Parkinson's at Navajo Nation: 2012

Friday, June 22, 2012

Last of the Rez Week 75

Last of the Rez June 11^th to June 17^th

The emotional roller coaster is on full swing. When you leave on a mission you kiss your family, hug your friends, pack up the belongings of your home and realize that you will be back. When you leave the mission – you leave the mission. The family, friends and little trailer you have become so accustomed to these past 18 months are going to be left – probably for-ev-er. I am not quite sure I was cut out for this.

#1 – Family! I want to just sit and watch my family. I want to hear them tell stories and listen to them laugh. I want to see the grandchildren play ball, dance, ride their horse, school programs, draw us pictures, swim, play the piano, listen to piano recitals, and have them comb my hair. I want to see Brittan bless the Sacrament and Katie in YW. I want to do baptisms for the dead with them. I want to play games and hear them laugh. I want to make cookies and watch my floor get dirty. I want a hug!
EP mentioned in his final testimony that this mission has been hard and there were plenty of times that he would have liked to throw in the towel and leave, but he stayed for his children and his grandchildren. Elder Callister told us Saturday that the person that will get the most impact out of our mission is our grandchildren. Serving others is an act of love for our families.

1) Monday we started the day with taking the young elders down Canyon DeChelly for their first and our last time. We left as early as we could so it wouldn’t be too hot. It was a great trip and we had lots of fun. I needed to get some pictures from Sister Vogel so we stopped there. She was still in bed – it was only close to 10 AM. Her husband said he was getting her up and she came out in her bathrobe, her hair exploding everywhere, hit a pose and pulled a face just as I had a big drink of fruit punch. That fruit punch exploded everywhere. I am still laughing -- #1 at her and #2 at how I completely lost it with the fruit punch.
We rushed home to get cleaned up and then the Roberts came so we could show them how to get around the Many Farms Ward and hopefully meet a few people as well. We went through the Many Farms housing and then headed to Rough Rock and met the Whites. Oh my, have they got their work cut out for them fixing up that store and doing their bread routes as well. We went out to Valley Store and introduced them to Dale. Time was up.

That night we showed ’17 Miracles’ for the ward but we had a feeling no one would show up. About 10 after the first family came, then the elders and then another big family came. I love that movie. Thelma Scott counted each miracle as it happened.
We made it home a bit after 9 PM to eat.

2) Tuesday we started early with the Roberts and Roxanna. EP taught her a literacy lesson so Roberts could see where she was at. Tony and the girls were there so we had great chats there and then goodbyes. Next we headed to Round Rock and showed them most of the members there. We saw the Begay’s, the Francis’ and the Kinlechee’s. On the way home we showed them all the members north of town. We tried to see Evelyn Begay but we missed her but saw April and the new baby.
We stopped at the house for some refrigerator soup and then they went with us to teach Saide Tso. That was very sweet.
McKay showed up for piano lessons so I showed him how to learn without a teacher. We had a quick bite and then our ARP man showed up for his last lesson – 2 times through. He also committed to do it one more time with the Roberts. We are pretty proud of him. Home and packed.

3) Wednesday we took on the windows and some basic cleaning. Wow! Does the place ever look better except for boxes stacked absolutely everywhere. I do not foresee packing the ride as a good experience.
At 1:00 we met Robert’s and Vogel’s at Garcia’s for a Happy Birthday dinner for Sister Vogel and a goodbye dinner for us. It was such fun. The 6 of us know how to laugh.
Then home to more cleaning and packing. We are getting so confused with everything in our way but do not dare pack the ride yet for fear of wind.
YM-YW had a great turnout. I taught them some more about leading and then we all went to play softball. We only had four injuries so it was probably a pretty good night. EP got caught between 3^rd and home and ended up on all fours and the crowd loved it. There weren’t enough mitts so I stopped EP’s hit with my chin and I can still feel that. Actually I think everyone had a really good time. We took the Ahasteen’s home and then talked to White’s at the church. They stake presidency was here interviewing everyone. HUMMMMM

4) Thursday was back to work. First off, we finished The Book of Mormon for the second time. That isn’t too bad since we also went through the entire The Old Testament, and The Doctrine and Covenants while teaching seminary, and The New Testament while teaching Sunday School. We do feel spiritually fed.
We picked Sister Tsosie up at 10 and headed out for our last round of visiting teaching. EP taught Roxanna a literacy lesson while we visited with Joe and Evelyn Sam. They kept saying how they would miss us but that they are coming to Idaho. I also bought one last necklace from their daughter making bead necklaces there. We still could not find Annie Yazzie but a side note there – one day looking for her I visited with her granddaughter and invited her to church. The elders were working with her also, but she said she would try to come. She has come faithfully and is talking about baptism. We found Maggie Teller, first time and Margaret had a good chat with her and promised she would go back. GREAT! We had split pea soup where I showed Margaret how to cook it because she threw her can away since it was hard inside. Next we went to Ardell Mitchell’s and they gave us some beautiful pillows. Fun, sad visit there. Then we took Sister Tsosie back to Chinle and thought we would buy groceries but it is food stamp day so we changed our minds.
After a bit of a nap we hit the boxes again. I made a peach cobbler and we headed to Sister Alfreda Tsosie’s where they had a wonderful goodbye dinner for us. Sister Tsosie gave me a beautiful Navajo purse and EP got the most beautiful beaded bolo in the world. Alfreda gave us a beautiful blanket. It was a really emotional evening. Two women that had not been to church in 31 years and now they have both gone through the temple. (And a sad story there as well.) Then we drove Sister Tsosie back to Chinle (3^rd time) and headed home. We watched a couple of Monks while we were packing and finally hit the bed.

