Graham's Eagle Project

For Graham's Eagle Project he decided to work with RoseAnn Gunther (Launfal Foundation) and Jennifer Frye (Safety Net) to help the women and children in Hildale, Ut.

(Picture of RoseAnn and Graham with some of the ladies who were helping to make quilts)

 He started by making a flier of the things that the people of Hildale were in need of.  He and some of the scouts delivered the fliers to our ward, the ward we just split from, and our old ward.

 Next Graham and some of the scouts and leaders gathered all the items that were donated.  People continued to drop things off for weeks to come.  Graham even got donations from dentist offices and Costco.  All the donations took over our garage!  We spent a lot of time sorting things.

 Graham and his buddies loaded up the scout trailer to deliver the items to Hildale.  We left the first weekend in June and took 2 car loads of scouts.  They stopped at some hot pots on the way down and did some swimming.

As soon as we arrived we started unloading.  Shoes were all layed out on a big tarp.  Cleaning supplies were set out on a table.  Clothes were on the second floor on tarps.  It kind of looked like a big yard sale except everything was FREE!

 (The front of the house where the event was being held)

 Once everything was unloaded the scouts went inside to do some cleaning.  They washed walls and Pam and I cleaned some bathrooms.  Next they did some weeding and found some frogs!

It was a pretty amazing experience.  Everyone was so grateful we were there and thanked us.  We enjoyed interacting with the sweet polygamist sisters.  I was able to help one lady find some shoes for her children.  One mother needed mattresses.  We had hauled down (with me grumbling because it was such a pain) 4 mattresses.  This nice mother was able to have all 4 mattresses and the others in need of mattresses were put on a waiting list.  

(This is was Warren Jeffs house when he lived Hildale)

The fun didn't end there.  After finishing up in Hildale the boys camped out and forgot their tent so this tarp awning was rigged up.  It rained on them and the person who was supposed to bring chili for the baked potatoes forgot.  

The next morning they set off to do a slot canyon.  One boy did NOT want to do the canyon so Jason ended up staying back with that boy and didn't do the canyon either.

With the rains the night before the canyon was filled with WATER!  The boys did some wading and all out swimming.  On their way out of the canyon they missed their turn off.  Jason could see them from up above and watched them walk past it.  They ended up having to climb their way out up the side of a ravine.  From what they tell me it was somewhat steep.  

Graham got climbing up it pretty quick and lost his footing and fell backwards.  The boy below him, Joseph, reached out and grabbed onto Graham but Graham was free falling and Joseph couldn't hold on and Graham fell out of his grasp.  I think by this point Graham was seriously scared.  Then Bro. Hopkins who was below Joseph saw something out of the corner of his eye.  He reached out for it and it was falling Graham.  He grabbed him and pulled him back onto the rock.  Graham said he just started crying.  He was so scared and relieved.  Later when Graham got back to the car and told the story Jason wasn't sure what to think (Graham can be kind of dramatic).  Bro. Gerritsen who was there with Graham told Jason that if Bro. Hopkins hadn't grabbed Graham he would have fallen all the way to the bottom.  We feel so thankful that Graham was being watched over and it was a very powerful experience for him.