Fire in Church Compound, Elder Olson's former Mission President, Chad Lewis BYU & Philadelphia tight end

Dear Family and Friends,
  I guess there has been some excitement this last week.  Elder Olson drove in after dark on 24 April, to see the compost pile engulfed in flames.  Since our door and window face south and the pile is on the east, I had not seen the flames.  Things got pretty exciting for a couple of hours.
  The fire dept consisting of two Hopi Indians drove in and with quite a bit of work were able to put it out.  We still had little eruptions over the next couple of days, but we were able to keep things from starting up again.
  For RaDawn, Kellan, Dallin, JaKohbi, and Kage you will be glad to know it did not touch the trailer.  The first thing they asked was if anybody lived in it.  We assured them that no one was living in it.  Fortunately, it did not get damaged in any way.
  When I walked out I heard some men over the fence say something about how often people tossed their cigarette butts into the ditch way between our compound and the Catholic compound.  Don't know any more than that, so it was listed as a brush fire.  It did melt all the plastic on the fence which you can see in the picture and it did burn up 98% of the compost, but all in all we feel very blessed.
  Tonight we had a Young Men and Young Women Fireside where Chad Lewis spoke.  He was really fun to listen to and has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ.  He shared numerous stories about his life, being a skinny kid at high school, the mission he served, walking on at BYU,  playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, hiking up Mt Kilamangaro (SP?) in Africa with some Vietnam vets, two of whom had lost legs.  It was an amazing adventure and very inspirational to listen to.
  He encouraged the kids to stand up for what they believe in and surround themselves with greatness.  Don't be sucked into things you know will harm you and be brave enough to stand alone when you have to. He passed out several shirts and jackets then signed them.  It was very inspiring to listen to him tell about his dad who suffered a stroke and was told he would never walk again.  They kept a diary of all the blessing they witnessed and he does walk now, and even though it is with difficulty, he never stops pushing himself.
  It turns out that the man he works with in providing scholarships for Native Americans is Dale Tingey, who served as Mission President when Elder Olson was here as a young missionary.  I am not sure he remembered Elder Olson, but it was fun to take a few minutes of his time and visit.  Elder O told him he really didn't look much different, but Brother Tinger said, he sure felt older. ;o}
  The tillers are going pretty much all the time as people feel the temperatures rising and see the green leaves appearing everywhere. 
  Elder Olson is really behaving himself and will only  pick up the light things.  It helps that everyone knows he has weight limitations and they won't let him do to much. ;o}  He actually lays down when he gets tired which is a good thing and rule #23 in the mission handbook actually says you should take naps when you need them.  It is still my favorite rule, even if I don't get to use it much. ;o{
 When I get really tired and try to lay down, the odds are about 100% of someone coming by for a tiller or to ask about when the garden demo will be. ;O}  If the odds of winning the lottery were as good as someone coming by when I lay down I would be guaranteed on winning. Elder Olson reminds me that in order to win I have to buy a ticket. ;o}
  The ward boundaries were changed today and two new Bishops sustained.  It may be a little confusing for a while, but change can be good.  Both Relief Society Presidents ended up in the 1st Ward, so I look to see some changes there in the next week or so.  1st Ward's new Bishop just moved here from Kayenta, the 2nd Ward Bishop was serving as a clerk for the Bishop who was released.  It will be fun to watch history making changes in both wards.  The "news" about a change must have leaked out because attendance was up, so they could see who was being sustained.
  It is amazing how often miracles can be witnessed.  We see them daily and it is so fun to be a part of what is happening here.  Not only are gardens being grown, but "faith" is being grown and people feel of the spirit.  Hearts have indeed been prepared Alma 13:24.
  We would love to hear from you if you have a few minutes.
Elder & Sister Olson

Dear Family and Friends,

I know it has been many weeks since I wrote last.  I guess you might say life is a little hectic.  Some of you may not be aware that after a year of hoping for approval to have surgery it was finally given and Elder Olson had surgery in Durango, CO on Apr. 2  It was 3 weeks yesterday.  He had the stitches out last Friday and the incision looked really good.  It has healed nicely.  His pain level has not decreased, BUT the Dr. said that is not unusual and that he should begin to notice in another 3 weeks as the swelling and inflamation subside.  We are asking that everyone continue to keep him in your prayers for a full recovery. We still believe in miracles.

This is also the BUSY season, so we are on the go or at least "involved" with someone or some project every day.

Yesterday a package came in the mail.  It continues more than a ream of paper which has photo copies of obituaries, news articles, funeral programs and other pieces of information for Crownpoint, NM and although that is not a part of our stake it is Family History and a priceless treasure.  So my next big project is to index each article by name.  I have no idea how long it will take, but I am excited to get started.

