Teen Center Donations

Yesterday I was able to go down to the Salt Lake City Homeless Youth Resource Center to drop-off donations. We had two Tahoes full of donated itmes collected from the Relief Society sisters in the Center Ward. There were handmade quilts, blankets, coats, sleeping bags, clothes, gloves, shoes, new socks and more.


On Dec. 1st we had a Relief Society Christmas program where the sisters dropped-off their donations.

We had a wonderful response to the call for donations.

Brennan Jeffs and Jack Palmer were great in helping to pack the Tahoe with the donated items. They were sure to fill in every space possible.

Carie, Alix, Kelli and Dani Lowry, Sarah Wilson and Madison Montierth loaded-up the other Tahoe. Carie Lowry was the one who headed-up the project with her girl's help. Three of her daughters used this experience for a Value project to count towards their YW Recognition Award.

When we arrived at the youth center there were a few teens in the parking lot. As soon as we got out of our cars they asked us if we needed any help taking items into the center. They were well-mannered and friendly. After just a few minutes there were more teens helping us take bags of donations inside. Once I entered the center I could feel this overwhelming spirit of love that stayed with me the entire visit. It was the love you feel because we were giving service. I felt love coming from how the people inside cared for each other. I also felt some of the love Heavenly Father has for this group of His children. 

The teens were genuinely grateful for our donations. Multiple youth would come up and express their gratitude. Each time the youth would look you in the eye and when they expressed their gratitude—you felt a spirit to spirit connection. One young man even sang a thank you song to us!

The teens in the center range from 15 to 22 yrs. old. Because of the common struggles they share, you can feel they are a tight-knit group. They seek out family relationships, they become "brothers" or "sisters" with the other teens, and they look out for one another. It was truly a joy to be there with these teens. How truly blessed we are to have food, shelter and clothing—the basic necessities of life. I thought of how much I have—and how much I have I could share with others. This experience has been the highlight of my Christmas season thus far. I know as we follow the Savior's example and serve "the least of these" we are the ones that are blessed. May we seek out opportunities to lift the hands that hang down. This will bring true joy to our lives.

Here is some additional information about the center:

Information on the Youth Center:

The Homeless Youth Resource Center delivers a continuum of services to homeless street youth through three components: a Street Outreach Program, a daytime Drop-In Center and Transition Home. They served 855 individuals last year across the three programs -- that's a 110% increase in two years.

Street Outreach Program

Each weekday, youth outreach workers seek out homeless street youth in Salt Lake County. By providing basic need items and establishing trust outreach workers seek to encourage youth to follow-up for services at the Drop-In Center or to seek other services available in the community. If needed, the outreach team provides transportation to service providers.

Drop-In Center

At the Drop-In Center, homeless street youth can receive basic need items. Young women and men can take care of many of life’s daily activities like doing laundry and taking showers. Meals are served twice daily. Youth can attend classes, receive referrals for human services and participate in ongoing case management. The Center seeks to provide a safe trusting environment for homeless youth and help them begin the process of moving out of homelessness and onto the path of self-sufficiency. To assist youth with transitioning to independence even more the Drop-In Center is now offering housing case management services.

Transition Home

The Transition Home is an 18-month, all female program designed to provide support, guidance and structure to homeless youth. Through case management, goal setting and skill building groups and classes, this residential program seeks to help young women ages 16-19 transition from instability and homelessness to reunification with family and/or self-sufficiency.

Mission Statement

Volunteers of America, Utah is a ministry of service organized to reach and uplift those in greatest need and to provide opportunities to experience the joy of serving others.

The ultimate goal is to get these young people off the streets and into a life of self-sufficiency. The Homeless Youth Resource Center is a safe place where street kids can come during the day for a meal, to take a shower, do laundry, attend life skills classes and much needed case management service to help them better their situation.

For more information visiti their website at: http://www.voaut.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2373

Focusing on the Savior During the Holidays

I was called to be the 2nd Counselor in Relief Society on September 26, 2010. The first monthly meeting I was in charge of was in November called deLIGHTful Holidays.

We gave each sister a little box that said "The Greatest Gift." Inside was a slip of paper that read "Eternal Life." For this is truly the greatest gift ever given to mankind.

We had Kristy Hawks come and set-up her Christmas Tree. The ornaments were framed photos of the Savior. It was a special tree. Here is a letter I sent her.

Dear Kristy,

I wanted to share with you a some wonderful experiences we had with your beautiful tree. Thank you so much for sharing it with the sisters in our ward. I appreciate the time you spent setting it up and taking it down. Know that your service was a tool in the Lord's plan to brighten the holidays for several of His daughters.

