I Was a Stranger—An Effort to Serve and Include
“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; Naked, and ye clothed me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:35-36

Need ideas of how to include others in your community?
Read Reyna I. Aburto's April 2018 general conference talk "With One Accord."
Five Ways to Get Started:
- Get informed about the needs in your community
- Volunteer with an organization you admire
- Make a new friend
- Do something you enjoy with someone new
- Invite someone to your family night
Challenges People Face in a New Community:
- Learning a new language
- Building a new support network of friends
- Understanding different cultural customs and practices
- Providing the appropriate academic support for their children
- Accessing basic services, such as medical care
- Finding transportation
- Securing employment
Want more ideas on helping others?
Check out our blog.
Local Organizations That Might Need Volunteers:
- Government resettlement agencies
- Schools
- Religious places of worship
- Interfaith groups
- Low-income health clinics
- Local nonprofits
- Community centers
In the United States, members can find local service opportunities via 211.org or a local state 211 organization like 211utah.org. They can also view JustServe.org to learn about opportunities to serve in their communities. Outside the United States, leaders can contact their area welfare manager for help in identifying trusted organizations in their area.
Five Questions to Ask When Identifying Potential Organizations:
- Whom do you help?
- How are you helping them?
- What needs would you like to address but aren’t able to?
- Beyond financial contributions, how can I help?
- How do the services you offer help people to eventually meet their own needs?
LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, provides aid with disaster relief, clean water and sanitation, refugee response, wheelchairs, maternal and newborn care, immunization campaigns, vision care, and family gardening.
Learn more about the Church’s global humanitarian work at LDSCharities.org. Read the 2017 LDS Charities Annual Report here.
LDS Charities works with many trusted partners—both local and global—including:
- Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
- American Dentist Foundation (ADA)
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
- Convoy of Hope
- Feeding America
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- International Medical Corps (IMC)
- International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- The Salvation Army
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- World Relief
“One of the fundamental principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is to ‘impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, . . . administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants’ (Mosiah 4:26). . . .
“. . . ‘I Was a Stranger’ gives sisters a way to serve as individuals, in families, and in organizations and to offer friendship, mentoring, and other Christlike service . . .
“Sisters may participate in this effort when time and circumstances allow, making sure that no one is expected to ‘run faster than [she] has strength’ and that all ‘things are done in wisdom and order’ (Mosiah 4:27)" (First Presidency letter, Mar. 26, 2016).
Read the full letter from the First Presidency.
Read the full letter from the general auxiliary presidents.
Linda K. Burton, "I Was a Stranger," Ensign or Liahona, May 2016
As you prayerfully seek the guidance of the Spirit, you will be guided to opportunities to serve according to your individual and family circumstances.
Look around your neighborhood, school, workplace, and other places you visit often for those who might need your help and your love. Opportunities to effectively serve others are also often available in local civic, community, or church organizations.
As you discover ways to make a difference in your area, share your experiences and help inspire others to get involved.
“We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. . . . We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”
Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 86
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Tell friends and family what you learned.
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Document your experience by taking pictures.
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Write about your experience in your journal or blog.
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Post on social media and tag #JustServe or #IWasAStranger.
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Consider becoming an advocate for those around you by sharing helpful media.