Primary children in Macau couldn’t watch children in Nepal suffer without doing something to help. Macau children in the Primary program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints heard that many of the families in Nepal had no homes and no places to sleep following two major earthquakes in that country recently, and took matters into their own hands.
- Macau Branches - Primary
- Gifts from Macau Primary to Nepal Primary
- Nepal Primary thanks Macau for the gifts
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The destructive April 25th, 2015 earthquake left its mark on nearly everyone in the country. Then just as families were beginning to adjust to their new “normal” with torn up streets, destroyed buildings, and severe loss of life, another major quake further devastated the already jittery residents on May 12th.
Only one “branch” of the Church exists in Nepal, so members of the Church there can feel isolated from the rest of the Church’s 15 million members worldwide. When the earthquakes happened, the small Kathmandu branch in the shadows of the Himalayan Mountains felt even more isolated. But with typical Nepalese fortitude, they banded together as Latter-day Saints to share faith, courage, and strength with each other.
Over 2900 kilometers away (1,800 miles), another small band of Latter-day Saints met soon after the quakes. The Primary children in Macau heard of the plight of the Nepalese earthquake survivors. They wondered how the little Nepalese Primary children were doing, and they wanted to do something to help. So together with their leaders they came up with a plan.
“I just thought it would be neat to show our kids where Nepal is and talk a little bit about what recently happened to them and that we can send them some love,” said Jessica Taylor, Primary president of the Macau 2nd Branch (English speaking). In addition to that branch, Macau also has the Macau 1st Branch and Macau 3rd Branch, both of which are Cantonese speaking.
“We had a tri-branch meeting as part of our first annual Macau China District meeting (the first Macau “district” of the Church was newly created on 17 May, 2015), and we got all the Primary kids together and drew pictures to go in a package for the Primary kids in Nepal,” Sister Taylor said. As the children worked on their activity, they shared how much they liked being able to make these pictures for the children in Nepal. They couldn’t believe there was only one Primary in all of Nepal.
The Primary youngsters put all their pictures, markers, and other goodies into a decorated box which was hand-carried into Nepal by Jim and Chris Valentine, LDS Charities humanitarian volunteers. The children in Nepal were delighted.
“We looked at all the pictures and then passed out the yummy teddy grahams. That was a highlight,” said Chris Valentine. Sister Gurung, Kathmandu Branch Primary President, was especially grateful for the magnets and markers.
Sister Valentine expressed their deep appreciation. “We love being a part of a worldwide Church that cares. The kids had fun looking at the writing that was different than their own. It was more convincing that they were a part of a culture totally different than theirs but with the same beliefs.”
And to the children of the Macau China District, she said, “You are so wonderful and your Primary is so awesome! Thank you from the Kathmandu Branch Primary!”