesn’t cause our trials, but He doesn’t waste them” said Carlson. She encouraged participants to gain a relationship with Christ so that they can draw upon His enabling grace in stressful times.

McCalle Wilkey, another speaker, shared advice from her friend’s journey coming to Christ, she said, “I had to learn and grow and that sometimes I would struggle and fall but that made me no worse or less deserving in God’s eyes. I think this mindset is what made all the difference because I learned it was a personal journey and not a perfection race. I am not competing with anyone for the last spot in the Celestial Kingdom. We can all get there together and there is plenty of space for us all in God’s Kingdom.”

The conference continued on Saturday morning as women and girls drilled, sanded and constructed 35 beds at Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Sleep in Heavenly Peace has a motto that no kids sleep on the floor in their town.

There were a few delivery teams that went out yesterday and delivered beds to four children in the community. Darlene Westenskow, Relief Society President of the North Stake, said “Many sisters, in conjunction with the conference also donated bedding: pillows, sheets and comforters for future use of children in the community as well.”

Over 75 women and girls showed up to help with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace service opportunity. You can learn more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace here

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

“I get to think about all of the youth and how I can help them, so they can grow in all four areas (spiritual, social, physical and intellectual). In the council I get a chance to help be a part of that,” said Natalie Moulton, president of her 12-13 year old Young Women’s class in the Indian Springs congregation. The Lord’s way of leading His Church is through councils. Youth in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints start participating in councils at the age of 12 to help meet the needs of their peers. Youth Councils are held monthly all over the world.

“I hope they learn to how to identify the needs of others and ways that they can minister to them.” Said Jayce Warner, 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric over the Deacons quorum (age 12-13 young men). “In Youth Council they “organize a plan to help those in need. I think that’s something that is a useful skill they can use throughout their life, especially in leadership positions within the Church.”

Sara Lange, president of the Young Women’s 14-15 year old class, speaking about the Youth Council said, “One of the older youth will lead the meeting and we will go around and we’ll talk about what we’re doing in our classes and quorums and what needs we have.”

Jack Lee, president of the Deacon’s quorum attended his first Youth Council. He said, “It helped me develop a sense of empathy for the situations. I know some people have a hard time getting a ride to activities, so feeling that empathy for them — has had a big impact on me.” 

As a result of discussions in Youth Council, Lange said, “We have been offering rides, saying ‘we have this activity, do you need a ride?’ Or ‘do you need a ride on Sunday?’” It’s that initiative that Warner hopes the youth will learn. He said, “We hope that they are able to notice those that need help and then develop a plan to act and provide them with the help that is needed.” 

It is just that initiative that led to a recent activity. Warner continued, “One of the Young Women knew about a sister in the ward who needed, and had asked for some help, with the fallen limbs on her property. She brought it up and asked the council what could be done to help her. From there we discussed how we could get the youth organized and to find out who else could use similar help.”

Lee was excited to help clear limbs, he said: “Doing the right thing gives me a good feeling.” He enjoyed planning the service activity. He said, “Some people couldn’t even get out of their driveways or access their garage because of the limbs that had been blocking their driveways. So we decided to get some yard tools and help clear that away. We’re trying to get as many helping hands as we can.” They were able to organize a lot of helping hands.

Leadership training and planning of activities is done in class and quorum presidency meetings. In Youth Councils deeper items are discussed such as the work of salvation and exaltation and how the ward, classes and quorums are meeting the needs of the youth. Efforts to reach out to youth who are less active or new members are also discussed. 

Elder Neil L. Andersen, of the Church’s Twelve Apostles, taught that “revelation is scattered among us” (Ensign, April 2011). Councils allow members to gather that revelation as they carry out the Lord’s work. “Everyone can share ideas” says Moulton “and we can think and talk about different people and how we can benefit all of them.”

By Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialist

(En español abajo)

Tragedy begets sorrow begets compassionate response. That summarizes how the terrible school shootings in Uvalde last May resulted in 22 pastel portraits being artfully created in a small town in Utah and distributed to surviving families in Uvalde.

The artist is JR Johansen, who lives in Huntsville, Utah. His brother-in-law is Ross Davidson of Uvalde. In conversation following the May 24 tragedy, the two men came together on the idea of Johansen painting a portrait of each of the shooting victims to comfort sorrowing families.

“As we talked, it became apparent that each of us had received the same impression to try to help these bereaved families,” says Davidson, who has just been released after five years as Eagle Pass District president. The two men’s wives—Jolene Davidson and Deanna Johansen—are sisters.

Davidson contacted grieving family members in Uvalde and was assured that such portraits would be well-received. He then collected favorite family photos of victims and sent them to Johansen. The 22 portraits were completed near the end of 2022 and transported to Uvalde. 

At their home in Uvalde, the Davidsons and the artist privately hosted visits by individual family members in which Johansen personally presented his framed artwork. These visits occurred over two days, Jan. 26-27. “Tears were shed and smiles lit up faces,” says Brother Davidson.

The gifts, of course, were without cost to recipients, with frames being donated by a Layton, Utah, frame shop and other materials and transportation costs being absorbed by anonymous donors.

JR Johansen is a Vietnam War veteran who during the war was injured in an Agent Orange air-drop that went awry. His lungs were severely damaged in the incident and he later developed a heart problem. 

Many years later, Johansen began painting as a therapeutic activity, focusing on portraits of children with terminal illnesses. That led to requests for portraits of missionaries who lost their lives on their missions. To date, he has produced more than 500 portraits of children who died in a variety of circumstances.

“When I began painting,” Johansen says. “I realized I looked forward to getting up every morning to paint. There were days I didn’t feel good, but it was a positive thing for me because of some of the experiences I’ve had. It has helped me to be happy and I love it.” 

The Johansens also are members of the Church and, among other callings, served three missions in Nigeria.

KSL-TV in Salt Lake City aired a story about the artist and his donation to the Uvalde victim’s families which can be viewed here: Johansen’s Donation

**

Artista de Utah produce 22 retratos para consolar a las familias de la tragedia de Uvalde

La tragedia engendra dolor engendra una respuesta compasiva. Eso resume cómo los terribles tiroteos en la escuela en Uvalde en mayo pasado dieron como resultado que se crearan ingeniosamente 22 retratos en colores pastel en un pequeño pueblo de Utah y se distribuyeran a las familias sobrevivientes en Uvalde. 

El artista es JR Johansen, que vive en Huntsville, Utah. Su cuñado es Ross Davidson de Uvalde. En una conversación posterior a la tragedia del 24 de mayo, los dos hombres acordaron la idea de que Johansen pintara un retrato de cada una de las víctimas del tiroteo para consolar a las familias afligidas.

“Mientras hablábamos, se hizo evidente que cada uno de nosotros había recibido la misma impresión de tratar de ayudar a estas familias en duelo”, dice el hermano Davidson, quien acaba de ser relevado después de cinco años como presidente del distrito de Eagle Pass. Las esposas de los dos hombres, Jolene Davidson y Deanna Johansen, son hermanas. 

Se puso en contacto con familiares afligidos en Uvalde y le aseguraron que tales retratos serían bien recibidos. Luego recopiló fotos familiares favoritas de las víctimas y se las envió a Johansen. Los 22 retratos se completaron a fines de 2022 y se transportaron a Uvalde. 

En su casa en Uvalde, los Davidson y el artista organizaron visitas privadas de miembros individuales de la familia en las que Johansen presentó personalmente su obra de arte enmarcada. Estas visitas ocurrieron durante dos días, el 26 y 27 de enero. “Se derramaron lágrimas y las caras se iluminaron con sonrisas”, dice el hermano Davidson. 

Los obsequios, por supuesto, fueron sin costo para los destinatarios, con marcos donados por una tienda de marcos de Layton, Utah, y otros materiales y costos de transporte absorbidos por donantes anónimos. 

** 

JR Johansen es un veterano de la Guerra de Vietnam que durante la guerra resultó herido en un lanzamiento aéreo del Agente Naranja que salió mal. Sus pulmones y su corazón resultaron severamente dañados en el incidente. 

Muchos años después, comenzó a pintar como una actividad terapéutica, centrándose en retratos de niños con enfermedades terminales. Eso condujo a solicitudes de retratos de misioneros que murieron en sus misiones. Hasta la fecha, ha producido más de 500 retratos de niños que murieron en diversas circunstancias. 

“Cuando comencé a pintar”, dice Johansen. “Me di cuenta de que tenía muchas ganas de levantarme todas las mañanas para pintar. Hubo días que no me sentí bien, pero fue algo positivo para mí por algunas de las experiencias que he tenido. Me ha ayudado a ser feliz y me encanta”.

Los Johansen también son miembros de la iglesia y, entre otros llamamientos, sirvieron en tres misiones en Nigeria.

By Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialist

(En español abajo)

Eagle Pass District’s new presidency isn’t entirely new: President Brady Williams was first counselor in the previous leadership team. However, the presidency is a new mix of talent and life experience. 

President Williams accepted the mantle of leadership, he says, with a sense of urgency about building on a foundation already laid “to try to foster more love and caring and unity across the District, and to strengthen every one of our councils.”

The president cites passages in the Book of Mormon describing congregations of believers “who were not without problems but were described as the happiest of peoples. I want our District to strive to become Zion.”

Following is an introduction to the new District authorities:

PRESIDENT WILLIAMS is a native of Durango, Colo., one of several places he lived in his youth as a member of a U.S. Air Force family. He was the oldest of eight children—and a brother to other siblings, as well, because his parents through the years also adopted 10 children.

His parents—Danny and Brenda Williams—moved the family to Del Rio in 1987. From there, the president left in 1990 on a mission to the Colorado Denver Mission. His subsequent church callings include serving as bishop of the Uvalde Ward for six and a half years—his term being extended when the ward was moved to another stake in San Antonio. 

The 51-year-old District leader has been employed at Uvalde Memorial Hospital for more than 20 years, where he is a certified registered nurse anesthetist. He and a partner have a medical practice that includes exclusive contracts with Uvalde Memorial Hospital and Dimmit Regional Hospital in Carrizo Springs.

He and wife Amy have six children—three of whom have served missions in such places as Peru (Dallin), California (Aspen), and Missouri (Amber). Two sons, Chase and Michael, are currently serving missions in, respectively, the Honduras San Pedro Sula West Mission and Spain Madrid North Mission. The youngest child, Ashley, is yet in Uvalde High School.

DENNIS RUSSO, the presidency’s first counselor, speaks fluent Spanish as the son of Argentine parents. He and his wife Vicki have two sons—and five grandchildren. The couple is active in the Eagle Pass 1^st Branch.

The 56-year-old counselor has served in numerous callings through the years including 14 years as a branch president. As a youth, he served for two years in the Argentina Buenos Aires Mission.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and completed four years in uniform. Then he switched uniforms and became a member of the U.S. Border Patrol, where he worked for 25 years before retiring.

KEVIN DEWEY, the presidency’s second counselor, is a native of Hillsboro, Ore. He first connected to this part of the country as a missionary in the Texas McAllen Mission. “I didn’t know it then, but it prepared me for my future wife and for living here in Del Rio.”

The 31-year-old presidency member met his wife Alejandra as a student at BYU-Idaho, from where he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts, specializing in user experience design. He was employed by FamilySearch for five years, where he says he learned to love family history and the worksurrounding it.

In 2020, he returned to Texas, this time with a family, taking a job in San Antonio. The next year, the couple was prompted to move to Del Rio, where Alejandra Dewey grew up. President Dewey was able to reconfigure his work so he could continue his career working remotely from their Del Rio home.

The Deweys have two boys—six-year-old Dale and four-year-old Jasper. Sister Dewey home-schools them and has started a non-profit organization on the side. “We love it here,” President Dewey says. The couple is active in the Del Rio 3rd Branch.

La nueva presidencia del distrito de Eagle Pass no es completamente nueva: el presidente Brady Williams fue el primer consejero en el equipo de liderazgo anterior. Sin embargo, la presidencia es una nueva mezcla de talento y experiencia de vida. 

El presidente Williams aceptó el manto de liderazgo, dice, con un sentido de urgencia sobre la construcción sobre una base ya establecida “para tratar de fomentar más amor, cuidado y unidad en todo el Distrito, y fortalecer cada uno de nuestros consejos”. 

El presidente cita pasajes del Libro de Mormón que describen congregaciones de creyentes “que no carecían de problemas, pero que se describían como los pueblos más felices. Quiero que nuestro Distrito se esfuerce por convertirse en Zion”. 

A continuación se presenta una presentación de las nuevas autoridades del Distrito: 

EL PRESIDENTE WILLIAMS es nativo de Durango, Colo., uno de varios lugares donde vivió en su juventud como miembro de una familia de la Fuerza Aérea de los EE. UU. Era el mayor de ocho hijos, y también hermano de otros hermanos, porque sus padres a lo largo de los años también adoptaron a 10 niños. 

