HELP

Dear Readers,

I have this really, REALLY amazing opportunity to go to Africa this summer! I'm going to be spending three months in Uganda with a non-profit organization called HELP International. We'll be implementing programs to help the people there to be able to provide for themselves and to find their way out of poverty. Some of the projects I'm hoping to be involved in are building adobe stoves and square-foot gardens and helping out in the local orphanages. I'm really hoping that the experience will be rewarding for the people that I'll be meeting there and for me as I learn from people who live completely different lives than mine. The problem is that it's actually quite expensive to make this happen and I need to help to fund raise all of the money. If you would be willing to donate HERE I would be extremely grateful. You can donate as little as $3 and every little bit counts. If you want to send a check or cash, you can send it to HELP Headquarters (you can find the address at their website listed below). If you want the donation to go towards my account, just be sure to include my name and the country (Haley Eldredge--Uganda) in the comment section or leave a note in your envelope. Even if you just help spread the word for me, I would love you forever!


2010 Impact:

       8410 served with visual health through screenings, eyeglasses and cataract surgeries

       5424 people taught Nutrition, Hygiene, Sex-Education and general Community Health lessons

       4036 helped through AIDS advocacy activities

       Construction of various Health and Sanitation Facilities, Classrooms, illiterate-friendly Hospital signs, Mushroom Homes and Chick Farms benefitting thousands

       872 involved in improved Literacy and English campaigns

       836 students empowered through Music, Drama, Art and Soccer Camps

       674 taught skills related to Leadership, Computers and Conflict Resolution

       465 school children taught Drug Education

       293 trained on Square-foot Gardening and Vermicomposting with 158 Gardens built

       160 trained, 58 Adobe Stoves built

       148 trained for improved Micro-Finance loaning and Business Consulting

       69 Special Needs Children and teachers engaged in therapy and learning activities as well as 17 empowerment themed wall Murals painted

       38 Lepers given care and attention

       29 trained on Bee-Keeping ventures

       1 Recycling Program implemented

Thank you so much for your support! 

Love, Haley   

HELP International

455 N. University Ave.

#212

Provo, UT 84601

2011

i love this year and i love the new start.
i'm not excited because i've made a list of resolutions,
because i haven't.
it's just that suddenly so much seems possible! 

The Bomb Christmas Continued

Ok, kids. This holiday season has been busy so I'm sorry I've slacking on my blogging duties. But who has time to blog when there's so much excitement going on?! 

I was kind of nervous for this Christmas because it was my first Christmas away from home and with no family around. My dad had consoled me with stories of his mission Christmases and assured me that this would be one of my favorites. At first, I was kind of offended that he enjoyed his mission Christmases better than all the Christmases with us! But now i understand. I tried to have a good attitude and just enjoy every thing that I was doing with Reed and not dwell on the things that I was missing out on at home. And it worked! We did so many fun things and the Nixon's were so wonderful to me. It was like being with family that wasn't my family but still felt like it. I've just been so grateful that even though this Christmas was so very different and hard at times, I've been able to have a lot of fun and really enjoy myself. I'm grateful that my parents were so supportive of me staying here and for the Nixon's really taking me in and making sure i felt comfortable and loved.

 Reed's brother, Rob and his wife, Katie have been here for the holidays and it has been so nice to have them around. We have been partying like it's 1999. Just kidding. But really. 

We started off by going to The Nutcracker at the Boston Opera House which was incredible! Boston was beautiful, the Opera House was beautiful and The Nutcracker was spectacular. I felt so Christmasy! You should see Boston at Christmas. No one has lights, but it has it's own kind of feeling that makes it sort of magical. And I've never seen so many adorable little girls in their fancy dresses and pea coats in one place. 

On Christmas Eve, Sheryl treated Katie and me to pedicures and manicures. It's not really my thing but I'm thinking it could become my thing. It was wonderful. We had a delicious Christmas dinner and then read scriptures and sang hymns for the spiritual part. Katie and I opened our Christmas P.J.'s (red footies for me-thanks mom!). We finished the night with Muppets Christmas Carol. A successful evening. 

Christmas morning started at around ten thirty which is super weird and super great all at once. We had pancakes and started the present opening at around 12 and finished at 2! I got wonderful presents from the Nixon's and my family. Everyone was so thoughtful. I'm so blessed. 

On Monday we went to the Wang Theater to see the ROCKETTES! in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! and man! It was spectacular! You think the Rockettes are going to be lame because all they do is kick, but they do more. They're actually really cool. And the Spectacular ends in the nativity scene with live animals! They even enter the stage through the audience! Not the animals, just the people. It's always a little creepy when they do that, but it was still a good time. 

The rest of our time has been spent playing games, doing puzzles and watching football. We also saw the movie True Grit. I wouldn't recommend it if you get queasy at the sight of blood. Actually, I just wouldn't recommend it. Unless you're Grandpa Fred, in which case, you would love it. 

