More than 600 women gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, for a conference with Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson during her 18-day ministry in four Asian countries.
President Johnson also ministered in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, meeting with and teaching women and children and also with nongovernmental organizations The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collaborates with on humanitarian efforts, reported ChurchofJesusChrist.org on June 3 and June 7. She was joined by her husband, Brother Doug Johnson, and leaders from the Church’s Asia Area.
In Thailand, the conference on May 31 included cultural dancing with native costumes and music. Local Church members gave President Johnson a wreath of jasmine flowers representing friendship.
“More beautiful than the flowers I saw were the faces of these women,” President Johnson said. “Many of them made the sacrifice of getting on a bus or a train and traveling more than 12 hours to be with us. It was a glorious occasion.”
She noted an example of a woman who spends five days a week to worship in the Bangkok Thailand Temple — two commuting and three days serving.
President Johnson said so many others display similar devotion.
“I found the sisters here in Thailand committed to ministering as the Savior would, offering relief, serving as His hands and His feet,” she said. “I know that they listen as the Savior would, offering consolation and counsel and advice and everything they can to lift and serve one another. I was really impressed by that. They have embraced ministering in a higher and holier way.”
Nepal
In Kathmandu, Nepal, President Johnson met on June 2 with representatives of Helen Keller Intl, iDE and CARE, which have been collaborating with the Church on the Relief Society’s global initiative to help women and children. She was joined by Elder Benjamin M.Z. Tai, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Asia Area, and his wife, Sister Naomi Tai.
President Johnson said, “They are working to bless the lives of women and children here in this great land.” She added, “I was so pleased to see how the three of them are working to address the needs of children and their mothers and families.”
Their work includes nutrition screening for children, fortifying severely malnourished children, and educating women about nutrition and how to start a small business to become self-reliant.
Also in Nepal, President Johnson ministered to more than 100 Latter-day Saints who gathered June 2 at a local meetinghouse in a rented house.
“I was happy to share with them a message of love — love first of their Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ,” President Johnson said. “And, of course, I communicated my love to them. They’re devoted and consecrated people who are ministering to one another in higher and holier ways. They are taking care of each other in the Savior’s way, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to be with them.”
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, President Johnson saw how the Church and UNICEF’s collaboration is helping women and children in the nation.
President and Brother Johnson were joined during the May 19-22 visit by Church Humanitarian Services director Sharon Eubank; Elder Kelly R. Johnson, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Asia Area presidency; and his wife, Sister Terri Johnson.
President Johnson noted how well the Church’s humanitarian services, the Asia Area leaders and UNICEF were working together.
“Rather than a patchwork of projects, we’re coming together united by this opportunity to really do some good for women and children,” she said.
President Johnson visited a clinic, a hospital, a primary school and preschools in Sabaragamuwa Province.
“It was especially wonderful to see the women supporting each other, to come together and see them lifting one another and sharing what they’ve learned about their best practices as a mother with their friends,” President Johnson said.
A $500,000 contribution from the Church has helped UNICEF train more than 2,600 health workers in Sri Lanka to help prevent and treat malnutrition in children. In June 2023, during National Nutrition Month, more than 1.3 million children under 5 were assessed, and about 1 in 4 — nearly 350,000 — showed signs of not growing properly. The families of these children were given information about food and activities to help them.
Also, the Church’s support has helped with UNICEF’s efforts in Sri Lanka to recover from educational disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. UNICEF has been providing learning materials and catch-up programs for 74,500 primary students in 450 schools in Sri Lanka’s Eastern and Sabaragamuwa provinces, including training teachers to identify and address needs of each student.
Said Christian Skoog, a UNICEF representative in Sri Lanka, “This collaboration in Sri Lanka has demonstrated the power of coming together, and UNICEF counts on the Church to continue and expand this truly meaningful collaboration.”
Read more about President Johnson’s ministry with members in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia in “Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson ministers in Indonesia, Sri Lanka” published June 3.