Sus padres, Danny y Brenda Williams, trasladaron a la familia a Del Rio en 1987. Desde allí, el presidente partió en 1990 en una misión a la Misión Colorado Denver. Sus siguientes llamamientos en la iglesia incluyen servir como obispo del Barrio Uvalde durante seis años y medio; su mandato se extendió cuando el barrio se trasladó a otra estaca en San Antonio. 

El líder del distrito de 51 años ha trabajado en Uvalde Memorial Hospital durante más de 20 años, donde es un enfermero anestesista registrado certificado. Él y un socio tienen una práctica médica que incluye contratos exclusivos con Uvalde Memorial Hospital y Dimmit Regional Hospital en Carrizo Springs. 

Él y su esposa Amy tienen seis hijos, tres de los cuales han servido en misiones en lugares como Perú (Dallin), California (Aspen) y Misuri (Amber). Dos hijos, Chase y Michael, actualmente están sirviendo en misiones, respectivamente, en la Misión Honduras San Pedro Sula Oeste y la Misión España Madrid Norte. La hija menor, Ashley, todavía está en la Escuela Secundaria Uvalde. 

DENNIS RUSSO, el primer consejero de la presidencia, habla español con fluidez como hijo de padres argentinos. Él y su esposa Vicki tienen dos hijos y cinco nietos. La pareja está activa en Eagle Pass 1st Branch. 

El consejero de 56 años ha prestado servicio en numerosos llamamientos a lo largo de los años, incluidos 14 años como presidente de rama. De joven sirvió durante dos años en la Misión Argentina Buenos Aires. 

Se alistó en el Cuerpo de Marines de los Estados Unidos y completó cuatro años en uniforme. Luego cambió de uniforme y se convirtió en miembro de la Patrulla Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos, donde trabajó durante 25 años antes de jubilarse. 

KEVIN DEWEY, el segundo consejero de la presidencia, es nativo de Hillsboro, Oregón. Primero se conectó con esta parte del país como misionero en la Misión Texas McAllen. “No lo sabía entonces, pero me preparó para mi futura esposa y para vivir aquí en Del Rio”. 

El miembro de la presidencia de 31 años conoció a su esposa Alejandra cuando era estudiante en BYU-Idaho, donde se graduó con una licenciatura en bellas artes, especializándose en diseño de experiencia de usuario. Fue empleado de FamilySearch durante cinco años, donde dice que aprendió a amar la historia familiar y el trabajo que la rodea. 

En 2020, regresó a Texas, esta vez con una familia, tomando un trabajo en San Antonio. Al año siguiente, la pareja decidió mudarse a Del Rio, donde creció Alejandra Dewey. El presidente Dewey pudo reconfigurar su trabajo para poder continuar su carrera trabajando de forma remota desde su casa en Del Rio. 

Los Dewey tienen dos hijos: Dale, de seis años, y Jasper, de cuatro. La hermana Dewey los educa en casa y ha iniciado una organización sin fines de lucro. “Nos encanta estar aquí”, dice el presidente Dewey. La pareja está activa en la sucursal 3 de Del Rio.

By Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialist

(En español abajo)

Last weekend’s Eagle Pass District conference featured the sustaining of a new District presidency, and an appeal by the president of the Texas San Antonio Mission president for members to come together and strengthen the District.

Released as presiding District authorities were President Ross Davidson, 1^stCounselor Brady Williams, and 2^nd Counselor Brent Laub. Brother Davidson had served as District president since March 2018.

Succeeding him Sunday in that position was President Brady Williams, who is a member of the Uvalde Branch. Dennis Russo of the Eagle Pass 1^st Branch was sustained as 1^st counselor in the new presidency, with Kevin Dewey of the Del Rio 3^rd Branch as 2^nd counselor. Each of the new presidency members and their wives shared a testimony from the podium in the Del Rio church building. The proceeding was broadcast to all other District meeting places.

In his remarks following the sustaining of church officers, mission President Steven Fitzgerald called for a new awareness of the need to serve and honor one another. 

The president said it is irrelevant how long members have lived in the District, or their circumstances, or their future plans—their contributions to the work are needed. “We are here now. We all are asked to give our all while we are living here. It doesn’t matter if we are living in a stake or a district, a branch or a ward, we are here.”

He recalled former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley’s admonition that each member of the Church needs a friend, a responsibility and nourishing by the good word of God. “We are unified through the good word of God,” President Fitzgerald said. 

He went on to encourage individual Church members to recognize in themselves their capacities and their limitations. Each member is adequate to fulfill a call from the Lord, he said, yet each member needs the help of others to truly magnify a call. He asked each member to remember his covenants with the Lord, to ask for help as needed, and to help others.

“We must help one another. There is a place for each one of us in this work of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Earlier in the meeting, Michael Villarreal, 2^nd counselor in the mission presidency, spoke about unity and love and the key role that service plays in developing each. “Faith truly grows when we serve one another, as we exercise our faith in Christ through service,” he said. 

He encouraged members to “believe Jesus Christ,” who admonishes us to lose ourselves in service and thereby find our true selves. President Villarreal quoted a hymn on the subject, “I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go.” One verse reads…

Perhaps today there are loving words,

which Jesus would have me speak.

There may be now in the paths of sin,

some wanderer whom I should seek.

O Savior, if thou wilt be my guide,

tho dark and rugged the way,

my voice shall echo the message sweet.

I’ll say what you want me to say.

Saturday evening in the Del Rio church building, assembled leaders heard talks about branch councils—that is, mission, Young Women, Relief Society, and temple and family history councils—and how to improve them. 

President Benny Millar, 1^st counselor in the mission presidency, then likened the work of the four councils to four cylinders in an engine. He spoke at length about how to get branches “hitting on all cylinders.” 

He said the fuel for a branch engine is the collective faith and testimony of its members. Air needed to vitalize the fuel is love for one another in the branch. The spark that ignites the work is revelation. In addition, President Millarinvited branch council members to invite fulltime missionaries serving in the unit to turbocharge the work by bringing their pure love of God to it.

President Davidson was Saturday’s concluding speaker. He spoke of members receiving the fullness of blessings from our Father in Heaven by devotedly loving our Savior and living the principles of His gospel. By so doing, he said, we can build a kingdom of holy people. He also shared District membership data that showed areas where individuals and leaders have opportunities to hasten the work.

**

Una nueva presidencia de distrito, un nuevo llamado a la unidad y a la participación de los miembros

La conferencia del Distrito de Eagle Pass del fin de semana pasado presentó el mantenimiento de una nueva presidencia de Distrito y un llamado del presidente de la Misión Texas San Antonio para que los miembros se unan y fortalezcan el Distrito. 

Las autoridades distritales que presidieron fueron liberados: el presidente Ross Davidson, el primer consejero Brady Williams y el segundo consejero Brent Laub. El hermano Davidson se había desempeñado como presidente de Distrito desde marzo de 2018. 

Lo sucedió el domingo en ese cargo el presidente Brady Williams, quien es miembro de la Rama Uvalde. Dennis Russo de Eagle Pass 1st Branch fue sostenido como primer consejero en la nueva presidencia, con Kevin Dewey de Del Rio 3rd Branch como segundo consejero. Cada uno de los nuevos miembros de la presidencia y sus esposas compartieron un testimonio desde el podio en el edificio de la iglesia de Del Rio. El procedimiento se transmitió a todos los demás lugares de reunión del Distrito. 

** 

En sus comentarios posteriores al sostenimiento de los oficiales de la iglesia, el presidente de la misión, Steven Fitzgerald, pidió una nueva conciencia de la necesidad de servir y honrarse unos a otros. 

El presidente dijo que es irrelevante cuánto tiempo han vivido los miembros en el Distrito, o sus circunstancias, o sus planes futuros: se necesitan sus contribuciones al trabajo. “Estamos aquí ahora. A todos se nos pide que demos todo mientras vivamos aquí. No importa si vivimos en una estaca o un distrito, una rama o un barrio, estamos aquí”. 

Recordó la advertencia del ex presidente de la iglesia, Gordon B. Hinckley, de que cada miembro de la iglesia necesita un amigo, una responsabilidad y el alimento de la buena palabra de Dios. “Estamos unidos a través de la buena palabra de Dios”, dijo el presidente Fitzgerald. 

Continuó animando a los miembros individuales de la iglesia a reconocer en sí mismos sus capacidades y sus limitaciones. Cada miembro es adecuado para cumplir con un llamado del Señor, dijo, pero cada miembro necesita la ayuda de los demás para magnificar verdaderamente un llamado. Pidió a cada miembro que recordara sus convenios con el Señor, que pidiera ayuda según fuera necesario y que ayudara a los demás. 

“Debemos ayudarnos unos a otros. Hay un lugar para cada uno de nosotros en esta obra del evangelio de Jesucristo”. 

Anteriormente en la reunión, Michael Villarreal, segundo consejero de la presidencia de la misión, habló sobre la unidad y el amor y el papel clave que juega el servicio en el desarrollo de cada uno. “La fe realmente crece cuando nos servimos unos a otros, cuando ejercemos nuestra fe en Cristo a través del servicio”, dijo. 

Animó a los miembros a “creer en Jesucristo”, quien nos amonesta a perdernos en el servicio y así encontrarnos a nosotros mismos. El presidente Villarreal citó un himno sobre el tema, “Iré a donde tú quieras que vaya”. Un verso dice… 

Tal vez hoy hay palabras de amor, 

que Jesús me haría hablar. 

Puede haber ahora en los caminos del pecado, 

algún vagabundo a quien debería buscar. 

Oh Salvador, si quieres ser mi guía, 

aunque oscuro y escabroso el camino, 

mi voz hará eco del dulce mensaje. 

Diré lo que quieras que diga. 

** 

El sábado por la noche en el edificio de la iglesia de Del Rio, los líderes reunidos escucharon charlas sobre los consejos de rama—es decir, la misión, las Mujeres Jóvenes, la Sociedad de Socorro y los consejos de templo e historia familiar—y cómo mejorarlos. 

El presidente Benny Millar, primer consejero de la presidencia de la misión, comparó el trabajo de los cuatro consejos con los cuatro cilindros de un motor. Habló extensamente sobre cómo hacer que las ramas “golpeen a toda máquina”. 

Dijo que el combustible para el motor de una rama es la fe colectiva y el testimonio de sus miembros. El aire necesario para vitalizar el combustible es el amor mutuo en la rama. La chispa que enciende la obra es la revelación.Además, el presidente Millar invitó a los miembros del consejo de rama a invitar a misioneros de tiempo completo que prestan servicio en la unidad para potenciar la obra aportando su amor puro por Dios. 

El presidente Davidson fue el orador final del sábado. Habló de los miembros que reciben la plenitud de las bendiciones de nuestro Padre Celestial al amar devotamente a nuestro Salvador y vivir los principios de Su evangelio. Al hacerlo, dijo, podemos construir un reino de personas santas. También compartió datos de membresía del distrito que mostraban áreas donde las personas y los líderes tienen oportunidades para acelerar el trabajo.

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Christmas is always more magical when seen through the eyes of a child. A toy and clothing drive, sponsored by the Center for Refugee Services, will bring some added joy and magic to the holiday season for many refugee children in the San Antonio area.

The refugee population in San Antonio has grown over the years. Following the fall of Kabul late last year, Afghan families streamed into San Antonio. 1,400 children from Afghanistan arrived, bringing the total of refugee children to over 2,200 since 2019. With the warm welcome they received, many refugees have convinced family, originally located elsewhere, to move to San Antonio.

This week, the Ninth Annual Toy Drive, sponsored by the Center for Refugee Services, was held. Due to the larger number of refugees and expected turnout, Jean Sherrill, assistant director for the Center, reached out to Sharon Christensen from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a bigger location. The Church’s meetinghouse on Huebner was used for the drive.

Volunteers from the Center, Worldwide Languages and members of the Church of Jesus Christ came together to help make the drive a success. Stations were set up with different volunteers given assignments. There were those who manned the donations being dropped off. Then there were clothing distribution stations, a stop to pick up toys and then a place to get everything wrapped. Some volunteers were “shopping guides” to help parents of the refugee children.

One mom in the area took her children with her to purchase toys and gifts for the refugee children about two weeks ago. She said her children were so excited to drop off the gifts when the toy drive finally arrived. Melinda Preator, from the Church of Jesus Christ said, “It was wonderful to help these families pick gifts for their children and pajamas, socks, and underwear for each person in their family. It was organized well and the recipient families were full of gratitude.” Generosity and gratitude are two of the characteristics which truly make the season bright! Thank you to all who helped bring cheer and happiness to so many refugee families in San Antonio.