5) Now Friday was another day on the Rez, one day at a time. We were working pretty good in the morning and seemed to be getting a lot of things accomplished. At noon we went over to Chinle and had dinner with the McNeill’s. They are the best couple ever – so positive and so even. I have mentioned before that this is their 5^th mission. Then home, to almost accomplish for the rest of the day. Kelsey and Tivona came for piano and Tivona never left. We finally took her home and fixed a bowl of soup and worked till we dropped. Oh, and we had to make Roxanna a cake and rush it to her only to have her not be home.

6) Saturday was a slow start but we finally started to accomplish a few things. Actually it was a 6:20 AM start with Roxanna calling wanting her cake. We took that out to her at 8:30 and then we started loading the ride and soon found this was not going to work. At noon we went over to Chinle, had a bite to eat and went to the bishop’s son’s wedding. You may say they cut it a little close as she is expecting in a week. The wedding was late but finally it happened and all was well. I really got a kick out of her bare feet and pink toenail polish.

We rushed back to Many Farms and worked ourselves silly again. I thought we were really getting a handle on things, but stuff kept growing everywhere. At 5:30 we loaded up a bunch of food and headed back to Chinle dropping off food to Ahasteen’s and Yoe’s. We met Robert’s at Garcia’s and had one last meal together. Then home and more work. Around 9 PM Sister Curley came and took everything out of the fridge and freezer. That was a cute visit. We worked till about midnight and I really thought we had it all but done. WRONG!

7) We didn’t sleep a wink. I asked EP about the little box of jewelry I had packed and he thought we must have thrown it away. Most of the night I worried and planned how to go through the dumpster to get it out. Finally morning came and I jumped up to head out before EP got up. As I turned to kneel and pray, I saw the box to the side of the night stand.
We got up and folded up and tied the bed. Then we did whatever we could see to do. EP left for church while I did the dishes, got ready and then the phone rang. It was my dear Evelyn that joined the church and then got sick and hasn’t come back. I talked to her till I was almost late. I headed to church with all my supplies and a note pad hopefully to jot down a note for a talk.
The music all showed up but it was definitely not a perfect day for music. Jimmie Tsosie had told us his little sister’s had worked on their testimonies and wanted to give them. I started my talk by introducing them. They read thank you letters to us. It was really touching. Then I spoke about how playing the piano and the gospel match, then the rest hymn, and EP gave a great talk on habits. We wondered about staying but I was the only one for primary and we had 11 so I stayed. We had a great time. Afterwards, I asked for a picture with the children. Then one by one the ward members came for a family picture with us. It was more than I could take. The tears were flowing from men and women alike. We were given some very nice gifts and all the hugs one could hope for. OhEvelyn showed up with April and the new baby and they were the last to leave.
We had 88 for church with 15 of our 20 baptisms represented. That was sweet!

Before we even made it in our trailer Roberts were there to start unloading boxes. I was really confused with why they would do that now, but EP realized that it was the best thing ever since some ward members were angry about us leaving early and this showed that we were almost being run out. We were almost to our last bit of junk to load when another car drove in. Sister Scott, our newlywed (May 13^th), brought her mother all decked out in her silk and squash blossom to give me one last hug. They had left Albuquerque early that morning to make it back before we left. It wasn’t one hug – more like a hundred. She would hug me and say some more Navajo and then hug and Navajo and cry and pat my back and then hug. They had already given us a beautiful present during the week but there had to be one more tearful goodbye.

Finally the last person was gone and we had the last of the last and every single nock and cranny in the ride was squished. We got the elders to take one last picture and we pulled out of Many Farms – MISSION COMPLETE! EMOTIONS SHOT!

Just after driving through Monticello which is as far as we have traveled on our mission, EP asked if I could hear the applause. That is from a Patrick McManis book; a story called ‘The Big Trip.’ He then said our mission was the best thing he ever did; that it totally beat the heck out of us but we hoped we had done some good and that we would be better off for doing it. We didn’t talk for a long time.
We drove to Price, checked into our motel and walked over to the church. I took my shoes off and stood in the grass. I sat down and rubbed my hands in it. Somehow, it seemed strange in a strange sort of way.

And there you have the final edition of Best of the Rez. I hope someone will help me understand what life is to be like from now on. Do hearts fill in when you leave a huge chunk behind in a little place called Many Farms? Will the children remember? Will the adults stay strong? Will the tears ever stop to flow? Will the emotions ever settle? How do you leave a people you have grown to love so much and wonder if you will ever see them again in this life? Our last fortune at King Dragon Chinese food on Saturday read, “Never fear! The end of something marks the start of something new.” Please, let me recover a bit; but if all else fails, I now know how to say “I am buzy!”

