The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I just watched a profound movie called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It is based on a book of the same name by John Boyne. ( I know middle of the day on a Thursday, I had so much to do, but it was worth it.)

It is about a friendship that is formed between two 8 year old boys. One boy is the son of a German Commander of the concentration camp where the other little boy is a prisoner. Both boys are as naïve and they should be and the movie is seen from their perspective and understanding. While I watched from my perspective as an adult and a mother. It was beautiful and painful. Painful in the way that gets me all charged up. Thus here I am still with my long list of tasks to accomplish but I am filled with emotion and drive that I need to get out so I don’t forget.

Many of us in America have been raised on and taught a lot about World War II and the Holocaust. I know many of my peers like me felt driven beyond our high school English and history classes to find out more. Thanks to Anne Frank, Eli Wiesel, Corrie ten Boom and many, many others we have had a myriad of sources to turn to for more education about this dark period in Europe. A common question that I often ask and that I know many others do too is “How could so many Germans sit by and allow this to happen?” Also “Why did we as Americans not get involved sooner?”I don’t think I am alone in feeling some disappointment in my grandparents generation for these things. As an adult now I do realizes that in trying to answer these questions there are as many “Becauses” as there are “Whys”. I am grateful that we have been taught the truth and that there continues to be awareness of this atrocity, in effort to prevent another.

But the fact of the matter is that atrocities like the Holocaust are happening all over our world this very minute. Unlike our grandparents we really can’t claim that we “just don’t know about it.” If we don’t know about it is because we choose not to know about it. Information doesn’t come to us weeks old off the radio waves. We have news and information at the tips of our fingers 24 hours a day.

You wouldn’t have to google very far to learn about the exterminations in Darfour, the human rights atrocities in Asia, the child soldiers in Uganda and human trafficking and starvation the world over.

The Lord has told us “If thou lovest me thou…wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:30)

I just counted in my personal scriptures from the topical guide that there are 107 references to taking care of the poor and the needy of our world. It is in every book of scripture that we (LDS) have from the Old Testament through the Pearl of Great Price.

I think the scriptures make it pretty clear that helping our brothers and sisters all over the world is not an institutional responsibility but an individual one.

I don’t want my granddaughter asking me why I sat in my abundance and did not sacrifice to help those around me.

More than that. I do not want to stand before my Savior, who has blessed me with a privileged lifestyle, AND gave ALL that he had temporally, spiritually, and physically and tell him I didn’t have enough to share, or I didn’t take the time or risk to help.

Random things

Kelly got a pull up bar for Christmas and Eva thinks it is her personal jungle gym. She just giggles and giggles the whole time she is hangin'.

Eva is in love with her brothers! She gets a little extra time with Daniel because he is in kindergarten. She takes advantage of that! Also I think this is the first picture of Eva with a smile. She always looks mad and yet she is a very spunky and happy kid.

Grandma Morrell gave the kids a sugar cookie mix and kit for Valentine's Day. The process was fun-the clean up was not!!

Newman News:

Many of you ask about our adoption. We are still in the process and feel like we are closer than ever. Although we still don't know when we will travel. For any of you who don't know we are priveledge to add 3 other kids to our earlier plans. We are now in the process of adoption 7 kids. The three we added are older siblings to the 3 little ones. We had been praying about taking them the whole time but it didn't feel right until recently, (maybe the Lord was just waiting for me to wrap my head around the concept of 11 kids!)
My first feeling is excitement and my second is panic! But I feel like these kids are my kids and I can't wait to have them in my home and arms.
As soon as we are approved I will start posting pictures and update all on our adventure.