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

A car load of blankets and warm clothing, donated by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the San Antonio area, along with donations from other faiths is headed to the border. The donation will hopefully help those seeking amnesty stay warm in the freezing temperatures. One load from area faiths arrived Thursday, with the load from the Church of Jesus Christ heading out shortly.

Trey Hermann, a member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, has been working with the ranger staff and border patrol at Big Bend National Park. The acting Deputy Superintendent of the park, Rick Gupman, said that they are seeing an increase in amnesty seekers and refugees arriving in the park. With the expiration of Title 42, the border agents and park rangers are concerned with the anticipated increase in amnesty seekers arriving at the park’s border crossing from Boquillas. The problem comes with the dramatic shift in the weather hitting Texas this weekend. The freezing temperatures are very dangerous with the people that are crossing the river. They arrive soaking wet and very cold, seeking asylum.

The Church has been actively helping those seeking asylum as they travel through the San Antonio area.  Don Larson, Communications Director in the area said, “The majority of our support is to ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters as they make their way to their final destination.” Larson, who works with the Interfaith Coalition in San Antonio suggested members could help ahead of the freezing temperatures to gather donations.

Melinda Preator, Communications Director from the San Antonio North Stake, drove a car load of donations out to Fredericksburg to deliver them to Trey Hermann, who will get them to the rangers at Big Bend.

San Antonio’s Faith Based Initiative sent out an “Action Alert” ahead of the plummeting temperatures they have suggestions and opportunities to help locally on their Urgent Alert page.

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Things look a bit different this year. My first reaction was, “Wait! Where’s my Light the World calendar?” I’m a planner, and promoting the Church’s Light the World initiative is part of my responsibility in my Church assignment. In the past, I’ve done a fairly decent job keeping up with the daily calendar prompts and have been blessed by my participation.

The approach this year with Light the World mirrors the “higher, holier approach” that Church President Russell M. Nelson has been encouraging. It is along the same lines as the new For Strength of Youth announced in this past General Conference. We are given many wonderful suggestions of what we can do throughout the month, accompanied by the question of the season: “Who needs your light today?”

What a wonderful invitation to consider — who does need my light and what will that “light” look like today? The list of suggestions range from simple and doable, like invite someone to go ahead of you in line, pray for someone by name, or send a text of gratitude to someone. Some might take a bit more planning — take a walk with someone or make a meal with a family member.

Download the PDF of the full list of daily ideas here

My thoughts also turned to JustServe to see what suggestions they might have as I do my part to Light the World. Last year I loved working with the many refugees from Afghanistan. This year on JustServe they have a wonderful toy drive benefiting children of refugees, that I’m excited to participate in — I mean, what’s more fun than shopping for toys? They need toys for 1,800 kids ranging in age from 0 to 18, you can find the details here: JustServe

If you want more inspiration and ideas, you can sign up for one of the Church’s official Light the World notification services below:

• Text “LIGHT” to 71234 to receive daily encouragement and inspiration to serve one person every day starting December 1.
• Sign up for daily email prompts on the Church’s Light the World website.
• Join the official Light The World Facebook group to share experiences and see more uplifting content from people serving all over the world.

There is also this year’s new video which reminds us that “Everyone needs your light!”:

by Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialist

As a coda to a remarkable weekend of visits to congregations in the south Texas region, two General Officers, an Area Seventy, and the Texas San Antonio mission president gathered with Saints Sunday in Uvalde. From the podium and in a discussion period immediately following, they counseled members on being forward-looking, covenant-keeping followers of Jesus Christ.

Primary General President Susan H. Porter shared with the congregation that, following the unexpected death of her husband, she received a clear message in her mind and heart: Do not dwell on where you are. The impression inspired her to move beyond her moment of sudden loss. 

President Porter counseled her listeners to do the same, citing scripture—Moroni 10:3—in which all are invited to ponder the Lord’s mercy and what it means for each person. “The Lord loves to heal wounds that we want healed,” she said. “We only need to look up to Him, ask for miracles, and open our hearts to receive them.”

Area Seventy Elder Jorge Contreras remarked upon the unusual occurrence of having two General Officers in a meeting outside Utah, let alone in an ordinary Sunday sacrament meeting. It is more evidence, he said, that “the work moves forward,” a perspective he repeated later in his remarks. 

Elder Contreras encouraged listeners to continue to love God and our neighbors and otherwise to keep the commandments we have pledged to keep. “Making and keeping covenants, that’s where the power lies.”  

Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson also spoke in the meeting, and then led a group discussion the following hour. President Johnson told of a time when, after her parents had moved the family from Idaho to Texas, she and her mother together would explore the new area. Her mother drove and she gave directions from a map. She said she also established certain guideposts, like a grocery store or a billboard, to help orient herself as she directed her mother. It was a successful team effort that always got them home again, she recalled. She then directed a question to the audience: “What guideposts do we have as we make our way through life?” 

Audience responses were many and varied. They ranged from scriptures to temples, General Conference to seminary, from the Holy Ghost to Church meetings like the one occurring at that moment. President Johnson said all the guideposts mentioned are the equivalent of GPS (the global positioning system) “to help us get home to Jesus Christ.”

The president suggested two more navigation helps: One was For the Strength of Youth, a manual of expectations originally developed for the Church’s youth programs that increasingly is viewed as a source of guidance for all members. After two youth shared their thoughts on the manual, the president said, “I am so optimistic about the future when I hear responses like that from young people.”

Her other guidepost suggestion was… the prophet. At her request, audience members shared their favorite exhortations of President Russell M. Nelson, including his admonition to repent daily and to always make time for the Lord. If we will look to the prophet for guidance, President Johnson said, we can stay on course today and into tomorrow. “Following the prophet, we can face the challenges in front of us right now—and also see around the corner.”

Also on the stand during the sacrament meeting were Texas San Antonio Mission President Steven Fitzgerald and Eagle Pass District President Ross Davidson and their spouses. In the audience were other members of the District presidency along with area and region Church communication officials. 

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

“You are known, you are loved and you are needed by the Lord,” was the message that permeated the teachings during a special women’s conference held in Eagle Pass, Texas. General Relief Society President, Camille Johnson and General Primary President, Susan Porter, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had the opportunity to visit, teach and share their love with the sisters in the Eagle Pass District. 

Sister Edie Collier, Relief Society President over the Eagle Pass District, which also includes branches in Uvalde and Del Rio and groups from Carrizo Springs, Cotulla and Pearsall, wanted to do something special for her sisters during their Women’s Conference this fall. She had been bold enough to ask if perhaps one of the sisters from the General Relief Society presidency could participate in a Zoom meeting with her sisters. She was told no, they would rather attend in person. 

Sister Johnson spoke about the scripture story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. As she reviewed the well known passage, she illustrated how the Savior knew this woman, “He knew her past and He knew her present…. She had a believing soul. …and because of what she testified to those people, there were many people in the city of Samaria that believed in the Savior.” Sister Johnson said she loves to look at the beautiful picture that depicts the encounter hanging in her Church office and reflect upon the lessons of this story. She said, “For the purposes of this afternoon, I think this story is really illustrative of three points: the Savior knows us, He loves us, and He needs us. He talked to her at the well in a way she could understand. He used an analogy of water, this is a woman whose every day routine revolved around collecting water…. That’s the analogy He used to describe to her what He could offer — the living water or eternal life.”

“The Savior let that woman know that she was known to Him. He knew who she was, about her life, about her past and about her challenges — and she didn’t have to be perfect to receive His attention. The Savior needed her. When the Savior told her who she was and who He was, she ran to the city and the scriptures report that ‘many believed on him for the saying of the woman…’” Sister Johnson continued, “Do you see? The Savior needed her. I testify that the Savior is interested in you. He knows about your challenges, He knows what’s in your heart, He knows about your past, He knows what your goals are … just like He knew the woman at the well. We do not have to be perfect for Him to love us, to know us, and to need us — because we’re perfected in Him.” She said, “I want you to know that He will meet you at your well. He will meet you in the washroom, at the grocery store, on the soccer field, at school, or wherever you are. He will testify to you through the Holy Ghost that you are both known, loved and needed. Will it come in a grand manifestation? Well perhaps, but it’s never come that way for me. The way I have felt the love of God is in small and simple ways.” 

Sister Johnson then opened up the discussion to the sisters in attendance, to testify of ways that they knew the Lord loved them, and knew them. One sister mentioned that she had been healed physically, and that it was only through God’s power that she was made whole. Another sister said that just as she was driving to work and looking at how beautiful God’s creations were, she felt His love for her in an overwhelming way. Sister Johnson invited the sisters to be more intentional in seeing evidence of God’s love for them.

Sister Porter, picking up on the theme of how the Lord needs His covenant daughters, continued the discussion of the women at the well. Speaking of that woman, she said: “She’d made a lot of mistakes in her life, she still was, but she could be a witness of Him. She had that desire. As I was thinking about her, and each of us, the Lord and His prophets have invited us to be this light. We all think of ourselves and we say ‘eeeeeh’ I really can’t do that, because I’m not perfect.” 

Sister Porter then pulled out a plate that she and her husband had been given years ago in Israel. The plate depicts the miracle of Christ feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five small loaves. When she got out the plate to bring it to Texas, she noticed it had a chip on it. She immediately thought, “I can’t bring a broken plate to Texas” and then she thought, “That’s the whole point. We are the broken plate, it’s not broken, just a little chipped. But each of us have little chips, we’ve had tough stuff happen in our lives. We’ve made decisions that maybe weren’t the best. But what was the whole point of the story of the 5,000? We bring ourselves, what we are, what we can offer, and we say ‘Heavenly Father, can You use me?’ Could He use the little fish and the loaves of bread? He could, and He made it into something great. That is how the Lord can use us. If we bring our chipped selves, ask for His forgiveness, we express that we are trying to live our covenants the best we can. Then we ask, can He use me? I testify that He can.”

Sister Porter related that she grew up in rural upstate New York. Her father was not a member and her mother faithfully took her family to Church. “What a light she was in my life…through her efforts, she was a light.” Sister Porter then asked the congregation, what women in their lives were a light bringing them closer to the Savior. Anika, a primary child, stood up and said, “My mom, she reads the scriptures to help me learn about Jesus.” Sister Porter followed up and asked, “Is that helping you be a light to others, how about in your neighborhood? Anika answered, “Yes, I can be a light to other people, but I still make mistakes.” Sister Porter said, “I am so happy that you shared that with us. I still make mistakes. Anyone here still making mistakes?” All hands in the congregation shot up. Sister Porter, said, “We’re all still trying, and I am so grateful for the gift of daily repentance — like morning and night, right?”

Sister Jennifer Fitzgerald, who is serving with her husband as leaders of the Texas, San Antonio Mission also addressed the sisters. She spoke about being a community of sisters, despite distance. She said, “I love that we can go anywhere in the world and find this same community, and we can feel comfortable because we share this community.” She gave an example from Alma, when he was first organizing the church, and he counseled them to have “…their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” She held up a small piece of knitted yarn. She said, “Because of the way this is knit, it can be stretched and pulled in any direction… you can see all of those loops connected together. This is the kind of flexibility that we need when we are creating this community of belonging.” She invited all to think about what they can bring to this community of sisters. She listed two Christlike qualities that she felt were important, humility and charity and shared examples of both.

Presidents Johnson and Porter had an early start to their day. Before the conference in Eagle pass, they went across the border and spoke at a Women’s conference in Piedras Negras, Mexico. They shared their love for the sisters and their testimonies that the Lord loved His daughters in Piedras Negras. Sister Johnson said, “Those faithful sisters filled the chapel, all the way to the back of the cultural hall.” She said, “I felt so bad we couldn’t stay longer and take a picture with the sisters, but we had to hurry back because of the border crossing.”

Although, Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras sit very close to each other on either side of the border, it takes, on average, one hour and 40 minutes to cross the bridge. Elder Jorge Contreras, an Area Authority, who presided at the conference in Eagle Pass, testified to the sisters, that they had received a miracle. The group traveling from Piedras Negras were not expected to arrive at the conference until after it had started, and hopefully before the first two speakers were finished. Many prayers for the Lord’s intervention had been made. Elder Contreras said, “We have been planning this conference for quite a while…we wanted everything to go well. About three weeks ago, we made a dry run to cross the border. We went and saw the sisters in Piedras Negras and all indications said, to cross the border, it was going to take no less than 1 hour and 40 minutes. So we had a problem. As we were preparing, President Davidson and I said, ‘we’ve done everything that we can do.’ And then we allowed the Lord to take over and He did. We almost arrived on time.” The border crossing took just a few minutes and Sister Johnson and Sister Porter arrived in time to enjoy the meal provided before the conference and were able to visit with sisters during the luncheon. Elder Contreras continued, “It is one of those tender mercies, against all odds, I guess He parted the Rio Grande. Miracles do exist and I wanted you to know. Those are the small tender mercies in our lives that we cannot miss. And if we have the Spirit we will be able to identify those.”

