Armed with paintbrushes and a desire to give back to a community they love, young adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived early in the morning on 13 June to clean up graffiti at New Brighton corner in Christchurch, New Zealand.
"We appreciate the efforts of the Church and the many projects they have participated in to revitalize our community," said Valerie Merryweather, a member of the Christchurch City Council Graffiti Division.
The leader of the graffiti-cleaning crew, Alison Kareni, said those who took part “have a strong love in their hearts to serve the community, especially after the [2011] earthquake and all the devastation."
Another participant, Wikitoria Kurene, said, "I think it is important to know that when we give service we need to mean it. We need to feel it and know that what we are doing can benefit someone or even a community, like us painting over the graffiti today and fixing up the paint job on the fence. It just created a happier environment.”
“I know that it is through service to our fellow friends, family, and neighbours that we can learn and gain a greater understanding of charity, the pure love of Christ.”