We had our YW in Excellence Tues. night and all those families were able to enjoy the tree. Many of the moms were not at the activity on Wed. night, so that many more sisters were able to see it. One mom said her daughters were so inspired by the tree that they wanted to do something similar this year. They have been collecting photos of the Savior and her girls are writing on the backs why they chose that particular photo. When they add photos each year they can read the testimonies from the previous years.

One sister lost her husband to a tragic rock-climbing accident in Dec. 2004. She has struggled more than usual this year with the anniversary of his death. She has also not been attending our ward too frequently. She called me around 3:00 pm on the day of the R.S. meeting and was worried she wouldn't have time to make a pie in time for the meeting. I told her to be sure and come anyway, we wanted her not the pie :)

When she walked into the Relief Society room and saw the tree it touched her so much that she started crying. I talked to her afterwards and she had visited Africa with Mothers Without Borders and had her own photos of children from Zambia. She is very familiar with Philip, the model of the Savior, and Liz Swindles's work. She called me the next day and told me she didn't even want to decorate or celebrate the holidays this year, but since the activity she has a plan. She wants to do a tree with photos of the Savior and her own photos of the people in Africa she was able to serve. It was so touching to me to hear her story and how much the tree meant to her. She asked for photos of the tree and all of the eternal life boxes details. She even asked for a PDF of the tags so she could recreate and then share the boxes with her family. Since that activity we have seen her at church more and it truly made a difference in her life this year.

I am so thankful for sisters like you who are willing to share with others. Nadiene has felt her Savior's love and that makes it all worth it! You are an amazing example to me.

Sincerely, Anna Jeffs

Mr. Krueger's Christmas

December 12, 2010


On Sunday night, we were watching Mr. Krueger's Christmas. It was the first time Brennan had watched the show. All the boys seemed to really enjoy the movie.

We were watching the scene when Mr. Krueger was praying to Jesus. Brennan turned to me when the scene was over and said, "Mom, I started to cry when he was praying." I asked him if he knew why he was crying. He said, "No." I told him that it was the Spirit he was feeling. Sometimes when we are so happy, our heart is so full, that we cry. Brennan then tells me, "I did feel happy." We talked about how the Spirit will testify to us of truth and we feel happy. 

What an amazing experience. Brennan is becoming a boy with a lot of faith and a strong spirit.

Baby Blankets for Afghanistan

Babies: A sweet new blossom of humanity.-- Author Unknown

This fall I had the opportunity to be part of a service project. Here is the story:

October 19th, 2010

For all local friends and family:

I have a neighbor who’s son is serving in Afghanistan. Her nephew is also in Afghanistan serving in a Military hospital as an anesthesiologist. At the military hospital women come from the outer villages to deliver their babies. The people are so poor that these moms have nothing to bring their babies home in. The soldiers are literally taking the T-shirts off their backs and shredding them to make “blankets” to give to these new mothers so they have something to wrap their new babies in. 

As a mother, I know how you pray for 9 months for the safe delivery of your baby and you want the very best for them. How thankful I would be for anyone who would give my baby something warm to sleep in.

We are collecting items to ship to the military hospital. We need to ship by Nov. 1st so they arrive before assignment changes. We want to make sure the baby items get to her nephew. If you have anything you’d like to send over, you can bring it to my house anytime. Items needed: small baby blankets, booties, fleece to make more blankets and hats with, baby hats, baby sleepers.

Becky Norager Bosen:  

K, I will pick up some blankets asap.     October 19 at 5:07pm

Anna Golightly Jeffs :
Thanks Becky. I should have posted the items don’t have to be new, but can be gently used.    October 19 at 6:32pm

Becky Norager Bosen:
I will check out Ross. They usually have good deals on baby stuff. Hey- I summarized and re posted this. I hope that is okay. I will collect anything I can and drop it off to you.     October 19 at 8:16pm

Anna Golightly Jeffs: 

The items will be shipped directly to the afghanistan military hospital in care of my neighbor’s son’s cousin. I can get the name of the area if anyone is interested. Once the items ship the Army planes take the packages directly over and it only takes 6 to 7 days.   October 19 at 10:09pm 

Lisa Shields Free: 

Thanks for letting us know!