It was a long day for the General Sister Leaders. After the conference in Eagle Pass, they traveled about an hour to Uvalde. In Uvalde they attended a dinner with the Mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, and many civic leaders.

The dinner, organized by district president, Ross Davidson, allowed the Sisters and Elder Contreras to ask what the Church could do for the town of Uvalde. President Davidson, said, “This was a very productive dinner. Wonderful discussions were had.” Many of the civic leaders included those who sit on the advisory committee to disperse funds that were taken in after the school shooting to help those affected in the community.

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Mission: Border Hope received a great deal of attention from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Friday. Located in Eagle Pass, Mission: Border Hope aids asylum seekers in their journey to reach family members in the United States. It was another typical day for Mission: Border Hope on Friday, as they welcomed over 700 asylum seekers. They were offered shower facilities, hot meals, clean clothes and many, many travel plans were made. 

Early Friday morning a truck arrived from the Church’s Humanitarian Services with 24 pallets of food for Mission: Border Hope’s kitchen. The boxes of beans, cake mixes, pasta, peanut butter, stew and many other items will help them in their goal of feeding and welcoming the asylum seekers. Missionaries and others helped unload the truck, fully filling the facility’s storage area. 

On Friday evening, President Camille Johnson, Relief Society General President and President Susan Porter, Primary General President for the Church, arrived to tour Mission: Border Hope’s facility and meet many of the asylum seekers. They were accompanied by Area Authorities, Elder Jorge Contreras and Elder Art Rascon. 

Elder Rascon and President Johnson were visiting with one man who had traveled from Quito, Ecuador with his wife who is a few months pregnant. They are awaiting transport on one of the free busses, sponsored by the state, heading to New York. Their ultimate destination is with family in Queens, New York. 

The Church visitors heard many stories of their journeys that brought them to Eagle Pass, most on foot, some with a few bus segments sprinkled in between. They heard of their hopes for freedom and better opportunities for their families. The spirit of Mission: Border Hope is one that is palpably felt as care and service are extended to “the least of these”.

Sisters Johnson and Porter were also touched as they saw the large amount of food that had been delivered earlier in the day. Asking what more the Church could do to help, Diana Rodriguez, of Mission: Border Hope mentioned clothing, “warm clothing is needed now.” 

Sisters Johnson and Porter also met with Sigrid Gonzales, who works with Homeland Security and is a senior advisor for Customs and Border Patrol. Gonzales spoke of the journey of many of the immigrants, their processing and their background checks. She said there are two types of immigrants, the “getaways and the give-ups.”

Gonzales continued, “The give-ups are the people who turn themselves in and from there, they have different pathways. We receive them, we process them, and get their fingerprints. If something pops up during the check, we send them to I.C.E. for removal proceedings. If they are unaccompanied children, without anyone, we send them to HHS (Health and Human Services) for them to be reunited with their families in a separate process.”

Gonzales explained, “If they are amenable to Title 42 policy, which is a health policy, we have directives with countries, like Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, that we can send them back.” There are some people who are released under Title 8. Title 8 allows them to be released within the United States, with documentation. Those people must notify I.C.E. upon reaching their final destination. Gonzales said, “We release them with the understanding that they are going to be checking in while they are awaiting their asylum proceeding.” The Title 8 people are those that come into the migrant centers, like Mission: Border Hope. They have been processed through legal channels and permitted to enter the country.

by Leisa Parsons, Area Communications Media Specialist

This morning’s Second Annual Welcome Walk, sponsored by Culturingua and other organizations and volunteers, is a wonderful example of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Communication personnel do, day in and day out, in the San Antonio area. Unique among callings in the Church, the Communication council on the area and stake level look outward to the community. Communication Councils help bring people unto Jesus Christ by building relationships with people and organizations to achieve the mission of the Church, increase understanding of the Church, and minister to the needs of God’s children.

Sharon Christensen, Communications Director from the La Cantera Stake, and Melinda Preator, Communications Director for the San Antonio North Stake, were on hand this morning along with many volunteers from various Church congregations around the city to help with the Welcome Walk. Christensen has been working with Culturingua and was asked to help with children’s activities and in securing volunteers for this morning’s walk.

San Antonio Mayor, Ron Nuremberg, participated in the walk. He said: “This event, with San Antonio residents walking alongside newcomers in our community, physically and metaphorically represents San Antonio’s support in welcoming new immigrants and refugees. I’m so honored to stand here to continue this annual tradition.”

Communication councils support JustServe in mobilizing member and community volunteer service, like this morning’s Welcome Walk. The perceptions that community leaders, government officials, news media, and others hold about the Church can directly affect its success. By developing trusting relationships on behalf of Church leaders in the area, the work of ministering to all of God’s children is facilitated.

Through the years, relationships with other faiths and charities, such as Catholic Charities, Haven for Hope, the San Antonio Food Bank, various food pantries and organizations such as Culturingua and the Center for Refugee Services have helped the Church and its members serve in the community. Don Larson, Area Communications Director said he used stay awake at night when he served as a Stake President as he thought about his stewardship. “As a Stake President, we don’t just serve our members, we have a greater stewardship for all of the people who live within our stake boundaries. I could never figure out how to minister or fulfill that responsibility, now as a Communications Director, I get it. I can see how we can make a difference in lifting and serving those in our community.”

Another aspect of the work of Communications councils, at all levels, is to leverage social media to uplift, inspire, educate, and connect members and the community with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

by Giles Lambertson and Leisa Parsons, Media Specialists

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints age 40 and over are encouraged to watch a special broadcast about Senior Missons. The devotional, held last Sunday, October 30th, is still available until November 13th. The hour-long event can be viewed here: Senior Missions

The devotional was broadcast from the Tempe, Arizona Institute of Religion to the five-states that comprise the North America Southwest Area of the Church. In a video vignette, Elder and Sister Peterson, senior missionaries from the area, shared their feelings about service. Sister Peterson said: “During our missions in Africa, we feel so needed and so wanted. It is a desperate need.” Elder Peterson said, “The reason we went back the second time there was, we knew that we were needed, we knew that we were appreciated, and we knew that we are going to contribute.”

The devotional featured a panel discussion of people who served senior missions, including a widow who was called on a mission with her sister. The panel was moderated by Elder Michael A. Dunn, second counselor in the North America Southwest Area presidency, who presided at the meeting. He also spoke, as did Elder Steven D. Shumway, an Area Seventy.

Elder Dunn used a variety of illustrations to dispel misperceptions about senior missions. Some of the examples were:

• The perception sometimes is that older members aren’t sure if they really are needed in the mission field. The reality is there are 12,000 senior missionary openings each year and only half are filled.  

• The perception of many seniors is that they aren’t sure they can work the long hours and endure the restrictions of the mission field. The reality is that senior missionaries have much more flexibility in their mission field standards.

• The perception of some is that “I never had one of those ‘big callings’ in the Church, so I am not really prepared.” The reality is that whom the Lord calls, he qualifies.

Elder Dunn quoted the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, who said: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Elder Dunn said serving a senior mission is that kind of work.

Elder Shumway told the gathering that while serving a mission as adults indeed is a sacrifice, those who serve come to understand better “what it means to give up something to get something better.” The “better” is transformative blessings in their lives. Elder Shumway said: “We should quit asking what the Lord will permit—yes, He permits us not to go on a mission—and ask instead what He would prefer that we do. If you do, you can experience transformative blessings.”

Elder Dunn concluded the meeting by addressing those who might say, “But the bishop or stake president has never said anything to me about a mission.” His counsel: Take the initiative. Ask the bishop or stake president about serving a mission.

For anyone with questions about senior missions, there is a website that can answer the questions. According to Elder Dunn the website is,  “…very real and very unvarnished.”: Senior Missionary

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with some members of another faith. I mentioned that some of our congregations were being divided. One person looked alarmed and said that in her faith group when a congregation is divided that’s a bad thing. I quickly assured her we remained united in the faith, but that we were dividing some large congregations into several smaller ones.  

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have you ever lived in the same home, but over time, lived in several different wards (congregations)? Have you ever wondered how large is too large for a ward? When your ward was divided have you ever wondered how they decided who went where? 

Last September some of the units^[1] in the Texas Hill Country Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints went through a realignment. Some unit boundary lines were changed and a new unit was created. Stake President Gary Long shared with us just what prompted the realignment and how it was accomplished.  

He began by explaining how growth is managed. “When we get larger we grow by division.”  But what is the right size for a unit? “The Church has guidelines for this.  If we look in Section 36 of the General Handbook it tells us that the minimum number of members for a ward in the US and Canada is 300. In other parts of the world the number is 150.” Wards in the Hill Country Stake have a membership of somewhere between 320 and 420 with an average of 370.  

So what made this Stake Presidency decide the time was right to make changes? “Really it was just the growth in the area,” President Long replied. “We saw Smithson Valley ward growing. That ward was created five years ago. So in those five years it grew from just over 300 members when it was created to just over 625 in just five years with attendance at well over 300.  

“We were seeing similar trends in Canyon Lake. 20 years ago Canyon Lake was a just a branch and a small struggling one at that. But the growth out there has just exploded. They were close to 550 in membership and over 250 attending Sacrament meeting.”

President Long added that their building is not very big and with COVID they were trying to spread out and they simply ran out of room. “When a building starts getting that much use, people don’t want to come if they can’t find a seat or they feel like they can’t see or hear.”

“So those units were the two main drivers,” said President Long. At that point he assigned his Second Counselor, President Frank Freeman, to begin the preliminary work on the realignment nearly a year before it took place. After six months the full presidency got involved.  

Their thinking up until that point had been fairly global; total member numbers currently in units. But when they began the task of dividing, the challenge was how do you decide on the exact boundary lines? It comes down to which streets should go in which ward.  

“So we started out by simply drawing boundaries,” President Long said. “We had some different looking boundaries at first. Then we got thinking about the youth and the different high school districts. We knew these changes would have a profound impact on the youth.  It happened to me when I was a youth. They took our ward and divided us. It was hard! So, yes, that was key.”  

They then tried to align unit boundaries with high school boundaries in order for the youth to go to school and church with the same friends. The creation of the new Piper High School came at the same time. “We have Bulverde Ward and Indian Springs Ward that’s going to be all Piper High School,” President Long said. “The Spring Branch Ward will all be Smithson Valley or Blanco school districts. Smithson Valley Ward is all Smithson Valley High School.” 

The Stake Presidency also tried to keep subdivisions together and find logical boundaries that make sense. “Of course we also looked at the buildings that we have. Who’s going to attend what building? How far is the drive to the new building?”  

President Long reflected that, “Anytime you draw a line somebody’s not going to be happy.  That weighed heavily on us as we considered doing this. So we spent a lot of time doing what Doctrine and Covenants section 9 says and that’s studying it out in our mind and going through different scenarios.”

As they came close to the end of the decision making process the Stake Presidency realized they needed some additional input. “We recognized that we aren’t as close to the members as the bishops are so we counseled with them.” As an example President Long said there was a group of families that just a couple of years ago were moved from one ward to another. “And now we would be asking them to move again.” Consulting with the bishops helped the Stake Presidency make a more informed decision.  

The Church has a tool that helps stake leaders plan by letting them move boundaries electronically to show which families would be impacted and the potential leaders who would be available. “We had to submit names for bishops at the same time as we presented the boundaries,” President Long added. “It’s all one proposal. And the tool is smart enough to recognize that.  

He explained that another thing they take into consideration is the number of full tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders living in a unit. “They want to have a certain ratio of that.  And the bare minimum ratio is 20 members to every full tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood holder. So for a ward of 300 that would be 60.”

The Stake Presidency put it all together and pondered and prayed about the boundaries. “Once we felt good about the boundaries we pondered and prayed about the bishops. All of that work involved frequent trips to the Temple. Then as a presidency when we all felt good about it, we submitted it to Church Headquarters.”

The Handbook explains that it takes about four weeks to get approval from the Church. First it goes to an analyst at Church Headquarters who looks at boundaries and checks to see if all the minimum criteria were met. It finally ends up at the First Presidency’s office and they have to approve both the boundary changes and any bishops that are called.  

When the Hill Country Stake Presidency heard back they got three different letters from the First Presidency. One, approving the boundary changes and authorizing them to present it to the members for their sustaining vote. Then they received two letters, one for each of the two new bishops.  

So now we know how member growth is managed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But there’s one question that still needs to be asked. Why do we go through all this work just so we can have so many relatively small units when one or two huge congregations in one very large building would be more cost-effective?  

President Long answered this by reminding us that, “When the Savior ministered to people He did it one on one. Yes, there were a few large crowds where He fed the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes. But much of His ministry was done one on one.”  

