Durban, South Africa, honours Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day by Joining others to create a community park, cleaning up a Conservancy Centre in Margate and clearing the grass from a playground in Umlazi on August 17, 2013.
Margate Branch
The Hope Park Project was started by Pastor Reggie Johns. His vision is to turn 9.3 acres of ravaged land into a community park for residents where everyone can engage in activities such as cycling, walking, jogging, playgrounds, listen to music in an outdoor amphitheatre, or visit an animal sanctuary. The condition of the land requires a community effort. Alien trees need to be removed as well as dense bushes that have grown out of control over decades. Garbage has also been dumped on the property. The supporters of “Hope” come in all shapes and sizes, yet they share some common characteristics - they believe we must make a difference, and if we work together we can accomplish great things.
| 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 |
The support of ”Hope” is an on-going project, with different community groups appearing each Saturday to do their part to make this vision a reality. On August 17, 2013, members of the MargateBranchof The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wearing yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests, could be seen working alongside members of Pastor John’s Parish and the Gateway Ministry members. The amount of work done and progress to dateon this community project by all those assisting has been outstanding, and the members of Margate Branch have made a significant and much appreciated contribution.
Umlazi BB Ward
The Umlazi BB Ward members, which included men, women, children and missionaries, cleared grass from the playing ground at Emafezini Lower Primary School with the help of the community, including Teachers and parents of children that attend the school. Yellow vested members of the Church, with rakes in hand, spent the day tackling the tall grass and overgrown weeds.
Comments were made by the Councillor, Mr. Ntwenhle Dlamini and others that no other Church had ever done what this Mormon Helping Hands Group did, and it had never occurred to them that a church could have time to render this kind of service to a community. “It really was a great thing they did,” he stated.