Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Help Clean Up Barbados
Several truckloads of illegally dumped garbage were removed from the Bucks, St. Thomas, area thanks to the members and missionaries of the Barbados Bridgetown Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They worked alongside men and women from the Barbados Defence Force and Coast Guard on Saturday April 23, 2022. Together they worked for several hours clearing hundreds of discarded coconut shells and other refuse.
The Bucks Gully and surrounding area appear to have been targeted by individuals who have dumped refrigerators, stoves, and other large appliances illegally.
There were two sites which required major effort to clear the large volume of discarded coconut shells. Objects such as toilet seat covers, discarded lumber, children’s toys, animal carcasses and vehicle parts were removed from a total of six sites in the rural location.
The members of the Church participated in this clean up event. They felt they were acting as the Savior’s “Helping Hands” as they provided community service to the people of Barbados.
Elder Soren Gomes, a missionary of the Church stated: “We take the opportunity to serve everyone we meet. Christ would serve wherever he went, and we try to do the same even if it involves cleaning up trash in the gully.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a culture of community service and has taken part in Clean Up Barbados for several years, working at the Helipad/BTI Car Park in Bridgetown.
The Church also holds an annual International Day of Service. Last year they spent the morning cleaning the Richard Haynes Boardwalk. Other humanitarian actions include donations of food and supplies to needy families during the worst of the COVID-19 lockdown, and regular donations of wheelchairs to assist the disabled.
The Church has three congregations in Barbados: Rendezvous and Oistins in Christ Church, and Blackrock in St. Michael.
