HONG KONG
Earthquakes in the People's Republic of China. Typhoons in Myanmar. Flooding in Hong Kong.
Relief response to major natural disasters there and added to the regular, ongoing Church charity efforts has made for a busy 2008 for the Asia Area welfare leaders.
And they have provided memorable close-to-home welfare experiences — and even hands-on opportunities —for local Latter-day Saints.
In the aftermath of China's May 12 Sichuan earthquake, the nation's worst in three-plus decades that left 70,000 dead and an estimated 4.8 million homeless, the Asia Area leaders were able to help members there to see — and even participate with — Church relief efforts.
Letters were sent to Church units throughout Taiwan and Hong Kong, asking members to donate not to other relief funds but to the Church's humanitarian fund, pooling their monies with that from Saints around the world.
"The idea was to particularly let our (Asia) members see what we were doing," said Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy and first counselor in the Asia Area presidency. "Here in Asia, we don't have the luxury of having canneries and (welfare) ranches and doing those kinds of service."
In turn, the Church was able to show members where funds and efforts were used in relief efforts. In less than two weeks, a check for 1 million Chinese RMB (approximately U.S. $145,000) — generated from member donations — was presented by the Church to leaders of the Sichuan Red Cross and local government.
And by midsummer, a total of 5,000 tents, 1,500 wheelchairs, 3,000 walkers and 10,000 "living" kits (containing blankets, food, water and other life-sustaining supplies) had been distributed.
All distributed tents and kits were marked with the LDS Charities logo — "LDS" in English initials and "Charities" in Chinese characters.
Immediately after the May 12 earthquake, Church leaders confirmed all members in the area — including the China Teachers Program volunteers through BYU's Kennedy Center and a BYU tour group — were OK. Within 24 hours, Asia Area welfare leaders were able to provide tents to those members who couldn't get back to their homes, reported Elder Stanley Wan, Asia Area LDS Charities director and Area Seventy.
Less than two weeks later, some 600 members from Hong Kong — most of Chinese descent — traveled to Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong Province to help assemble relief supplies for distribution.
The Hong Kong members either used existing visas or had to arrange for new ones to enter mainland China and travel to the Hong Kong/China border on their own. From there, the Church arranged for buses to take them to a factory facility — owned by Hong Kong member Bruce Lai — where members put together the living kits.
Church welfare officials were able to arrange for the extra tents from two of its regular suppliers, including one that willingly diverted a U.S. shipment for the emergency use in China.
The efforts in Shenzen "helped not only with the disaster, but it uplifted the faith of the members who went to see and to help," said Elder Wan, quoting one member who told him, "That was the most meaningful activity that I have ever attended in my Church life."'
A. Terry Oakes, the Asia Area director of temporal affairs, said post-quake relief continues in the area, with the Church sending medical supplies and school-related items. "All the schools were destroyed there," he said, adding that shipments are including school materials, classroom equipment and supplies.
In China, the Church continues to work with local government entities and several major national groups — including China Charities Foundation and All China Women's Federation — in providing donated wheelchairs and walkers, asthma treatment, vocational training and water development throughout E-mail to: taylor@desnews.com
