Parkinson's at Navajo Nation: Best of the Rez Week 36

Best of the Rez Week 36 September 12^th to September 18^th

Another week on the Rez and we definitely had some unique experiences. There were no temple highs but some pleasant hills and there were some unique lows. I can proudly say that it was a good football season to miss as BYU is making us all so proud. Oh well, I am a big Robert Anae fan, so it all is fair in my book.

1) Monday was another trip to Buffalo Pass after we taught our seminary and prepared for the next day. We just love Buffalo Pass but our trail ran out on rather quickly. We were fine with that as we both took a nap in our ride. On the way back we noticed a vending trailer selling Navajo Tacos so we stopped. What great fun. We ate with a herd of sheep. One actually joined us on the table. Cute picture if you get on the blog.
That evening the Tony Tsosie family came in to play Wii. It was really fun to watch them all. Tony is a great guy but always out of town on Sunday’s. He works for the railroad in Idaho.

2) Tuesday started with seminary and then we were on the road to Tuba City to a seminary meeting. We travel with Robert’s and they are great fun. The meeting was good and then it was a rush home to make it for piano lessons. During piano lessons on all the pianos in the church, I would run home and get the cucumbers cleaned and sliced. At 6 we had Relief Society work meeting and I showed them how to make bread and butter pickles (ice cream bucket way). We had an EXCELLENT turn out. The RS president had made a lot of bean dishes and then Sister Curley showed them how to can beans. What a great success!
Oh, and our ARP man showed up again so that was great. Elder Parkinson did that while I did RS.

3) Wednesday was our first tardy for seminary. The other teachers just moan as they cannot get anyone there on time. It was still a great lesson. Then we went over to Chinle and the Elder’s and Elder Parkinson cleaned the weeds out Sister Tsosie’s yard. He wasn’t going to take them but they volunteered. Good Plan! They worked for over an hour and a half while I taught her a temple prep lesson. Afterwards she gave me a necklace. We sure laughed that they did all the work and I got the present.

Pizza Edge is a chain on the Rez owned by the Stake President, President Justice, from Tuba City. He gives all missionaries one free meal a week. We took him up on it and got a small pizza. It was sure yummy after all OUR weed pulling.
Then home to piano lessons and YM-YW. The Bishop didn’t come and neither did the stake man over scouting who was supposed to come. So Elder Parkinson tried to do a scouting night and then they played some ball. Seemed like a long day.

4) Seminary as always and then preparation time. We were beat and laid down for an early nap. The phone rang and the Yellowhair’s needed someone to play the piano for the funeral. I ran to the church to practice and then Elder picked me up and we rushed off. When I got there someone else was playing and she was as good as me, so she played and I lead the singing. Then we went and got some Chinese with Roberts and headed home. We had an appointment with Ahasteen’s but it was too muddy. The rain just poured.
But is a little mud going to stop us from playing softball. No – but maybe the Navajo’s can. No one knows who, but someone noticed we had cleaned up an old abandoned field and were using it to provide activity for about 20 people, so they decided to fence it off. We can still get in from the road but it was a real muddy go of it. I wouldn’t put on my good shoes so I played in my flip-flops. They had at least 2 inched of mud on them. So funny. Not so many came, but we liked it anyway.
We got home just a little late and missed one appointment. They rescheduled for the next day. We tried to find others but no luck.

5) Wahoo! Friday and waffles. So good and we learned a scripture or two as well. We had a rather calm day so we cleaned the church and all that. Piano was at 4:30 and then we were supposed to go to Ahasteen’s again, but it was still muddy. We decided to fix a bite to eat. Just as we did, the 7 appointment that we told not to come till we called them showed up at 6 20. I think that is the first early we have ever had. It was an interesting lesson; which means we have no idea whether it was successful or not. We had planned on going to the game but we didn’t think that it was such a good idea in the rain and cold. We delivered a little garden food and called it a day.

6) Saturday the piano rescheduled for evening so we called Ahasteen’s and offered to help them rebuild their washed out road. The Elders wanted to join us so off we went. Oh My! Did we ever work? We even found a pipe to put in a small drain across the road. We worked till all four were ready to drop. Then we came home and cleaned up and went back to teach them. That was fun. Oh, and we got stood up from the family that is trying for the Rez stood up record.
We ran over to Chinle to eat and then headed home for piano lessons. I taught piano until 9 PM. It was pretty fun as I was running from one piano to the other teaching 3 lessons at once.
Both of the Curley girls were presenting at the stake Standards Night so they wanted help preparing. They came over for about an hour and we got them all organized.
Brad was listening to BYU –really bad idea. As we were listening, Elder Searle came to tell us that he had just been transferred. We were a little sick about that. He has been so fun to work with and more than willing to work as hard as he could. Since he was going he taught me the last 3 moves for the rubric cube. Brad could not stand the game any longer so we went to bed at 30-10.

7) Sunday started very early. Sunday always seems to be the hardest day of the week, but our attendance went up to 56 so that was much better. We had 2 of families there we have been working with – hurray! Jessica Benally did 3 of the songs and her foster sister did the other. They did well. The sacrament was completely by the ward with others ready to help. Then I taught the nursery for a minute (but Zoe didn’t last long) so I took the 4-7 year olds. Then I did opening exercise and sharing time (we acted out the story of Ammon) and then music time. Can anyone say tired?
We thought we were cooking a roast from Sister Davis, but she brought it frozen to fix next week so we fixed the potatoes, carrots and beans and had them with a hamburger steak.
We took a little nap and then headed to Chinle for the Standards Night. All 3 presenters were from our ward and our little Curley girls were just fabulous. WOW! Then we rushed home where we held a follow up temple prep with the Wheeler’s and the Gene’s. That ended up being way longer than we thought, but a great meeting. They made a date to go back to the temple on Saturday in Monticello.
After they left, the Elders came over to mope. They are not so happy about their little companionship being broken up. It was a most interesting day.

Rain, mud and people not home – that about sums up the week. It was so good to get more people at church; still so many to reach and so much to do. We just have no idea how to get people to commit when they don’t have it in their hearts to do so. The garden food is just amazing: fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, potatoes, carrots, peppers onions, beans and enough tomatoes for a solid year. How I love the fall and the colorful leaves. This year they are being replaced with greasewood and tumbleweed. I wonder if they will change colors as well.

The Church is True,

Your smile can be a missionary tool,

Our faith and prayers,

Elder and Sister Parkinson