Looking forward to a New Year
by Jean Doria, DNP MS RN
A wonderful lady in my ward quoted a verse in Doctrine and Covenants many years ago when I was in the midst of a very challenging situation. At that moment, I knew that I did everything in my power to take care of that challenge, but I was at the mercy of people who have the power to harm and undo all the things I have accomplished, or make the situation come to pass in behalf of my family.
As I read, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and them may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17), I felt that God was at the helm and I need not fear. This verse was cross-referenced with Exodus 14:13, a verse where the panic-stricken Israelites were assured and calmed as they were caught between the rushing powerful Egyptian chariots and the uncrossable Red Sea. I was comforted and assured that God will answer our petitions. He did.
In the same manner that our family petitions were granted, we literally felt that the Red Sea “parted” in behalf of IHHELPP. As we look back to the events in 2014, we deeply recognize and acknowledge the hand of our Heavenly Father whose tender mercies made it possible for us to accomplish seemingly unsurmountable tasks. Our humanitarian trip to the Philippines last summer focused on helping those whose lives were severely impacted by typhoon “Yolanda.” Building 2 units of wind, earthquake and typhoon-resistant homes in less than two days was no small feat. Coupled with this is the fact that these two units were built by untrained hands-- young Boy Scouts from Pleasant View 5th ward in Utah, fathers, and male Carigara Stake members, also called pandays, whose hearts were interwoven with the common desire to help those in need.
Between experiencing red tape with a freight filled with Eagle Scout project items-kitchen items, hygiene kits, school supplies, construction tools, sports equipment, and housing panels- that could not be cleared in Port of Manila, challenging conditions in Port Matnog and Leyte, and housing construction that raced with scheduled flights, miracles took place and we accomplished what we intended to do.
We also pause with gratitude for the two hectares of land in the Philippines willingly donated by a Catholic engineer through an Engineer-Architect husband and wife LDS church members. We also look back with grateful hearts to organizations and people from all walks of life who shared the vision of IHHELPP and decided to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the needy, sharing their talents, time, and resources to further this cause.
We look forward to 2015 with deep faith and excitement for the opportunities to provide disaster-proof homes for the poor and to build our first IHHELPP technical school anchored upon a relevant curriculum and nurtured in LDS values. Our plan is to start the technical school that can be bridged to a future LDS university. We welcome members and non-members who lack resources for education to partake of an innovative study program that links education with livelihood. As disparities in housing and education continue to engulf the poor in the Philippines, we sincerely invite you to “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power” to mediate this ever-widening gap. Improving housing and education elevates quality of life and impacts health and livelihood, all of which are critical areas that affect not only one’s temporal being, but also the dignity of the soul.
Please join IHHELPP in our desire to empower indigent Filipinos so they can carve a bright future for themselves and their families. As we are all recipients of God’s tender mercies, may we remember that we daily partake of the blessings which emanate from the toils of those who came before us. I close with the tender words of Robert Simpson that left indelible marks in my heart when I read them in BYU-Hawaii over 35 years ago:
“We drink daily from wells we have not dug,
We warm our hands by fires we have not kindled;
May we now think in terms of replenishing the water in the well,
And put new kindling in the fire that have provided us warmth for these many years.”
A wonderful lady in my ward quoted a verse in Doctrine and Covenants many years ago when I was in the midst of a very challenging situation. At that moment, I knew that I did everything in my power to take care of that challenge, but I was at the mercy of people who have the power to harm and undo all the things I have accomplished, or make the situation come to pass in behalf of my family.
As I read, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and them may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17), I felt that God was at the helm and I need not fear. This verse was cross-referenced with Exodus 14:13, a verse where the panic-stricken Israelites were assured and calmed as they were caught between the rushing powerful Egyptian chariots and the uncrossable Red Sea. I was comforted and assured that God will answer our petitions. He did.
In the same manner that our family petitions were granted, we literally felt that the Red Sea “parted” in behalf of IHHELPP. As we look back to the events in 2014, we deeply recognize and acknowledge the hand of our Heavenly Father whose tender mercies made it possible for us to accomplish seemingly unsurmountable tasks. Our humanitarian trip to the Philippines last summer focused on helping those whose lives were severely impacted by typhoon “Yolanda.” Building 2 units of wind, earthquake and typhoon-resistant homes in less than two days was no small feat. Coupled with this is the fact that these two units were built by untrained hands-- young Boy Scouts from Pleasant View 5th ward in Utah, fathers, and male Carigara Stake members, also called pandays, whose hearts were interwoven with the common desire to help those in need.
Between experiencing red tape with a freight filled with Eagle Scout project items-kitchen items, hygiene kits, school supplies, construction tools, sports equipment, and housing panels- that could not be cleared in Port of Manila, challenging conditions in Port Matnog and Leyte, and housing construction that raced with scheduled flights, miracles took place and we accomplished what we intended to do.
