Refugee Aid II

This is the article that appeared in various mormonnewsrooms across Europe.  The service project took place in the church right next to our Area Office. 

“Volunteers put together newborn kits for refugee mothers in Germany”

Seventy volunteers bustled from table to table where piles of donated baby items laid out waiting to be put into newborn kits October 28th at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt. The newborn kits will be donated to refugee mothers who have recently arrived in Germany and do not have access to basic necessities for themselves and their new babies.

As items were donated and collected in preparation for the event, those in charge discovered that they had received more donations than they needed for the newborn kits. The donations included new and gently used baby items as well as hand knit hats, socks and sweaters.

“My experiences have shown me again and again that through small and simple things great things can be brought to pass, even if they might seem impossible at first,” said Lisa Koy, one of the event organizers. “One step at a time we tried to move forward, and along the way we received great help from numerous church members and witnessed complete strangers 

offering generous donations.”

The event was organized by women from local units of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Creating newborn kits was a continuation of an earlier event to make “welcome kits” for refugee children. After delivering over 1,000 welcome kits for children in refugee shelters last spring, volunteers discovered that there were more than 50 pregnant women in one shelter alone who needed help preparing for the arrival of their babies.

“Just think about being a woman in a strange country, not knowing the language, and expecting a baby. If I were her, I'd be so grateful that someone knew and cared about me in my predicament. We can tell that they are very grateful to receive the items,” said Yvonne Bausman, 

one of the volunteers.

 After 80 boxes were filled and packed with newborn items for refugee mothers and babies, the remainder of the donated items were packed into 50 boxes to be sent to refugees in the Ukraine.

“Doing refugee aid is like inhaling the pure love of Christ,” said Melina Grahovac, one of the women organizing the event. “Charity is Christ. This knowledge helped me to draw closer to Him.  I approached Him in a very different way than before in my life by helping these refugees.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of the Church strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the sick and those in prison (see Matthew 25:35–36). Through the efforts of individuals and families and with the help of various Church welfare and relief programs, temporal and spiritual assistance

has been given to millions in need.