It snowed and was very wet. A family had come from Phoenix
for a baby blessing. They had planned a luncheon afterward but the rain really
messes things up in Sundance where the family lived. They wanted to use the
cultural hall and were told we would be able to let them in. Ted went to give
blessings to a couple that is not doing well, so I was elected to help. When
Ted arrived we ate with the family then he left to home teach. I stayed to help
clean up. We attended the CES Fireside with Sis. Linda Burton, General Relief
Society President. She talked about preparing to receive personal revelation
and learning to recognize that revelation.
Monday I planned to make cupcakes for the senior pot luck. I
realized I didn’t have cupcake cups, so I decided I would wait until we checked
the mail and see if they had any at the trading post. Just before I left I
realized we didn’t have a cupcake pan so the papers wouldn’t do any good. I decided
to make a small cake instead. At that point it was later than I’d planned, so I
hurriedly baked the cake. I tried working on my rug for a while and ended up tearing
out part of the design for about the fifth or sixth time. I realized it was
nearly time to leave and I hadn’t frosted the cake. It was not quite cool, but
I went ahead. I stuck the frosting bag into the center of each piece, squeezed
frosting into the center, then finished with a swirl of frosting on top.
At district meeting we visited with a couple about the Zuni
institute program. They don’t think there are any kids in the age group and
feel it will not get off the ground right now. We visited with a couple about starting
a seminary in Lupton. The kids attend school in Sanders where there is an after
school program, but they would not be able to take the bus home and no one
would be able to drive them. The people already struggle to come to church
because of car and gas issues, so seminary would be a huge challenge for them.
We visited with a third couple about the Pueblo Pintado program. Two boys they
wanted to put in online have started attending more regularly, but now the
other two students are not coming. The Tohlakai seminary has two more potential
students. They actually live in Gallup where there is an early morning seminary.
I explained that it is a much more effective program, but the teacher thought
it was too early for the kids. She asked about them getting credit and I
explained they need to complete 80% of the year’s work. They would be in the
same boat as most of her students—needing to do a full year’s work in three
months. We took materials for the students, but it is a huge challenge starting
at this point in the year.
In our meeting some of the couples shared good experiences
they have had. We enjoyed being able to visit. At home I decided to work on my
rug and figure it out. After several frustrating attempts, Ted suggested we
have a prayer to ask for help. As I began to work on the rug it finally began
to come together. I am grateful for his wisdom, even though I have prayed for
help before. I had to pray again before it was done, but I finally got the
first triangle done and the design extended to the next row. I was so grateful
for the Lord’s help—I know I couldn’t have done it alone because I tried
several times. This is a testimony to me that the Lord loves me and wants to
help me, even when it is something of relatively minor importance in the grand
scheme of things.
Tuesday a lady from church came over. She was having trouble
with her class on creating websites because she couldn’t understand the
instructions. I told her I’d be happy to look at it with her and offer any help
I could. I have never done that before, but I can read directions. We put her
template on my computer and came up with some web pages. (She just needed to turn
in the design right now.) We talked about what she still needed to do—she’ll be
able to do the rest on her own. She wanted some pictures and was going to buy a
camera. I offered to take pictures for her. We had a good visit and I think it
helped.
We went to the church to teach our new missionary the next
Temple Prep lesson. She was nearly half an hour late. We had a good lesson. She
will be a good missionary when she gets out. She leaves March 19 to go to the
MTC in Mexico City to learn Spanish. We are excited for her. The rest of the
day I worked on seminary and odd things around the house.
In the evening we attended Gallup Institute. There were only
two students. I’m sure the teacher is frustrated the attendance isn’t more
regular. She stressed remembering our spiritual experiences. She gave us
several questions to respond to on paper for our own benefit. It was a good
exercise.
Wednesday we went to the senior center for lunch and
visiting. As we were eating a lady at the table told us she and her two sons
were members of the church. She told us she had been baptized at the church in
Gallup several years ago. We got updated contact information for the records.
We worked at home for a few hours then went to Grants to
attend institute. We arrived early at the church so we waited in the foyer. The
building was really busy with people coming for several activities. When it was
time for institute we discovered the teacher was sick again and a student was
teaching. I wish she had called us because we could easily have changed the day
we came. The student gave a good lesson, especially considering he’d only had a
few hours notice.