He then related it to our day, “What I’ve observed over the years is that when units get too large there’s not an opportunity to know everybody and to be able to serve side by side. We always want people to have opportunities to serve others. When units get too large people don’t feel they’re part of the unit and that they’re needed.” He made it clear that “…certainly we need everybody.”

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^[1] In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “unit” refers to either a large congregation (ward) or a very small congregation (branch).

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Trust is a fundamental component of our most valued relationships. Human relationships are stymied without some level of trust. The principle of trust is one that Cassie Sandou is well acquainted with from years of soaring 20-25 feet in the air over a Russian bar. She works without a safety net, in fact one time on TV, she was blindfolded and had a bed of very large nails sticking up awaiting any mistake. Obviously, she has learned to trust her team. 

Her teammates who hold the bar that she lands on are called “porters.” She’s known as the flyer in the act, and fly she does! She trusts her porters, likening them to the iron rod, saying they are “steadfast, unchanging and constant.” She continued, “I knew they were always going to give 100% effort at keeping me safe so I could do my job.” 

Sandou said their show, with the porters providing a foundation that was so steadfast, can be likened to the foundation of building upon Christ and Heavenly Father. She said, “the trials in our life are going to refine us and help us become more like Christ.” Just as she would focus on holding her position while in the air, she knows she needs to hold her position steadfast with the Lord. This principle of trust took on added meaning last month as she held her infant son during his very brief stay in mortality. 

Continue reading “Flying High — Trust Takes on New Meaning”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

We all love a “dream come true” story because we can relate it to our hopes, dreams and aspirations. Dreams rarely come true without hard work and a great deal of persistence, and Dawson Wayne Rice is no exception. A portion of Dawson’s dreams got a whole lot closer with his newest song “With All My Heart” featured on the Church of Jesus Christ’s 2023 Youth Album.  

Dawson, who just returned from a performing mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo earlier this week, is getting ready to audition before the celebrity judges in Nashville for a spot on American Idol. This past year has brought a lot of wonderful changes and has brought his dream more into focus. 

When Dawson first listened to the Church’s youth album a couple of years ago, he was so impressed and loved the music. The Church produces a new album each year to strengthen youth and to support the youth theme for that year. “The Church makes some really good music” said Dawson, “I started to listen to it and I thought it was really good. Shortly after that, I thought I’d like to be on this.” 

He quickly discovered there really was no information about auditioning for the album so he started following as many Instagram accounts and reaching out to musicians until he got a coveted email to ask about being on the album. “I told them I was super interested in doing it. They asked me to send them some videos, which I did. They told me, ‘Just to let you know, we typically don’t use people outside of Utah because we don’t have a travel budget.’” He quickly responded, “If you want me, I’d be happy to cover my travel budget because I think that would be a super fun experience and an opportunity.” 

Things were quiet for several months, but Dawson continued to keep in contact and reiterate his desire to be a part of the upcoming album. In March of this year, Mitch Davis, who has produced numerous musical productions and albums for the Church, emailed Dawson. “The email from Mitch Davis asked me to get on a zoom call with them the next day. That’s how it happened. Originally they had asked me to write a song and to pitch to them with another writer that they had. So we wrote a song and pitched it to them. They didn’t end up using it for the album but then, about a week or so later they reached out and said ‘We have a song written by Nick Day that we want you to try out for.’ So that’s when it happened that I was going to be in — and I officially had a song.” Continue reading “Dreams Really Do Come True!”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

The Seguin congregation’s submission to the Guadalupe County Fair garnered them the “Grand Champion” award! It wasn’t for a bull or a pig or even for a baked pie!

Wanting to raise awareness on emergency preparation and family history, the Seguin congregation participated in the Guadalupe County Fair this weekend. Their goal was to get folks thinking about their level of preparedness and how to plan for emergencies. They also wanted to help people know where to begin to start doing their family history and discover the joy of learning more about their family tree.

The Seguin congregation built floats and had booths at the County Fair. Their float “Seguin Ward Family History Tree” won the Grand Champion Float for 2022! Their booths were both well attended. Continue reading “2022 Grand Champions!”

by Leisa Parsons and Kristen Pack, Area Media Specialists

It’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ”temple service,” but it’s effects are enjoyed by all who visit the San Antonio Temple grounds. Twice a year, in the fall and the spring, the grounds of the temple are made ready for volunteer gardeners to plant flowers.

Last week all of the temple’s flower beds were turned over in anticipation of the many volunteers who would show up this weekend to plant flowers. 4,990 plants loaded on 251 flats were delivered to the temple grounds. The plants are then placed around the temple grounds to await the volunteers.

Paul and Paula Linnemeyer are Service Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ currently in their fifth year serving as the temple’s chief landscapers. Paul said, ”When we started, we didn’t have a lot of direction, about an hour of instruction, so we studied on the internet as to what we could use. Since then, I have learned to appreciate design.”

Continue reading “Beautiful — Inside and Out!”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

It’s one of the first signs that the fall season really is here and it’s more predictable than the weather. Despite retailer’s attempts since late July, when folks start to see pumpkin patches popping up around the area they know that autumn and the holiday season have truly arrived.

Unloading 48 pallets of pumpkins from a semi truck, 60 members and missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seguin helped to set up a pumpkin patch.

The pumpkin patch is part of the Seguin’s First United Methodist Church’s annual landscape. School children will make their yearly pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch, along with other groups and families. There is a reading area for story time, and of course, a place to get those great family pictures! Continue reading “Pumpkin Patch Service Party”

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

Last month women of the Texas Hill Country Stake came together for their annual Relief Society Conference.  In and of itself that’s pretty normal.  But what wasn’t normal was that it was also seen by women over 5,700 miles away in the Warsaw, Poland Branch.  In addition to that, their Relief Society President, Agnieszka Mazurowska, was the concluding speaker of the conference.  

Why on earth would that happen?  

Because last spring the members of the Church of Jesus Christ’s Hill Country Stake joined in a collaborative effort with Polish Church members by sending new suitcases to Warsaw to be distributed to the refugees from Ukraine. Texas families partnered with Warsaw families to help Ukrainian families.  

According to Cindy Beattie, Hill Country Relief Society President, approximately 400 new suitcases were purchased by members from around San Antonio and shipped from a warehouse in Poland to the Warsaw congregation. (Read more about the suitcase donations.)

From that time on, a special bond formed between Beattie and Mazurowska.  When the time came for the Hill Country Stake Relief Society’s conference to take place, Beattie invited the Warsaw women to join them via Zoom.  “They had done so much for others,” Beattie said, “I thought our Stake Relief Society could do something for them to bring light into their lives.” Continue reading “Women from Warsaw and San Antonio Join Together in a Conference”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Representative

9/11 was a tragic day for our nation, but amid the chaos there were inspiring acts of bravery and service. In conjunction with the federally recognized September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, approximately 800 volunteers across the city got together Saturday morning to perform acts of kindness and service totaling over 2,700 volunteer hours. Members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ fanned out around the city and outlying areas providing labor for 14 community projects including trash pick-up, painting, spreading mulch, collecting food donations and a variety of other services.

Many volunteers donned vests and cleaned up trash in several locations around San Antonio. Some of the wards and stakes worked directly with the City of San Antonio to pick up litter along streets. The volunteers were told to “kick it before you pick it” ensuring there were not any bugs or critters in the trash! Terri Freeman of the San Antonio North Stake had someone drive by as she was picking up trash and inquired about the cleanup. “He asked what we were doing, he told us that it was wonderful and asked ‘How can I find out about helping?’ I told him to check out JustServe.org for ideas.” Members in Uvalde also participated in picking up litter along a stretch of U.S. 90. They worked with Adopt-a-Highway in their cleanup efforts. Other congregations in San Antonio worked with the city’s Parks and Recreation department to help clean up area parks.  

Along with the litter pick-up in the city, folks in the Canyon Lake area cleaned up several parks and hiking trails. They picked up trash and some helped add mulch to hiking trails. In one of the parks volunteers used their weedwackers to help clean up and better define area hiking trails. Continue reading “A Tribute to the Memory of 9/11 Through Service”

By Giles Lambertson, Eagle Pass District Communications

(En español abajo)

Michael Hurst manages the Church’s 2,000-acre peanuts-growing farm near Pearsall. He also serves as group leader for a congregation of Saints meeting 16 miles away in a Dilley community center under the umbrella of the Uvalde Branch. To say the Church is central in the life of Brother Hurst and his wife Marcia is not an overstatement.

“We love being on the farm and actively participating in the Church’s welfare program. It’s like being on a mission. We hope to be here a very long time,” says the group leader.

The couple moved to the farm two years ago from San Antonio, where they had lived for eight years. Yet this is not an urban couple transplanted to a rural setting like the old television sitcom, Green Acres. The couple has bona fides as country folk.

The manager was born 50 years ago in Killeen in east-central Texas and has ranched and farmed most of his life. Marcia Hurst is a Portland, Oregon, native who grew up around horses and became a barrel racer, one of the most popular rodeo events.

They are college-trained as well. Eight years ago, Michael Hurst decided to augment his knowledge of ranching and farming by acquiring expertise with the computer: He earned an information technology degree from the University of Colorado.

Marcia Hurst has a similar educational bent. She earned a degree in nursing, which she utilized during a six-year stint in the U.S Air Force including at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. After her military service, she continued her nursing work, mostly caring for children in cancer and transplant units. She then returned to school to become certified as a family nurse practitioner.

When the couple moved to the Church farm, they didn’t give up their personal interests. Stabled next to an equipment building on the property is a horse named JW. Marcia Hurst is training it at the request of an area rancher. Continue reading “Farm Life and Service”

By Giles Lambertson, Eagle Pass District Communications

(En español abajo)

While Rene Garza was serving a mission as a young man in the Spanish-speaking California North Sacramento mission, he was called to be a branch president. It was a harbinger of future church service—including in 1996 becoming the first president of Eagle Pass District, which was his calling for 12 years. For four-plus years, the 72-year-old has been president of Del Rio 3^rd Branch.

The veteran leader is not a lifelong member… but almost. Born in the Texas community of Robstown, President Garza’s extended family began to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was two years old. 

While still in his 20s, and as a consequence of his mission experience, Brother Garza was assigned by the First Presidency to help with the transition of the church’s missionary training programs. The plan was for the Spanish language training mission (LTM) program on the Brigham Young University campus to become the missionary training center (MTC) in Provo. 

Brother Garza was called to direct the pilot program for the MTC. It proved viable. The missionary training center opened in 1978 as a place for overall training of missionaries, rather than just development of foreign language skills. 

While that was a significant leadership role, Provo is a bigger part of President Garza’s story for another reason. It was on the BYU campus—where he served in three bishoprics, by the way—that he met his future wife, Kathryn. They married and moved to Del Rio in 1979. The Garza family eventually swelled to a total of seven with the addition of five sons.

The couple owned a State Farm Insurance agency in Del Rio for nearly 40 years, with Kathryn a licensed agent and office manager. With degrees in education from BYU and the University of New Mexico, she also taught in public schools. “She loves teaching,” says her husband.

Over the years, the Garzas have served in a host of positions, individually and together. She has been president of both branch and district Relief Society, a seminary teacher, president of branch Young Women and Primary organizations and a stake missionary. Continue reading “A Lifetime of Service: President Rene Garza of Del Rio 3rd Branch”

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get adept at packing up their suitcases. Every six weeks during mission life transfers occur, with about one-third of the missionaries being reassigned to a new area of service each time. A big transfer is occurring in the Texas San Antonio Mission at the end of this month. It will be time for a new Mission President and his companion. President Jason and Sister Stephanie Tveten will be heading home after three years of service in the Alamo City with Steven and Jennifer Fitzgerald arriving to take the reins of the mission.

The Tveten’s and their children will be returning to Wenatchee in eastern Washington. He will be resuming his dental practice. They are taking with them a deep love of Texas, its people and memories of their unique mission experience. The Tveten’s fully weathered the Covid pandemic during their three years of service. The pandemic brought with it a host of challenges along with wonderful blessings and some changes in how the missionaries reach people. 

President Tveten said he was impressed with the resiliency of his young missionaries during Covid. He said: “You read the book The Saints and you get a perspective of some of the challenges of the early Church and world wars and other pandemics…. During Covid the missionaries learned how to adapt and they did remarkably well. It has really prepared them for challenges that will come later in their life.”

The Tveten’s both said that over the last three years they have learned the power of invitations — normal and natural invitations. Along with member’s opportunity to invite, President Tveten reminds, “…success is not dependent upon the outcome or agency of others. We just invite. In fact the first words of the missionary’s purpose is ‘we invite others to come unto Jesus Christ.’” Sister Tveten said: “I have realized that people want to feel needed. Everyone loves being invited to something and feeling like they are seen. We have a desire to be together. Don’t be afraid to invite — to know the things that you know or share the things that you know, to help them be a part of something.”

