Gratitude for the little things.

Dear Family and Friends,
  Don't want to get out of the habit of writing on our blog. This week was very quiet compared to last week when we cooked 10 turkeys.  This week Sister Boothe cooked 1 turkey, the gravy and the stuffing.  We brought our favorite holiday salad, a veggie tray, and rolls.  The Andersons brought mashed potatoes, pickles, olives, and fresh cranberry sauce.  I must admit dinner was pretty quiest with just 6 mature people, but we had a lot of fun and ate pie for dessert.  Sister Anderson made pumpkin pie and chocolate pie, both were very, very good.
  We discovered that Elder Anderson is also very good at making pottery.  He said they only brought their imperfect pots, but they looked pretty perfect to me.  I loved the colors and shapes.  I am going to ask him if I could take a picture.  He is extremely modest and very quiet most of the time, but I think he will let me take pictures if I say PLEASE!
  This week the Stake members are going over to the Snowflake Temple to do baptisms and endowments.  They always take their Temple trips very seriously and next Sunday being Fast Sunday I know we will be in awe of all the neat experiences they will share about going to the Temple.
  On Sunday afternoon a Sister Ashcroft will be coming up to talk to us about preserving the records we have been indexing.  She is retireing after serving in the family history center for 40 plus years.  She is an expert on Native American culture, so we are excited to visit with her and get ideas on how we can make our records available to descendants of the Native Americans in our area.
  Here is one story that I have allready shared with a few of you.  This happened Tuesday night at the Family History Center.

At 6:55 I walk over to the FHC and practice the piano in the Primary room while they have opening exercises.  Then Brother Allen comes in and we start, teaching both boys who show up for YM.  It was awesome.  Joseph is Pres. Justice's son, and they go back to the 1500's, but Matthew is a nonmember.  He is one very large kid and pretty funny, he likes to joke and kid around.  We had visited his dad just a few days ago because he was in the hospital.  He was going in for surgery about 40 mins later.  His mom who is also a nonmember has been attending the RS activities and getting to know the ward members.  She has also been coming out to church. 

  Anyway I told Matthew he couldn't just sit there and look cute, he had to work.  We started him out on the old PAF and he comes to a stop after putting in his parents.  Then Bro Allen says his mom is there and that he would go get her.  She comes in we chit chat and she tells Matthew to type.  He doesn't like to use the shift key, so he is always having to go back and capitalize, which his mom and I both say almost at the same second everytime he forgets which is everytime he types a name.

  She is telling him names and he is typing.  We come to her grandparents and she says she doesn't remember the first name of her gr mother.  She mentions that they all died in New Mexico and I ask, "Crownpoint?" 

 She says, " Yes some did die there. "

Then she says Becenti and I say,  "let's look."

  We start with the first few and then we get to Nellie Becenti and she says, "That's her."

I start reading the obituary and it states that she had 11 children.  I say that not all the children born lived to adulthood, because of the conditions.  Much to my surprise all 11 children are listed with their residence at the time she died.

  That obituary was one of the 468 obituaries that we indexed, cut, filed and put into the 3 binders we put together.

  I asked Matthew today if he filled out the papers I sent with him, but he hadn't.  He is however coming back with his mom on Tuesday. 
    Sunday Elder Olson was asked to give a blessing to one of the member's mother who was having trouble with her eyes.  It turns out that she is Matthew's aunt.  She is his dad's sister.  I don't think things like this happen by coincidence.  We are going to have Matthew visit with her and add her husband, children, and grandchildren to the tree he has already started.

When you walk over and turn on the faucet and water comes out remember to offer a pray of thanks for how easy it was to do.

Elder & Sister Olson

Last of the Harvest at Red Lake

Top picture is George Lee's garden after he decided to burn off all the dead materials instead of tilling them into the ground.

Middle picture is Geraldine Maize with daughters harvesting the last of their potatoes.

Bottom picture is Anslom Maize tilling the part where they have extended their garden for next year.

Dear Family and Friends,

   WOW Thanksgiving will be here in four days.  We have cooked 10 turkeys in the last week, yes I said ten.  1st Ward had their Thanksgiving dinner on Wed night and then 2nd Ward had theirs on Friday.  Thursday night the Relief Society did a stuffing demo, which Sister Deaton taught.  She used wild rice and cranberries in hers and baked it in little cookie like mounds, so everyone could sample it.  That was a lot of fun and everybody enjoyed the fruits of her labor. ;o}

  Our 2^nd Ward Bishop’s wife was also going to do a demo, but their daughter is having her first baby any day now, so she went to be with her.  Their daughter and her husband live in Idaho Falls.  Bishop Kingsford will go up Wed and stay until Sunday.  Sister Kingsford will stay until Dec 21.  That way she can spend time with her daughter and new granddaughter.  Sounds good to me.