Our fellow missionaries are wonderful.  They know how to roll up their sleeves and get things done.

Sister Harvey sent the following quotes which are wonderful.  I will try to get back into the routine of positng a blog each week for those of you who read them ;O]

Elder James M. Paremore of the Presidency of the Seventy: "The Church helps us to overcome selfishness and uncertainty by serving others in dozens of ways over a lifetime.  Some of our fondest memories go back to those associations we have had in service together. May 1988 Ensign.

President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency:   “The Lord has said,   “‘He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it’ ( Matthew 10:39 ).

“We lose our life by serving and lifting others. By so doing we experience the only true and lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.

“Knowing that service is what gives our Father in Heaven fulfillment, and knowing that we want to be where He is and as He is, why must we be commanded to serve one another? Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a commandment because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service. Let us use the freedom which comes from self-reliance in giving and serving.

“Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what Godhood is all about? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.

“There is an interdependence between those who have and those who have not. . . . Once a person has been made whole or self-reliant, he reaches out to aid others, and the cycle repeats itself.

“We are all self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others. Therefore, each of us should strive to help others in areas where we have strengths. At the same time, pride should not prevent us from graciously accepting the helping hand of another when we have a real need. To do so denies another person the opportunity to participate in a sanctifying experience” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 135–36; or Ensign, Nov. 1982, 93 ).

Elder & Sister Olson

Tampoline Navajo Style

Dear Family and Friends,

I just looked and it has been 7 weeks since I last posted.

I just thought these would be fun to show you how kids everywhere make their own fun out of whatever they have on hand.. This method is a bummer if you don't make a direct hit on the tire, but all the time we watched they seem to make a good connection and bounce away pretty happy.

I would not however recommend this idea to anyone I loved or was related too, in fact I would not recommend it to anyone, but kids will be kids and I know our own survived many "ideas" that I would not have approved of had I known at the time.

The infection and dental appointments are winding down which makes me very happy. It has been quite the adventure.

Our first semi load of garden supplies came in a few weeks ago on a semi from Colorado. A family who planted last year owns heavy equipment and offered to come by and off load the rolls of wire and the fence posts. He had fork lifts that had to be attached to his bucket. It worked well, but his son had to guide him from below, since he could not see from the seat behind and above the bucket. I know there has to be an amazing "parable" to that event and perhaps one day I will be able to put it all together. It took a little over two hours to unload.

The fertilizer is coming in the next week or two and our first meeting with the new missionaries will be Mar 5 here in Tuba City. Elder Seeley will work as a consultant and the missionaries will be doing their own demos with the people they serve among.

We have 12 couples that all should be here by the end of the week, but one and they will soon follow. They served here last year, so it isn't as critical as it would be for a new couple. Elder Seeley who is now Brother Seeley will conduct all our Missionary Meetings. He and his wife have put together a book to give to each couple. It will give them an overview of what happens and how they can be most effective.

We are excited to start the new gardens and Elder Olson has been helping people get their gardens ready for this year, by tilling in sawdust and manure so that it can mellow and help in producing a more bountiful harvest. The more remote and "challenging" the better he likes it.

I have pretty much finished the Tuba City Cemetery names, but Sister Norris and I will be heading to Winslow and Moencopi in March to do the same thing for those cemeteries. We ended up with about 1,900 names for marked graves in Tuba and I am at 615 for the unmarked graves. She plans to upload them to findagrave.com Hopefully we can make it available to anyone who is seeking Navajo relatives who have been laid to rest.

We are headed to the Snowflake Temple next weekend and plan to stay with Laurie and kids. We are pretty excited about that. Elder Olson will do some fencing while I attend a session Friday evening and then we will both go with our Navajo brothers and sisters Sat. morning. I told Laurie that she could make Elder Olson very happy if she had lots of fencing to do. She was gracious enough to comply with my request.

We should know by this time next week if Elder Olson's surgery was approved. We submitted the paperwork Dec 1, 2011 at 11:47 am. It has taken that long to get a response, but his case worker said we would know this week. We are hoping she is right.

Yesterday we had a Visiting Teaching Conf for 2nd ward. It was very good and the Stake RS president asked if they could do it again for the Stake.

We keep very busy and I can honestly say the weeks fly by. We will have been out a year on Mar. 9 John thought we had been out forever.

I was hit by an overwhelming feeling of homesickness, but I know we are doing what we should be doing. We do love it. It would be fun to hear from you.

