Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
4th of July Navajo Style
Dear Family and Friends,
Well I realized today that I hadn't posted for a while. We have been super busy putting in gardens for people who decided they wanted one. Most planted over a month ago, but fortunately the weather allows for those who plant late.
We got here about 3:15 P.M. Friday June 24. We put in a garden that evening and finished the next morning. I think we have put in 4 or 5 more since then. One was for Kee and Betty Graham, their daugther, Lillie John, appeared in the article in the March Ensign. Her brother, Phillip worked right along side of Elder Olson. I finally told Elder Olson he would have to quit or Phillip would die trying to keep up with him. We told him that his sister had volunteered him to help put in gardens, but he politely declined. ;O}. The people laugh so easily and have such a great sense of humor about things.
As of today we have 52 gardens we are supervising. Each is uniquely different. About 98 % have things up and growing. One garden looked like a burnt piece of toast. The owner has been incarcerated and may end up spending more time as a guest of the local law enforcement accomodations. Elder Olson and the young Elders are going to try and get her corn in tomorrow, but we don't know if the kids will be responsible and water it. It was a heart breaker to walk around the corner of the trailer and see all the corn burnt to a crisp for lack of water.
On a more positive note, it has been exciting to see how things are growing and veggies are showing in many gardens. We are eating fresh peas, crookneck squash, onions, radishes, and lettuce from our own garden. Are you jealous??? The tomatoes are almost ripe. Elder Meldrum has actually eaten a few. He planted about a month before the demo garden was planted, but he also lost things when the below freezing temperatures hit.
We attended a missionary farewell dinner last weekend. His name is Deric Goldtooth and he will serve in South Dakota. They served a typical Navajo delicacy. Large intestine (well cleaned) wrapped in small intestine. They cook it on an open flame along with other parts of the sheep they butcher. I still have not had the opportunity to try it. They are pretty sure you won't like it, so they don't want to share it and have you pretend that you like it to be polite. Elder Chapple tried it and politely said he liked it, but he said it tasted like mutton (I wonder why ;o]) and was very, very, very chewy.
Elder Buynak and Elder Chapple are a lot alike. They are like John Olson. I will let you figure that comparison out, since John doesn't read the Blog.
This week is birthday week. I think we have 4 right in a row. We are celebrating mine by going to lunch. The young Elders asked if all the young Elders coming for District meeting could come with us. They take great joy in not having to cook. The people are really good to feed them. We know if they just show up and hang around that no one has asked them to dinner, so we just have them stay and share whatever if are eating. They are quite the characters, but very polite and always willing to do whatever you ask.
They celebrated the 4th on the 3rd. The fireworks were spectacular and we didn't even have to go anywhere. We just sat in the parking lot and enjoyed.
We did go over to Brother and Sister Nez, who have become great friends. She cooked over a huge fire and made a great dinner on the 4th. They are coming over sometime soon to do dutch oven cooking with Elder Olson.
I was finally able to spend some time doing family history. Someone had copied a lot of the inscriptions on the tombstones at the cemetery, so I typed them up and alphabetized them. It was only a small handful of what needs to be done. The mortition said they don't keep the records which didn't make any sense, but who am I to question what they do with their records.
Wish I could check his files, but I don't think that would be in keeping with mission guidelines if I were to sneak in and copy all his files.
Well I tried to put up some pics of the gardens, but can't seem to open anything to browse, so no pics this time.
Love you all and hope you will add comments.
Elder and Sister Olson
Well I realized today that I hadn't posted for a while. We have been super busy putting in gardens for people who decided they wanted one. Most planted over a month ago, but fortunately the weather allows for those who plant late.
We got here about 3:15 P.M. Friday June 24. We put in a garden that evening and finished the next morning. I think we have put in 4 or 5 more since then. One was for Kee and Betty Graham, their daugther, Lillie John, appeared in the article in the March Ensign. Her brother, Phillip worked right along side of Elder Olson. I finally told Elder Olson he would have to quit or Phillip would die trying to keep up with him. We told him that his sister had volunteered him to help put in gardens, but he politely declined. ;O}. The people laugh so easily and have such a great sense of humor about things.