Thursday we were up early to get to seminary by 6:30.
Breakfast was supposed to be at 7 am, but the owner fixed us something at
6:15am—real service. Seminary was good. The teachers are a couple that have
been in the church about 2 ½ years. They had several students which made it
nice. We visited with them afterward and gave them some ideas of things they
could do. They are very open to suggestions, but they did as good a job as most
of us do, so it was just ideas for things to try.
After our visit we hurried home to unload the car and pick
up my stuff for the quilting class. One lady didn’t come—I’m not sure why
because she told me Wednesday that she was coming. The other lady’s quilt is
getting closer to completion. She has had to unpick some things and it gets
frustrating. This time I helped her unpick the last row and then I pinned and
sewed it for her. Another lady came and I helped her start on a quilt for her
brother’s upcoming baby. She was only there about an hour so she didn’t get too
much done, but it’s a start. I cut and sewed some quilt blocks and strips for
another throw quilt.
I studied in the afternoon to prepare lessons for Sunday.
Besides seminary I am teaching the Relief Society lesson. It’s a good lesson,
but it will be challenging to teach. It’s on faith and repentance. We also are
teaching the last lesson in Temple Prep.
In the evening we went to the home of some friends for
dinner and a movie. They provided pizza and we brought chips and dip. The
husband wasn’t home yet when we got there. He is leaving on an annual bike trip
for several weeks, but he needed his temporary dentures fixed. We finally
decided to go ahead without him just as he rode into the driveway. When he came
in his wife laughed. His teeth had been adjusted in such a way that they were
not flattering. I didn’t think it was so funny, but she could barely contain
herself. It hurt when he chewed so he struggled with dinner and finally gave
up. He will take them in again next week. It was a little strange—when we
started to eat the wife told us she had already eaten. When we offered the
chips and dip she said she wasn’t hungry and her husband said he really doesn’t
care for dips. He tasted it and liked it and she finally got a bowl and had
some.
Friday we attended the funeral for the man that died last
week. He was branch president for several years a long time ago. He also
cleaned most of the chapels in the area for a long time. We’ve visited with his
son and daughter a few times and they were glad we had come. The man conducting
the services approached us as soon as we walked into the building to ask if we
would do the music. He had been told everything was taken care of and he was
finding that nothing had been taken care of. There were about 45 people in
attendance. Afterward I helped set up for the reception. There was an adequate
amount of food to start with, but when people started returning from the
cemetery, they brought more. We must have had enough to feed four times the
number that was there and it was all taken home by the crowd.
I had thought it was Saturday all day. In fact, all week I have
been a day off. When Ted reminded me that we were going on Daylight Savings
this weekend I asked him to set the clocks ahead, thinking it was Saturday
night. When it was time for bed I realized we were on the wrong day. I felt
really frustrated.
Saturday I was determined to be more organized. I read for a
long time in order to review again the chapters I plan to teach in seminary. I
reviewed my RS lesson and feel ready for that. I decided to work on my rug for
a break so I set an alarm to put an end point on the effort. I had a prayer for
help—that is the only way I can get through it. I then put in and took out a
few times. I was finally able to get the design to work—divine intervention I’m
sure. I was doing well when the alarm went off so I wanted to keep going for a
bit. I got one section done and was well into the next section.
I worked on my seminary lesson, adding a few comments to my
notes and reworking a couple of sections. I added the scripture references in.
I then worked on my latest quilt. I had arranged the squares
so I knew where each should go. As I began sewing I was making such good
progress I forgot to check the bobbin. After several minutes of sewing I
realized it had run out quite a while ago. The problem was that now my squares
were no longer stacked neatly on the table—they were in a chain and the chain
fell apart when I touched it. Some of the squares were sewn but most were not.
I had to start over with the arranging but now I had sets of blocks to deal
with. I finally got it sewn in rows so I decided to stop.
Since our clocks were ahead an hour I had been ahead all
day. We ate lunch at 10:30. At night it was good to know we were actually still
ahead of schedule so we weren’t too late.
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