Elder & Sister Olson

Historic Moment

Dear Family and Friends,


I was just noticing the similarity of the two pictures I posted last week. The heads of course are very different, but did any notice the neck similarities in the two pictures. :o} One of the reasons I never buy a shirt without Older Olson trying it on to see how it fits. I am so thoughtful, don't know why the pictures made me smile so much, but the Older Olsons have never seemed to have very much length in the neck, or is it just my imagination. I apologize if I sound disrespectful, but they do look a lot a like and they are both stubborn and strong.


On to other things. It was an historic moment in 2nd Ward today. They filled to overflowing and the doors to the overflow had to be opened because so many people came into the sacrament meeting.


The first counselor who was conducting bore his testimony and mentioned that they had prayed for such, but he was blessed to witness it. As always the testimonies were uplifting and filled with the power of the spirit. We saw people we had never seen before that are members and wonderful folks.


Last summer we had gone to the Flea Market and pulled up next to a car. A lady was sitting in the car with door ajar and saw us. She asked if my husband could turn the wheel in her car so she could get it started. It seemed like a strange request, but that happens a lot here, the strange requests I mean. She said she was a member and should be attending church. The Wilsons had made it a point to visit her once a week when they were serving. They called to wish her a Happy New Year and asked if she was going to church. She showed up today and recognized us and sat by us. I asked if she had a garden. She said no but would love to have one. Older Olson followed her home after church and put her address in the GPS. He will be going out later this week to get her garden spot ready for spring. She cried when he told her that she would indeed have her garden.


The 2nd Ward Relief Society is going to implement a homemaking meeting once a month to allow time for the sisters to gather and encourage each other with new skills and time to get better acquainted as sisters in the gospel. They had a meeting after church and I was told that they decided I would teach at the first meeting. They have found out that I crochet and knit. Hopefully there will be others who just want to learn more and we can break into small groups and teach each other.
The other ward decided that for the next Provident Living class that they wanted us to teach them how to get started on their family history. It was hard not to get up and dance, but I controlled myself well until they left the room. Sister Norris will head that up and I will be there to cheer them on and support in anyway I can. It is so exciting to see them find their families and get them ready for temple work.
We love the people and the opportunity to help. People in the Page Stake have found some of their lost family members from the work we did in copying the grave markers here and sending them a copy of the list we made. I am at 340 in finding names for the unmarked graves. I don't know who is where, but I know they are buried there and so I am going through slowly, but each new name is like finding a gold nugget, it is so fun. This week I found Susie Chewingtabacco and some other very different names, but Sister Norris seems to know everyone and how they all go together in clans, I love it.
When I was working with Sister Nez, I would not do anything but tell and guide. She wanted me to take over and I said, "We won't be here forever and you need to know how to do it yourself." Sister Norris said, "I thought you were on a 100 year mission so we could finish our project."
The gospel is true and we all have our part. Thanks for all the prayers in our behalf we know that it is what sustains us as we move steadily forward.
Elder & Sister Olson