As of today we have 52 gardens we are supervising. Each is uniquely different. About 98 % have things up and growing. One garden looked like a burnt piece of toast. The owner has been incarcerated and may end up spending more time as a guest of the local law enforcement accomodations. Elder Olson and the young Elders are going to try and get her corn in tomorrow, but we don't know if the kids will be responsible and water it. It was a heart breaker to walk around the corner of the trailer and see all the corn burnt to a crisp for lack of water.
On a more positive note, it has been exciting to see how things are growing and veggies are showing in many gardens. We are eating fresh peas, crookneck squash, onions, radishes, and lettuce from our own garden. Are you jealous??? The tomatoes are almost ripe. Elder Meldrum has actually eaten a few. He planted about a month before the demo garden was planted, but he also lost things when the below freezing temperatures hit.
We attended a missionary farewell dinner last weekend. His name is Deric Goldtooth and he will serve in South Dakota. They served a typical Navajo delicacy. Large intestine (well cleaned) wrapped in small intestine. They cook it on an open flame along with other parts of the sheep they butcher. I still have not had the opportunity to try it. They are pretty sure you won't like it, so they don't want to share it and have you pretend that you like it to be polite. Elder Chapple tried it and politely said he liked it, but he said it tasted like mutton (I wonder why ;o]) and was very, very, very chewy.
Elder Buynak and Elder Chapple are a lot alike. They are like John Olson. I will let you figure that comparison out, since John doesn't read the Blog.
This week is birthday week. I think we have 4 right in a row. We are celebrating mine by going to lunch. The young Elders asked if all the young Elders coming for District meeting could come with us. They take great joy in not having to cook. The people are really good to feed them. We know if they just show up and hang around that no one has asked them to dinner, so we just have them stay and share whatever if are eating. They are quite the characters, but very polite and always willing to do whatever you ask.
They celebrated the 4th on the 3rd. The fireworks were spectacular and we didn't even have to go anywhere. We just sat in the parking lot and enjoyed.
We did go over to Brother and Sister Nez, who have become great friends. She cooked over a huge fire and made a great dinner on the 4th. They are coming over sometime soon to do dutch oven cooking with Elder Olson.
I was finally able to spend some time doing family history. Someone had copied a lot of the inscriptions on the tombstones at the cemetery, so I typed them up and alphabetized them. It was only a small handful of what needs to be done. The mortition said they don't keep the records which didn't make any sense, but who am I to question what they do with their records.
Wish I could check his files, but I don't think that would be in keeping with mission guidelines if I were to sneak in and copy all his files.
Well I tried to put up some pics of the gardens, but can't seem to open anything to browse, so no pics this time.
Love you all and hope you will add comments.
Elder and Sister Olson
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Picture just above is Paulene Whitehair and daughter, neighbor to one of our garden participants. It's 6 am and Elder Olson is on his way to Tonalea to help them and 3 others finish planting their seeds. Most of the people have their gardens completley seeded and their crops are growing. It is so fun to see green, even the wonderful weeds are growing :o[ Of course that gives me something to do in my spare time ;o]
Elder Olson seems to send out some vibs to the people who notice him tilling someone else's garden and they just wander by and just happen to mention how much they would love a garden and he explains the waiting list and how limited the materials are for this year and how only people who are on the list can have garden materials AND then he goes over and helps them start their gardens. He's heard several times "You are an answer to my prayers" Although his days are long and challenging at times he comes home with a certain glow. He is truly serving the people by working beside them to help them become more self reliant which is exactly why we are here.
He had a priesthood blessing with great promises and counsel. We are so grateful for faithful members who honor their priesthood and magnifying the gifts they have been given and who willingly share them with others.
Last week he helped several members out at Red Lake (AKA Tonalea) and several close to the church here in Tuba City. It is so rewarding to see their faces when the water rushes out of the lines to flush them out. Then they get to cap them and start the watering and wait to see the first signs of green, besides weeds of course. It doesn't seem to take to long before the radishes start showing up, then the other things follow. Our potatoes, corn, carrots, squash and onions are going to town.
