Dear Family and Friends,
I guess this will not be a big surprise, but we are extending our mission call and will be here until next Oct. The last couple of weeks have been a little hectic with everything that was involved and driving to Durango, CO to see a spinal specialist. Elder Olson and I will go again tomorrow so that he can get an injection, then again on Nov 7 for another injection. One injection will be a L4-L5 and the other at L3- L4. Don't know which will be first. The Dr. will use the feedback from Elder Olson to determine what to do next. They are hoping that he will get some relief from the pain he is suffering in his leg and foot on a daily basis.
If he keeps busy he is able to deal more effectively with the pain, but as soon as he sits down it becomes a real issue.
We have been to Durango twice and have three more appts. The first two for injections and the third to consult with the Drs. about what the next step will be.
The pictures above show first the large black bumble bees that come to the garden daily. They are really very big and Shelaine and kids were quite taken back by their size. I guess we are pretty immune to even noticing them.
Top right is Sister Olson ;o} sitting next to my favorite gardner, Gloria Babbitt. Her daughter Mary made the skirt I am wearing and bought the black top to go with it. Gloria wanted to have our picture taken with me wearing a traditional Navajo outfit. Mary was wearing red jewelry so I put on a necklace I had purchased then twirled around for Gloria. She laughed and laughed.
They also gave us some beautiful hand made pottery. Another sister gave us a quilted wall hanging which I will take a picture of and post later. We had a big Harvest Celebration yesterday and many people came thinking we would be leaving next week, but we surprised them by saying we were extending.
I will continue to work in the Family History Center and Elder Olson will do what he can. If surgery is done, I plan to nail the apt door shut until he recovers then let him out.
Bottom left is Brother Lee Canyon who likes to have his picture taken with the missionaries. He is a nice guy.
Bottom right is Shelaine, Derek and kids who were able to come last Thurs. spend the night then head on to Phoenix to visit Derek's sister Kara. It was so fun to have them come and they saw me waving to them as they came down Monaeve Dr. I was so excited I couldn't hardly control myself. Shelaine and Brock raced around the car, but I think Shelaine reached me first for a big hug.
The kids all did hide and spook when Elder Olson came home and they did indeed spook him, especially the girls. Landy was behind the shower curtain and Elder O jumped backward when she came out. Leah was on the shelf by the frig and totally got him again when he started for the laundry room door. It was so fun. We had breakfast together at the Hogan restaurant and then we went to the "Flea Market" before they had to leave for Phoenix. It was hard to let them go.
Last weekend they had a huge end of year Fair Parade here in Tuba. The parade took 3 hours to pass by, so you can see it was really big.
The traffic is bumper to bumper so we warned to stay in the compound which we did. They honored the veterans on several different floats. One was in honor of the Code Talkers which was really wonderful. There are not many left. They have a museum in their honor in Kayenta which I would like to visit before we leave.
The traffic is bumper to bumper so we warned to stay in the compound which we did. They honored the veterans on several different floats. One was in honor of the Code Talkers which was really wonderful. There are not many left. They have a museum in their honor in Kayenta which I would like to visit before we leave.
We love hearing from you and hope you have time to write.
Elder & Sister Olson
Dear Family
That is so awesome that you get to extend your mission call by a year. I am excited and happy for you both. Of course we miss you, but we know that you are on the Lord's errand and blessing the lives of the people there on the Reservation. How wonderful to read your blog, e-mails and facebook information and see the great things you are doing on your mission. It is also neat that Elder Olson is able to meet some of the people again that he knew when he was there for the first time. :) I am grateful for your service and know it is blessing not only the lives of those you are serving, but our lives as well. We look forward to seeing all the neat things you are acquiring and hearing all of your stories when you return in a year. :) We love you all so much.
ReplyDeleteYou also continue to be in our prayers, especially regarding Dad's back. We pray that he will get the surgery he needs to alleviate the pain he feels. We are grateful that there is a great spinal specialist close enough that Dad can get the care he needs.
I apologize that I am not as good about writing as I should be, but I do think of you all the time and I do love you. We all love you. The kids love getting your letters and always have a big smile on their faces when they see that there is a letter here waiting for them. Thank you for taking the time to do that for them.
We love you,
J'Lene and family