Pee Wee and the "Skidboard" Park

Dear Family and Friends,
This week’s picture is of our “Older Olson” with his bald head. Sister Cody asked if anyone was willing to shave their head, “Older Olson” needed no more of a prompt. Christmas Eve he goes into the bathroom to get ready for the Senior gathering and comes out with no hair. I was shocked, maybe horrified would describe my first reaction, but have been able to get past that fortunately and hair does grow out, even on old guys.
The other picture is of the bulls who still come in for their nightly buffet, leaving small presents as they enter, roam, and then exit. We have had the cattle guards cleaned and put large rocks on the side, but they just smile at our puny distractions and walk neatly over as if they were trained to do so. I am glad we have the fencing around the garden and hope that the bulls are taken far away in the spring to greener pastures.
This afternoon we walked over to the large park where they have playground equipment for the kids, a full sized basketball court and a “Skidboard Park” Older Olson could not remember Skateboard, so it is now the “Skidboard Park” Maybe Carter comes by his language creativity from his Grandfather. He is the one who asked his dad why anyone would give their true love 5 onion rings for Christmas. ;o}
Back to the park. We are watching all these young men using their skateboards and bikes to ride the amazing cement maze. I asked if the walls were 30 feet high and Older Olson they were probably close to 8 ft, although I am thoroughly convinced they were closer to 30. It is like a giant swimming pool without the water and all these ramps with curved walls. I know there was a slight angle to the walls, but they seem to go straight up and down with a few curves.
The boys on the bikes are zooming around the walls perpendicular to the bottom, I don’t know how they did that, but they did, then they would eventually zoom straight up the side, do a little trick of some sort and ride quietly off waiting for the next competitor to zoom around.
Sailing around the top of this concrete are other “Skidboard” competitors, doing things that really aren’t possible for humans to do on a piece of board with a roller skate that someone cut in two on the bottom. All the tricks seemed impossible, but they did them with grace and speed, quite amazing to watch actually.
You have to know that the areas of the park are separated by fences, which keep wandering dogs from going in. Well the fences don’t keep tiny two legged boys from going in and so here runs in Pee Wee. He could not have been more than 3, very short and very daring. First he walks close to the edge and peers over at all the zooming bikes, then he crawls out on one of the dividing walls and continues to watch all the activity. Now we are talking bikes and skidboards zooming up and down then flying over the top edge for a landing.
Well Pee Wee sees his chance and slides down the middle divider and begins to do what he has been watching, only he is using his tennis shoes to slip and slide like the bikers. Not one big boy yelled or screamed or even asked him to leave, so for about 5-6 mins he is living his dream. Slipping and sliding every where he can. But alas, now comes his time to exit. It should be easy enough right? Just run up a wall like the bikes did, well when you aren’t very tall that becomes a challenge.
The big boys are now tired also and want to do some more tricks, but they are kind and stay on the far side of the bowl. Now Pee Wee is pretty smart, so he decides he will do what the big boys do and get a running start from the far wall. That helps, but he does not have enough to make it up all the way and slides back to the bottom. He is also watching us watch him and certainly doesn’t want to spend the night in there.
Being the smart kid that he is, he yells for help. One of the big boys leans over the side and sticks out his hand. Pee Wee backs up and runs again, but he misses the kids by inches. The big boy being so nice slides down the side on his feet and picks up Pee Wee. Now they both need to get out. With Pee Wee under his arm he runs up the side, but alas with the extra weight he also cannot make it out. Now the watching crowd smiles and cheers him on. No one wants Pee Wee to get hurt. With another running start and leaning forward he goes far enough to set Pee Wee in a safe spot. Then goes back and runs again to get himself out.
Older Olson and I silently cheer the hero and Pee Wee who marches over to get a better look at us. He wants outside the fence now. I ask, “Where is your Mom?”
He answers, “At the store!” I would not have picked him up and set him on the outside knowing that in there he was caged and had some “Big Boys” watching out for him. He smiles and runs back to the edge which is too much for me. We walk to the far side of the park and a woman is walking determinedly in the direction of the “Skidboard Park” His hero hands him over to mom and he smiles as he climbs into the stroller. What a way to start the New Year. We did hear his mom call him Junior, but to me he will always be Pee Wee.
For those of you who are aware the root canal was painless, the worst part was the anticipation. ;o} With the fourth antibiotic the infection is finally going away.
Our two wards switched times today and 1st Ward actually meets first. The 1st counselor was the only one there. The Bishop had not told him who was speaking, so Older Olson suggested he ask over the pulpit if anyone had been asked to speak. No one raised a hand, so Brother Nocidenah said Elder and Sister Olson would be speaking. :o}
I decided to speak about the “Lord’s tender mercies” and the scriptures and finding answers to our prayers. Elder Olson spoke first and told about his mission here as the Young Elder Olson. I think I have seen him cry more here than in our entire marriage. He loves the people so much and loves what he get to do “work” He thinks he is being punished when he can’t play in the dirt with the roto tiller or shovel manure.
We are getting to know more about the “Ammon Way” every day. We love each of you and hope you are doing well.

"Older" & Sister Olson

Dear Famil

yh

Fires, earthquakes, roaming bulls, more fires, and stolen dogs

Dear Family and Friends,

Pictures at the top were taken just in the last week or two. I think I figured out how to put the date back on the pics, but we will see. Bottom picture is "Older" Olson with Older Lee Nez, 1st Counselor in 2nd Ward Bishopric and a great friend.

The top two are pictures taken at Loretta's. She is extending her garden and her family is very involved in making that happen.

If you saw the Title, I hope it sparked your interest, not sure anyone is reading our Blog anymore.

Our latest missionary couple has had one trial after another since arriving. At the first of the week someone thought they would help the freezing water line problem, by wrapping the hose in insulation, then putting the wire around that and then adding another layer of insulation, sealing it all with duct tape, well I guess you might say that was a BIG NO NO, because it caught fire and burned through and melted the PC pipe and some of the bale of straw it went through. Someone had to be watching because the trailer did not catch fire. You can see the burned and scorched straw and the melted PC pipe. It also burned the hose, I am going to assume the water in the hose dampened things enough to keep everything from going up in flames. That was pretty scary.

