Weekly Report – Dec 27, 2015

Elder and Sister Elkington

HO, HO , Ho!  If we sound like Santa Claus, it is because we have been delivering Christmas gifts for Native American children all week.  The Heritage Park Branch is the central contact for agencies that provide Sub for Santa gifts to Native Americans in Washington County.  The branch president and his wife organized the gifts and put them in bags for the children.  They asked us to assist in delivering these bags to the parents of these children.  We willingly agreed to helping in this effort because it introduces us to many people we had not met before.  It also got us in doors we could not otherwise get into.  The challenge came in finding the people home so we could deliver the gifts.  We did not have good phone numbers, so we had to keep calling back until we found someone home.  But the responses made it all worth it.

Some family and friends donated money to help provide a meaningful Christmas to those who otherwise would go without.  (The sub for Santa gifts were restricted to children age eleven and younger.)  We called on one sister who lives in a mobile home with eight children.  It was after 8:00 PM on Dec 23rd and we thought she might not answer the door because of the darkness and fear of who would be calling.  But she immediately answered our knock and had a big smile on her face as if she had been expecting us.  We handed her an envelope containing a Christmas card and $200.  We wished her a Merry Christmas and said, “This is not from us. It is from people who love you and care about you.”  Those people who gave us the money to bless people’s lives did a great thing!

Sis M who lives in the little home with ten grandchildren and four other adults, came to our home Christmas eve with her daughter to pick up their sub for Santa gifts.  We had a great visit and she thanked us for what we are doing for her family.  On Christmas day we went to her home so the children could show us what they had received for Christmas.  They were very excited to show us their gifts.  Then eleven year old K gave us each a “Square Pants sponge Bob” toy and said she wanted to share with us.  We were overwhelmed that she had had so little, but wanted to share her gifts with us.  The last thing we need is two “Square pants Sponge Bob” dolls.  But we recognized we needed to accept the gifts to show we respected and valued her.  Those two dolls are prominently displayed in our living room.  We provided a Christmas Eve dinner for this family.  We thought we would provide something nice – they wanted pizza.  So we took pizza and a white angel food cake with one candle.  We explained it was a tradition in our family to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Eve.  I think they will remember this Christmas for the rest of their lives – I know we will!

We also gave a gift of $250 to a couple in the Branch who are raising several of the wife’s siblings because the parents are both deceased.  Such people need to know others care and appreciate what they are doing.

We love representing the Lord in doing His work!