Sleeping in heavenly peace

For the first time in a long time, two Green River children will once again know what it's like to sleep in their own bed.

For Julianna Kloefkorn, 11, and her brother Gabriel Kloefkorn, 7, taking turns sleeping with their mother, Jennifer Ferguson, was a nightly occurrence.

Ferguson said she had bought two different bunk beds for them for a local store, but it was cheaply made and both of them broke. For a family tight on money, she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

She did the best she could and took the twin bed memory foam and placed it at the end of her bed. They would all sleep in the same room, but since the children would fight sometimes, she decided it would be easier for them to take turns sleeping with her. One would sleep at the end of the bed on the memory foam placed on the floor, while the other would sleep with her.

This wasn't the best arrangement because the kids would toss and turn and often kick Ferguson in the back, which would leave her feeling tired most days.

Ferguson said she would try to move the children when they would roll on her or kick her, but they are getting too heavy. Plus, she didn't want to disturb them.

"They're so cute when they are sleeping," Ferguson said.

Everyone seemed tired and it was like they never had an personal space. With this as her only option, it quickly became a way of life.

"It messed up the dynamic of everything," Ferguson said.

That is until one day while Ferguson was scrolling through Facebook and she saw a page called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. It was for the Rock Springs chapter, but it specified that it would help anyone in Wyoming out.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is an nonprofit volunteer organization that provides bunk beds for children of families in need. Ferguson said she decided to contact them and apply for the bunk beds. She was expecting the process to take a long time, but to her surprise it only took two weeks.

"I honestly thought there would be a long waiting list," she said.

Little did she know, for the local chapter of SHP, this would be the group's first bunk-bed delivery and they were excited to help. The organization officially started in May and is just getting off the ground.

The delivery

On Saturday it was almost like a scene out of a movie. The SHP chapter volunteers gathered outside the apartment building getting everything ready. Once Mike Bond and his wife Aly, the chapter founders, spoke with Ferguson; the crew, Dave and Heather Jarrell and Tom and Cindy Jarvie, gathered up the materials and carried it all to the apartment.

Once in the bedroom, the sound of drills could be heard. Although it this group's first Green River assembly, they went at it like pros.

In less than a half an hour, the bed was assembled and everything was in place, including new stuffed animals for the children to snuggle with at night.

The children watched excitedly as their new bunk bed took shape.

"It will give them their own space," Ferguson said.

She said she already moved her bed into the smaller bedroom so they could have more room. Before the children didn't really have any area to call their own, but now they do.

"Hopefully, it will make them feel a little more confident," she said.

Before the kids were hesitant to invite friends over for sleepovers, but Ferguson thinks this will soon change.

For Ferguson, it was hard to ask for help.

"I feel like I don't deserve this," she said.

However, she said she has learned sometimes it's OK to ask for help.

"I'm just going two accept it and be thankful," Ferguson said. "I have a hard time admitting I can't do stuff."

She couldn't say enough good things about the SHP volunteers,

"They are amazing and very sweet," she said.

As for the kids, the minute the beds were ready they were in them. Of course both wanted top bunk, but in the end, Julianna claimed the top and Gabriel the bottom, but both seemed happy.

Gabriel was a child of few words, but said he was "happy about everything" and "comfy."

"It makes me feel so happy," Julianna said. "It makes me feel like I want to fall asleep. It makes me feel so comfortable."

This was almost as exciting as Christmas for the children and Julianna said even though she was excited when her friend gave her a mountain bike, this feeling was even stronger.

Both children snuggled up in their beds and although it was only 8:15 a.m., they wanted to take naps.

For the family, the whole dynamic changed because of their sleeping arrangements and they are anticipating positive changes to come from this.

Those who are in need of bunk beds or know children who are can request one by either finding the local chapter on Facebook at Sleep in Heavenly Peace - Wy., Rock Springs or by going to the website http://www.shpbeds.org.