Dear Wendy...

Dear Wendy,

When I drew your name this year, I wanted to do something that is something you enjoyed.  Horses were too much of a stretch, I already had a garden, and so I settled on something else.  At the beginning of the year, you were struggling to find the perfect bread recipe.   One day while we were talking about bread and it's methodology, it hit me as to what I would do to serve others in your name.  I would make bread.  And bread I made.  I set out with a goal to give away one loaf of bread to someone in need every week of the year.  I thought that I might be setting my sights too high and thought that if I fell short, it would be okay because at least I would have served a handful of people.

I've been able to look around me and see people in need that I might have never noticed before; a lonely widow, someone recovering from surgery, a mother at her wit's end, a lady down with the flu,  and homesick missionaries.  I've been able to reach out to others; teachers who work so hard for children, an expression of gratitude, just stopping by to say hello, wanted you to know I was thinking of you, howdy neighbor, and thanks for being my friend.

Here we are at year's end.  I think you've figured out your bread recipe. ;)  I think I've figured out mine too.  Just reaching out to let someone know you care is one way we can serve others and our Heavenly Father.  Mosiah 2:17 says, "And this I tell you that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."  More than 50 loaves of bread later, I know that Heavenly Father is aware of each and every one of us.  He loves us.  He places us in each other's paths to help and serve one another.

Dear Owen...

Dear Owen,

I've been so excited this whole year to try out this Service Exchange idea.  I've loved the idea since I read about it over a year ago on the Gates Family blog.  As a family, we are so incredibly blessed and to be able to serve someone in need instead of buying an unneeded gift for you has been very exciting to me. 

When I first found out that I had you, I decided that I needed to build something for someone.  You know, you being the construction guy.  So, I thought it would only be appropriate if I built something.  The only thing I could come up with to build was some kind of food storage rotation contraption for my family.  But I didn't want it to serve my own family.  I wanted to serve someone out of my family.  So, I scratched that idea.

Then, I came across an opportunity through Downy to make quilts for children on extended stays in the hospital.  Though it isn't "construction", I thought I was constructing out of fabric, just not concrete.  And the idea of a quilt appealed to me since Haylee has introduced you to a love of quilts.  So, this is the direction I headed.  I contacted Downy, they sent my the fabric they wanted me to use, and I cut, sewed, and quilted a quilt for a child in the hospital.  On the tag of the quilt, it says it was donated by you and it's name is Monkey Mania.  This is touching to me, being a mother, to know how hard this would be as a parent to have a terminally or chronically ill child.  How these quilts must brighten their days and their hospital beds.

I thought I was done, but through Colfax Elementary, we came across one more opportunity that the kids wanted to be involved in.  This time, it was construction related!  The kids got to make and donate wooden birdhouses to beautify the school grounds.  Our family built and donated 2 green birdhouses.

I loved thinking about being service-oriented all year long.  I am so glad we did this!

Love,

Gina