Side note: The Ironman Challenge
started with me challenging my seminary students to do several things before
the end of the summer. This was intended to help us get a head start on the
course of study (Book of Mormon) for
the fall. The branch presidents felt the two branches would benefit from the
program, but they differed in what they wanted to do. Core pieces are:
1.
Read the Book
of Mormon.
2.
Memorize the 25 Book of Mormon Scripture Mastery scriptures. (These are 25
scriptures selected to help students learn of Christ and His doctrines.)
3.
Read the conference talks from the April 2013
General Conference.
I prepared a checklist that can fold into
a bookmark that students can use to keep track of their progress. We originally
had a 4th requirement to read scriptures 15 minutes every day but
decided that might be a quick fail for someone trying to develop a
scripture-reading habit. The branch president at Tohlakai also took out the
conference talks as he felt it might be too much for those just starting to
read regularly.
We are planning to start a weekday workshop for ladies to
get together and learn things like quilting and needlework, visit, and have
lunch together. We invited the missionaries to join us for lunch and give a short
message. I think it has some real possibilities. One sister was a little
perturbed because she wasn’t consulted in the planning, but we suggested to her
that there were a lot of sisters that could really use the fellowship and it
would be a good thing. A sister has offered to donate yarn and knitting needles
so that is a good place to start.
My lesson went well. We talked about temples and family
history. I offered to help any that wanted to get started. In the evening Ted
went to home teach a family. I tagged along then afterward I helped them get
started doing some family history. They were quite excited to find out they already
have three names completed. It’s exciting to have them actually working on it.
When we left they were headed over to see one of their mothers to talk with
them about missing information. They ended up getting information on two more
generations.
Monday we spent the day washing tons of things. We’re been
getting bug bites and it’s annoying. I itch a lot but I’m not sure if it’s
because of bites or just the suggestion of bites. One sister has big welts on
her arms and head from bites. Yikes!
Tuesday was study day. We prepared for lessons and reviewed
some videos for the Father’s Day program at the senior center. Ted has done a
good job of putting the program together. Now we just need to do it. We also
found a couple of screens in the shed behind our house. We were unable to open
our bedroom window because it didn’t have a screen on it, so we have now
remedied that situation. We have breezes during the day in spite of the heat
and fairly cool evenings so it will be nice to have the window open. We knocked
over our lamp last night trying to open a different window and gave up on it. I
think we broke the lamp. We found an attachment for the swamp cooler water so
we might be able to get that hooked up.
Wednesday I went visiting with the Relief Society president.
I did a quick batch of bread to take. Unfortunately, I forgot to set the timer
on the second rising and it went too long. I had to punch the loaves back down
and let them rise again. The bread came out about 10 minutes before we left, so
I wrapped it in paper towels before putting it in bags. We had some good visits.
We also stopped at a moving sale and got some good deals. I got several real
silver bracelets and a kokopelli statue that I didn’t look at closely. When I
got home I discovered it wouldn’t stand up because the base is crooked.
Fortunately, I only paid $1 for it. (I think I can fix something for it.)
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| Kokopelli, leaning against window frame |
At home I studied some then worked with Ted on the Father’s
Day program. Our reading appointment got moved so we didn’t have to rush to
seminary. One of the families had car problems so they weren’t able to attend.
We won’t meet next week because we are teaching a Relief Society lesson in Ft.
Wingate. The following week is Youth Conference, so we won’t be going to
Tohlakai for three weeks. Seminary went well. I always enjoy the students and
hope they are able to stick with it next year. They are beginning to catch the
vision.
Thursday we started with the program at the senior center.
When we arrived, there were no guests, just the cook and the chairperson. There
were stacks of boxes they said were from the National Relief Charities. Because
we were registered we each got a box of food and a box of hygiene supplies, a
flat of water, and a case of diet soda. I was amazed. No one came for nearly
half an hour. Finally we decided to start and the people started pouring in. We
cut a couple of videos we didn’t have time for. It seemed to be well received.
After the program we joined them for lunch. They had rib eye steak, baked
potatoes, asparagus, cherry cobbler, and Texas toast. It was overdone, but it
tasted good.
At home we opened our boxes and tried to find space for everything.
We took some to institute, but we still ended up with most of it. In the
afternoon we went to read with a family. The grandma and three children were
home and wanted to read. We were reading Nephi’s vision of the tree of life. It
went well. I talked with the young man and was fairly straight forward in
telling him what he needed to do—actually he told me what he needed to do. I
asked him again to come to church and he said he would try. If he could get his
grandma to come it would be good for both of them.
After we finished there, we drove to Gallup to meet a
pottery man. He had some small pots and some owls. He had brought a wedding pot
we liked. It is small, but he does nice work and it is handmade. (A wedding pot has two openings for the couple to drink from during wedding ceremony.) I told him I
would like a larger pot so he is going to send us pictures when he has one
available.
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| Zuni wedding pot |
From there we went to institute. We had a good group
come—six students. I presented the last 5 chapters of 1 Corinthians then two
other students did their presentations. We had two students who were there for
the last time because they were leaving on missions. We had a good time playing
games. When we left, the sprinklers were just coming on. We got in our car to
come home, but the kids were running in the sprinklers and having a really fun
time. I wish I had their energy.
Friday we walked to the church to exercise. We’d decided to
buy a couple of breakfast burritos from the lady in the truck. We ate them when
we got to the church. It wasn’t as good as we’d hoped so it will probably be
our last purchase from her.
The elders had brought back six desks from Tohlakai. Two of
the desks were broken enough that it wouldn’t be worth the effort to clean them
up. We cleaned the other four and put them into the classroom I want to fix up
for seminary. We’ll have the elders take the two back and bring six more next
week. I hope they can get the clean ones because that would be so much less work.
Saturday we had seminary and adult education. I am still not
sure I totally understand Revelation, but it makes more sense now than it did
before. Two students still did not have their final assignments done. I am so
disappointed. I talked with them after class about it and told them I need to
have them done before I can give them certificates of completion.
After class we hurried to the stake center for a baptism. We
thought we would be late and Ted had been asked to play the piano. When we arrived
the family of the girl was just arriving. I was asked to lead the music. Then the
branch president approached me a couple of minutes before the meeting to ask me
to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. I tried to write a few notes from the
thoughts that went through my head.
I also talked with him about the seminary certificates. I
told him we would have our final lesson next week and I would like to have the
certificates presented on Sunday. I told him his kids had not turned in their
final assignment and I couldn’t give them a certificate without that. His wife and
I discussed the assignment to clarify that all I wanted was a brief write-up of
something they had learned in seminary.
We talked with the missionaries afterward and they said they
had a package of lamb steaks in their freezer. I offered our grill. They
invited us to join them in grilling the steaks so we set it up for this
evening. The elders called about 4:45 to say they’d be over in ½ hour so we
could get the coals going. It was nearly two hours later when they finally
arrived. The meat was one large piece with some half slits to indicate where to
cut it. The grilling went well with Elder Landon helping in the kitchen to make
mashed potatoes. We enjoyed a really good meal and they took one large piece
home with them.
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