On Sunday, September 3, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, made an unexpected visit to the storm-weary neighborhood of Wimbledon Estates. He was wearing a yellow Mormon Helping Hands T-shirt over his white dress shirt to blend in with volunteers and cleanup crews.
He traveled to Houston on Sunday to represent the Church’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who are concerned for any and all hit hard by Harvey.
Earlier in the day, he spoke to a large group of Latter-day Saints gathered at the Cypress Texas Stake Center and extended a charge to service-minded people across south Texas: “Let’s go out there and do the work.” The call was reminiscent of Brigham Young’s interruption of general conference in Salt Lake City after he discovered Mormon pioneers were stranded in the snow on their way to Utah. He disbanded the conference to send relief teams out as quickly as possible, saying that this is our religion. Service, President Uchtdorf said, is the true sign of faith.
President Uchtdorf was joined by Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé; Elder J. Devn Cornish, of the Seventy; and Elder Daniel W. Jones, an Area Seventy. Bishop Caussé said the First Presidency was anxious to be with church members in the Houston area as soon as possible after the storm hit. He told the members gathered in the Cypress Texas Stake Center that “many people will be blessed by your efforts.”
President Uchtdorf also made a walk through the flood-damaged Houston Texas Temple with the temple president, Marshall Hayes. See the updates on damage to the temple in this MormonHub article.
The group also visited the temporary logistical center of the Red Cross in Houston. The LDS Church enjoys a well-established partnership with the Red Cross and has donated money and provisions to help deliver relief to folks impacted by Harvey. Read more about church leaders’ visit to Houston at Deseret News.
Meanwhile, Mormon Missionaries Get to Work
Mormon missionaries in South Texas got to work in Mormon Helping Hands tee shirts as soon as clean up was possible. In a Facebook post by the Texas Houston South Mission, President Hall described these missionaries’ efforts and the lasting impact they’ve had on those they serve.
Dear Parents,
All missionaries are in safe and accounted for this evening. Today we entered the clean up phase of our relief efforts. Rest assured that we do not have missionaries go into any homes that have standing water. Remarkably, as fast as the floods came, the water has retreated just as quickly.
I wanted to give you a feel for the work the missionaries will be involved in going forward. It is referred to as “muck” work and it is as glamorous as it sounds. Imagine moving, but with everything soaking wet and with very little packed. The missionaries help with the following: they remove all furniture and household goods. They then remove the carpet, cut the dry wall approximately 1-2 inches above the flood line, remove the insulation, and prepare the home to be restored. It is hot, smelly, arduous work, but the missionaries are happy to do it and do it with energy.
Today we worked a street where the water had risen to almost 8 feet. The local bishop’s home had flooded, and he along with the members, had organized to serve all in his neighborhood. The first home we went to was Rosemary’s, a widow, who lost all she had. She was somewhat reluctant to have strangers in her home, but the missionaries quickly won her over and she let us do a lot of work. She had stacks and stacks of belongings and there were two rooms she wouldn’t let us enter. Sister Hall came to learn that these rooms were full of clothing she wanted to keep and didn’t want thrown out. The local relief society sisters have volunteered to wash any quantity of clothes needed, and when Rosemary learned that the sisters would do this, it made her day. She was visibly distraught and the elders volunteered to give her a blessing, for which this sweet woman couldn’t have been more grateful. The missionaries will be back tomorrow and they, with the members, will go house to house blessing all that will open their doors.
In another part of the city, an elderly woman saw the yellow shirts coming and exclaimed, “I knew the Mormon’s would come!” The organization of the Church, the members, and the missionaries are simply best in class. There is no challenge too great for the members of the Lord’s Church!
Not all areas of the mission have the same needs. The stake presidents and bishops have identified the number of member homes that need to be addressed and these are being served first (already underway). This Sunday most of the stakes and wards in the Houston area will meet for sacrament meeting and then go and serve. As we serve in those areas we are assisting any and all that need help, and the efforts will broaden from there. There are some missionaries that are getting their hands dirty each day, and there are others who will have fewer daily opportunities. Regardless, missionaries will continue to bless all they interact with both spiritually and temporally.
We love and are grateful for our valiant missionaries. We continue to emphasize safety and have a goal of zero accidents or injuries. We are in the mission home, we had no flooding, and the Hall family is very blessed. Thanks for the continued faith and prayers. The missionaries are already blessing many and will do so for months to come. – President Hall
