Week Ending March 2, 2013

Sunday a branch member told us about her mission call to the Pocatello Idaho Mission. She goes in the MTC on April 10. I invited her to teach discussions with me if she’s interested. They organized the Home Teaching partnerships in Priesthood today. They haven’t got families assigned yet, but it’s a start. The elders started a Gospel Essentials class. After Relief Society we talked about Break-the-Fast next week. There was a request for Navajo Tacos. I would like to learn to make the fry bread but was told it wasn’t possible. I think I can learn. At home I hurried to get dinner on before the missionaries arrived—it was Elder Busdicker’s birthday. We enjoyed the meal and had a good visit.

Ted, Elder Busdicker, Elder Chavez

Monday, at the time we figured kids would be home from school, we set out to visit several youth about the youth conference. We went to five homes. At one the son was home, but his mother was not. We made an appointment to see her. At one the father was home but the daughter was going to school in Phoenix. We gave him the information and a form. We left notes at two homes. At one the uncle was home but the mother was not. We’ll go by later. I am amazed at the conditions people live in.

The uncle is the son of a former branch president. He sleeps in the shell in the back of a truck. Since his mother died a couple of years ago he can’t sleep in the house—it is an emotional thing. That wouldn’t be a big deal except someone stole his sleeping bag and blankets when he was at some event a while back. He has three sweaters he puts on then he prays. I’m not sure that’s the whole story, but it was uncomfortably cold yesterday in my parka. I wouldn’t want to face the night without a good blanket.

We headed to the basketball game that would start at 6 PM. While we were sitting in the parking lot waiting for the doors to open, a mom texted me that the game was at 7 PM and her daughter really wanted me to come. We tried to reach the last home we’d visited so we could go back. No dice. Instead we went to get sandwiches at Subway. The elders pulled in right after us—apparently they like the food there. (It is actually the only fast food in our area besides Dennys and the café at the trading post.)

The game was a real squeaker. Our team led for a while then the other team took over. Our team made a basket just as the bell rang for half time to tie the score. In the second half the score went back and forth. The other team pulled ahead then for several minutes the lead changed several times. We finally pulled ahead the last few minutes. We won 53-49. One of my seminary students is co-captain and we’ve tried to support them. I’m glad we saw this game—it was a good one.

I saw a lady at the game that has not been to church in years. She made the comment that she had missed church on Sunday but she’d be there next week. Apparently, when we visited her on Saturday something had happened a few days prior and she told her husband she was quitting the ministry they had in the church behind their house. She said she was going to find another religion. Then Friday night she had prayed for guidance. When we showed up on Saturday she felt it was an answer to her prayers. When Elder Chavez asked about her faith she was very touched. She asked us to pray for her.

Tuesday I made bread so we could take some with us to our appointments. We tried to round up some warm clothing and blankets for the man in the truck. Mostly it was Ted’s clothes and a mattress pad. We went to the Iyanbito Sr. Center to ask if they had any blankets. At Christmas they’d said there was a warehouse full of donated items. They said they had given away most of the stuff in the warehouse, but they gave us an emergency blanket. They also asked us to do an Easter program on March 20.

Back at home I spent most of the afternoon trying to finish a second scarf for the craft sale since I’d promised it would be ready by Monday. I got it done while we were driving to our appointments. We had to do a makeup lesson for seminary. It was really difficult. The mom was cooking dinner and the noise of frying was almost deafening. The girl ate snacks the entire time we were there. I think the lesson went OK and I think they got the point, but I could hardly hear myself think.

From there we went to show a family the DVD on the youth conference. The mom had locked her keys in the car so she didn’t get home until about 6:15. We hurried and showed the DVD, told her about the meeting on Thursday, and left two applications. Her kids are very enthusiastic about the conference. We went to another home to show the DVD. We were late and the younger son was anxious for attention so it was difficult to get the point across, but they thought it sounded good.

