Jet Pilot and Sister Olson

Dear Family and Friends,
  What a great day we had today.  Since Elder Olson is on the high council we are able to visit the other wards and branches in our Stake.  Today we drove to Polacca to speak.  Polacca is 72 miles from Tuba City and also in another time zone, which drives me a little crazy trying to keep the times straight. 
  I had been asked to give the Relief Society lesson in the Tuba City 2nd Ward which I was happy to do.  Being slightly confused about the timing we drove to Polacca and arrived an hour and a half before sacrament, which wasn't too bad, but then I realized that their sacrament started at 10:00 which was 11:00 Tuba City time and meant we had a hour to drive 72 miles back to Tuba, if we stopped speaking right at 11:00 their time and 12:00 our time. 
  President Funk was wonderful and said it would be great if we left right at 11:00 their time 12:00 our time.  I guess you get the picture. Elder Olson has a new nickname which is Jet Pilot. ;o} 
 The counselor conducting was unaware of our dilemma and since one of the young elders was being transferred later this week,  he asked him to come up and take a few mins., but they did not have any ward or stake business, so it worked out. We were also doing the two talks, and Elder Olson said he only needed 5 mins., but I made sure he had 15.  After living with him for 42 years you start to know him really well, especially if he is speaking to Lamanites.  He did have to watch the clock, which he did and wrapped it up with a minute to spare. 
  He talked about the people that he knew out there while he served as a young elder, which everyone loved and then he talked about rescuing those that are lost.  It was a great talk and people laughed and cried.
  We pretty much flew below the radar getting back, but Sister Goldtooth was having the new people introduce themselves and then made some announcements, so I had several minutes to spare.  It was lesson 17 "The Strengthening Power of Faith"  The introductory summary is awesome: "Faith is a gift from the Lord through which the righteous are empowered to do remarkable things"  That is a great thought to ponder. 
  As I introduced the lesson I said Sister Littlefield had great faith, she prayed I would get there on time and we did, otherwise she would have been giving the lesson, everybody laughted.
  After the lesson I managed to get a 30 min nap then headed over to the Family History Center.  Sister Norris is an amazing woman and loves to do family history.  I feel it is a privelege to work with her and her faith strengthens mine.  We have had some amazing adventures together in gathering names.  We are working on a file of Tuba City birth records.  I calculate that there will be close to 2,000 names.  It will take a while, but what a great data resource when it is finished.
  After I came back to the apt.  Elder Olson said Gloria and Mary were coming over to visit.  Tomorrow Gloria is going to help me with my rug.  You can see that it is coming along nicely.  I want to better understand how to put the warp onto the loom.  She is also going to show me how to fix one of the mistakes I have in it.
 It was a great Sabbath day and I look forward to tomorrow. We love hearing from you, it makes us feel loved and special, hint, hint.
Love,
Jet Pilot and Sister Olson
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Pickling Party

Dear Family and Friends,

This is a report that I wrote up for President Justice.  I thought it would be fun for you to hear about what we did this last week. 

In correlation with the Navajo and Hopi Gardening and Self-Reliance Project of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the Tuba City, Arizona Stake it was decided by the Relief Society Provident Living Committee  to provide classes that would teach the participants how to preserve what they have been growing.

On Thursday Aug. 9, 2012 the Tuba City 1st and 2^nd Ward held a “Pickling Party”.  The sisters from both wards, all the gardening participants, including interested neighbors, were invited.

Many of the participants are friends of other faiths and it was exciting to see barriers broken and sisters, side by side helping each other.  It was an ideal opportunity to visit and freely share the abundance of cucumbers and friendships that were harvested and preserved that evening. 

It was great to ease drop on all the conversations that were going on and all the ideas that were being eagerly shared.  Barriers were broken and friendships germinated.

Each sister was involved, cutting, slicing and dicing what they brought, freely sharing with others who had not had as many to pick and bring. Recipes were followed and each step done before the next step so everyone would be successful and take home some of that success in bottles and hearts.

It is impossible to put into words the feelings that were expressed and what was felt in those few hours we shared together as daughters of our Heavenly Father.  Several came that had never set foot inside a “Mormon” church.  Fears were soon abandoned and replaced with knowledge, laughter and giggles as we sliced and diced, measured, poured and stirred.  Each sister was able to pickle her own cucumbers.  Jars were labeled, put into the canner, timed and then set out to cool.  The “canning time” allowed the sisters to just sit and visit with each other. 

The RS president in charge mentioned that we will be getting peaches in the next little while and they were encouraged to buy bottles, sugar and other things that they will need to preserve them.  During the next few weeks, more classes will be offered.  On the agenda is bottling peaches, making salsa, preserving pole beans, and several other classes on preserving what is growing in the gardens.

Several of those attending came from Tonalea.  One group came from Black Mesa.  They live 13 miles off road, but it takes an hour to drive that 13 miles.  Three sisters car pooled and took home 4 gallons of “Ice Cream Bucket Pickles.”

President Larry Justice came by to see how things were going and brought a basketball size cabbage, and an onion the size of a grapefruit that had been grown in the Winslow Stake.  Brother Max Gardner is overseeing the Gardening Project in that Stake.  He says he will be glad to share the seeds.

The Navajo and Hopi Gardening Self- Reliance Project was divinely inspired and as President Utchdorf stated in his April Conference address, we have the programs in place, but each geographical area will be uniquely different and as we ask, the Lord will provide inspiration and guidance in how we will help the people become more self-reliant.   

The gardening project has provided a perfect setting for members and missionaries to share their knowledge not just of gardening, but of their testimony of the gospel and friendship future members before baptism, helping to increase retention after baptism.

Positive Side Effects seen:

                Sometimes families and communities are split into factions and families can be torn apart during times of trial, but through promptings of the Holy Ghost and people working together on a common goal members and communities can find their way to reunite and work side by side to heal wounds that have been cause by careless words that have been thoughtlessly said.

An hour before the meeting a young woman called and said that one of the participants had told her about the “party” and asked if it would be OK if she came. The answer was, “Absolutley!”

 It was later shared that this young woman  was adjusting to life on the “rez,” and that she was overwhelmed with feelings of being isolated and alone.  Watching her reach out and enjoy the company of other sisters was very touching  and she left with a smile and the knowledge that we are there and we care.

                One of the sisters of another faith is interviewing some of our participants for an article she is writing for the Navajo Times.  She has had an amazing garden and is encouraging her neighbors to do likewise.

One sister asked that we locate her church records.  She remembers the names of the missionaries who taught he,r and where she was baptized, but has forgotten the date of her baptism.

Two of the people who came want to be included on next year’s list and they will have the advantage of knowing others who have had gardens and been successful.  Mentoring was a natural side effect of the activity.  No one had to be assigned or asked, no new program implemented, it just happened as a result of following leaders who are inspired for what will work for their unique circumstances and situation.

 Elder and Sister Olson