Bonilla Post (my first article for Women to Watch)

(I have been asked to write regular posts about my humanitarian experiences, this is the first one. Check out this address to see the actual post-a a fun website)

http://www.crazibeautiful.com/GirlfriendToGirlfriend/ExpertHome.aspx?id=1


The Starfish StoryOriginal Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”

That story so effectively illustrates the humanitarian world as I have come to know it.
In this section of Girlfriend to Girlfriend I would like to spotlight the individual “starfish” and the “throwers” that I have personally come to know. Just like you and me they are just a few among the teeming billions on the earth but they are living and doing good things and living good lives in the midst of the seeming futility.
This first spotlight is a starfish and a thrower, and she has made a profound impression on me.
I have been abundantly blessed in that we have had the opportunity to take our children on a few of our humanitarian trips, this one was part service and mostly fun to beautiful Panama.
It was just after Christmas, this past season(2008) and I wanted my little family to have a “Christmas Giving Experience” a little bigger than they had in the past. We asked our kids if they would give up a part of their Christmas for a family in need in Panama. My sister who lives in Panama knew just the family to help. They are the Bonilla family, Mother and Father and 7 children, they are members of my sister’s LDS ward in Panama. Their home is located up in the mountains, 20 minutes from a bus stop, up a steep and rough dirt road. The family must make the hike for work, school, and church. Their home is neat and orderly but is just multiple pieces of sheet metal screwed together to make one room 10’X15’, that serves as bedroom, living room, kitchen, but no bathroom. Brother Bonilla works hard at a very low paying job, picking up garbage from the side of the road.

As a combined effort of my sister’s family, mine, donations from neighbors, and some help from our charity, we made the trek to their house with a van full of toys, clothes, and items for the house.

After the initial shock of seeing their living conditions, I noticed something beautiful. Sister Bonilla is this very small, graceful, smiling woman. That was one of the things my sister mentioned about her before we even met, that while her circumstances are dire she is always smiling, positive and soft. My sister mentioned that in the year that she has lived there only twice has Sister Bonilla approached her and humbly asked for food as they had absolutely no food at the house, and yet even as she is asking you can see the faith in her eyes that she knows the Lord will provide. As we meet her children they are clean and look healthy and help us unload the van of presents we have brought. They are painfully shy but they don’t stop smiling the entire time we are with them. The family opens the presents, embarrassed and grateful (we didn’t realize until the middle of the present opening that it is not the custom in Panama to open presents in front of the giver.). As you look around the yard you can see the creativity and ingenuity of the children, out of scraps and garbage they have made a bridge and roadway, a wrestling ring, and a dollhouse for their few toys.
We spent the whole afternoon with them, after the presents we took them in to get some dinner and to buy some shoes. Sister Bonilla was smiling and so affectionate with the children, and the older children helped the younger ones stay together. You can tell that they are well loved.

This was an amazing experience for me personally. I went with the expectation that the presents and material things would provide the excitement of the day, when in reality they were the most ordinary part. The excitement was seeing my little girl and hers starting a relationship despite language, economic, and cultural barriers. My daughter would hold up something and say its name in English like “battery” and Lorenza would say the word in Spanish “batteria” and then they would giggle.
As I watched Sister Bonilla smile and interact with her children I learned a priceless lesson, that you can be happy without indoor plumbing, that you can be an exceptional mother with nothing but yourself to give, that you can show faith and perseverance when you don’t even know if you will have food to feed your children the next day, that in all truth and honesty, happiness can be found in the love of family and faith in God alone.
Most of all I learned that she is truly my sister and that our Father used a little bit of me for her and a little bit of her for me, to remind us both that he is aware of and loves us.

Great New Website

I would like to invite you all to this great, new website that has just been created by a friend of mine. My friend is a stay at home mom of 4 boys, who has taught herself how to web design. The website is beautiful and fun and features a variety of subjects that appeal to women. The best part about her website is the purpose behind it, she produced this website in major part to create some revenue to help struggling women in Utah. Whether the women are single mom's needing help with income or training or married women with health, family or financial issues. I applaud her ingenuity, talent and pro-action. I hope you will take a look at the website and spread the word.

P.S. As a little side note she is honoring me in the Honoring Womanhood section in the next week or so and she has asked me to be a regular contributor in the girlfriend to girlfriend section. Although because of my limited computer skills and flakiness she may choose to rescind later.
Check it out and let me know what you think!

