Children and Families – Of the Utmost Importance

Children are an integral part of the ministry of the Savior. On many occasions, He encouraged His disciples to emulate the example of children so they could inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. On another occasion, the disciples prevented children from approaching the Savior, but the Lord invited all children to come close to Him.

The importance of children and families still prevails today.

On March 27, the Maternity of Havlíčkův Brod welcomed our students for a special day. Students from the Esther group had planned to visit the maternity and provide support to this place that helps so many families.

The maternity offers numerous services to the community. It is a place where single parents can leave their children so they can go to work or to school. In other words, this place is vital for the community and deserves special treatment. The Esther group, along with Aneta Bočková and Daniel Čaňo, who also served as the driver and interpreter, began working on it.

The Service Project

Icaro, our student from Brazil, explains what happened once they arrived there:

“Upon our arrival, the maternity coordinator briefed us on the facility and its activities, as well as the tasks we could assist with. She asked us to clean the windows, floors, and furniture, disinfect the toys, and organize them. So, we divided our group into smaller teams, with one assigned to clean the windows, another to the toys, and another to the furniture. We also vacuumed and mopped the carpets and floors.”

All of them were happily engaged in the tasks! They took many pictures, laughed, and helped each other to finish on time. Although it may seem simple to clean a place, it makes all the difference. Small actions are the ones that matter most. Unfortunately, they require this kind of help. They need support from others to maintain the facility.

They cleaned windows, organized toys, and disinfected all materials and games that children play with. Cleaning the entire environment took a couple of hours, but the effort was worth it.

It was the first time they received this kind of service from Cumorah Academy. Our students opened the door for other students to serve at this amazing place. Now, the children could have a cleaner place to spend the day and play with each other. As a token of gratitude, the workers gave them volunteer certificates, stickers, and chocolates.

When asked about a memorable moment, Icaro shared a moment before they started cleaning. All the students gathered in the hall, admiring artwork and drawings by children hung on the walls. “It also gave us an impression of the importance of that place for the city, since it offers a lot of services for children there,” concludes Icaro.

Serving Families and Children

As the students of the Esther group discovered, serving families and children helped them feel better about themselves. In their own words: “What we have learned is that acts of service always improve everyone’s lives. It also serves as a way to express our gratitude toward someone or something. Service always softens our hearts and brings us closer, creating a sense of community.” Icaro concludes: “And for me, personally, being in that place made me remember my childhood years at school and my first teachers. So I felt grateful to them for contributing to my education and for me to reach the point in my life where I am right now. It was very satisfying.”

May we follow the example of our students and find opportunities to serve and use our talents. Let us make the world a better place by serving, encouraging, and uplifting others.

You can watch a little about this and other service projects our students worked this semester below:

Written by Fernando L. Ferreira Jr.

Supervision by Kamila Uberto Fullmer.