Incoming president, Steven Fitzgerald also recognizes the power invitations have and the changes that Covid brought to missionary work. He said: “We want to take all of the good things that are already happening, like the Come Unto Christ Facebook page. We want to be able to allow people to connect with the Church any way they feel comfortable. Whether it is face to face or through different media — that’s great. We want this message to be brought to everybody, however they need to receive it.” Continue reading “TSAM…Anticipating a Big Transfer”

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

Sam West is a lot of things.  He’s a member of the Indian Springs congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a young adult, a son, a brother and he has Down syndrome.  Sam West is also an Olympic athlete winning a gold medal in the 25m free style swimming event at the Special Olympics 2022 USA Games in Orlando, FL.  

“When we lived in California we visited San Antonio for the National Down Syndrome Association meetings,” said his father Chuck West.  “We were so impressed by the level of support from the local group that we decided if there was ever an opportunity to move to San Antonio we would.  In a few years a position opened up and we were able to move.”  

Continue reading “Area Young Adult Takes Gold in National Special Olympics”

By Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialist

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates 33 nonprofit farms in the U.S. They supply the Church’s welfare system with foodstuffs of many kinds. Some 50 miles southeast of Uvalde near Pearsall, one of these farms principally raises peanuts.

Eagle Pass District members—and members in eight San Antonio stakes—volunteer at the farm during the growing season, weeding and hoeing fields, clearing fences of brush, and otherwise contributing their sweat equity toward the success of the enterprise. District members are scheduled to work there later in June.

The Church acquired and began to operate the farm more than a half-century ago. Of the farm’s 2,000 acres, 750 are tilled. Again this year, 250 acres of that tilled soil have been leased to a local farmer for raising of cotton. Farm manager Michael Hurst explains that rotating the irrigated land among different crops helps maintain the soil’s fertility. 

Another crop rotation method is to let some fields lay fallow each year, which is to say, to go uncultivated. The downside to doing that are the pernicious plants that take root in the undisturbed soil. “Fallowing is great, but fallow ground can get really wild and weedy.” Weed seeds are not a desired fruit.

This year, the land also is being plowed. “The soil hasn’t been plowed in years,” Hurst says, meaning it hasn’t been turned over so that surface soil is flipped beneath upturned soil. Two six-bottom plows handily accomplish that.

The farm manager knows agriculture. Born in Killeen 49 years ago, he has farmed and ranched for most of his adult life, taking over management of the peanut farm a year and a half ago. In 2014, the manager broadened his professional capacity in a dramatic way: He enrolled at the University of Colorado and earned an information technology degree.

Continue reading “Area Peanut Farm Keeps Manager and Members Busy”

By Giles Lambertson, Area Media Specialst

Area leaders of the Church gather to counsel sorrowing Saints

The path to recovery for the wounded Uvalde community was explored Sunday in a special Uvalde Branch sacrament meeting. Speakers emphasized the need for members to respond to the tragic school shootings in ways consistent with what Jesus Christ taught His disciples — forgiving, believing and supporting one another.

“We may never know why some things happen. But God knows what we don’t know, and sees what we do not see,” said Area Seventy Jorge Contreras, who was the concluding speaker during the service. Elder Contreras traveled to Uvalde from Austin for the meetings. In his talk, he specifically addressed the power of forgiveness. 

Elder Contreras spoke of a similar tragedy in 2006, when a man entered an Amish school in Pennsylvania, let some students leave and eventually shot 10 girls, ages six to 13, five of whom died from their wounds. The 32-year-old shooter then killed himself. 

His point in recounting the earlier shooting was to talk about the response of the Amish community. “They immediately began to reach out to the shooter’s family,” said Elder Contreras. Within hours of the shooting, members of the Mennonite community offered their sympathies to the widow and parents of the assailant and eventually attended his funeral in support of the family. “The Amish see themselves as disciples of Christ and want to follow his example of loving and forgiving everyone.”

Continue reading “Uvalde Service Devoted to Recovery Messages”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Generally considered the southern limit of the Texas Hill Country, Uvalde is usually a quiet city. Before Tuesday, few people outside of south central Texas had probably heard of it. Now, it is on everyone’s lips, minds and hearts. Many across the area are mourning with the people of Uvalde. 

Young adults from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wanted to do something. Working with a school administrator from Uvalde and other Church officials in the area, they quickly organized a stuffed animal drive. Through social media the word spread quickly and within hours, hundreds of stuffed animals were showing up at the Church’s Center for Young Adults in San Antonio.

“It wasn’t much.. but it was something.. and sometimes something is just DOING something” said Kristen Pack, a mother of three young girls from San Antonio, she continued: “Like many of you, my heart has been so heavy these past couple of days. My two girls, both the same ages of the angels that were taken from this world, are feeling it too.” Pack and her girls learned about the stuffed animal drive, and they wanted to be a part of it. 

Young adults and other volunteers wrote notes for each stuffed animal. Their notes expressed their love and thoughts, some included testimonies of Christ’s healing power. Neal Jeppson, of the Center said, “We lift burdens with Jesus as we work together.” Continue reading ““Doing Something””

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

The large stone factory is a fitting metaphor for all the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches — change is not only possible, but that which is unspeakably broken can be made whole. What was once used to imprison and destroy has become a place that is facilitating refuge and safety, and God’s hand can be seen in its reclamation. Charly Risenmay, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from San Antonio, believes that God has indeed had a directing hand in the transformation of a factory in Mielec, Poland. 

Risenmay’s paternal line traces their roots back to Mielec, a Polish town about 140 miles from the Ukrainian border. The land the factory sits on belonged to Risenmay’s family. She said: “The land was taken from us when the Polish government hastily conscripted it in 1938 for a factory to build Polish airplanes. When the Germans invaded Poland the next year, they took it over.” Her family were some of 2,800 Jews out of a population of 5,500 living in Mielec prior to World War II. Mielec has the devastating distinction of being the first town declared “Judenfrei” or “Free of Jews” by the German invaders. Risenmay said: “Most of my family died in the holocaust. Many members were murdered in Mielec, in the synagogue, while they were in ritual baths. The Germans literally locked the doors and burned them to death. The rest were evacuated to this factory until they were sent to a ghetto for ‘liquidation.’”

She continued: “A few died there — having been worked and starved to death in that factory—on their own land.” Risenmay’s aunt, now living in California, was one of about 45 Jewish survivors from Mielec. She was hidden as a child by a Polish family until she was rescued. Risenmay and her aunt are very close and so the details of what is now happening in Mielec have captured her attention. Continue reading “From Ashes to Beauty”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

For 20 years the Texas Children’s Choir has delighted thousands of listeners all over the world with their clear, sweet voices. Preparing for their second concert since before Covid, the choir will perform this Saturday afternoon at the Church of Jesus Christ in Windcrest (8801 Midcrown). The choir will be heading off to Hawaii next month to perform at the 80th commemoration of the Battle of Midway. 

The director, Dr. Thomas G. Hardaway, a member of the East Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a passion for music and loves working and teaching children. As a child, he was a choir boy at the National Cathedral. He loved his experience and wants to share it with as many children as possible. As his life would attest, Hardaway loves children. He worked in the Army as a child psychiatrist and pediatrician. Wherever he was stationed with the Army, he managed to set up a children’s choir. The now retired Colonel set up the San Antonio Children’s choir in 2002.

https://youtu.be/X5tj5BPT2fM

The choir isn’t just about teaching children to sing, it is also about imbuing them with a sense of service and community. At the core of the choir is their emphasis on service. Except for their Spring Concert, all of their performances are by invitation from civic groups, the military, educational groups and other charities. The quality of their choral music has garnered them requests from all over the world, as well as closer to home. The Choir has performed before presidents in Washington D.C. Other performances have taken them to Omaha Beach in Normandy France, the Ely Cathedral in London, Kings College in Cambridge and to Carnegie Hall in New York. They have also appeared on Music and the Spoken Word with the Tabernacle Choir.

Continue reading “Twenty Years of Sharing Through Music”

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Far from being a craft of the past, the popularity of quilting has been steadily growing and is expected to be a five billion dollars a year industry in the next four years. Some young girls became the latest devotees to the growing craft. They got their first taste of quilting through their Church “Activity Days” and loved it. Rosie Jarvis and Susanne Fletcher, from the Bulverde congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, decided to teach their nine and 10 year old girls how to quilt. The Activity Days Leaders decided to take it a little bit further and give the girls an opportunity to share their quilts. They decided to make quilts for twin beds and then give those quilts to newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan. 

It was decided that the girls would make three tied quilts. The girls planned the quilts, picked out their favorite colors and designed how the layouts for the blocks would look best. “I love to quilt and thought teaching the girls how to do this would give them a new skill as well as providing a service to others,” said Jarvis.  “This was a challenge for them to plan and tie the quilts. As they worked on this project they helped each other.” Jarvis said it was fun to watch the girls work together. She said, “I heard things like ‘this is hard’ others said, ‘let me help you.’ There was a lot of cooperation and laughs as they worked together.”

“This was a fantastic project that gave the girls an opportunity to serve people in need,” said Fletcher.  “I was so impressed with their positive attitude. I didn’t think that quilting is still a fun thing to do in today’s world but they were excited to make the quilts because they knew they were going directly to somebody locally.” Continue reading ““Touching People’s Hearts””

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Almost all of the original Afghan refugees have settled in and their apartments have been furnished. There are a few more arriving, like the family that was helped Saturday morning by congregations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, according to Joanne Franck of the Center for Refugee Services, their efforts are shifting. Franck said, “The shift is away from housing donations to helping with job security, food security…. I know your Church has been helping a lot. LDS groups have been dropping off food — flour, rice and lentils. The center is shifting their focus to more of the ongoing needs since most of the apartments are set up. We will continue to get a trickle, but the efforts are shifting to ongoing support.” Hygiene items along with baby supplies are also top of their list of needed items. If you are interested in helping JustServe can point you in the right direction.

Franck, along with many others, attended a get together to look back at the efforts of a Church congregation in Seguin who helped furnish 55 apartments for Afghan refugees. Franck of CRS said, “This project has been so amazing. We had so many groups, most of them were LDS, outfit entire apartments. Bishop Bird was able to get tons of apartments outfitted….It has been amazing.”

Clad in red “Light the World” t-shirts, Bishop Tim Bird, along with teenagers from his congregation, their parents and many others undertook an enormous effort. Known as “The Stable Project,” this group put in countless hours from the end of November until just recently to help furnish as many apartments as they could. 

Continue reading “Ongoing Needs for Settled Afghan Families — Where We Have Been and What is Next?”

By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

As another school year comes quickly to an end, we celebrate graduates from high schools and universities. On the launchpad of their own dreams and successes, their eyes reflect a mixture of hope, freedom and anticipation all mingled with a healthy dose of anxiety. Their goals and aspirations are inspiring.

As someone once put it, “life is so daily”. Sometimes those dreams and goals, especially for women, are lovingly placed on the back seat as children are reared. For one San Antonio woman, her dreams of being a writer came after her children were reared and just before she retired from a career in higher education. Marci McPhee always loved to express herself through writing. Her career as a writer and editor took off, quite simply, as she was in the thick of daily life.

McPhee was serving in a volunteer position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was overseeing the children’s organization for several Latter-day Saint congregations. Working with her two counselors, they began writing a blog to help the various congregations with scenarios with which they were experiencing. Drawing on her degree in social work and child development, they tackled topics such as how do you teach about ideal families to children who live in less than ideal situations, bullying and channeling boundless energy.

As the blog grew with more posts and other contributors, McPhee realized that this could be compiled into a book. She edited the various contributions, stories, lesson and activity ideas into her first published work, Sunday Lessons and Activities for Kids. McPhee says her writing “is about the intersection between the Church and the real world.”

She has since edited five more books all dealing with the application of principles, taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in everyday life. She is adept at coaching others as they tell their stories, struggles and triumphs along this “intersection” of real life and Church teachings. She has tackled topics ranging from the LGBTQ community to a multi-racial family accepting the gospel 55 days prior to the 1978 revelation extending the priesthood to blacks. Continue reading “As Editor of Steve Young’s New Book, a Life-long Dream is Realized for Local Writer”

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

Regarding the tragic conditions in Ukraine, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently said, “We are children of one Heavenly Father. We are all brothers and sisters. Our two great commandments are to serve God and our fellowman. Please find an opportunity to help those in need—even if all you can do is pray and fast in behalf of those who struggle. Small acts of kindness mean everything to those who have lost so much.”

Like many of us, Sister Cindy Beattie, Texas Hill Country Stake Relief Society President, was deeply concerned by the news coming from that part of the world.  She decided she had to do something about it.  

“I thought there must be something we in San Antonio could be doing,” she said. She knew the Church of Jesus Christ and other worldwide relief organizations were stepping in to help but she found it frustrating to sit back and watch.  “It was a Sunday evening about midnight and I felt prompted to call the Branch President in Warsaw. He was so nice and referred me to Sister Agnieszka Mazurowska the Relief Society President. She called me back immediately.”

