Seniors Keep us Busy

Today Elder Wilcox and I along with about 15 middle schoolers, served over 200 Senior Citizens their Thanksgiving dinner. We worked for 3 hours straight, with very few mishaps. The kids really were moving fast. while we and 3 of the kids dished the food up. Boy were we tired afterwards.

Last week, we provided a craft activity with a Thanksgiving scene, which they made out of stickers. It as fun and easy, and they enjoyed it. The month before we helped two different days as they wove leaves for fall. The ladies who come are delightful. We only wish we knew more of what they were saying.

Halloween Carnival in Ganado

Thankfully, the weather cooperated on Halloween, and we were able to hold most of our "fun and games" outside in the church parking lot.

The branch was super generous in helping contribute food, and prizes, and then they jumped in and ran the booths and activities too. Even the adults played games and were fierce competitors in musical chairs! It was actually one of the easier and fun activities we've seen here in the branch.
Of course, the kids loved throwing whipped cream at the young elders. I was the resident photographer, while Steve cooked hot dogs.

Provident Living #5 and #6--See Who's Counting

Like most Americans, Navajo families here on the reservation struggle with making ends meet. There are few jobs locally, so many travel outside the reservation to make a living. In our monthly Provident Living classes, We've taught several strategies on managing money. In September we used a method called envelope budgeting, and participants used play money to recreate a "realia" budget. As you can see from the picture, they really got into the exercise. Afterwards we served a variety of dishes using another of the food storage basics: Rice


Then in October we invited Elder and Sister Wright from Gallup, in the other mission, todo a workshop for our class, on financial debt management. They are the ones in the foreground of this pictures. They did an amazing job, and hopefully, many from our branch will followup on their invitation to work with them on an individual basis, to get out of debt. Some of the specific suggestions they gave were: 1. Never buy a NEW vehicle -- it is a depreciating investment that costs way too much. You will never recoup your investment. Instead buy something you can afford a later model, and save your money so you can pay cash for the next one.
2. Never borrow money from Quick Loan places. Some charge up to 200-300% of your loan. You are throwing your hard earned money away when you do this.
3. If you want to become financially solvent, pay your tithing. Remember the Lord first, and he will open the windows of heaven and pour down a blessing upon you.
4. Teach your family the difference between NEEDS and WANTS. Only buy the NEEDS until you get out of debt.
5. When paying off debts, like house loans, car, credit cards, education, rank them with the highest interest debt in #1 spot. That is the debt you work on paying off first. The rest of the debts, you pay the minimum acceptable amount, but pay extra on the high interest loan. Perhaps that means paying an extra $100 on it each month. Then as soon as debt #1 is paid off, then start paying that amount, plus the minimum of debt #2, and continue paying that amount until it is paid off, etc. etc. This is called the "Snowball Principle"
6. In order to make this work and get out of debt, you must have a budget, that you live by.
7. Get rid of debts that are wasting your money by charging interest. It is like a monkey on your back all the time. If you don't eliminate debt, and go deeper into debt, it turns into a gorilla! that is chained to you all the time. (The Wrights brought both a monkey and a Gorilla!)
The Wrights are serving their 5th mission, and even though they've had a home in Utah for 14 years, they haven't lived in it much. Their last mission was to New York city, where they also provided financial counseling, and had some good success stories to tell. That mission costs $4800 a month! You'd have to be a financial whiz to afford it!

Our food storage item for the month was oatmeal, and several sisters helped me again, provide 9 different dishes" Raisin, apple hot cereal, oatmeal muffins, cookies, bars, pie, meatballs, and yes, even oatmeal soup!

Dry Pack Attack #2

Many families in the Ganado branch are getting serious about being prepared. We've been teaching provident living classes since May and have covered all aspects of preparedness. We have 3 more sessions to go, and hope that by then most families will have made some positive changes in their lives, which will bring peace and security into their homes.


Our stake leader Laura Brown has been so supportive and full of good ideas. She instigated the purchase of 3 more dry pack machines, and Ganado was blessed to be the recipient of one of them, so we now have the convenience of using it right here in our chapel. Her next project is to get a small wheat grinder for each of the 9 units in the Chinle Stake. Wow, what a blessing that will be. Thanks, Sister Brown. You're a jewel.

