Members Encouraged to Continue “I Was a Stranger” Effort
Contributed By Rachel Sterzer, Church News staff writer
Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President, and Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities, look over statements written about service for refugees in Salt Lake City on Sunday, February 26, 2017.
Article Highlights
- Members are encouraged to continue the “I Was a Stranger” effort by serving refugees in their communities.
- Close to 90,000 messages have been posted using the hashtag #IWasAStranger showing ways people have served.
“My beloved sisters, how we love you and thank you for your tender-hearted and enthusiastic response to the First Presidency’s invitation and the ‘I Was a Stranger’ effort.” —Sister Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President
Related Links
One year ago, Sister Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President, invited the women of the Church to participate in the “I Was a Stranger” effort and to “serve the refugees living in your neighborhoods and communities.”
Now a year later, Sister Burton said that some women are asking, “Well, now what this year?” She is quick to remind them that this is an ongoing effort. “When all the refugees are taken care of, we’ll be done,” she said.
The Relief Society General Presidency said they are “overwhelmingly happy” with the efforts of the women of the Church in support of this effort in the past year. According to a report from LDS Charities, the Church experienced a record year in terms of humanitarian contributions, expenditures, and international partnerships.
The Church has sponsored and executed some “wonderful” projects, Sister Burton said. But what has been truly miraculous are the small and simple ways individuals, families, and groups have responded, she added.
Close to 90,000 messages have been posted using the hashtag #IWasAStranger. Many of them are recorded on the home page, iwasastranger.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and reflect the myriad ways people have been reaching out to serve. For example:
Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President, and Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities, talk about the Church’s efforts to help refugees around the world and to help refugee resettlement efforts in Salt Lake City on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
• Victoria Saley posted about inviting a refugee family to family home evening. They cut out paper hearts and wrote how they will share love. Then they dipped strawberries and played the piano.
• Courtney Burns, a ward humanitarian aid specialist, posted about collecting afghan squares from the women in her ward who knit and crotchet to be sewn into blankets for refugees in camps in Europe. “I love this work and the women who took the time to serve our refugee brothers and sisters,” she wrote.
• Jamie Cook described taking her children to visit a local preschool/daycare for refugee children. They played games and attempted to help with homework. “I love the way kids are able to make friends so freely,” she wrote. “I’m pretty sure that’s why God has asked us to be ‘like little children.’”
• The Suitland Maryland Stake posted about their efforts to coordinate with the Lutheran Social Service National Capitol Area to support refugee resettlement in the Washington, D.C., area. In both a summer youth conference and spring women’s conference, the stake collected items for six types of “welcome kits” for newly arrived refugees: hygiene, cleaning supplies, linens and towels, kitchen supplies, baby items, and tableware. Donations were then given to Lutheran Social Services.
• Amanda Ball reported that she tried to evaluate her talents when thinking about how to help the refugee crisis. “I thought, … I’m good at making cookies.” She decided to organize a bake sale with the help of her daughters to earn money to buy towels and light bulbs for local refugee families.
• Youth in the Cleveland Ohio Stake held what they called a Warm Welcome Coat Drive to collect more than 700 coats in addition to hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets for resettled refugees in their area.
• Katie Graham posted about collecting boxes of valentines to give to school-age refugee children for the holiday. “Helping immigrants from other cultures to have the chance to learn about the culture and holidays in the new country they have embraced is a great way to love and #serverefugees,” she wrote.
During her remarks in last week’s women’s session of the 187th Annual General Conference, Sister Burton thanked Relief Society sisters for their service. “My beloved sisters, how we love you and thank you for your tender-hearted and enthusiastic response to the First Presidency’s invitation and the ‘I Was a Stranger’ effort,” she said.
But in addition to expressing her thanks, Sister Burton said she would add the appeal, “Please carry on in this extraordinary effort.”
Khawleh Al-Hussen, standing with two of her seven children, in Jordan, says goodbye to LDS Church members who visited the family—Syrian refugees who needed food, blankets, and winter clothing.
Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President, and Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities, talk about the Church’s efforts to help refugees around the world and to help refugee resettlement efforts in Salt Lake City on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
Congolese refugees harvest corn, beans, and other crops from a garden grown on the property of LDS Church member Elizabeth Olson. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Olson.
