"But Charity is the pure love of Christ,"

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.  Moroni 7:47

Last week Irvin Begaye called to see if we would have a tiller available on Monday.  I was sure we would, so I agreed to have one ready.  Elder Olson and I had followed him to his home a few weeks ago after he came by and expressed interest in having a garden next spring.

He had come into the History Center several weeks before coming to our apartment and said that he had a friend who had had a church garden and how well it had done and how much it produced.  He asked about how he could go about getting one.  He seemed very interested and sincere, so we were glad when he came by again and then called last week.

 Elder Olson went over this morning and found not just Irvin, but 7 other adult men.  They did not say much, but most were willing to shake Elder Olson's hand.  One did talk a little, but they each helped till and seemed happy to have their picture taken.  It turns out that Irvin is retired, but continues to take an active interest in helping those with special needs in the community.  He had gone to get them earlier, brought them back to "help" and encouraged each to take a turn with the tiller and putting up the corner posts.

  When Elder Olson had arrived the men were taking turns carrying the garbage barrels that were filled with manure to the garden spot.  They would stop along the way to change sides to rest their arms.  The wheel barrow they pushed had a very squeaky wheel that made a lot of noise.  No one seemed to mind though, they just wanted to take their turn pushing it.  It was nearly a hundred yards, but no one complained.

  Some were more eager to help than others, but each took their turn tilling and was pleased to have their picture taken more than once.  It looks as if Irvin will have these "special brothers" continue to help in the spring.  Each will be given the opportunity to help plant, weed, water, and harvest. 

  It did not seem to matter that not many words were spoken.  They watched, they helped, they smiled.

  We are eager to watch them next spring as things begin to grow not only in the gardens, but in the hearts of all who are there.

  

• Matthew 25:40

  40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
• Elder & Sister Olson  Tuba City, Arizona 16 Dec 2013
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Missionaries coming Home, Missionaries going out and Christmas coming.

Today we had an amazing young Sister bear testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel as she leaves to serve in the Maryland Baltimore Mission of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She enters the MTC Wed., Dec 18, 2013.   She spoke with two other sisters who also bore solemn witness of the truthfulness of this gospel and its restoration to the earth.

  The spirit was so strong and many were touched by the power of their testimonies.  I am not sure how many attended, but the overflow had to be opened to accommodate all those who came.  Although I will not always remember everything that was said, I will not forget what I felt.

  The grandmother who is attending the Temple prep class brought two of her  grand daughters in again.  They ended up staying a little over two hours steadily working on finding census records on their grandfather's father and then his mother.  We were also able to find Mabel Small's grandmother, who apparently raised her. Grandmother is going to try and contact one of the other relatives to find out Mabel's parent's names.

  I am including pictures of the two girls, the younger was is 10.  What an amazing time to start family history.  The girls started to race each other to see who could find the next census record, it was so fun to be a part of and watch their smiles as they found the next census.

  Grandma was also able to request a copy of her patriarchal blessing.  It should arrive in the next few weeks.

  Sister T has been a wonderful asset in the history center.  She invites everyone she runs across to come back to church and to come and start working on their family history.  Two more people are working on their family lines because of her invitation to do so.

  It is so wonderful to serve among such great people and to see them and listen to them as they bear their testimonies.  You know that they will shine wherever they go and invite many to come and share in the truth they have found.

Sister Olson

These are pictures of Shelby Begody, the young sister who will enter the MTC Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 the same day we will be driving to Alpine, Utah.

Our other sister who is serving in the Utah Salt Lake Mission is now in Bountiful and Elder Olson's cousin, Kevin Olson took her picture at a Ward Christmas breakfast just this week.  Sister Tammi Horseherder.

Two of our young men have returned from their missions, one served in North Dakota and the other in Vera Cruz, Mexico.  Both left after we got here and have now returned after serving two years.  Both were surprised to find us still here.  The first is going to school in Thatcher, AZ and the other who came home this week will head back to Stanford, where he has already completed two years.  Both are wonderful young men.  Hopefully I can get pictures from our young elders to attach in the near future.

With Christmas only a few days away, there is no doubt of what the holiday is really about.  Let us give the gift of time, listening to the laughter of the children, watching with our hearts and not just with our eyes.

 Let us celebrate the time we have and not the gifts we get. Let us love more deeply and forgive more quickly " for they know not what they do."

  Let us watch with our hearts and see the best in those around us. Let us praise more and overlook the faults "for in the quiet heart is hidden, sorrow that the eye cannot see."

  May we keep the true spirit of Christmas every day and celebrate our unique differences with warmth and gratitude for each is on a long journey home.  May we light the way for those who travel with us, with encouragement and smiles, hugs and listening ears, tenderness and patience.

  Merry Christmas to each of you, may God Bless You and Yours Always.

Elder & Sister Olson

Asia Yazzie and her grandmother

Tonight we had several people come into the Family History Center and ask about the Temple Prep class.  We had to make several phone calls to find out that the teacher had told the folks that they would be out of town for the holidays and that there would be no class.

The reason however for writing is what happened after we found out the class was cancelled.  One of the folks brought in two grand daughters that she planned to leave in the FHC while she was in the Temple Prep Class.  One of the two little girls is 12 and had been pleading with her grandmother to bring her into the FHC.  She was a little shy, but you could see she was also very excited and quickly came in and sat down.

 We gave her a pedigree chart, but you could see that she wanted to do something right now, even though grandmother would not be going to her class.  So grandma sits down quietly and watches as her grand daughter finds 5 census records with her gr gr grandfather listed with all these children.

 Grandmother recognizes the names.  We know it is the right person, but then we start looking closer and realize the first daughter is two years older than the wife listed.  We start looking again and realize that the first few children cannot be the children of the wife listed because of their ages.

  They also list a sister and brother-in-law, so now we know the maiden name of the listed wife.  We also realize that he obviously had another wife.

  We add his name and the "listed wife" with the children we know have to be theirs and gr gr grandpa with an unknown wife and the older children.

  Asia is very excited and happy as we print each record and her grandmother is sitting behind and lighting up with each new find.  Grandma then says, I am so glad we came tonight, because Asia has wanted to come and I didn't.  I want to bring her in again so she can continue to work, this really has been exciting to find all these records.

  Asia and Grandma leave with a folder with 5 census records, and a pedigree chart to fill out.

  

Having an excited 12 year old come in with a desire to do family history is one of those golden moments, that you hope will become contagious.

Sister Olson