Jan

25

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is working in partnership with several organizations, including the UNICEF and the American Red Cross, to help eradicate measles in Africa.

UNICEF announced last week that the combined efforts of several organizations have led to a 60 percent drop in deaths since 1999: this percentage translates into 1,000 children a day who do not die from measles.

The Church became involved in the measles campaign in 2003. It has since included the program as one of the Church’s major humanitarian initiatives, along with clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, neonatal resuscitation training and vision treatment training.

There are some people around the world that think that the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) only try to convert people to become members of the Mormon Church but that the Church is not involved in other forms of assistance or Christian help.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth, but for a long time the Church has been slow to publicize its humanitarian efforts, perhaps because of what it is written in Matthew 6: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

However, and this is my personal opinion and I don’t speak for the Mormon Church, this is mostly true for individuals, since salvation and recompense it is mostly a personal matter and organizations are not “saved” or “rewarded” as individuals.

On the other hand, the Church has the mandate of preaching the Gospel to all people and in order to do it needs to be well known around the world. So, not for personal aggrandizement, but to better accomplish its mission the Church is perhaps now publicizing a little more its humanitarian efforts.

See full article about the Church efforts to eradicate measles in Africa


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