Mar 20, 2011

Service With a Smile

One of the absolutely most frustrating things I've experience over the last week has been feeling helpless and useless.  My husband goes to work every day and does absolutely nothing.  While some departments are being stretched to their limit (or beyond), others are being under utilized.
(I understand.  I know we're in a state of emergency and not everything is going to work perfectly, but it's still extremely frustrating.)

While he is at work twiddling his thumbs, "on-call", waiting to be useful, I'm stuck at home with four kids going crazy.  (My only chance to help so far has been to donate some food and clothing, and then hugging the girls and making a salad for their dinner that night!  Which was awesome.  Not trying to diminish that at all.)

So I was thrilled to hear there was something I (and lots of other similarly frustrated moms) could do yesterday.

Right now there are many large groups coming through our base helping with relief efforts.  Roxanna was  asked if she could round up some people to put together sack lunches for 200 Rescue Workers.  She said "consider it done" and called the Relief Society president.

Rescue or Relief Workers in Misawa
Together they organized a bunch of ladies to make "no-bake" cookies.
(We're not supposed to be using our ovens.  They use too much energy.)

Over $600 dollars of snack foods and apples were graciously donated.

Then, a separate group of ladies got together to assemble the bags of food while some teenagers helped out by watching the 237 kids over at Roxanna's house.  (Okay, maybe not quite that many.  But Mormon's have big families...there were lots of kids.)

Liz is about 39 weeks pregnant.  Cami's husband is deployed.

About half of the helpers
(I made cookies.  I'm only in here because I was dropping them off.)
After I dropped off my last batch of cookies, I went over to the P's to check on the kids.  The teenagers helping were totally on top of things.  All the kids were playing happily or eating snacks with a few babies napping upstairs.
The bags were assembled quickly and the packages were delivered to very grateful recipients yesterday afternoon.

It was great to be able to do something useful.  And I know all the other ladies felt the same way.
:)

6 comments:

The Brough Family said...

Em... will you just start writing my blog for me!! You always say things so well. It was a great day!!

Prudence said...

You really should send some of these awesome relief society storied to the church. They would love to read them!

Anonymous said...

You guys are awesome! Who is the woman to the left of Liz in the brown shirt and black long sleeve shirt under it? I firmly believe the Lord has put all of you there for a reason and I am so glad everyone is willing to be an instrument in his hands. I can't say enough what you guys have taught me and many others over here.

Linz said...

That is cool! It's must be very helpful to be doing. You guys are awesome!

The Queen Vee said...

I agree with Prudence. Great example of the RS motto, Charity Never Faileth!

crabtree@byu.edu said...

Is that Janeen Alley next to Liz? It is so crazy to see people I know there. Anyway, you guys are lucky to have such amazing people all grouped together. I think you guys should gather the stories and put them in a book about hope in the wake of disaster.