  This morning we drove 98 miles to speak at the Dennehotso Branch.  They have a beautiful new building and even though it is small they are growing and will probably outgrow it when everyone is attending on a regular basis.  The meeting went well and we enjoyed getting to know the Branch President, Brian Holiday and his counselor, Albert Tinhorn and the members. 

    It was the Branch President and his wife who adopted the baby not long after we came.  The social workers wanted them to meet in McDonald’s parking lot, but Sister Kirk said they weren’t coming to pick up a dog, and Sister Holiday said she was not going to tell their son that they got him at McDonalds.  It made us all laugh.  That little boy is now walking and getting into everything.

  President Holiday was talking about something in the Sunday School  lesson and he said that his dad did not like his name.  His name is Kee Happy Holiday.  He always got annoyed at this time of year because everyone was always saying his name.  President Holiday gave the Sunday School lesson on 3 Nephi  27.  He also shared a story about his mission and church names.  He served in Kentucky and there was a row of churches and one was named Ford Baptist.  A few blocks away there was Chevy Baptist.  The story he learned was that they had started out as one church, but disputes came over which was the better car, Ford or Chevy.  It became so heated that those who liked Chey’s  broke away and started their own church.  We had a great discussion on the name of our Church and whose church it really is.

   We shared dinner with Elder and Sister Chapman who will leave a few weeks before we do next spring.  They are really helping the branch out there and have shared a great many talents.  He loves rocks and has collected a great many of them.  They were beautiful laying there in front of their trailer.  He took a watering can and said this is what the people are really like and this is what the gospel does for them, then he sprayed water over the rocks.  The colors were absolutely amazing.

   He has also collected quite a few garnets that can be found not far from where their trailer is located at the chapel site.  He said some people find them as big as golf balls, but he has not as yet found any of the bigger ones.  I guess a lot of sisters go out and collect them where the Chapmans do.

  We drove home and visited the RS president who is in the hospital with pneumonia.  One of the members came in with the former Bishop and gave her a wonderful blessing.  The natives here often pause as they give blessings waiting for the Holy Ghost to direct their words.  It is a very humbling experience to be a part of that.

  We have Institute on Sunday evening and we were reading in Mosiah 4.  The people shared some really uplifting thoughts about the chapter.  It is so amazing to listen to what they have pondered and thought of when they study the scriptures.

  I may have mentioned the visit from Ranelle Wallace and Dr. Judith S. Moore.  I have found their books on line and I feel bad that I did not realize what great company had graced our home with their presence.  If you want to be uplifted I would encourage you to find their books on line and get them.

  Will close for now.  We hope you have a fun holiday and enjoy being with your family and friends.

Elder and Sister Olson

 

Harvesting Potatoes and Stake Conference

Dear Family and Friends,

  The top picture is only one of the amazing sunsets we get to see almost every night.  The second one is of the potatoes that Geraldine Maize and her kids harvested the last couple of weeks from their garden.  The last one is of Geraldine and the kids digging them out.  She and her kids loved their garden and they definitely showed  what can be done with hard work and faith.

  It has been a pretty amazing week with everything that went on this week.  It seems like we had something every night but Monday at the church.

     On Thursday we had what they called “Super Thursday” which started at 5:30.  Sister Goldtooth and Sister Butler had organized several activities, all of which were fun.  Sister Anderson showed the sisters how to make their own kites for their kids.  Several kids had come even though it was for the Relief Society sisters.  They jumped right in and made their own kites with Sister Anderson’s help. It was perfect.

    Sister Tunney showed the sisters how to make their own foot stools out of large juice cans.  It reminded me of the one Dale VanScyok, Elder Olson's aunt,  made us as a wedding present.  We still have that one and one she made for grandma, Marie.  Ours is 42+ years old.  The grandkids love them.

   At another table they had the sisters  put together a binder of recipes that they had collected this last year and organize them into a handy little cookbook.  I had organized mine just recently, so I just grabbed the cover page and now mine is all done.