Good-bye to our Rez dog Jimmy

Despite all the times he layed in my flowers, dug holes where I had planted, and didn't even scare the cows out of my ornamental grasses, I still loved Jimmy and he got more obedient and helpful as the past year evolved. Jimmy was here when we arrived in Ganado, along with 8 other dogs!! But finally we honed the number down to just him.

Then we, along with all the other soft-hearted senior couples were asked by President Beck, to get rid of the dogs on church property. He was concerned about liability in case someone were bitten. So we found a good home for him with the McCabe family in Kinlichee, about 10 miles from here. We took him over on a Thursay, with no problem; he obediently stayed and quickly made friends with them and their two puppies. However, when we dropped by to see them on Sunday, Jimmy put up a frightful commotion when we left, and ended up digging his way out of their fence. By Monday afternoon he came dragging back home in Ganado.

It broke my heart to have to take him away again, but later that afternoon, Steve drove him back. We didn't go over for about 10 days, then this past week we stopped by to give a blessing to Joann. Even though JImmy was still chained up, he jumped and barked and was so glad to see us. However, when we left he didn't put up a fuss like last time, so we are hoping he has grown to love his new home and will be a good dog for them.

If we get so saddened by leaving our dog, I can't imagine how hard it will be to leave all the good people we've made friends with.

Slot Canyon, Eggshell Arch adventure

Why Mission Presidents get grey hair! It's not just the young elders who cause it. (Sister Iverson, you started it!


As senior couples we met Oct. 11 to recognize and celebrate the wonderful service of the Davises, Iversons, and Sister Harris. We had an all-day adventure in the wind, but it was great.


The first part of the day was spent at Inscription House, and Eggshell arch, where we jolted over the slick rock, hiked, wiped sand out of our eyes, then returned to the chapel to eat lunch.

Next we traveled to Page to go through Antelope Slot Canyon. It was beautiful, but I'm not sure how a camera with no manual adjustment will work.
Amazingly, I did get a few good pictures.


The Eagle is landing....can you see its wing spread?
Sr. couples with our Navajo guide from Chief Tsosie's tourist shop in Page

Monday Home Evening Activites

For about 6 or 7 Mondays during the summer we invited families over to go on a nature scavenger hunt up the wash by Hubbells. We had a lot of fun getting to better know the families in the branch, and hopefully the kids learned something about the plants in this area. Here are some more photos taken on those excursions.






Many of the people we took up the wash had never been there before, but others like Sister Ludlum had special memories of it, like the last time she drove her sheep up the wash from Hubbells Trading Post.



Of course, a cookout afterwards ended the activity with lots of good food and visiting.
One highlight of these events, is when Julianna lost her tooth in the middle of the meal. Luckily she didn't swallow it.

Jeppsons visit the Rez

We had a wonderful visit from Autumn's family the end of September. It was so fun to see all the family, and enjoy Hunter and Peyton. They are quite a busy little team. We can't believe how much they are both talking now. We learned a lot about dinosaurs from Hunter, and how to imitate them!


We met them in Chinle on Wed. ate lunch at our favorite pizza place (cause they provide free pizzas to missionaries!) then drove to White House Ruin on the south side of Canyon de Chelly. It was a very interesting hike down, and the kids did pretty well, except Theron had to carry them back. It was a steep incline, so I used Leah's power to motate me back up the mountain.


Thursday we went on a tour to Hubbell's trading post, to a flea market in Window rock, and then to the local Navajo Nation zoo. It was also lots of fun. That evening we came back and had a cookout with Alta, Corey and Wanda Wauneka,

We sure do love our family, and all the wonderful grandkids we have, and miss them a lot. But we feel our family has really been blessed while we've been gone. Six of our seven children (& spouses) have been blessed with new jobs during the past year. So there has been even financial blessings, besides the gospel centered ones. We so appreciate and recognize God's hand in our family's lives.

Sewing is contageous

This past week, I showed the sisters (and some of the primary kids) different ways to "tie" their quilts. I showed them 5 different stitches: blind tie, back stitch no tie, running square knot, utility stitch, and crows foot. Then we quilted on 4 different quilts.


One of them was made by Alta's mom, totally by hand. She keeps busy making quilt tops all the time, so I'm glad we were able to help finish this for her.


Two weeks ago at the General Relief Society broadcast, they had an afternoon Mother daughter activity, and I taught them how to piece a Court House Steps hot pad.



Several finished the project while we were there. It has been fun to see others get excited about sewing.