A Seal Beach Ward Member Responds to the China Earthquake

I just got back from Portland, and here is a little thing I have been doing. It's an idea about something one can do. The church has been encouraging us to participate in groups and forums on the internet and to represent the church that way. Well, when the earthquake hit China, I was camping in Oregon, and so really didn't get a chance to see any photos or video of those events. When I did see them, I kind of felt helpless for a while. What could I do? I had hundreds of Oregon photos to post in flickr so that my friends and family could see them, but I didn't feel like doing that.Instead, I posted a photo from the Chinese media of some earthquake damage and wrote that I was going to find out the best way to help the people there, as efficiently as possible. I asked if anyone would like to hear of my results.Of course, what I found out is that the LDS humanitarian aid program is the best there is due to the fact that it is upheld by volunteers all over the world, and also because it works closely with other humanitarian aid programs, such as the Red Cross.The system is already in place, and it has been working, and been proven, many times over the years, not just in impoverished and war-torn areas of the world, but also in immediate response to natural disasters.Many friends on flickr, 100% of them non-members, asked for info on how to make donations to help the people in China. I was able to give them URLs and links and to tell them that the LDS humanitarian aid program sends 100% of what is donated, directly to where one specifies. I reported that there are no administration fees, etc. and no government officials to skim off the top, because it is a direct, volunteer program. I was also able to point out where people could look to learn more about the ways that the LDS humanitarian aid program has responded in many other areas around the world.I feel that this way, not only did I offer people an efficient way to help people in China, and elsewhere, but also, a little missionary work was also accomplished at the same time.I think that this is just an example of one more little way that we can find to be of service. And perhaps, several Bishops will be surprised to find non-members coming to church to ask for donation envelopes, because I told these people that that was one sure way they could make donations!