Seminary Outreach Social

Tues. Nov. 11
No school today, so we hosted a seminary out-reach social to try and draw in some of the youth in the area to our seminary class. We limped along with early morning seminary for 10 weeks with just 1 or 2 kids coming and two adults. Finally we decided to try it after school and have had up to 6 kids who have come, but not always consistently. We are hopeful that by introducing more to the concept of seminary they'll want to come. We had at east 3 non-members attend our social (one of whom is now coming to seminar), with about 14 teens altogether. The young elders came as well, and several parents and younger siblings. We had a great time, and consumed about 6 pizzas. We will definitely try this again.

The kids worked on communication skills by giving directions to each other.


"Spoons" and Outburst were the two favorite table games we played. It was wild and crazy and all ages could enjoy it. I had never played spoons with 12 people before, and we didn't break a single plastic spoon -- amazing

While the pizzas were cooking at the first of the party, we played the head bopper name game, and categories. I love games and I think they did too.

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.

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.

What you reap, so shall ye sew!

One of our first miracles here in Ganado was the arrival of a brand new $500 sewing machine. Sister Gill told me we should ask the Church facilities management if our branch could have one, so we asked, and then a month later it came! It is a wonderful machine, and we have put it to good work.

That miracle came after we had tried other avenues for getting additional machines. First Sister Gill brought up a used machine from Mesa, and then I bought another used one in a cabinet from Sister Nez for $25. For from that initial investment, we now have 3 machines.
At both of the last sewing workshops, all three of them were used. I am so thankful for this blessing in our sisters' lives.

Pioneer Day Celebration for Branch

Though rainy weather interferred with our actual trek up the Wash to commemorate pioneer day, we did have a successful event on July 21. The first 24 to come were given pioneer scarfs to wear. Sister Robrecht orchestrated a rousing pioneer day baseball game, where players were thrown questions.


Elders Kundis and Van Orden and Corey Wauneka taught the kids how to do the stick pull challenge, like the prophet Joseph Smith loved to do. They had a great time with this. We had a pot luck meal, and then watched a video of the trek, sang songs, and learned about some of the places the pioneers stopped. We were even visited by Brigham Young. Along with hard tack, jerky, and honey candy, we gave the branch a little glimpse of pioneer life.

Primary BOOT Camp

Primary children worked on Building Our Own Testimony at BOOT camp, while the ladies sewed. Here are some of the great kids we get to work with in our little branch. Aren't they super!

Provident living on the Rez

It wasn't raining when Noah Built the Ark!


After witnessing many results of unpreparedness the past 6 months, we decided we better start warning and teaching our branch members here in Ganado to prepare for emergencies. Some of the problems encountered:
>No running water; all water must be hauled
>No electricity in some homes
>Not enough wood hauled in for winter
>Too much money wasted on pop, fast food;
>No food storage
>Moms not cooking meals, relying on convenience food, which is too expensive
>Water pipes frozen, not wrapped for cold winters
>Money not budgeted so it lasts the whole month
>Tithing not paid, thus the windows of heaven are not open

We are using an 8 lesson course that Elder and Sister Peterson created for the Kayenta wards. Our neighbors, Elder and Sister Robrecht are helping us with the teaching. We conducted our first workshop Wed. May 28, and we will hold them the last Wed. of each month for 8 months.
We had about 15 people come to the first session with 11 families represented. The first session consisted of:
--A 3 ring binder to keep all of their notes, and print outs organized.
--A Jeopardy game (complete with music) to introduce the topics of spiritual preparedness, finances, food storage, and emergency preparedness.
--Instruction on getting out of debt, and tracking their expenses for a week
--A lesson on "waste not, want not" and utilizing the food bought, and not wasting it by letting it spoil in the frige.
--A tasters table featuring foods made from food storage, old fruit, and crock pot meals.

We are very encouraged with the response and hope it will make a difference in the preparedness of the branch here. If anyone wants more information, I can e-mail the files to you.

Auction at Hubbell's May 10

Hubbell Trading Post has an annual auction of rugs, pottery, art etc. and we got to enjoy some of the great crafts last Saturday. We also enjoyed the Navajo Tacos and fry bread and mutton.
Later that afternoon we helped host a going away party for Sister Klepacz, who has been serving for two years on the rez and has developed a great nursing program during that time. Her impact will be felt for many years to come.

