Because I have been given much...

         "I too must give!"

Our Sunday School class had an absolutely amazing experience this last Sunday.  We teach the 16 year old kids and we love every minute of it.  Several weeks ago we issued a challenge to our class to help those in need during this holiday season. 

We were so excited when we found out about an opportunity to serve our neighbors! We found out that there are 3,000 homeless men, women and children who are living on the streets of Salt Lake City, Utah. Yes, they are our neighbors!

So each of the kids in our SS class were assigned 7-8 families in our ward to go and ask for warm coats, boots, hats, gloves and scarfs to share with these people.  They each were responsible to go and pick up the items from these families and bring them to us to pack in our truck.  We invited the older and younger classes in Sunday School to go with us (16-18).  There were 35 youth and 10 adults.  We had an incredible experience!

Click on the link below to see the results of our youth in action!

https://www.icloud.com/iphoto/projects/#3;CAEQARoQbo1aaB-ScnJcFM9asYpa-w;6ED3FE43-76F5-43A7-B6F7-1D67A1F0271F

We went on SUNDAY - during SUNDAY SCHOOL.  
Why? Read below to find out why!

I had thought about having a Christmas Party with our youth to get to know them better, but it just didn't feel right.  I wanted to create something for them that they would never forget and would touch their lives deeply.   When I found out about these homeless people, my heart totally went out to them and I began feeling the spirit of inspiration.  

The next morning I woke up thinking about a situation that had happened to some homeless saints along the pioneer trail.  It was during General Conference of October 1858 that Brigham Young heard that there were hundreds of men, women and children scattered over the long trail. Winter had come early and the people were hungry, and their handcarts and wagons were breaking down...all of them would perish unless they were rescued.

The thing that has always stuck out in my mind about this experience is that it was so important to Brigham Young to help these people, that he canceled General Conference and sent everyone home to get supplies to rescue these homeless saints.

This is the very reason we took our youth on Sunday during Sunday School class to administer aid to the homeless saints in Salt Lake. (Thanks to a willing Bishop who gave us permission and went up with us).  As you can see from the slide show, there were many people who needed our aid.  It was so incredible watching the youth interact with these homeless people, and treating them like the Savior would.  I think this will be an experience that these kids will never forget!
  
President Hinckley shared the following thoughts about these incident.   “I think President Young did not sleep that night. I think visions of those destitute, freezing, dying people paraded through his mind. The next morning he came to the old Tabernacle which stood on this square.”  During the October Conference, 1858 after addressing the saints, President Young then said the following quote.  As I read this quote, I felt the spirit that our youth could make a difference just like the saints in the past had.  I  took a red pen and began crossing out some of Brigham Young's words, and put words that were applicable to our situation with these homeless people.  

Brigham Young said: “… Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains [streets] with handcarts, [cardboard boxes]… and they must be brought here, [help] we must send assistance to them…That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people. …”  

“I shall call upon the Bishops [people] this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day, for 60 good mule teams [Coats] and 12 or 15 wagons [Boots or Shoes]…Also 12 tons of flour [Hats and scarfs] and 40 good teamsters, [pair of gloves]…”

 “I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in [help] those people now on the plains’[streets]. “

            “That afternoon, food, bedding, and clothing in great quantities were assembled. The next morning, horses were shod and wagons were repaired and loaded. The following morning, … 16 mule teams pulled out and headed eastward. By the end of October there were 250 teams on the road to give relief.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 117–18; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 85–86).

Well, the afternoon of December 15, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah  - every one of those requests in red were filled and many, many more thanks to the generosity and unselfishness of the saints in our ward and our youth!