Sub For Santa 2012

My good friend Kristin Sokol has coordinated "Operation Undies" for the past few years which benefitted a Headstart in Logan for migrant farm workers.  She started it when a contact she had there let her know that these 3 and 4-year-olds were showing up to school with no socks or underwear.  Year after year Kristin coordinated and gathered these items which grew year after year.  This year she put out a request on facebook for people interested in doing a sub for santa for a specific family.  I talked to Jonathan and he, too, thought it would be a good idea for us to help out. 

 

We received the Eduardo Family.  A migrant farm family in Logan, Utah.  The information I received said they had 4 children, ages 6 months old to 7 years old and the only thing the mother requested was tennis shoes for everyone.  The social worker said their couches were in horrible condition and they needed bedding and household items as well, like pots & pans, etc.

 

Well, I knew we could get them shoes, but I also knew that this was a truly needy family.  So, I put out a plea for help to my friends, neighbors, and family.  I can't even begin to express the overwhelming support we received.  In a matter of a few days, I went from thinking we could get them shoes and a few other Christmas items, to realizing we could really make a difference in this family's life. 

 

It wasn't long before the presents started being dropped off at our home.

 

Our cute neighbors, the Millers 

This is Laura & Warner Mathews.  They wanted to do this anonymously and really didn't want me to take their picture, but I told them I wanted it for my own memory.  They said they would take care of bedding and asked what sizes of beds they had.  When I emailed my contact in Logan, her response was "one queen bed."  Uh...for all 6 of them?  The Mathews then asked if they had room if they could just buy them a bed.  Once we found out they did have room, they showed up at my house with a brand new bunkbed, mattresses, pillows, sheets, and comforters for this family.  Can you imagine being those 7 and 5-year-old boys with no beds receiving bunkbeds for Christmas?!?

 

When it was all said and done, we had collected warm snow clothes for each member, a brand new outfit and shoes, pajamas, fun new toys, pots & pans, dishes, stockings, 3 couches,and tons of other gently used clothing, toys, and bedding. 

 

Herriman has it's own facebook yardsale page and I found some clothes and toys that I wanted to buy.  When the lady found out they were for a sub for santa, she kindly donated everything.  Another gentlemen had a big bag of clothes that he donated as well.  I had neighbors show up with generous donations and then give additional money to help.   Family stepped up and gave toys, money, and like new used items. 

 

There were many neighbors and friends who had also taken on families and there was amazing communication and coordination among us getting our extras to those who still needed them (thank you facebook).

 

As my master bedroom slowly began to be taken over by all these donations, my heart just felt like it was going to burst.  The night before we were to deliver the gifts, I stayed up and finished wrapping everything and getting it all ready. 

Got everything tagged and labeled, thanks to google translation. 

Darling stockings and fillers provided by my good neighbors, the Andersons.

Finally, got it all done and was in bed by quarter to 3. 

The next morning at 8 am, we were ready to load.  A huge thank you to JD & Alisa Dunn for letting us use their work truck to get our stuff to Logan.  There is no way we could have fit 2 couches, bunkbed, mattress, and all those boxes any other way. 

Shaun & Jonathan, color-coordinating outfits

 

 We shared the truck with our friends, the Freemans and made our way up there together. 

 

Six kiddos in the back of the swagger wagon...they were real troopers.  A special thank you to DVDs, tablets, books, crayons, and the treats which kept these kiddos, for the most part, happy.  Zach was a big help keeping Ethan entertained...so entertained that he tired him right out.

 



We arrived at the Eduardo home.  A small duplex, couldn't have been more than 800 square feet.  I was so happy to feel that it was warm.  The mom was still at work and the dad seemed a bit uncomfortable, but the kids were so excited and darling. 

We moved out their two very old and worn couches and replaced them with much newer ones. 

The kids were so excited to see these new couches.  We actually had 3 couches donated, so we were able to give the extras to other families in need as well. 

Cute close-up on their faces.

Another cute, happy, squishy baby like Ethan. 

We got a quick picture before leaving.  As I was getting my kids loaded back up in our van the Dad told his kids to give Jonathan a hug.  It was quite sweet. 

 

We then were able to go with the Freeman Family to drop off their gifts for another family in a small town outside of Logan and have another amazing experience.  They made us lunch, which I'm sure was a huge sacrifice to give all of us that food. 

As we were leaving the social worker who was guiding us around took a wrong turn, as she tried to turn around, her car got stuck in the mud.  After many attempts to push it out of the mud, we knocked on the door of this house and asked for help.  Thank goodness for big farmers' trucks.  A little while later, we were back on our way.  Shaun made the point that he was so glad this happened because it would always be a reference point for our kids and this wonderful experience and opportunity.

 

Laurie and I exchanged wonderful stories on the way up of kindness, generosity, and miracles that allowed everything to come together for these families.  I couldn't help but think of how we were simply being instruments in the Lord's hands.  This, no doubt, was what the Savior would have us be doing.  This was the way the Savior would want us to celebrate his birth, by caring for our less-fortunate, hard-working brothers and sisters. 

 

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

Mosiah 2:17

 

I want to say thank you to Kristin for giving my family this opportunity.  With Kristin leading the main effort, I believe there were close to 20 families (correction) 36 families (!!) who received a wonderful Christmas.  I want to say thank you to all of you who gathered and donated gifts, money, clothes, bedding, and much, much more.  I am truly humbled and amazed by your incredible generosity.  Together, we all made one incredible team.  I hope and pray that you and your families may be blessed with love, health, random acts of kindness, and the overwhelming spirit of our Savior Jesus Christ this Christmas season.  I think Laurie said it best on our drive, "This is what the Lord would have us do for one another, always." 

 

Let's do it again, shall we?  ;-)