LDS, Islamic relief supplies touch hearts

Sitting in Tuesday morning's sun on the airport tarmac, the 150,000 pounds of relief supplies bound for Samoa bore product descriptions and the recognized logos of the LDS Church and Islamic Relief USA.

The most poignant markings, however, were the Samoan messages penned by cargo worker Tasi Toala, who helped load the supplies destined for Samoa.

A week earlier, an 8.3-magnitude earthquake and four ensuing tsunami waves devastated parts of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. Among the nearly 200 dead were eight members of Toala's family in Samoa.

With a heavy heart and tear-impeded vision, he scrawled notes on pallet packaging — to be found when workers in Samoa unload the DC-10 jumbo jet the Magna resident helped load at Salt Lake City International Airport.

"I just send my love to all of Samoa," said Toala of the messages, which included hand-drawn hearts, his name and his e-mail address.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, he excused himself and rejoined co-workers.

Toala's presence put a face — and an emotion — on Tuesday's shared effort by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Islamic Relief, partners for several years in providing, transporting and distributing humanitarian relief throughout the world.

Tuesday's shipment to Samoa included food, clothing, bedding, hygiene kits, mosquito netting, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and canes, with the LDS Church providing the goods totaling more than $500,000 in value.

Islamic Relief led out among the organizations and private donors in arranging for the DC-10 to transport the goods, with the flight costs estimated at just less than $500,000.

The supplies — enough to provide care for 2,000 for three to four weeks — are headed for Samoa. American Samoa is a U.S. territory, and the federal government is overseeing emergency and relief efforts there.

Dozens of Samoan villages were destroyed, with hundreds of families losing homes, belongings and livelihoods.

"Many of the people are up in the hills under tarps, with nothing but the clothes on their backs," said Elder James J. Hamula of the LDS Church's Quorums of the Seventy and second counselor in its Pacific Area presidency.

"This shipment ministers to the temporal needs of the people that are just as important as to ministering to the spiritual needs," he said, calling Islamic Relief "a great partner through the years."

Added Mostafa Mahboob, communications director for Islamic Relief USA: "As things like this happen throughout the world, we put our resources together."