Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, told women in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, that Heavenly Father “knows where you are and knows how to help you.”
“You are not lost to our Heavenly Father,” she said in a devotional to more than 800 Latter-day Saint women. “You have been sent at this time to be a force for good.”
Sister Dennis ministered to women in Central America, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua in May and June.
“It has been such a beautiful experience,” she said in a video from the Church’s Spanish language Newsroom. “It has been incredible to be in these countries and meet so many people, so many members here and others as well.”
In Panama, she told members of the Relief Society that “We are all daughters of the same Heavenly Father.”
“That means we are sisters and that none of us should feel alone,” she said. “Our Heavenly Father expects His daughters to support, help and lift one another.” She also spoke of the personal challenges many women face, including depression, anxiety and family struggles.
“Sometimes we think that some sisters have no challenges because they always smile and serve others,” she said. “However, they may be carrying very heavy burdens in their hearts. This is why we must love one another, support each other and joyfully receive those who decide to return to the path of the gospel.”
In El Salvador, she invited the women to support each other.
“We need each other,” she said. “No one here should feel that they are going through these trials alone.”
The Relief Society organization is leading the Church’s efforts to care for women and children, and Sister Dennis — joined by members of the Church’s Central America Area presidency — announced new donations for those in need.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will support five humanitarian projects, which will help more than half a million people throughout Central America, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The projects include: improved eye-care in El Salvador, safer water in Central America, better education opportunities in Guatemala, expanded health care for women in Panama and an enhanced hospital for children in Nicaragua.
El Salvador
For the fourth consecutive year, the Church will collaborate with Charity Vision International and the Foundation for the Development of Women on the “Windows of Light” initiative. The goal is to improve visual health and academic performance for children and youth in El Salvador by distributing prescription glasses.
At a ceremony announcing this donation on Friday, June 5, Sister Dennis told students that Heavenly Father wants them to learn, grow and have opportunities to achieve their dreams.
“I am very grateful to be here and witness what is taking place,” she said. “This is the sacred work of helping others, as our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to do.”
Safe water in several countries
On Friday, May 29, the Church and UNICEF announced a new regional initiative to improve access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene and digital education in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Olga Isaza, deputy regional director of UNICEF, said, “Access to safe water, sanitation and quality education transforms the lives of children today and protects their future.”
Guatemala
The Church is collaborating with the Sergio Paiz Andrade Foundation and the Ministry of Education and the city of Malacatancito to improve educational opportunities in Guatemala.
Sister Dennis spoke to students at an announcement of the donation on June 1 of the importance of education.
“Remember that each of you is a son or daughter of God,” she said. “He loves you and wants you to learn and have better opportunities.”
The Church also donated tables, desks and chairs to a school in the village of Piache, to help improve classroom conditions.
Panama
The Church donated a mobile digital mammography unit for the “Health on Wheels” program administered by the office of the first lady of Panama on June 3 in Panama City, Panama.
“This donation is not only a humanitarian effort but also a sacred responsibility to live the first two commandments — to love God and to love our neighbor,” Sister Dennis said.
Nicaragua
The Church outfitted the intensive care area of the Manuel de Jesús Rivera Children’s Hospital, “La Mascota,” in Managua, Nicaragua, with cardiac monitors, hospital beds and clinical furniture.
During a donation ceremony on Thursday, June 4, Minister of Health Dr. Meyling Liseth Brenes Calderón thanked God and the Church.
“We first give thanks to God and to the members of the Church for having in their hearts a love for their neighbor and for actively supporting the Manuel de Jesús Rivera Hospital for the benefit of our children, who are the future of the country,” Calderón said.
Sister Dennis added that this is a “work of love, and we are so happy to be part of it.”
