West Africa food donations help Light the World

The Africa West Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been striving to “Light the World” this year through donating food to those in need. The initiative focuses on celebrating the birth of Christ by sharing His light and emulating His acts.

In Ghana, from Dec. 3-5, the Church delivered food to nearly 1,400 families and individuals in need in Takoradi and the Madina district of Accra. The bags of food included essentials like rice, oil, gari and beans.

Missionaries from the Ghana Missionary Training Center in Accra packaged the food, lining the MTC gymnasium where they organized, stacked and sorted the bags, then loaded them onto trucks for distribution.

The Church had asked mayors, community council members, religious leaders, traditional chiefs and others to identify those in the community who could use the donations — such as those who were widowed, elderly or who had disabilities or other need of assistance.

These individuals were then invited to come to local stake centers and enjoy performances and messages before the food distribution, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.

The Church delivered food to the National Union of Organizations for the Disabled in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia, on Dec. 5. Many of the beneficiaries asked for handshakes and hugs from the members of the Church’s Africa West Area communication department who were there.

The president of the organization, Peter Flomo, expressed gratitude on behalf of the organization, according to the Church’s Africa Newsroom. “There are not much words to say thank you, but our faces today can tell you how much grateful we are to you for this donation and we hope that you remember us next year again.”

On Dec. 14, members of the Church delivered food to the homes of people in need in Asaam, which is in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Edmund Kuame Osei said the visits were a great spiritual experience for those in the group, reported Africa Newsroom. He said one man, who was blind, said a prayer of thanksgiving right before them after receiving the donation. A woman thanked them for helping her “sleep without worry.” And an elderly lady whom they visited said, “I now know Jesus Christ loves me and thinks about me in my corner.”

Other humanitarian efforts in Africa West Area

Last year for the Light the World initiative in Africa, the Church donated food to families in need in Tamale, Ghana. The mayor at the time invited the Church to see the conditions at Tamale Children’s Home for Orphans and asked for help in improving the building for the children.

Since that day, the Church has funded renovations of the older boys’ dormitory and the kitchen, officially marking the end of construction on Nov. 28.

Elder Isaac K. Morrison, second counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, made the formal presentation and handover to the local administration. In his remarks, he referenced James 1:27, noting that pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.

To show their appreciation for the improvements, some of the older children participated in a regional dance for the audience. Then, the local chief imam thanked and blessed the Church for its generosity, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.

Other recent donations the Church has made in the area include a new X-ray machine to Asamankese Government Hospital and a mental health facility at Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, both in central Ghana.