We also pause with gratitude for the two hectares of land in the Philippines willingly donated by a Catholic engineer through an Engineer-Architect husband and wife LDS church members. We also look back with grateful hearts to organizations and people from all walks of life who shared the vision of IHHELPP and decided to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the needy, sharing their talents, time, and resources to further this cause.
We look forward to 2015 with deep faith and excitement for the opportunities to provide disaster-proof homes for the poor and to build our first IHHELPP technical school anchored upon a relevant curriculum and nurtured in LDS values. Our plan is to start the technical school that can be bridged to a future LDS university. We welcome members and non-members who lack resources for education to partake of an innovative study program that links education with livelihood. As disparities in housing and education continue to engulf the poor in the Philippines, we sincerely invite you to “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power” to mediate this ever-widening gap. Improving housing and education elevates quality of life and impacts health and livelihood, all of which are critical areas that affect not only one’s temporal being, but also the dignity of the soul.
Please join IHHELPP in our desire to empower indigent Filipinos so they can carve a bright future for themselves and their families. As we are all recipients of God’s tender mercies, may we remember that we daily partake of the blessings which emanate from the toils of those who came before us. I close with the tender words of Robert Simpson that left indelible marks in my heart when I read them in BYU-Hawaii over 35 years ago:
“We drink daily from wells we have not dug,
We warm our hands by fires we have not kindled;
May we now think in terms of replenishing the water in the well,
And put new kindling in the fire that have provided us warmth for these many years.”
A Lesson on Giving from TindurTindur knocked on our door one afternoon with his mom. He was carrying a small sandwich bag. He told us that it has money he earned over Christmas. He said he wanted to donate the money to IHHELPP.
We had a nice chat with Tindur’s mom and she told us the story behind Tindur’s donation: “Tindur is six years old, and he turns seven this May. He has been saving money to buy something for himself. Last week he decided suddenly that he wanted to give the money to the foundation. He has $30. He saved his Christmas money from Grandma, sold some of his treasures on a table on the street, and did extra chores to save more money to donate to the foundation. We asked him how he wants his money spent and he told us that he wants IHHELPP to buy pencils, crayons, and paper for Filipino students. He gave us a dimpled smile and went home. We are grateful for Tindur and his amazing example of selflessness and generosity. |
Giving our Christmas AwayArthur Hanneman, President, Laie 1st Stake
A few weeks before Christmas, My sons started asking for toys they saw from a television commercial. They insisted that they want these toys for Christmas and pressed me to buy them every time I came home from work. As the nagging continued, I felt that I somehow failed to teach my sons the true meaning of Christmas. After some careful thought, I was inspired to contact the director of a homeless shelter in Los Angeles. I told the director over the phone that my sons wanted to give their Christmas to a family in need. Without my sons’ knowledge, I set an appointment for them to meet the director of that shelter. Mind you, this shelter is a heavy place. People of all ages are living on the streets: grandmas, teenagers, moms and their babies, and more. I drove for an hour to down town LA with the boys on a Sunday. They had no idea of what I had in store for them. I just told them that we are doing something special. I parked a mile away from the shelter. I wanted to have my sons experience walking down the vicinity of the shelter and see the people living there. Walking to the director’s office, we saw people living in the sides from all walks of life. They lived in crazy situations. My sons clung to me throughout that short walk. We walked into the director’s office. The director was waiting for us with a stack of pictures laid on his table. We shook hands and then turned to the boys and said, “Thank you, boys, for giving away your Christmas.” Still puzzled, the boys went through picture after picture of families hosted by this shelter. We decided on a picture of a family with twenty members living in the bushes. We decided to visit this family at that moment. We exited the office, got into our cars and followed the director. We drove into the hardest part of the city. We saw houses made of makeshift cardboard boxes. The director introduced us to the family. There were about 17 of them: grandparents, their children, some grand kids. One of the women had a baby. They were super friendly. The family did not have any idea why we were there. The director told them of our intention to give away our Christmas. They were overjoyed. The director told them to make a list of all the things they needed. He told them that we’ll be sure to get these things for them by Christmas. They started creating the list including things like jackets, sweaters, socks, baby formula, blankets, shirts, etc. Coming back from that visit, my wife and I announced our intention to give away our Christmas to our local church ward. A lot of people stepped up and got involved with planning, purchasing, and making things happen. By the end of the week, we had two trucks of supplies, gifts, and all kinds of stuff from the list and more to give away to this family. We drove the trucks to where the family was living. All seventeen of them came out and greeted us. They saw us and they started crying. They were so grateful. We then set up a Christmas tree at the middle of their community We gathered around the tree, held hands, sang songs, and bore testimony of the love of God. Ever since that Christmas, our sons did not ask for gifts ever again. We should not raise our children wanting things. We should focus on the true meaning of Christmas. We need to teach them to be like Jesus Christ. I know that as you give, God will give you back a thousand fold. We tend to be protective of our possessions with the fear of loss. We forget, though, that it is by giving that we are added upon and gain more. |