Rocks (larger than a fist) from neighbor's yard

Wednesday I made another batch of bread. I reviewed the lesson we would teach in the evening and I also read my manuals for the chapters we’re studying in Acts. I made assignments for the kids to do parts of the material, so I had to plan the transitions that I need to do. The lesson went well. We taught two brothers and a sister in a family. We invited the grandma to come to church as well.

Thursday I spent time putting final touches on my lessons for the seminary classes. In the afternoon we went into Gallup to do some grocery shopping. We had a meeting at the stake center for the youth conference at 6 pm and got there just in time for the meeting. As it turned out the meeting had really been scheduled and held on Wed evening at 7 pm. One family was also there looking for the meeting. We found the stake presidency and they said someone would talk to us. After a long wait Pres. Hine came out and started. Right after he started the branch president’s family arrived, coming straight from track practice. Pres. Bloomfield started to talk, but Pres. Hine returned and said they had too much going on this evening so Elder and Sister Roeth would do a presentation at church Sunday. Ted started institute in another room while I stayed with this meeting. It was a crazy evening.

Institute went well. We had four students and two missionaries, so we had a good group. One guy who usually doesn’t participate was asked to read scriptures. One of the sisters gave him her scriptures to use. After it was over he offered us a plate of sandwiches he’d picked up in the pinewood derby that was going on. That was a real breakthrough. He usually doesn’t say a word. I asked if he was going to stay for games and he said he couldn’t tonight, but he would next week. Wow!

More rocks--petrified wood

Friday the elders came over to discuss the branch party they’d like to have. The biggest issue is not planning the party but in meeting with the lady in charge of activities in the branch to get her buy-in. We came up with having a chili cookoff. We planned it for March 23. I offered to plan some games. I think it will be fun.

In the afternoon we headed to Toh-la-kai for seminary. Ted was feeling bad enough that I had to drive. The branch had taken the TV out of the room I use, so I won’t be able to show videos without arranging with the elders to get us a TV. Pres. Bloomfield got there shortly after we did for a meeting. He asked how we were doing. I told him we were frustrated with the youth conference meetings and the seminary things. He told us a story, I think to try to cheer us up, but maybe just to illustrate that life is full of frustrating things.

I had two students at seminary. We had a good discussion, but I passed a paper out for them to make notes on for part of the lesson and the boy doodled on his throughout the lesson. It was quite distracting. I think he must have been listening to the lesson because he drew pictures of Peter cutting off the ear of the guard who came to arrest Jesus.

Pres. Bloomfield’s story: There was a small town where a man wanted to build a bar. Many of the residents of the town were very religious and were opposed to the bar. They attended the Baptist Church where they all prayed mightily that God would prevent the bar from coming to their town. The bar was built and just before it opened for business it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The owner of the bar put a claim into his insurance company for damages but was refused because they didn’t cover “acts of God”. He then sued the Baptist Church for damages. When the suit came to trial he accused them of destroying his bar. The people claimed they had nothing to do with it. The judge had a real dilemma: a bartender who believed God answers prayers and a Baptist Church where they did not.

Saturday seminary went OK. The assignments to the students were a disappointment. Mostly they just read the scripture block. A couple had some idea of what they’d read. One student did what I had assigned—she gave us a summary of what the scripture said then gave a comment about it. I guess I need to explain it better next time. I thought this would be a surefire way to get them into the scriptures. After seminary the elders drove us to Pinedale to visit the homes of some youth in the branch. The roads can be bad there and their truck goes where our car does not. We visited three homes. At the first we met a lady with five children. They do Bible study every day, but they are partial to the Baptists who come every summer. We left a spiritual message. She was very nice. We left notes at the other two homes.

After we returned home I made white chocolate popcorn for the bake sale on Monday. I made the pudding for the meal at church on Sunday. It turned out runny. After that I was beat and took a nap. It felt really good. Elder and Sister Hunt from the mission office stopped on their way to Farmington. They are going home in 10 days.