Sister Mazurowska said at that time all their needs were covered, but because she was the Warsaw Refugees Coordinator, she met every evening with all coordinators from Poland. “I knew that the situation in Kraków was and still is very difficult.” She said.“I’m also a good friend of Agata Tudor Hart who is the Kraków Branch Relief Society President and Refugees Coordinator, and I just asked, ‘Agata, the members from Texas would like to help us, so maybe you need their help.’”  

The need in Krakow was urgent.  They needed suitcases for the Ukrainian refugees who were pouring over the border.  “Many people could ask why the suitcases, because there are many more needed things,” said Sister Mazurowska.  “Yes, but when you must leave your home with only essentials or you don’t have time to pack your stuff in a suitcase. You just take a shopping bag. The suitcase brings your dignity back.” Continue reading “Several Local Congregations Reach Out to Aid Ukrainian Refugees”

The memes about Texas weather are well known to residents of the Lone Star state —spring weather in Texas can give you whiplash. The unpredictable Texas weather made its presence known during the San Antonio North Stake’s trek with high winds and temperatures dropping as low as 14 degrees.  “Weather was a key aspect and the kids and adult leader’s resilience was amazing to see,” said Mark Bush, who helped with this year’s trek. Bush continued: “We especially appreciated that our pioneer ancestors put up with months of this type (or worse) weather driven by their faith.” 

What is Trek all about? It consists of teens giving up their cell phones and games while being clad in long dresses, bonnets, pants with suspenders and a whole lot of down-filled parkas showing up this time. The teens were organized into “families” with mock siblings and assigned a “Ma and Pa”. Each family, consisting of approximately 10 children, were responsible to pull a handcart over uneven terrain as they strived to recreate a pioneer experience. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints they are getting in touch with their “roots” as they simulate the journey of early pioneers across the midwest.

“When ‘Doubt Not Fear Not’ was chosen for our 2022 Trek theme, we never thought the youth and leaders would be tested to the extreme that they were.” said Kelly Abbott. She and her husband David worked as this year’s Trek directors. She said, “The weather went from sunny the first day to very cold and windy through the night and all through the second day as the families pushed and pulled handcarts. A few started to have doubts that things would not get better. But as they awoke on the third day, the sun came out. There was a look of triumph and accomplishment on every face. They did it!” Continue reading “Trek — Warm Hearts and Very Cold Hands”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Stories provide the fabric that weave families together and span generations. Memories shared, provide a glimpse into their lives and hopes for the future. This story of love, hope, faith and firearms starts in 1892 with John and Jemima Shaw.

In 1892, they moved their family from Mississippi to south Texas in search of better farming prospects. They would eventually settle in Cuero, in DeWitt County. There, they established themselves as hardworking farmers and they were devout members of their Protestant church.

Two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints showed up at the Shaw farm one afternoon, tired and hungry. Mattie Shaw, the oldest of John and Jemima’s 11 children recorded: “The two missionaries…walked on foot to all the farms at that time. When they first came to the house Papa told the girls to give them a drink but he did not invite them to come in.” Continue reading “Faith, Firearms and RootsTech”

Written by Leisa Parsons

I love the trend of focusing on a word for the year rather than a list of resolutions that may or may not happen. I do a lot of online fitness classes, and subscribe to a couple of different streaming programs. During one workout, the instructor was using the correct Sanskrit names for many yoga poses and terms — there were no “downward dog” poses. We were doing “Adho Mukha Śvānāsana” (yeah, I realized quickly that this workout was beyond me!) One word that I remembered and didn’t have to Google was “drishti”.  A “drishti” is a specific focus point that is held while maintaining a yoga position. Often times it is very difficult to stay balanced while trying to hold a certain pose, but if you pick a point on the mat or the wall to focus upon, it becomes much easier to stay upright. Essentially, a drishti is a visual anchor that helps you to keep your balance. (If you think it sounds hokey then try standing on one foot with your eyes closed) I have learned that I can hold yoga poses much better when I focus on a drishti and let other distractions fade away.

In a similar, more spiritual manner, I can avoid falling into danger if I focus upon the Lord. Just as a yoga drishti helps keep me anchored and balanced, focusing on the Lord will keep my spirit safely anchored. I’ve thought a lot about a word I want to help define 2022 for me (this is hard because there are so many great words!) however, I have decided “focus” will be my word. 

I want 2022 to be full of joy and I know it’s achievable as I focus on my Savior. I know President Russell M. Nelson’s promise is sure, he said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”₁  I want joy in 2022!

I just returned from the baptism of my twin nephews Max and Milo. Their church leader gave them both a blanket and embroidered on each was the phrase “Always Remember Him” I love this! I want one embroidered for me! I want to be more intentional on where my focus is this year. I want to focus on Jesus Christ — His incomparable life and perfect example. I want to focus on how I act, rather than on reacting. 

Continue reading “Focusing During 2022”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Santa and his elves have nothing on our indefatigable group of youth and members from the Seguin congregation! Yesterday, they teamed up with additional members from the Cibolo Valley Stake and delivered household furnishings and goods to 14 refugee families in one day.

Bishop Tim Bird described the day as “…an incredible crazy, organized, chaotic day…!” They were able to help furnish previously bare apartments. The Afghan community is close knit. They help and share with each other. As a result, yesterday the members from the Cibolo Valley area were able to identify an additional 15 families in need of assistance.

If you would like to assist with ongoing deliveries to help the newly settled refugees please consider checking out their “Stable Project” ministry. Check out their Facebook group. They have an Amazon registry set up or you can purchase IKEA gift cards for larger items at a better price. Also, share this post with others to help spread the word.

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

At this time of year our list of “to do’s” seems to grow exponentially as the holiday season rolls forward — too quickly for parents and agonizingly slow for children. Clad predominantly in red “Light the World” t-shirts, a congregation in Seguin ditched their lists in favor of what the Savior Himself would do — they went about “doing good.”

“Doing good” is probably an understatement! Youth and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seguin spent their last Saturday before Christmas helping six Afghan families receive much needed household furnishings and supplies. Bishop Tim Bird said: “Many years of moving families in and out of wards prepared us for today. We have been on moves when it rained, been on moves where they were on the third floor of a building, been on moves where you couldn’t park close enough to the home and had to carry stuff a mile away.” They encountered all of that on Saturday, but the spirit of what they were doing propelled them on.

They had started the day with a plan to deliver to four households, but as they were moving furniture and dishes they became aware of two other families that had nothing. This group from Seguin can’t look the other way — they are too invested in their work of bringing comfort to others. 

The families were living in empty apartments before the Seguin congregation showed up. The sizes of the families they helped sound a little like the song “12 Days of Christmas”. They helped a family of nine, another family of eight, two families of seven, a family of six and an apartment of five single men. Continue reading “Doing Good”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

The Texas Giving Machine, with its crew of youth and adults clad in red “Light the World” t-shirts, is gearing up to provide the first of many full apartment furnishings this Friday evening to a family of 10. 

The Giving Machine built by youth from @churchofjesuschristsat Seguin congregation has been showing up all over the area. From parades to Seguin City Hall meetings and other community events. The Giving Machine has pictures of 72 items displayed that people can purchase. 

They can purchase items directly and drop them off at the First United Bank in Seguin, where the machine will be during the day. Or they can go through the Amazon registry and scan the QR code on the back of each item’s picture. Continue reading “It’s the Season of Giving and Gratitude”

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

By the end of the year, members and missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have donated a whopping 3,000 volunteer hours in 2021 working at the Christian Cupboard, a food pantry, in Seguin, Texas!

Today, a few of those same volunteers helped unload a truckload of food for the Christian Cupboard, representing the largest single donation of food in the Cupboard’s history. The truck was sent by the Church’s humanitarian services in response to a request made by Bishop Tim Bird, of the Seguin congregation. 

The Christian Cupboard of Seguin finally finished erecting a warehouse for storage, making today’s shipment possible. Bishop Bird said that often times the folks at the Christian Cupboard have had to purchase items off the shelves at HEB to keep their pantry stocked, so they are thrilled with today’s delivery, especially during this holiday season.

Members and missionaries helped unload 24 pallets of food ranging from green beans to chicken soup, applesauce, rice and other pantry staples. Of course there were two pallets of the perennial favorite of any food bank — peanut butter! Pallets of laundry and dish detergent were also donated.  Want to volunteer like the youth and folks in Seguin? Find opportunities for service at JustServe

by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist

Service opportunities are as varied as the people who perform them. Over the past week, thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from around San Antonio have metaphorically come together to help feed the more vulnerable in our city.

The word went out just over a week ago that Catholic Charities needed help filling their Thanksgiving boxes. They had turkeys but they needed side items. Members went into action with different congregations assigned different items to donate —from apples and oranges to potatoes, stuffing, corn, sweet potatoes, marshmallows and other items needed to round out a Thanksgiving meal. 

Continue reading ““The Lord Works””

By Leisa Parsons and Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialists

Most of us are familiar with the saying “Think Globally, Act Locally”. The plight of the Afghan refugees is a global story that has inspired many to get involved. This particular story starts in Germany, ends in San Antonio by way of St. George, Utah. It is the epitome of acting locally to alleviate the suffering of others across the globe.

“As soon as I heard about the Afghan evacuees flying to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, just an hour from where we are living, I hoped there would be an opportunity for me to help.” said Valarie Olson, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Germany, where her husband is stationed with the military. 

Members of the Kaiserslautern Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ mobilized quickly and emails were sent requesting volunteers. “Count me in” Olson responded, “I remember standing in the hangar on Ramstein Air Base, surrounded by carts full of donated clothes. Afghan refugees urgently needed clothing, as many had arrived with only the clothes they were wearing, some even barefoot. I was one of the many volunteers that morning sorting items into packets to distribute.” Continue reading ““Be a Helper””

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

Another Saturday rolls around and one more refugee family arrives in San Antonio, homeless and with little more than the clothes on their backs. Just as predictably, another Latter-day Saint ward is ready to meet their needs.  

This time it’s the Alamo Ranch Ward, San Antonio Texas Stake. Heather Haskin, Ward Relief Society First Counselor said, “We got an email from our Stake Relief Society telling us about the opportunity and I just jumped on it. I’ve been reading about all these people from Afghanistan and wanted to do something, even if it was just a little. I thought back to all the talks that our Church leaders have given in the past couple of years about refugees and how we should reach out and my heart was ready to do that.”  

Kristen Holmes, the ward Relief Society Compassionate Service Leader said, “We got lists from the Refugee Center, sent them out to our members and the response has been phenomenal; clothes, toys, everything that they should need to get them started.”

One item on the list was a carafe to put tea in. Serving hot tea is extremely important in the Muslim culture, but for Latter-day Saints…not so much.  Holmes couldn’t find anyone who had one so they went on-line. “We found one and it was perfect!”

Haskin added that it wasn’t just adults that helped.  “Our Primary boys put together some tables from Ikea. They also drew some pictures for the family.”  She added, “Everything was about ready to go but, of all things, we didn’t have kitchen knives.  So a young boy took his own money and bought them for the new family.”

So a family arrives in their new home and some local residents have the experience of a lifetime helping them get settled. But who puts all this together?

That enormous task is the responsibility of the Center for Refugee Services in San Antonio.  Joann Franck is one of two Donations Coordinators.  “I’ve been doing this for about six years,” she said. “We bring household goods and furniture, piece by piece, to brand new families.” When the number of refugees arriving is very low someone would donate an item and “…We would coordinate a pickup and get it delivered directly to the recipient.”

But then came the Afghan refugees. “Based on initial projections we’re anticipating about 500 Afghans, total, to arrive in San Antonio.  We’ve had about 100 arrive so far,” Franck said. To collect and distribute enough household goods to meet the needs of all these people would overwhelm this small organization. She said that what is making this program work now, “…is that your wards are doing all the collecting and all the distribution in one big event. So the families are being serviced much more efficiently because when they arrive in their apartment they are given everything, or nearly everything and sometimes much more.”  She added that if one family receives more than they need they share.  

There is still the question of what we can do to help the families feel settled?  “The next step for them,” Franck replied, “is to get a job and to enroll their children in school.  Some women will enroll in English classes, some will not.  Building relationships will be a slower process. The father will probably work every single day.”  

In the Muslim culture if the husband is gone it is acceptable for women to visit the home but not men. The best thing to do would be to touch base with the families that we’ve helped.  Check in every week or couple of weeks in the beginning just to keep tabs and say “hello”.  “And for families without a job and without food stamps their need for food will be great,” said Franck.  

A volunteer herself, Franck said, “What your Latter-day Saint wards are doing right now has not only eased the burden for myself and my partner, you have also met the needs of these families so beautifully.”

