By Ken Jarvis, Area Media Specialist
It was a pleasant, warm south Texas Saturday. Volunteers from the Bulverde Ward, Hill Country Stake, gathered at SJRC Texas, formerly known as St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, in Bulverde. Their goal, to decorate the campus for Christmas.
SJRC Texas cares for children and families who have been affected by trauma, abuse and neglect. These kids had to be removed from their homes by the Department of Family and Protective Services. The Bulverde ward has had a long relationship with SJRC Texas helping clean and repair the buildings and grounds. But this time the need was to convert the campus into something special for Christmas.
Kim Bodily, the Relief Society Service Project Coordinator said, “My assignment was to find a group that was in need and would let us help with a hands-on activity for this Christmas season. SJRC Texas was a perfect fit.”
The objective was to decorate the building exteriors and the interior of the community room. “We actually had a good problem,” Bodily said. “We had 70 people show up and we had to scramble to find work for the everyone to do.”
But decorate they did. Scissors, glue, paper, and fabric came together to make decorative chains, ornaments, stockings, etc. Lights went up around the building exteriors. The artificial boughs and trunk of a Christmas tree, complete with lights and ornaments came together in the community room. Doors, walls and ceilings were decorated. Everything that could be decorated, was.
The young girls of the Primary Activities class took it upon themselves the week before to make stockings to hang on the doors. One young lady was so excited with her work she wanted to take hers home. But she was reminded by her friend who said, “Oh no! We’re going to give them to the kids who don’t even have parents.”
Bodily summed up the true worth of the activity by saying, “Anytime you work together and show support for one another it is the true essence of putting the gospel into action. We not only strengthened testimonies, we strengthened our awareness of being Christ’s hands here on earth.”
She said this is just the first part. They’ll return later to take it all down and clean up.