Katie and I seem to be the only able-bodied pair of the bunch so we decided to take my day off to go sledding. Well, we tried to go sledding. You see, there aren't many hills in the vicinity and ski ward seems to have monopoly on the only good one. You can go skiing or tubing there! The problem is that it costs $20 to go and I just feel like that's a little pricey, yeah? So we heard of this other ski hill, Jericho hill, that had been closed down so you could go sledding for free. We got directions and headed out but, just my luck, we couldn't find it. We were looking for an hour and a half and actually quite enjoying ourselves. We found this bizarre little diner, The Tropical Cafe. You'd never know it existed unless, of course, you were looking for Jericho hill. We got directions from two people who obviously were not from this country and obviously had no idea what we were saying but felt free to lead us on in any random direction just for kicks and giggles, i suppose. After we'd come to the conclusion that Jericho hill doesn't actually exist, we were out of ideas so we just went back to Ward hill. But! the man there told us of a hill not far away that we could take our own sleds to! great! We headed right over there and there was a great place to sled! It just wasn't covered in snow.. there was, however, a nice patch of snow nearby just big enough to do some somersaults and build a sad, little snowman. We got a little wet, talked, laughed and then decided we had had enough. some might say it was unsuccessful, not i. 

Ward Hill and their money thieving ways. They don't even use real snow.

This is completely irrelevant to Christmas, I've just never had REAL frost on my window before.

Wang Theater. Oh, the Rockettes.

I'd say this has been such a great holiday season. New Years Eve was a little uneventful considering the lack of noise makers, fireworks and screaming children but the idea of it all was the same. Now, onto bigger and better things in 2011. It's going to be a good year. I can feel it. 

this Christmas was the bomb. seriously.

but the fun is continuing so i'll have to tell about it later! but i hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season! for now, here's a glimpse into my christmas...

Twinsies!

i guess since it's facebook official, i can finally announce the newcomers to our family. when my sister told me, i felt like i was being punk'd. it was so weird. but i have proof now. i'm a believer. here's some proof for you in case you need it, too.

congrats and good luck to sarah and kenneth!

Remember Who You Are

so when my parents were here in september, i asked my dad to give me a blessing before he left because i was feeling pretty lonely and missing home. i was kind of expecting him to bless me to be able to find friends but instead he just blessed me to not have feelings of loneliness. i figured i wasn't going to make that many friends here but that i would just be content that way. and that's the way it was for a long time... until now!

i've been trying to think of a way to make this an interesting story, but i can't. i just had so much fun and i wanted to tell you about it. last weekend i went to the New England YSA dance with a bunch of people in my ward. before we went to the dance i met up with my visiting teacher so i could borrow one of her dresses. some other friends came over to also get ready and then the boys came and we went to an a capella concert at wellesley, had dinner in the dining hall and then headed to the dance. it was honestly the most fun i've had with that ward. everyone was hanging out together and i got to know so many people better. i loved feeling like i was part of their group, finally. my view of so many of them has changed dramatically and i'm so grateful for the friendship they showed me. they even invited me to hang out with them the next weekend and this coming weekend. the sunday after the dance was incredible because i had so many people to talk to and i finally felt included and like i could stick around and talk to people instead of just hurrying home right after the meetings ended. i also made good friends with mary. we made waffles together. she has actually been really really nice to me ever since i got her but we have been getting closer and she is so sweet and wonderful. i love all of them! i'm just so happy about it. it's so nice to have friends.

for a long time i've had a hard time getting along with the other people in my ward. it just seemed like i couldn't fit in and they didn't want to have much to do with me. it was hard to be in a university ward where everyone is going to school except for me. it made me feel so distant and disconnected from them. i also had a lot of feelings of self-doubt. i mean, these kids go to harvard and MIT. if you want to feel stupid, i know the ward for you. i'm not usually too self conscious but i couldn't get myself to relax around them and just be myself. i worried that they were judging everything i said. i think it took time for me to figure out that i like myself the way that i am, even if i don't go to harvard. before i could be friends with them, i had to be friends with myself. it took courage at first but now i say all sorts of stupid things in front of them and they still like me! or at least they pretend to haha. i used to always say how they were all just taking themselves too seriously and that's why i didn't get along with them, but i think the truth is that i was the one taking myself too seriously. when i just decide to be myself, i'm so much happier.

i'm so grateful to have friends and a dad who is a priesthood holder and father in heaven who knows me. my life is so wonderful.

GOOOO CRIMSON!

i went to the harvard vs. yale football game a couple of weeks ago. it's a long story so i'll just sum it up for you. thank you, MasterCard.

ticket: $44
toll roads: $6
gas: $15
parking: FREE! just wait..
lunch for me and poor college student i just met: $14
pass to ride the T even though i don't know where i'm going: $5
walking around cambridge for an hour: $my frozen fingers and toes
hot chocolate: $2
getting kellie's car back from the towing company: $64

although the day ended up being annoying, what with misplacing a car and all, i'm glad i went. i've never seen so many men in scarves in one arena. do you think that made the day priceless? why yes, yes it did. super weird. but really, i made some friends and overall it was a good time. go crimson!