Best of the REZ Week 7

Best of the Rez Week 7

Okay, so I am a senior couple missionary.  I seem to have forgotten to post last week’s blog.  Pardon me.  That means not only did you go without last week, but now you have to get sore eyes reading this week.  I love seeing all of the followers.  Thank you for sharing our mission with us.  We hope you enjoy the updates.  It is an amazing experience—both to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west.
That is very Navajo!

1) We will call this the week of new experiences and new investigators.  We started last Monday morning bright and early with early morning seminary.  We have one student.  There are 3 others within a block that could come but so far we have not excited them into doing so.  However, there may be a reader out there that knows of my testimony in teaching the one.  We absolutely love it.  Kelsey Curley is a dream and we are learning as we teach Doctrine and Covenants and church history.  Gloria Andrus strikes again.  We are using her stories as our devotionals.

2) We are also finding new investigators.  We had to go to Chinle for a seminary meeting the other day and on the way home stopped off to a few people.  One sister invited us to come back and teach at her home.  HUMMMM We got lost at night.  We came home and finally found a phone number and called and apologized.  She said we could try again the next week.  We went out in the light and sat by the side of the road and waited till the appointment.  We soon found out that her 12 year old daughter has not been baptized so we taught the restoration lesson.  They wanted us right back.  We returned and both the mother and daughter wanted the girl baptized.  We have scheduled for the 26^th of March.  She is also going to take piano lessons.  Sunday they both came to church and I think she really had a good time.  The mom was crying and smiling as she left Relief Society.  She said she loved it.  WAHOO!!!!!!

3) We also finally caught up with the three Tsosie girls, 18-13-9.  We really had a fun lesson with them.  They wanted us back when the dad could hear as well.  Cross your fingers and pray for us there.

4) More angels.  I got 4 more piano books but have no idea where they came from.  And guess what – they have 2 Christmas books.  That will be so fun.  My teaching pool is now up to 17 and I am thinking I am going to have to call a stop to new students.  Sunday, another youth accompanied in sacrament meeting and on the 20^th, every song—all 4 will be the youth playing.  We are so very excited.  The ward loves it.

5 ) I said angle(s).  Well, someone sent us more Florence’s.  Oh how we treasure the taste.  Also, the card inside was of one of our favorite drives in Idaho-Montana so we love it almost as much as what it said.  Thank you for thinking of us—and don’t lose that tick.

6) Okay- another mission miracle.  I have shown how my students do not have pianos at home so they practice on their tables.  I was telling one of the other senior couples about it and she asked why I didn’t order keyboards.  I explained that our ward has not even been given a ward budget yet and they would never have money for keyboard.  She told me to call a number—we did and it was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  We apologized and hung up.  We checked our number and called again—same thing so I said I was calling for a certain lady and they said—“Oh, you want keyboards.”  Someone donated a ton of money and with the interest missionaries can asked for a keyboard for every family that has family members taking piano lessons.  If the students come prepared and show progress and help with the music in the ward, they get to keep the keyboard in their home.  If they do super well, after a year they can apply to keep it forever. 
SIX KEYBOARDS WERE DELIVERED TO THE MANY FARMS WARD THIS WEEK.  OH, HAPPY DAY!!!!!!
Elder Parkinson came in carrying keyboards as I was teaching Scott Thomas.  He just beamed and said, “I prayed they would come this week.” 

8) This isn’t quite a mission miracle, but the other night we eating and Elder Parkinson said, “We are really pretty good cooks.  Why did we go out to eat all the time at home?”  Funny how one life takes over another and you can hardly remember the old way.  Wish that were as easy for the Native Americans to give up on their ‘old traditional ways.’

Well that about sums up week 7.  Hopefully all is going super for all of you off the Rez.  March is supposed to get windy so I posted a couple of pictures of last year’s wind storms.  Life on the Rez is always interesting. 

The Church is True!

                Love Your Neighbor!

                                All our love!

                                                Elder and Sister Parkinson

Early morning seminary.  On Friday's we work on memorizing scripture mastery

so we serve pancakes as well. 

Here is Scott and Darren Thomas helping to unload the keyboards. 

The Fed Ex woman waited for us to get the camera--

I think she was happy to be in the picture as well.

Opps, cut off her head in this one. 

It was an exciting day at Many Farms!

One of Elder Parkinson's favorite sayings comes from Yogi Berra--

"If you come to a fork in the road --take it."

We are repeated told to turn at mile post ###.

When we do, we only have around 7 choices to choose from.

I am standing in the road by one of last year's sand drifts.

They just left it and drive over or around it.

Like I say--they love Mother Earth.

The other morning I caught 2 rabbits playing in our soon to be garden.

They are sure cute now--but I worry once the garden is planted.

Sorry they are about as brown as the dirt--but look carefully.

Shubie is one of our investigator's son. She really fixes him up cute.

We tried to show his traditional hair.  He was so cute.