Charity

 In response to all the media making the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints out to be "evil for hording so much money while others suffer" I would like to illustrate in a small way how that is not true at all.

"It would be impossible to calculate the amount of service that Latter-day Saints render around the globe every day of every year, but it is possible to calculate the good the Church as an organization does to bless men and women—boys and girls—who are in need of a helping hand.

Since the Church's humanitarian outreach was launched in 1984, Latter-day Saint Charities has provided more than two billion dollars in aid to assist those in need throughout the world. This assistance is offered to recipients REGARDLESS of their church affiliation, nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political persuasion.

To help relieve hunger, the Church operates 124 bishops’ storehouses throughout the world. Through them, approximately 400,000 food orders are given each year to individuals in need. In locations where no storehouse exists, bishops and branch presidents draw from fast-offering funds of the Church to provide food and supplies for their needy members.

To date, the Church’s humanitarian initiative has helped provide clean water in hundreds of communities in 76 countries.

In the year 2018 alone, the Church provided emergency supplies to refugees in 56 countries. In addition, many Church members volunteer their time to help refugees integrate into new communities.

And just last year, the Church provided vision care for more than 300,000 people in 35 countries, newborn care for thousands of mothers and infants in 39 countries, and wheelchairs for more than 50,000 people living in dozens of countries.

This year the Church offered volunteer labor and financial assistance to rebuild Muslim mosques in New Zealand and met individuals in Buenos Aires, Argentina- most of them not of our faith- whose lives have been changed by wheelchairs provided to them through our Latter-day Saint Charities.

The Church is well known for being among the first responders when tragedy strikes. Even before a hurricane hits, Church leaders and staff in the affected locations are mapping out plans for how they will deliver relief supplies and volunteer assistance to those who will be impacted.

Last year alone, the Church carried out more than 100 disaster-relief projects around the world, helping victims of hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, and other calamities. Whenever possible, our Church members in yellow Helping Hands vests mobilize in great numbers to help those afflicted by the disaster. This kind of service, rendered by so many of you, is the very essence of ministering."
-President Nelson

I am overjoyed to be able to be a part of such an incredibly amazing work!  Could not be happier about where my money is going.

Tithing is a principle of faith and power for the individual paying it. I don't pay tithing because I think that God needs my money. I am well aware that God doesn't need my money and the Church doesn't need my money.

I pay tithing because I have personally witnessed both the physical and spiritual blessings that come from paying tithing.

I am having a hard time understanding why those who don't even pay tithing to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints feel such a need to bash it... Because the truth is that no matter how actively you participate in the Church, whether you choose to pay tithing or not, you will still always be welcome to come to church, nobody will ask you for your money while you're there and if you ever fall on hard times you always know you can go to your Bishop for help. So anyone who has received that help from the Bishop's Storehouse or the AMAZING welfare support system the Church has in place, should be the first to stop criticizing how the Church chooses to donate their own money.

It's like those people that complain about and hate police officers, but then call 911 when they need help. They will always show up to help you regardless of how much you say you hate them all day long. 

Our ward alone just made 18 turkey boxes to deliver entire Thanksgiving meals to families that live near us. Taking care of everyone and anyone that they can. NOT paying all the volunteers working or donating to help all these people.

The Church is practicing what they preach about self-reliance, staying out of debt and saving more than you spend. That is integrity. I have no doubt that the Church will do nothing but good things with the money it has.

The Church is taking care of their members AND literally millions of other people as well.

THANK YOU to the Church for being the greatest example of charity that I have ever heard of.