At one of the widow's home Elder Olson planted the carrots a different way than he usually does. Her youngest daughter was helping and Elder Olson couldn't hear what she said her name was, so he asked her to spell it. When the carrots grow she will see her name in the garden. I think it was Tashena, so he blocked in the letters of her name and planted the seeds in the lines of the letters he had written out. That will be fun when she sees her name in the garden.
The little boy in the blue shirt is about 6. He watched patiently from the side and Elder Olson motioned him over and let him take a turn. His 7 year old brother also got a turn. That was really fun to watch. Their older brother had been one of the young men who welded beading on the tines of the tiller at his welding class at the high school, so it was fun for him to see the end result of what he had done at the shop class.
We have a meeting at 10 but Elder Olson was excused because he had already commited to helping out at Tonalea. He felt so bad about not having to sit at the meeting for hours. lol.
Guess that is it for now. If you have time read Alma 26. The whole chapter is great, but the last 2 verses are awesome.
We love all of you. We are coming home for a quick trip so Elder Olson can have his check up with Dr. Neal in Jackson on 21 Jun. We will wave as we fly by.
Something is wrong with my edit option, so I will let you do the editing. o;}
Elder and Sister Olson
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Above is the picture of Gloria Babbitt's favorite place to sit, so she can watch her garden grow. To the right is Gloria Babbitt born in the 1920's. As a wife they grew corn in a large field to the left of the garden spot you can see. She rode horses as a young child, a young bride, and a mother of many. She raised sheep, sheared them, washed the wool, carded it, dyed it, and spun it into wool for her rugs. She would still love to weave rugs, but someone has to be around her all the time because age has taken its toll and she forgets things. (Actually that sounds fairly to me ;o}) She loves horses and her walls have pictures of her family on horses at varying times of their life. Gloria does not speak English, but two of her daughters were there and we had great fun talking about different funny stories about children.
Elder Olson and I helped her daughter Mary and husband Martin Maloney put the garden in the day before Mother's Day, so it would be a surprise when Gloria came home. She thanked us over and over for the wonderful gift. We helped them yesterday putting in the beds and getting the irrigation lines laid out. Gloria lives by Wild Cat Peak and there are some awesome red rocks with caves in them. She said they liked to play there when they were small. It is about 39 miles away over rodeo roads. :o) Your teeth chatter all the way and you bounce like you are on a wild bronc. We will continue to go out and check to see how things are going.
Martin calls Elder Olson his brother and I asked if I should check their thumbs to see if they were blood brothers now. Martin thought that was pretty funny, but there is no doubt that he has grown to love Elder Olson and his willingness to help his brother in need.
It is his wife who does massage therapy and like Elder Olson she has a gift for finding the right place that needs attention.
The picture on the top right are the incarcerated little escape artists who lead us on a wild goat chase around the yard. They look innocent, but looks can be deceiving. ;o} They were so cute and could run so fast.
Shelaine copied the "Blythe" movies that were taken when I was a kid. I still have not viewed them all. Our days run about 14-16 hours, but our burdens are made light and although tired you don't seem to run out of gas and come home happy that you were able to do something good and make a difference for someone in a positive way.
I have to find the right envelopes to send them and we need to have more burned by someone who knows what they are doing. I would like to give one to each of you, so you can laugh yourself silly over all the funny happenings that we recorded. Most of it would be good evidence of where you get your "craziness" from.
Daryl was kind enough to send me a disk to download so Dad and I can watch the movies on my laptop. My laptop has been such a great blessing here. Thanks to all of you who have walked me through my "frustration"and help me get things straightened out.
We are making a quick trip home later this month so Dad can see Dr. Neal and get things rolling to have the bone spur removed and hopefully remove some scar tissue from the previous surgery. Keep him in your prayers.
Hey tomorrow I am going to be in a piano recital with 6 other students. Most of them are kids, but there is at least one other grown-up. I will play 3 songs. Thank you for all the prayers, I know they are helping a lot. People here admire courage, so it's easier to be brave and try.
We continue to get to know the people better and better. They have a great sense of humor and are so honest about their shortcomings.
We love our mission and the opportunity to help people in such a great way. Our demo garden is coming up. It is awesome to see green. We love you all.
Elder and Sister Olson
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