  One of the biggest hits was the clear glass plate activity where the sisters were able to put their black and white photos on the back of the clear glass plate covering them with a mixture of Elmer’s glue and water.  It reminded me of the modge podge  they use to use for craft projects, which dried clear and protected your craft.  After the pictures dried they sprayed the back with black, silver, or gold which would show through on the front side.   She also brought the attachment they could use to hang them on the wall. 

  Some of the sister did not have family pictures with them, so we handed out pictures of their favorite temple and they put them in the center of the plate and put colored tissue paper around the outside.  They plan to hang them on their wall to remind them of their eternal family goals to honor their covenants, stay active or do what is necessary to get to the temple with their family.

    I helped with showing them two simple afghan patterns. I had shared the pattern with Sister Butler and she has made two since I showed her.  Several sisters learned how to start and make the two afghans, which they will be able to complete before Christmas and use for gifts for family members.

  The whole idea behind the activities was to share simple gift ideas that didn’t cost very much and that they could give to their family members without spending a lot of money.  The gifts are practical and easy to make.

  There were about 30 sisters involved and I think everyone is looking forward to the next activity which will be this next Thursday.

   Friday night we had an informal piano recital that Sister Anderson called Piano Play Time.  I have to admit that I thought I was over being terrified, but sadly my hands shook and I could not play my song very well at all.  I did not however run from the room screaming or crying, so I guess you could say that I am doing better.  ;o}  We have another Piano Play Time on Dec 7.  Hopefully I can redeem myself.

  Saturday we started the meetings for Stake Conference.  At the adult session, President Justice shared the pictures he had taken in Jerusalem and other places he visited during the last three weeks.  The pictures were amazing and when he showed the garden tomb you could feel what he felt when he was actually there.

  Today we had our meeting over satellite broadcast.  All 95 stakes in Arizona took part wherever they were.  Gary E Stevenson, Cheryl Esplain, Jeffery R Holland, and President Eyring all spoke.  President Eyring did not mince words about being prepared, but also said we should be wise optimists, in these latter days.  He used quotes from 3 Nephi about how all the children should be prepared and that the Savior would come to people who should be prepared.

  He encouraged us to be more bold as we proclaim the gospel and that we should expect peaks and valleys, work for improvement and remember the promised blessings that are contained in the scriptures.  He reminded us not to be discouraged, or be tempted to quit.   I have to admit when I look at all there is to do some days, I do get a little overwhelmed, but remembering his counsel will sure help.

   After conference, we had Lee, Avy and two of their grandsons over for dinner.  The young elders from Cameron also stopped in and we had a great time.  Elder Olson had cooked meat in the dutch oven and Avy helped make the fry bread.  The two little boys had a picnic on the kitchen floor, but I let the elders sit in the living room, since they gave their word of honor that they would not spill.

  You have to remember that our  apt is very small and the kitchen table only seats four people and we had 8.  No one seemed to mind and the elders said they would come back anytime we invited them. ;o}

  Tonight Sister Norris and I worked on the Crownpoint obituary collection that we have complied.  We finished the second binder and only have one more to go.  We are going over each record to double and check and make sure every entry was accurate.  I think binder two took about two hours.

  We are also working on the cemetery records for Dennehotso.  We are half way done.  The Chapmans brought by the second half of the names on the tombstones, which I will start entering this week. 

  A Sister Sharp is planning a trip to Phoenix for Thanksgiving.  She works in the church acquisitions dept in SLC and will look over what we have been doing and see if we can preserve it under special collections.  We keep busy that’s for sure, and from listening to President Eyring we are going to get even busier, as saints everywhere continue to move forward in the great work we are involved in throughout the world.

  As the holidays approach it looks as if we will meet with the missionaries and the young elders from Cameron for the holiday dinners.  It should be a lot of fun and help everyone not miss their families quite as much.  I know the young elders had a good time this afternoon and I suspect it was one of the better meals that they’ve had for a long time, at least they said it was. 

  It is getting late and I have much to do.  We miss you all and hope to hear from you during the holidays.

