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“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” - C. S. Lewis

Last weekend (June 22,) many members from the Church in Plano made the trek to Valley View, Texas, to help and “give more than they could spare” with cleanup efforts after a deadly tornado struck the area, wreaking havoc in its path of winds of up to 135 miles per hour and taking lives while injuring others. The cleanup efforts have spanned the entire past month, with people from all over North Texas pitching in to help.

Bob Nine, a member in Plano, said he saw many nice people who had lost a lot in the storm. “My heart was filled with compassion that inspired me to endure the harsh elements and serve them. Some of the people had livestock that are missing. Some can not get more livestock until all the debris is removed from their property. It made us feel good, like we were helping folks get their lives back and get back to normal,” he said.

It wasn’t just Latter-day Saints who were helping. Bob shared, “While working we had a chance to get some free food provided by the Lutheran Church. What a great feeling to be serving each other, and serving the Lord, regardless of our religious affiliation! The whole vibe was one of service and love, with a heavy dose of the Spirit.”

Johnathan Woster, who headed the Plano Church group, said it was great to see so many of the members show up and volunteer in force to help out on such a hot day. “We had 46 people from Plano working that day. We accomplished a lot at 4 properties which were all in the same neighborhood. All four property owners were thankful for the help. We also had 5 people go and help out the McKinney Church members at another large property for a couple of hours. One fun thing was seeing the Spanish congregation in Plano setup a table and a canopy and make food for the rest of the team. That made it feel like a family event!”

Recovery efforts continue and this experience was yet another reminder that when the rubber hits the road there is hope! For this is what our humanity is truly made of - good people all around, serving and expecting nothing in return but the hoped-for blessings for those they serve. No matter our differences in life, we can find common ground and stretch out of our comfort zones a bit to serve and help those around us. Not much else in life feels as good as that! Well, except maybe some soothing lavender and coconut oil on that bad, bad sunburn and chigger bites! 🫶🏻☀️

#justserve #justservenorthtexas
#planotexaslatterdaysaints
#churchofjesuschristnorthtexas ... See MoreSee Less

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Did you know that period-product insecurity is also a problem right here in our own community? As many as 150,000 female-led households in North Texas alone have to choose between buying food for their children or protection for themselves. This situation causes women and girls to miss up to a week of school or work every month and perpetuates an ongoing cycle of poverty.

SheSupply is a local non-profit that helps alleviate period-product insecurity, with the impressive goal to eliminate it entirely in North Texas. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put together their efforts to donate toward this amazing cause.

Additionally, SheSupply’s goal for all of 2024 is to collect one million products. With that in mind, SheSupply is partnering with JustServe North Texas for the Summer of She service project. This is an opportunity for high school and college-aged girls and women to collect 100 boxes of products each. We appreciate all the contributions we have already received for this worthwhile organization and look forward to collecting more!

What better way to “love thy neighbor”? ... See MoreSee Less

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OPAL LEE WALK - Church Team

For Juneteenth, our church formed a team to join Opal Lee's freedom walk from African American Museum of Dallas.

Celebrating this milestone with Opal Lee in attendance was joyous for our team. Join us on the walk next year in Fort Worth. #Juneteenth #opallee

Photos courtesy of Shena Pridgett and Shira Pridgett ... See MoreSee Less