Anna Golightly Jeffs:

Thank you to everyone who has donated blankets and baby items for the military hospital in Afghanistan! We have already collected 60 items to send over to those babies. Thank you for your generous hearts!     October 24 at 7:54am

Ali Allred Rich: 
What do you do in your free time. Lyndsay and I dropped off homemade rolls. The Guatemala print was lovely! Thank you for doing that.     October 24 at 6:54pm

Anna Golightly Jeffs:
Ali, thank you so much for the yummy rolls. The Guatemala project sounds like it’s going well. Tell Lindsay good luck!      October 24 at 8:36pm

Kathryn Steele:
My girls and I have 8 fleece hats we made together for your project. It was fun to do them together. I’ll bring them by in the next day or so.     October 29 at 4:04pm

Anna Golightly Jeffs:
Kathryn, I can’t wait to see them. I love that you had your girls help make them. It’s such a great feeling to know you’re directly helping a little baby half-way around the world!

Anna Golightly Jeffs:

More wonderful items to ship to the babies in Afghanistan! We have collected over 100 baby items in less than two weeks. The human spirit is an amazing force in our world. I also have a friend in Boise that is having her Primary children make 40 fleece blankets to donate! AMAZING!     October 30 at 10:33pm

Lost, Then Found

Prayer, if given in faith, is acceptable to God at all times.


December 7, 2010


Brennan was in his 2nd grade classroom and he needed to find a new AR book. While he was looking over the books, his class left to go their next activity. Brennan thought his class was going to 5th grade buddies. He was lost and told me this story:


Brennan told me, "I looked in the 5th grade classroom and I didn't see anyone, so I went back to my classroom. I was thinking, where could they be? I was thinking, thinking, thinking and so I went back to the 5th grade class again to double-check. When my class wasn't there, I headed back to my classroom and I decided to pray. I prayed that Mrs. Inderrieden would have a feeling that I was missing and come back to get me or send a student to find me. I looked up at our daily schedule and saw "Success Maker." When you use the computer in Success Maker and get a question right, it makes a sound. Well, God sent me that sound when I looked at the words. Then I knew that's where my class was. I just didn't know how to get to them without getting in trouble. Then Indyana came to get me – just like I prayed! Then we both walked back to Success Maker together."


That night Brennan said his prayers and said, "Thank Thee for answering my prayer when I was sad and alone and sending someone to find me." Brennan then told me, "I'm glad you told me I could pray for help at school or I probably wouldn't have prayed."


On December 27th I received this e-mail from Brennan's teacher:
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Jeffs,

Thanks for sharing this experience with me from Brennan's point of view. I'd like to add my own experience to your story:
Once I saw the empty chair in the computer room where Brennan usually sits. I asked the class if anyone had seen Brennan; when no one remembered seeing him line up with the class I had an immediate impression come to me "Send a student to find him, now." Knowing I couldn't leave the other children unattended to go look for him myself, I called the office to page Brennan and then sent one of my most reliable students (Indy) back to the classroom to look for him. Thank goodness he was there in the classroom waiting. What a blessing the power of prayer is in our lives...May Brennan never forget this simple experience as it is a witness of the Lord's watchful eyes over us all. Brennan is such a beautiful child and so full of faith, I'm sure this is only the beginning of many more experiences of faith and prayer in his life.

It's such a blessing to see children being taught faith and trust in their homes. If every child were so lucky to have parents such as yourselves. Thank you for honoring your role as parents and raising your children in light.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday and New Year!

Louise Inderrieden

Derek and Mom

My goal was to get a photo of all the boys after church, but Caleb fell asleep and Brennan had already taken off his church clothes... 

So here's a great photo of Derek! Taken 11-28-10

Golightly Family Reunion 2010

Photos from our annual Golightly Family Reunion at Berit and Al's cabin. We had a blast and continued many of our traditions: sister shirts from Ennis, pancake breakfasts made by dad, puzzles, big fires, cutting wood, playing games, great food and many awesome memories.

Anna, Carmie, Beth and Jean

Dad making pancakes on the deck.

Craig, Carmie, Elisabeth, Taylor, Karina and Steven

Berit and Eva

Trevor, Jean and Tyler

All of the cousins! 11 boys + 3 girls = 14 grandkids

Curly Hair

Derek has fun curly hair that catches everyone's attention.

It looks like Caleb will be following the curly hair trend.

Microclimate

On the way home from Montana, we stopped at a beautiful waterfall in Island Park, ID.

Aunt Berit's Cabin

Only 45 minutes away from West Yellowstone is where Aunt Berit's cabin is located. It's heaven on earth. Beautiful mountains in all directions, great food and wonderful company. Here are some pics from summer 2010.

Yellowstone September 2010

One of our families favorite vacation spots: anywhere in or around Yellowstone National Park. Grandpa Bruce, Clint, Brennan and Derek took this trip to Yellowstone over Labor Day Weekend.

Brennan and Derek became Junior Rangers (again) and love their patches. 

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Derek was tired of getting his photo taken and he tells us, "I'm just mad."