Just in case the link didn't work the website is http://www.crazibeautiful.com

Panama Temple

The biggest and best reason that we travelled to Panama was for my little sister Heidi, her husband Mark, and their baby Elyn to be sealed in the temple.
It is a beautiful country and a glorious temple. The spirit was so strong and it felt so right to be there with them. Mark and Heidi have worked really hard to get to this point in their lives and the Lord has blessed them and us so much. We are all so happy and uplifted to be there!
Little Elyn was so cute and good for the sealing he even made a cute cooing sound when the sealer told them he was sealed for eternity, he is the happiest baby I have ever met.

Also a big shout out to my sisters DeAnna, Stephanie and Savannah for handling all the kids and babies for the whole day while we went to the temple!

Christmas Break in Panama

For Christmas break our family travelled with our Morrell family to beautiful, warm, tropical Panama! We had a blast! Alternating between swimming in the pool and the ocean about 10 hours everyday. As you can see in the first picture Heidi's husband Mark with throw Daniel up in the air and let him splash in the pool. Daniel makes some pretty good air!

In the next picture Eva is hitching a ride on Grandpa's shoulders through a beautiful botanical garden and zoo. There were lots of gorgeous flowers, trees, and ponds. We also saw tons of beautiful birds, monkeys, guinea pigs, alligators, and some other anteater pig like animals.

We rested as Harmony shows in the next picture. We needed it though from all the playing and the late nights of fun!

Aunt Katie provided a Santa Claus pinata for the kids. It felt a little weird beating up the guy that had just brought us presents, but again he delivered, as he broke up there were candy and water toys for all.

There is more to come on Panama..........

An Opportunity

Dear Friends and Family,

My dad has offered to pay the expense of shipping a container of supplies to the Village of Hope High Risk Children’s Center in Ethiopia. It should be shipped in January. Many of you have asked me what kinds of things the children and families over there need. Usually it is hard to take very much because you just have to pack it in your luggage. With this opportunity of sending it in a shipping container we can gather and send the larger items they need. The following is a list of needed supplies that we are going to try and get in the container. This list has been compiled by Deanna Kennard who is the founder and administrator of Village of Hope. Village of Hope is trying to get permission to ship the clothes with the container. Even if they don’t get permission to send the clothes in the container we can take them in ours and their luggage whenever anyone goes over. Pertaining to the clothing DeAnna mentions “the kids there literally wear their clothes until there is nothing left of them, even if they are too little, so please give only new or like-new donations. It is really not worth it to take things that are beginning to wear.” She just mentions this because it is both expensive and taxing to get these clothes to the kids so if they are on the verge of wearing out it isn’t worth taking over.

Blankets

twin sheets

sturdy toys

a couple high chairs

playpen

Excersaucer, vibrating chair, swing etc.

We also need medicine, especially OTC types, which I will hand carry because I don't want to risk shipping it for lots of reasons, but if you know anyone who works in a hospital, most of the medical stuff we use & donate to hospitals there was rescued from the garbage here. Hospitals open many kits and only use one or two things from them, or sterility has been broken, etc.

I am collecting medical books for the nursing college there and any charts or teaching supplies.

School supplies, including whiteboards and chalkboards.

We are also gathering instruments for the youth groups.

As for clothes, I do not give clothes to adults, only children whose parents have earned them. I figure we have opened many opportunities for the adults to work. I do take practical clothes for teens (modest and washable), and shoes of all sizes. The kids clothes should meet the same criteria, jeans and tee-shirts are great. Usually, the little girls all wear dresses, ones made from tee-shirts make very practical dresses. They all need jackets and sweatshirts.

You might want to remind the women that the babies there do not wear diapers so onesies are impractical.

Thanks again for your interest and willingness to help these children and families. Any thing you gather can be brought to my house and I will get them to the container and Ethiopia. Please feel free to pass this on to any one you think could help.

Thanks,

Cherish

Any questions feel free to ask me or visit Village of Hope's website. It is listed under Humanitarian sites I love.