They have not been able to use their kitchen sink since they came, because it would not drain. Several people tried to help to no avail, then another person discovered that the trailer had a third holding tank where the sink water was going and the value was closed so it was completely full. As soon as they turned the value the water quickly drained out.

The following night Sister M called and asked if I had felt the earthquake and I paused and said, "No" then she said they had and soon realized that it was not an earthquake, but one of two very large bulls who were eating the bales they have placed around their 5th wheel.

They must have got wind that I was the mother of the "Barbaric sister-in-law" (Ask Uncle Derek and Aunt Shelaine about that story ;o}) in any case people seem to think that I know all the answers about what to do in an emergency so they call me. I go out to see two very large bulls munching away, so I pick up a stick and try to prod them, but because it was dark and there were no lights and the ground is very uneven, I decided to call the police dept.

They were very friendly and cooperative and we soon had two police cars with a Bro. Campaign who quickly prodded them on their way back across the cattle guard. They decided they liked the buffet arrangement and returned later. The bulls, not the police :o}

The next morning "Older Olson" woke me up to go see the lunar eclipse which he was sure I would miss if I got dressed, so out I went in my pajamas and coat. I could have showered and dressed and not missed it, but instead I pretended to be OK even though I was freezing my toes off.

After the moon was completely covered I glanced over and who should be quietly chewing their cud and watching me freeze, the two roaming bulls. I was not going to call the police again, so I got my stick and proceeded to prod them from their beds and head them to the gates. They really weren't to happy, so they dropped a few presents on their way to the gate. ;o}

The older and bigger bull timidly placed his left front hoof on the guard about 4 times and each time as his hoof began to sink, he would pull it back. Then he placed it on the 5 inch wide panel, realized it was solid put his other hoof on the far side of the guard, then jumped neatly over. The younger bull appeared to be watching carefully and did exactly what the older one did without trying the middle first, It was actually very interesting to watch. We now have to lock the gates with a bolt and wire because they know exactly where the food supply is located. It is a big nusiance, trust me.

Yesterday I decided to make bread. It was kind of fun and actually turned out pretty well. It was raising nicely on the back of the stove and I decided to boil some eggs. I carefully turned on the burner making sure the rising bread was well to the back. Well I smelled something odd, but I figured something had spilled on the burner, then I glanced up to see smoke coming from the kitchen. I did carefully turn on the burner, but it was the one next to the bread and so the towel was making a good try to catch on fire, fortunately it was only trying and had not caught on fire, so I quickly put the towel in the sink, opened all the windows and the door and cleared out the smoke. Only a small part of the rising bread was affected.

The loaves didn't rise as much as they might have because the apt cooled off so much, but it was good and I will try again tomorrow. I won't be cooking any eggs however or anything else if I put it on the stove to rise. :o} I usually learn from my mistakes. Your prayers of protection are being answered, thank you.

The last event is really quite sad. The couple who have had something happen every day since they have arrived went to church at 9 just like we did. Well after sacrament he came home and someone had taken their two dogs. We found out too late that dog snatching happens quite frequently. They have searched most of the day without any luck. They were beautiful Schnauzer dogs. They are heart broken as you might imagine. Hopefully someone will find them or question whoever is selling them. They did not have those things you implant, so I don't know how it will all turn out.

Hope there aren't to many mistakes, the edit option doesn't seem to be working.

"Older" Olson continues to work like he is "Younger" Olson. They did not approve his surgery for tomorrow. They said his case needed further review. I wish they could live in his body for just one day before they stamp "Needs further Review" I have to keep believing that Heavenly Father's time line doesn't always look like what we think it should.

He does loves helping people get ready, so our winter work schedule is not much different than our summer schedule.

I have a project going at the Family History Center. I am writing down all the names of the infants and young children who are buried at the local cemetery without markers. I am systematically going through the Arizona death records and checking everyone in Coconino County, if it says Tuba City I write it down. I have found over 100 names of infants and small children who are buried here without grave markers. I am trying to come up with a way to search all those records by the child's name, father's name, or mother's name. Whoever is looking should be able to find all the information when they look under one of the names. It all makes sense to me in my head, now I have to make the program work the way I want it to.

If anyone has a system that they think will work, let me know.

Christmas without family makes me a little homesick, but all our kids survived on their missions, so I suspect we will also.

Relief Society was really amazing today. Two sisters gave lessons. One was on visiting teaching. I wish every sister could have been there. It was wonderful.

We love you and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holdiay season. Sorry about the big spaces between .

Elder and Sister Olson

The faces of history.

Can you imagine how fun it would be to listen to their stories and all the adventures they shared together??