Members of the Sunset Ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auckland's north gave service to Julie King and her charity "LoveSoup" on Saturday 27 October.
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The charity has several locations including one in Whangaparoa, which is their main base. They offer community meals, a pantry and community gardens.
Recently, members of the Sunset ward helped at Mrs King's house doing yard work, building a shed, assembling shelves and bagging bulk food for the charity's food bank.
Around 40 volunteers helped including lay leaders in the congregation Jenie Congerton, Skye Nicholls and Mark Pearl.
Full-time missionaries serving in the area, Elder Brodie from Perth, Australia, and Elder Cushing from Highland, Utah, USA also joined in, along with other members of the Church.
Mrs King has been leading the LoveSoup charity for five years. Several ward members have helped her from time to time but this was the first time a large group came to help.
"Julie prays to know who to help and how to help and then acts on the promptings she gets," according to Jenie Congerton who leads the congregation's women's organisation, the Relief Society.
Mrs King was grateful for the help. “It’s magic when you’re serving,” she said.
She attributes her desire to help others "mostly from growing up in the gospel."
Service to others gives her life meaning.
Her three children are taking after their mother. One of them just returned from serving as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The Lord leads us to who and what we need to serve," she says.
She also receives health benefits by serving others less fortunate than herself, she says. "I need it to stay well."
King says she was sick for a long time but now is well, and she attributes that at least in part to her serving others.