Tornado Relief Efforts

We spent last weekend doing what we could to help with all the Tornado Relief Efforts. It was a great experience for our family to be a part of. On Saturday the boys and I helped with a food and clothing drive sponsored by our church. We were in charge of our neighborhood and there was a HUGE response. We loaded up the van several times!

At the church all the donations were sorted. It was actually really fun to all work together with so many people for such a good cause.

Please excuse my blurry Iphone shots:)

We had lots of helpers in all sizes:)



After the donations were all neatly sorted and boxed, they filled a large trailer to the TOP for the Samaritan center to be given to the people in our communtiy that are in need right now. I was so amazed with the generousity of so many good people!

Brad and Connor have gone out EVERYDAY to help with the clean up. Every evening Brad comes home from work eats a quick dinner, throws on his yellow 'Mormon Helping Hands' shirt, grabs a chain saw and is out the door. As Elders Quorumn President (his church calling or assignment) he has been in charge of organizing some of the clean up efforts according to the needs in our area. There are A LOT OF NEEDS right now. He says that the mess is overwhelmingly HUGE and will take a long time and many hands to get it all done.

Brad has been very touched by the heart wrenching stories and the gratitude of the people he has been able to meet. And I have been touched to see my husband and boys so willing to serve where needed. They come home exhausted, sweaty, dirty and all scratched up from trying to haul off all the fallen trees and debris ....and my heart swells with love for these stinky boys of mine:) Sometimes I have such a hard time getting them to do their 'chores' and even make their beds, but I am happy to see that when it really matters, they can be counted on to step up and work hard! Phew!

All cleaned up for church.

Because of the great needs in our area--as soon as church was over the men and older boys went back out to work. I told them not to worry about Mothers Day....but they still showered me with some sweet handmade cards and coupons for foot massages! yeah!
And Brad keeps saying next weekend we will celebrate--but honestly the work they are doing so willingly is the best gift they could ever give me:)