Elder and Sister Olson

PS Hope I caught all the typos, but if not it will give you something to do. ;o}

Trips to Utah, Maryland and Wyoming

Dear Family and Friends,
  Just looked at the date of the last posting, guess it's been a long time since I posted anything.  Guess I have been getting lazy.  It just seems like the days are fairly routine and things are rather quiet, but I am not complaining.
  We did have a lot of excitement and fun in Sep.   We drove to Shelaine's on Thursday Sep. 6 and enjoyed a couple of days of relaxing between projects.  On Sunday we drove to John's new home in Lake Point and I was able to visit his classroom on Monday.  I was also able to eat breakfast at school with Shandon, who is quite the little charmer. 
 On Tues. Jamie drove us to the airport which is only 20 mins from their house.  We flew to Maryland and hid out the next morning so we could surprise Madelyn and Carter when they got off the bus.  That was really fun.  Carter and Grandpa walked from the bus stop to their house while I rode with Daryl, Liz, and Madelyn.
  We had a great time doing different projects.  Ronnie helped Daryl build a new ramp to his shed. He also weeded a flower bed and took out a tree.  Over the weekend we visited Brandywine Park where we watched a re -enactment of a battle that took place around 1777 between the British and the Americans.  It was very interesting and a lot of fun.  We all learned a lot about how it really was for the people back then.
  We had a great time with the kids and it is hard not to miss them, but we did get lots of pictures.
  We flew back on Tues and stayed with Shelaine until Saturday morning, then drove up to Star Valley and did numerous projects there.  I told RaDawn that now we will take trips based on who has the most interesting projects to tackle.  We both like to be useful and helpful, but a few days of laying around looking like grandparents who are aging isn't that bad either. ;o}
  We waited until the 2nd of Oct to head back, because we brought a load of peaches with us for the ward members and others who love peaches.
  The Provident Living Committee has something going all the time.  The pickling party was a huge success and this week they did a pie making demo.  Each sister made their own pie crust and filled it with peaches.  Then they took it home to bake.  Can't say no to that kind of offer.
  They bottled the first load of peaches while were traveling.  They were here at the church all day and one of the members ended up bottling 96 quarts with her sisters and mother.  She is an amazing young woman  and we hope she will head up the Gardening Committe next year.  She is the Natural Resource Agent for the BIA here in Tuba.
  The Gardening Program has had a very positive influence on the people involved.  We are able to get into homes and share the gospel while we work along side the people.  It is pretty awesome really.  We had 59 new gardners this year and almost all of them had a great harvest this fall.  About 3 had problems and weren't able to follow through, but hopefully will be able to do so next year.
  We have 506 gardens in the Stake and 173 are between Red Lake and Tuba, so it keeps us busy.  Ronnie works with the gardners and I work in the Family History Center.  Last year I was able to go with him more because we had a couple that just worked in the Family History Center. We were able to index 468 obiutaries from the Crownpoint area.  An older sister had collected obits from 2001 until 2012 and she shared them with the couple serving there.  They in turn zeroxed all of them and mailed them to us.  It took several weeks, but the majority of the work is done.  We put one obit on every page and then alphabetized them.  We ended up with 3 binders.  We included surname, given name, birth and death dates and places, parents, spouse if listed and clan names, which is very important to the Navajo People.
  We did have 2 other couples to help with gardening and one of the sisters helped for 2 hours in the family history center.  Now we just have the couple that teaches Seminary and us. 
  The Andersons are from Montana.  They are wonderful neighbors, very quiet and unassuming.  Ronnie enjoys working with Elder Anderson who is quiet, soft spoken, and has a great work ethic.  He is the one who will take care of the two RV's that are parked here.  Fortunately, they have lived in trailers and know how to care for them.
  Our Stake President has been in Israel the last couple of weeks and will be returning this Friday.  We have stake conference next weekend.  He took his wife, one of his sons, and a daughter-in-law.  I guess it is a tradition in their family.  They also take young men who are preparing for missions, back to the church historical sites before they leave on their missions.  They have some pretty great traditions.
  We have about 14 new participants signed up for next year.  They will till in a new product called Humate with manure and fertilizer this fall, so the ground will be much better for next spring when they plant.  They are excited to have what they have seen others have.
  The Halloween Party was great.  We had a lot turn out for the Chili Cook Off, carnival and trunk-or-treat.  
  They will be doing a Thanksgiving dinner in each ward, so I get to cook two turkeys. one Wed and one Thursday.  Each ward will cook 6 turkeys and the members will bring side dishes.  They love food get-togethers, and so do I.  They are great cooks.
  The picture says a lot about how excited they get when they get to go to the garden and pick something to eat.  I am going to try and put some other pictures up, but I still have my challenges doing that with any degree of success.
   We are without young elders in Tuba, but we were told that after President Monson's announcement the applications went from 700 a week to 4,000 a week.  Pretty amazing.  A lot of elders left our mission at the same time, but it sounds like we will be getting a lot soon.
  I hope you will read Ether 2:12 and then get out and vote.
Love,
Elder & Sister Olson