A Day of Service Throughout the Caribbean

On November 2, 2013, throughout the Caribbean, the members of the Church performed a day of service called “Hands and Hearts.” It is the first time that this international day of service has occurred here.  Since it was a Public Affairs event, we had spent a lot of time contacting the stakes and districts in all of the countries about what was involved and to report back to the Area Presidency us and copy us the on their results.  Some of them were very responsive, but others were so slow.  It's the kind of thing that in the States we would have started organizing six months in advance.  Many of the places here decided on the Sunday before what they were going to do.  But, there was an incredible turnout  with thousands participating.   

And one of the great things that happened besides helping many little branches become more unified, other people saw what they were doing and wanted to help.  The house in the first two pictures below belonged to two elderly brothers, one of whom was in a wheelchair.  The local Lions' Club had told them about them. The little congregation of thirty, including the kids, cleaned, painted, and put in a ceiling fan for them.  Right across the street is a Seventh-Day Adventist Church.  When church let out for them, because they meet on Saturdays, they stood and watched what was being done.  After a while, the minister walked over and told the members that this was such a great thing for them to do and asked them to invite him and his congregation to join them in any future service projects - isn't that great?  If everyone was interested in serving others without any attention to their religion, income level, or the color of their skin, wouldn't the world be a better place? 

Among other activities, the units undertook projects such as painting schools and hospitals; cleaning and beautifying parks, roadways, cemeteries, beaches, and other public areas; visiting with the elderly in rest homes; and preparing kits to be used for cholera and dengue prevention. There were a ton of pictures, but these were really good ones that we wanted to share with you.  

Two boys painting during the same project 

Women cleaning the home of two elderly handicapped
men in the Cayman Islands.

Youth surrounding their bags of trash after a roadside cleanup
in Guyana.

Man cleaning up undergrowth
in Haiti.

Man cleaning out his paintbrush after work in Jamaica.

Men repairing a fence in Barbados

Painting a school in Barbados

Repairing a broken cistern drain in Puerto Plata, DR

Cemetery cleanup in Villa Mella, DR

Youth cleaning a beach in Tobago