a letter to the boy that started it all...in Honduras. :)

{DELIVERY DAY}

Alec,
I want to tell you about our deliver day for For the Warmth of the Children. You might be saying what the heck, why are you just now delivering. But with traveling during Thanksgiving, building the house, and other sports and family stuff, our collection started late, went too long, and it was hard working out time to deliver and end. It was a crazy crazy year for sure. But we collected 

347 pair of socks, 

115 hats, 

158 gloves, 

5 scarves, 

12 children's coats, 

and 8 adult coats. 

It was for sure one of the smallest years we've had in a while. But numbers do not matter!! We did it, and when we delivered on Friday, oh my goodness, that's when you know it was just how it was supposed to be!! So we got most of our donations from people in Sandy, and we thought it would be better to donate up here in the Canyons District. I looked up the title 1 schools and we decided on Sandy Elementary and Midvale Elementary (where it all began!) Midvale is brand new they have rebuilt it, but it's still right in that same neighborhood we always went to at the beginning. We got 6 medium boxes and filled two with socks, two with hats, and two with gloves. We tied a ribbon around 3, and then around the other 3 and then filled bags with the extra items. We said a prayer over them and thought of you the whole time.:) We took the first load to Sandy Elementary, and the office ladies were thrilled. The one accepted it and started crying, she was so grateful to us and said that a little girl had just come down to the office with socks that fit to the middle of her foot, like a baby sock. She said that some come to school with no socks! The kids and I were so happy when we left there. Like God had needed that school to have those things Alec. Perfect timing. (and it snowed bad this weekend again). Then we went to Midvale Elementary. The assistant secretary was in the office right at the perfect time. We told them who we were and what we do, and that our brother who is on a mission started it all when he was 8, and they were amazed!!!! She asked if it was a project, and we said, no - it's just what we do.:) She proceeded to tell us about all they do for the Midvale Homeless Shelter. The children who actually live in the homeless shelter go to Midvale Elementary for school. She said those kids will need this stuff so badly. That they come to school with hardly anything, and are so tired because they don't sleep good in the loud cold shelter. It broke our hearts! But left us feeling like even with the craziness, God will send you where you need to be if you just try your hardest to serve. If you answer His call, He will direct you where to go. They were all so grateful that day. After that we went to the Midvale Homeless Shelter, and donated the used coats that we had received. Just seeing children out standing by their father, and then another couple leaving pushing a stroller, picking up used cigarettes on the road, left me feeling so grateful for my life and for the gospel. I loved that Luke, at age 10, could see those faces, that they didn't have a home, and we could help them. (Just like you did, when you were about his age) That day was a great blessing in my life, just as every delivery day has been. Thank you for this gift that we started together all those years ago.:) 

Another miracle was that we had some money donated to us, but we went to a bunch of All a Dollar's and they were all sold out of hats and gloves. So we just decided to deliver anyway and see if maybe there was a need for where we could spend the money on. Well when I got home from delivering, I already had an email from Sandy Elementary from the children's advocate who makes sure the families at the school have what they need. We didn't meet her but she sent the nicest email and had read the blog. She wondered if we collected blankets as well, because they were in need of those for her families. WELL YES WE WILL GO BUY SOME BLANKETS!!!! So I'm sending a call out on Facebook, for warm blankets and will be delivering those this week.:) How cool is that!?? I hope this makes you happy today. :)

It was a good good day.
Love you forever, up to heaven and back.
Mom