Surprise Party

There have only been a handful of times in my life when I was really surprised, and this was one of them. I thought Steve was hurrying back to go to a church meeting, an when I walked in it was a surprise birthday party the branch had pulled together for me. It was so thoughtful, fun, and special in so many ways. Yet another reason we love the people here in this branch.

Mega Home Evening tonight

We found the perfect person for the branch activities leader--Evangeline Louis. She is so positive and outgoing!! We have been contacting her since last winter, but weren't able to get out to her place until the snow melted, and the mud dried. Since then we've been meeting with her family, and extended family. We told her last week, to plan to come over for home evening tonight, and invite her mom, and sisters and other relatives who live by her. She did just that, and also brought a friend of her husband's. Eleven people came. They helped make pizza, watched Book of Mormon Movie, and then played games. We had a great time.


Steve and I had been on a hike to Three Turkey ruins in Canyon De Chelley earlier, and were pretty tired when we got home, but we quickly revived as we didn't have time to rest. It has been a great day. We took one of our investigators, Corey Wauneka, with us. There were 12 elders, and 13 Sr. missionaries and him. Bro. Robrecht called on him to give the blessing and he did great! He'll be baptized April 26. He is a stellar young man.

More Valentine Activities

The places they "attacked" were Hubbell's Trading Post, The Fire Station, Ambulance station, Sage Hospital, Post Office, Branch President, Nursing Home and RS President.



Here is part of the Heart Attack crew. The Branch YW decorated the sacks one week, then made cookies and decorated the doors of 9 different places in Gando, thus giving them a "heart attack."

Creative Projects in Ganado

Here is the ginger bread hogan Steve made at our Dec. activity.

My Christmas project done during those snow storms we've been having.

Sewing enrichment activity a success

On Jan. 30 I did my first sewing workshop for the sisters. There were 3 missionaries and 7 sisters of our branch who came. They completed about 16 pillow cases. We had a lot of fun while we were there working. I was able to get 7 finished that weekend, during the stormy weather, and mailed one to each daughter-in-law, and daughter, along with valentine cards for the grandkids.

A new year begins--2008

The Kinlichee family is preparing for a wedding and baptism. They had us come up and bless their home yesterday. The parents are really working to make their situation better. Bro. Kinlichee had a job interview Wed. which we hope has positive results as well. They are planning to get married on Feb. 14. Wed. Sis. Davis and I spent about 3 hours filling commodity boxes for the Sr. Citizens, while our husbands ran the Addiction recovery program at the church. We went there planning to do a craft activity, but the room was filled with cases of canned good of all sorts. We had to break down the boxes, and repackage them, with the same items in each smaller box. It was wild for awhile. It think we probably packaged 40-50 smaller boxes with about 20 different items in each. Boy, were we tired when we finished. My favorite item was the Vita-soy chocolate mint milk substitute!

My other project has been getting publicity designed for a fireside our branch is hosting Feb. 23. Four men from Blanding starting producing religious broadcasts in Navajo about 10 years ago. In the process they helped to start a Navajo choir, which provides the music. It has really been a grassroots dream they've brought to fruitition. Two of them, Steve Lovell and Ike Chamberlain were SW Indian missionaries 50 years ago, one is the singer, Stan Bronson, and Clayton Long is the Native speaker. They've done all the recordings in Blanding, having to have the time down to the second. They send out the CDs to 4 or 5 AM radio stations that reach the reservation. They have recorded over 50 different program, and it has been a real labor of love. We knew something about their efforts while in Blanding, but didn't realize the financial sacrifice and time commitment it has been for them; neither did we realize how much the Navajo people love the program. it reaches homes that are often inaccessible to us as missionaries and brings a strong gospel message to them. They have had 17,000 requests for literature since the first broadcast in 2000, but are hoping for 50,000. We've invited Steve Lovell and his wife to come down and do a fireside, to tell the people about this labor of love. We really want it to be successful, and hopefully, it will reach additional people, and bring them to the church.