Dear Family and Friends,
Hello from down under ;o} the sun, where it is very hot. Elder Olson doesn't mind working from before first light until after dark, but I prefer first light until 9 am outside, then inside projects until late afternoon, when the sun is low in the west.;o] I do little projects like cleaning the janitor closet at the church, including the vacuum bag which no one knew was suppose to be changed. That was a gruelling task, but well worth the clean vacuum in the end. Well you probably didn't need to know that much detail, but it's our journal right? and we should keep track of things.
The pictures are of Running Lady and her son Bobby James in his garden. The squash was taken from Bobby's garden already this summer with more to come. The other is the picket fence that surrounds Betty Babbitt's house out at Red Lake. I wonder if she dreamed of a picket fence when she was little, but perhaps it is the best thing for keeping the wandering sheep and goats out of the garden.
Actually I wanted most to tell you about another favorite person I have met. Her name is Ellie, but her Navajo name is Running Lady. That is her in the picture behind the garden fence. I wanted to take it with her on the outside, but Bobby James her son wanted her in the garden, so we did it his way. She is 96 and still walks every day and her mind is pretty dang sharp. She is the one who said she wanted one of everything, when I asked which thing in the garden was her favorite.
We purposely went to see Bobby to find out where Running Lady lived and there she was sitting on the couch. I ran back outside and I could hear Daisy trying to explain that I hadn't left, but was going to get something for her. When I brought the bag in she smiled and thanked me, then quickly asked where her watermelon was. I assured her that we would bring her one.
I love the older sisters out here. They are absolutely amazing and all the history they hold is overwhelming. I am grateful that they let me take their pictures.
The story that really made an impact this week is something that happened on Thurs. Elder Olson and I had been outside working for a couple hours, so it was round 8 am. A gentleman came by through the alley behind our apt and saw us and said, "I'll clean your hold yard for $10." Well I had been working several days on it and it was a very tempting offer, and worth a whole lot more than $10. Elder Olson and I talked for a few mins. (You have to know that pulling weeds, raking them up, and forcing yourself to put them in the dumpster instead of the compost pile is not Elder Olson's favorite thing to do.) So we said we could use his help. He threw his backpack over the fence and said he would be right back.
He didn't come back for a while, but we did have his backpack laying there. I started to worry just a little because a few weeks ago someone came running through the alley and asked if we had seen a young man running that way with a blue backpack that he had just stolen from him.
Well he did appear with a short handled rake, and hoe. He jumped the fence and started with a vengence pulling all the tall weeds along our side of the fence. I told him that if he pulled the tall ones I could weed whack the shorter things. He kept telling me he worked cheap, well his work ethic was astounding to say the least. Ten dollars an hour would have been a huge bargain.
He visited about a variety of things as we worked and he said that he had worked the day before for a meal. I asked if he would like breakfast and he said, "Yes, please" I fixed breakfast which he wolfed down. That man worked until 1:45 non-stop except for breakfast and a lunch the Wilson's offered. That fence line has to be a little over 100 ft and I had done about 30 ft. already.
I followed him with the weed whacker and soon realized that I am only capable of so much since it was well after 9 am. He was working so hard and asking so little, so I asked if he wanted to weed whack after he pulled the weeds and I would pay X amount. He seemed delighted and continued working.
He asked if we knew anyone else who needed help for food or money. I called Sister Margaret at St. Jude's and gave her a head's up on his work ethic. She had to leave at 2 pm so at 1:45 I insisted that he stop and go over there so he could visit with her and make some sort of arrangement to help pull weeds in their garden. I waited until the next morning when it was cool to finish raking and throwing the weeds in the dumpster.
This man did not ask for a handout, He was willing to work hard for a simple meal. He could be the "poster man" for doing whatever he could to earn a few dollars and a meal. I know we did not pay him what he was worth, but I know the Lord has blessed him far more than we could pay him.
We ran into him again when we were out checking gardens on Sat. He was with a friend, he referred to as "Biscuit" He asked if he could come back and work for lunch which he did.
I will not mention his name because of some things he shared, but I hope you will keep "Working Man" in your prayers. He could work along side of Elder Olson any day which is saying a lot. We saw him later that day "stomping aluminum cans" for another person.
I guess you could say he is an example of "those who are not idle and who wear the garments of the worker very well."
If more people were as willing to work as hard as he did the world would be a better place. I wish I had taken a before and after picture.
I hope all of you are taking the time to read the Sunday lessons each week and go to class prepared to make comments and share insights you have had during the week. The classes here have great teachers, but you have to be prepared to teach at any given moment. I wonder if that is why we are often referred to as the Minute Man church.
Our Stake President's surgery went well and he acutally wants Elder Olson to give some thought to having his surgeon look at his MRI pictures, which is very tempting.
We love all of you and hope you are noting the miracles that occur daily in your lives. We have been truly blessed and know that life is good and "things" don't happen by coincidence.
Hope you will overlook any spelling errors and fill in any missing words. My brain is not what it use to be and neither are a lot of other body parts. ;o] We love you.
Elder and Sister Olson
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