Cobble Creek Ward

Last week, Cobble Creek Ward's Relief Society here in Cedar City put together an Enrichment activity to collect materials for the orphanage. I was amazed with the amount of items that we recieved! They brought garbage bags full of clothes and shoes, packages of diapers, bottles, lotion and shampoo, blankets, and more. I feel like I am always saying this but thank you so much for all of your donations and help. I am overwhelmed with all of the support I have received.

Home!

I have been home for a few days now. Things in Guatemala went really well. It was a busy month but we got a lot done. All the legal work is done, and now that the government and hospitals know that we have a place they can send babies once they are abandoned, we can start recieving them any time we are ready. We also got all the repairs done and painted the whole orphanage. Kevin and Jesse Callahan, the owners of Green Valley Cabinets in St. George, and Jesse’s brother in law Chris Syphus, came down to help and they were awesome. They made over 20 cabinets for all the bedrooms in the orphanage, which was great because we didn’t have any closets or dressers before. They also made shelves for the kitchen and laundry room, and more cabinets for storage. They were so great and so much help, and the kids loved them. We were all so grateful for everything they did for us. I was so lucky to meet them because they have been such a blessing and so much help and support. They have done so much.I wanted to say a few things here about my parents and how much I appreciate them. They have fully supported me from the very beginning and have done EVERYTHING they can to help me, from moral support and advice to fundraising. I want my mom and dad to know how thankful I am for them. All the experiences I have had working in orphanages, seeing these kids without good homes and families, and sitting up at night with teenagers who would tell me about the things they went through with their families before they were taken away; it has really driven home how lucky I am to have a good family. I will always be grateful for how blessed I am with such good parents and brothers and sisters and a good home. I have such an amazing mother and I will always appreciate and be so thankful for her example and her service and how much she has done to make us kids feel important or special. I am grateful for what a great dad I have and how he supports us and helps us and for how understanding he has always been. Every day I wish that these kids had a mom and dad who had shown them as much love as my parents have shown our family. But that is what we are working for, and we are doing everything we can to put these kids back into their homes with a changed family who can support them and love them.