Flowers for the Soul

Hurricane "Mitch" hit the Honduras in December 1998. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints President Gordon B. Hinkley made a trip to the devastated area to insure the people that we would not forget them. As he was leaving he was holding a little girlwho was the only survivor of her family. President Hinkley sadly mentioned that the children of Honduras would probably not have candy for Christmas that year.

Sister Carnahan, a missionary at the humanitarian center, told us of this event that followed. A day or two after president Hinkley had mentioned he was worried about how the children of Honduras would be celebrating Christma, approximately 7 to 9 thousand pounds of candy was delivered to the bishop's storehouse in Salt Lake City. It immediately shipped to Honduras, but when it got to the border they wouldn't let it in because it was a luxury item and was deemed unnecessary under the extreme emergency conditions the country was suffering.

A member of the relief group asked the border guards if they would let Christmas packages come through. They replied "Yes, Christmas packages would be alright." so they phoned t

T he humanitarian center was contacted with a request that toys be sent. Sister Carnahan said she personally witnessed many boxes of Happy Factory go into that shipment. She said when the toys got to the border they would combine a toy with some of the banned Christmas candy and wrap them in Christmas paper to make the allowed Christmas packages. The children in Honduras had candy and a toy for Christmas after all.

Sister Carnahan said the event reminded her of an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this:

A wise old gentleman was asked what he would do if he had but two coins.
He replied "If had but two coins, I would take one and buy bread for the body
and with the other I would buy a flower for the soul."

To her, the toys were those flowers.