Want to help? JustServe

By Giles Lambertson, Eagle Pass District Communications Director

Today’s southern border issues are primarily about people. Across the region, organizations are stepping up to cooperatively help hungry, unsheltered and scared border-crossers while policymakers sort out the rest of it. Two recent tractor-truck deliveries illustrate how church and humanitarian organizations are partnering to help the transient immigrant population and local residents in need of assistance.

Last week, food, blankets, water, hygiene kits and other goods were transported some 1,200 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah, to four partners in Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Crystal City. The goods were contributed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in response to local appeals for assistance.

One of the receiving organizations, Mission Border Hope, is an Eagle Pass non-profit service organization closely affiliated with the Methodist Church. At its Bibb Street facility, the organization offers food, overnight shelter, hygiene kits and orientation to people crossing into Maverick County. In September, some 7,300 immigrants processed through the facility after being screened by the Border Patrol and ICE. The month before, 8,100 were assisted. Eleven pallets of diapers, wipes, bottled water, hygiene kits and cleaning supplies were unloaded at the organization’s warehouse.

Forty-five miles east in the Zavala County seat town of Crystal City, the Home of Living Faith Church oversees another distribution effort. Under the leadership of Pastors Eloy and Laura Vera, the church helps as many as 600 people each month in Crystal City, Batesville and LaPryor, Twice-monthly distributions of food, clothing and other supplies primarily target local residents needing help. 

Thirteen pallets of canned fruits and vegetables, blankets, sanitary supplies and other items were unloaded at the Crystal City church and trundled into a storage area for timely distribution. “We exist to help the heart of our town and that is the people,” said Pastor Eloy Vera, who extended his “heartfelt thanks for this and future contributions to our church and pantry.”

In Del Rio, two pallets of bottled water were unloaded at the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition facility on Las Vacas Street. This non-profit organization, like others, serves immigrating individuals and families after they have been screened by Border Patrol and ICE and before being sent on to sponsoring families or organizations to await judicial consideration of their asylum requests. 

In July, some 1,700 people were helped at the Coalition’s facility. In August, the number more than doubled to 3,600. Among many organizations that support the coalition is a Del Rio congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It regularly assembles peanut butter and jam sandwiches for immigrants to eat during their typically long trips to their sponsors.

The fourth recipient of the donated goods was Del Rio’s Loaves & Fishes organization, which distributes bags of food three days a week to local residents in need of assistance. The same day the truckload of food from Salt Lake City arrived, the center received boxes of sandwiches left over from Del Rio City Church’s emergency feeding of Haitian immigrants under the city’s international bridge. Associate Pastor Shon Young and his wife Janeene repacked the sandwiches for placement in a cooler at Loaves & Fishes. 

Operations Director Margie Carroll supervised the truck unloading at Loaves & Fishes, which received 19 pallets of such staples as bottled water, canned fruits and vegetables, rice and sanitary supplies. She was assisted by Mario Cervantes, a Val Verde County employee who moved the pallets to the building with a forklift. 

A Loaves & Fishes volunteer with a pallet jack pulled the plastic-wrapped loaded pallets deeper into the warehouse. Elsewhere at the facility, four young people serving missions in a Del Rio congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints muscled pallets in the truck trailer or stacked and sorted boxed food items.

“This has been a trying year for us all, with the Covid pandemic and the people crossing our Del Rio-Acuna border,” Carroll said. “With this donation, we’re able to help many, many more needy families in our community.”

In all, 48 pallets of goods were distributed from the two trailer-trucks. Such deliveries are ongoing. Besides the four partners assisted this time, local officials in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also have working relationships with seven other county agencies, nursing homes and child welfare centers in Del Rio, Uvalde, Carrizo Springs and Cotulla.

The partnerships were initiated by Ross Davidson, president of the church’s Eagle Pass District, which covers 10 counties in southwestern Texas. “None of these organizations were aware that our church was able to help support their missions until we reached out and offered the help,” he said.

Davidson works closely with Steve Stotts, who manages the Houston/San Antonio/South Texas region of the church’s welfare and self-reliance service organization. Stotts was on hand in Del Rio to help oversee unloading of the truck.

The Utah-headquartered church’s distribution of food through community partnerships—religious and otherwise—was summed up by Davidson this way: “The church has for many years assisted individuals, families and communities, teaching them how to build self-reliance and to recover from unforeseen emergencies. To leverage our resources, we partner with local churches, charities and agencies—coming together with like-minded people to show the Savior’s love and care through selfless service.”

By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist

On August 29th Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a deadly and destructive Category 4 Atlantic storm. It was the second most damaging and intense hurricane on record to make landfall in Louisiana behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ida’s maximum sustained winds at landfall were 150 mph.  She tied last year’s Hurricane Laura and the 1856 Last Island Hurricane as the strongest on record in the state. Ida is also the sixth-costliest tropical cyclone on record, having caused at least $50.684 billion in damages, of which $18 billion was in insured losses in Louisiana.

Five hundred miles away in San Antonio we were well aware of this storm but unaffected by it.  However, five weeks later, carloads of  local Latter-day Saint volunteers were on their way with every intention of getting deeply involved countering the destruction of this terrible storm. They were joined by members from other parts of Texas, as well as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the panhandle of Florida.  

President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, emphasized that same weekend in the Church’s General Conference, “ Most humanitarian and charitable efforts need to be accomplished by pooling and managing individual resources on a large scale.”  Although we don’t know the total number of volunteers who worked there, the people at the designated camp site numbered approximately 1,550.  Members from all of the eight stakes in the San Antonio area were represented.

The Latter-day Saint representative to the Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (TXVOAD), Gene Jensen, (read more about VOAD) said this was the fifth weekend in a row that large teams had been sent into the disaster area to work.  “We were assigned remote areas deep in very swampy regions,” Brother Jensen said. “We saw a tremendous amount of storm damage.”  Because the work was performed outside Texas, Brother Jensen was not there in his official position but as a member of the Pecan Valley Stake.

An example of the size of the projects assigned to the volunteers was the large project of helping the St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Paradis, Louisiana.  This site had been worked on for several weeks by multiple teams but with little progress on clearing the large trees blown down on their 12 acre lot.  

President Frank Freeman, Texas Hill Country Stake 2^nd Counselor said, “We did another project early that Sunday morning and then headed down to Paradis, arriving right about 9 a.m., just as their first Mass was getting over. A second Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. and we were concerned the noise of our sawing trees and operating equipment would disturb them.”  Apparently they were unfazed. President Freeman went on to say that their Parrish Priest, Father Joseph Duc Dzien, who evacuated from Vietnam in 1975, was there to meet them. “He was a very humble man serving in a very humble parish.”

The Parrish owns 12 acres with large trees interspersed throughout. The Parrish property was home to local fairs and other community activities. Well over half of the large trees were down due to the 150 mph winds experienced during Hurricane Ida. A good number of these trees had been cut up by prior teams but were still in their original locations due to the size of the logs.  

President Freeman said, “A member of our Stake not only donated his time, he donated the use of his skid steer (pictured above). With that we were able to not only cut up all the rest of the largest trees, we got all the downed trees from the acreage piled up in a single location to be removed.”  

They were assisted throughout the project by the Catholic church property manager and were presented at the end of project with lunch provided by the property manager’s wife.  “We learned that this was the first week since the hurricane that the congregation had been able to use their building and it was a great service to them to get the debris cut up and moved.”

The work was not without its share of interesting experiences. President Freeman said that while working on the Parrish property a passerby volunteered to help. “We were pretty much finished at that point, but we found out he was actually looking for employment and did not have money for gas or food. He was catholic so I committed him to attend the Parrish we were working on the next week. We then helped him with his stated needs so that he could get an unexpected blessing.” President Freeman confirmed that this was, indeed, the first time he’d ever committed someone to attend Catholic services.  

Not everyone was thrilled to have the volunteer workers in their neighborhoods, however.  One was a neighbor of a project that the Hill Country Stake volunteers were working on.  His cable went out during the work on the adjacent lot and he felt the workers were somehow the cause. He was not happy that he could not sit at home and watch the upcoming LSU football game. “He confronted us wanting to know which company we worked for as he wanted compensation for not being able to watch the game. We told him we were just volunteers to which he responded quite heatedly that no one volunteers today. He insisted that we were being paid by someone and he wanted to talk with them before we left.” President Freeman assured him that “No one was paying us except the Lord and in fact everyone he saw was donating considerable time and expense of their own to be spending the weekend there.” President Freeman said the man resumed hiding in his house.

The weather was very humid and the ground was wet and muddy.  “Truthfully,” said President Freeman, “Most places where we worked had high grass, a lot of brush, and many marshy areas. Snakes and alligators were a constant concern but we just moved in to do what was needed.” Fortunately most teams did not actually encounter any of the above mentioned critters. 

Josh Ragsdale is a member of the Bulverde Ward, Texas Hill Country Stake.  For him the biggest obstacle was overcoming the trepidation of actually going. “First of all it’s a major hassle for the common American guy to make this work; getting off work early, buying supplies, getting the kid (son, Dillon) out of school early, making arrangements, and paying for the gas to go.”  He continued, “Then you have the physical toll that it takes on your ‘Dad bod.’  Now back in the day chopping and hauling wood all day like a lumberjack is great. But now… not so much.”  

All joking aside Brother Ragsdale shared a personal miracle.  “A few days before going I twisted my knee and had a noticeable limp, but I had already committed to going. I was genuinely worried that I would be useless hobbling around the worksite after the first hour.  Even while driving the eight hours over to Louisiana my knee was stiff and hurt.  I was really worried. Then when we arrived and I stepped out of the truck I had no more doubts. The next morning I got up and my knee was just fine and over the two days of hard work it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, physically I worked well above my normal ‘Dad bod’ abilities. Heavenly Father definitely blessed me.”

President Freeman was particularly impressed by the youth who volunteered to serve. He said that each team had at least one if not several youth. “I saw enormous growth in their perspectives as well as an appreciation for their own blessings.” 

Brother Ragsdale noted that his son really stepped up to the plate. “Without a peep of discomfort and with supreme selflessness he delivered in ways I have never in my life witnessed. I watched him make countless trips with wheelbarrows full of debris, never asking for a break, or even showing signs of discomfort.” As Brother Ragsdale watched his son interact with local residents he realized his son was ready for a mission.

President Freeman said that the hardest obstacle to overcome was having to ask people to serve without being able to tell them what they were to do and where they were to go.  “The Church coordinators did a great job briefing the priesthood leaders both late Tuesday evening and then again late Wednesday evening.”  He added, “It was miraculous the number who volunteered by Tuesday afternoon without anything other than ‘we need your help and we will let you know later what you are to do.’”

Mike Chatterton, a Cibolo Valley Stake Team Lead, said his teams worked a total of 14 hours over the 2 days (238 man hours) and closed out a total of 7 work orders. “We had some really great opportunities to help others not only with our service, but by reminding them that their Heavenly Father will help them when they need it.”

“…Even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles.” D & C 105:14

By Leisa Parsons and Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialists

“Through your ministry, donations, time and love, you have been the answer to so many prayers. And yet there is so much more to do.” said Sister Sharon Eubank during her address at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ General Conference Saturday evening .

She went on to say “As baptized members of the Church, we are under covenant to care for those in need. Our individual efforts don’t necessarily require money or faraway locations; but they do require the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a willing heart to say to the Lord: ‘Here am I, send me.’”

This afternoon, members of the Valencia Branch answered the invitation to help those in need. They brought household goods to a new family of refugees from Afghanistan. The Valencia Branch, from the San Antonio East Stake, has been gathering the furniture and items for a few weeks awaiting the call that came last night — a family was ready to move in.

Elisa Rangel, the Branch Relief Society President said when she first heard about the opportunity to gather items for refugees she was thrilled to put her religion into practice. She said: “The mission of our Church is to help  our fellowmen. And I wanted to put charity, the pure love of Christ, into action.”

In Sunday afternoon’s session of General Conference, Bishop Todd L. Budge of the Church’s Presiding Bishopric was asked to speak of the Church’s many humanitarian efforts around the globe. He said: when “viewed from the perspective of ‘giving to’ the Lord, our sacrifices on behalf of others become gifts, and the joy of generously giving becomes its own reward.” 

The branch brought so many items for this family of five, that Joann Franck, from the Center for Refugee Services, said that she could bring some of the items to other families. She said that the Afghan families are so good to share any excess items with newly arrived families. She said there were approximately 1,000 Afghans in the area, with more arriving. Many refugees that will arrive here are currently being held up with paperwork and in trying to insure everyone is healthy and vaccinated. 

Bishop Budge said: “Yes, each of us is small, but together as we hasten to give to God and our fellowmen, wherever we go, lives are enriched and blessed.”

To see how you can help please go to JustServe