| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Twelve pallets of toys, sporting goods, bicycles, musical instruments, clothing and other necessities were recently gathered by members of the Hobart ward and stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tasmania and sent to orphanages in East Timor.
Working with Dr Nitin Verma, an ophthalmologist in Hobart who has contributed his time and expertise to provide training for doctors and eye care for the people of East Timor, Liz Watson, who works as a nurse in Dr Verma’s office, and her friend Hannah Challis contacted fellow members of the Church and invited them to participate in the toy drive.
Hobart Stake members caught the vision and gathered toys, clothing, sporting equipment and musical instruments, which were sent to several orphanages run by the Catholic Church in East Timor. Money was also raised to purchase bicycles for the older children who ride out to fields where they gather food for the orphanages.
As the grassroots project took on a life of its own, community members and other Catholic and Christian schools gave invaluable support to the charity.
When it came time to package the donations, members of the committee, the community and the Hobart stake worked together at the stake centre to prepare them for shipment to Darwin. Local transport operators transported the pallets at their own expense.