The Church is True,

God Bless Us Till We Meet Again,

Elder and Sister Parkinson

Elder Moncur from Lovell, Wyoming and Elder Guevara

came over to plan our last adventure.

The companions in the canyon.

A magnolia at the bottom of the canyon.

The foursome--Elder Moncur did not get the memo.

The Elderly's gave out and needed a rest.

Elder Roberts is being introduced to the Begay's.

Our last visit with Dale Mitchell!

This Navajo woman and her child were turned to stone

after she was told not to look over the mountain at the war.

This one I can clearly see!

One week old baby Shaymay.

Our Holly Hocks bloomed!

The garden we leave behind.

Visiting Teaching with the Sam's.

L-R: Roxanna, EP, SP, Joe Sam, Evelyn Sam, & Margaret.

We found Maggie Teller. Her first visiting teachers!

Our last visit with Ardell Mitchell.

Georgia Mitchell and a blur with our beautiful pillows.

The Old Testament picture line is now complete.

Roxanna's birthday was the 19th and we would be gone.

She insisted EP bake her a cake before he left.

Doing the right thing just a little late.

Our last primary.

Add most of the YM-YW!

Junior, Brandon, EP, DJ, SP, Joshua,

Nicole and Emily Ahasteen.

Kaylisha, Aaron, Kaden, Nadia, EP, Kayliyah,

Kayshawna, and Kayvona Logan.

Kayla, EP, SP, McKay, Kelsey, Grace, and Marivn Curley.

Kayla, EP, McKay, SP, and Kelsey.

Bishop Benally, EP, SP, and Tyler Benally.

Tyler, EP, SP, and Darren Woody.

SP, Shaycee, Evelyn Begay, Trent, April, Shaymay,

EP, and Tivona.

EP, Sister Elaine Toledo, and SP,

Adrian and Caroline Simpson, SP, and EP.

Anabelle Scott, Cooper, Ardell Mitchell, SP, and EP.

Crowding in.

Squished.

Where do I put my feet?

Good Bye!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Best of the Rez Week 74

Best of the Rez Week 74 June 4^th to June 10^th

Winding down can make a person as dizzy as winding up. I have also learned that being dizzy all the time can give a person a headache. Oh, I have not had the bad headaches, but I must say I do feel unbalanced as all this is about to end.

#2 – FRIENDS! The one thing that we can say about the Rez is that the people are so very likable. We have made many wonderful friends that will be life-long friends if not eternal friends. However, to be among all our wonderful friends from home is going to be like heaven. We can hardly wait. Perhaps, we will get a comfy lawn chair and sit out front and wave and beckon everyone in for a chat. It will be wonderful when we can just sit and enjoy and not be so worried about if we can only keep them active.

1) Monday was our 43^rd Anniversary so we decided to go sightseeing – only we forgot to see the sights. We drove over to Cortez, Colorado which was a very pretty drive, ate dinner, shopped a bit, and turned around and drove home. Later we found out that there are the most magnificent ruins there and we missed the whole thing. Oh well, we had a bit of a break and saw some new country.
We had a scary end to Sunday and it was confirmed today. We had another crash. This mission is not ending with wonderful success. Our investigators kind-of all slid through the cracks and now our second temple prep has left us as well. SAD!
We did get a visit from Jimmie Tsosie and the girls which was cute but we asked them to come back and see the recital pictures and the elders locked the gate so they couldn’t get in.

2) Tuesday was a bit of a normal day. We actually went on a walk in the wind where we visited with Mr. Z and our ARP man. Buzz came over for piano and then we taught Sister Tso a lesson on President Monson. That was very fun.
Then it was piano lessons started to come. I rushed home from that and we fixed a congratulations dinner for our ARP man and his wife. Afterwards we played toss-up and really had a lot of fun. The wife warmed up to us and said they would come back. Great—we leave in 12 days.

3) Wednesday was a surprise Zone Conference for all the senior and junior elders. We headed to Chinle at 9 AM. The meeting was very nice with President and Sister Jones giving some good advice on the transition of mission presidents and just in general how to be good missionaries. We asked them how long they had served and they said 18 years. That made our 18 months sound very good. They seem both excited and a bit sad to return to normal life—which they have probably totally forgotten.
After the meeting we had some very cold pizza and then we had interviews with President Jones. I think he feels like we complain a lot but he has been in our ward and knows of our situation. We came with this big game plan to change the world; things have changed but let us not hold our breath. Life is fragile on the Rez.
Piano showed up and then EP helped with YM while the YW cut hair. I got to be the Ginny-pig which is better than my past experiences.

4) Now this was a day. We called for help in GPSing again and they finally called back and said they could help us. We loaded up and headed over the lake and what an experience we had. First off, Jimmie really thinks he is funny so there were plenty of laughs. Then we got on 2 roads you would NEVER believe. The first was a pure rock hill side but Jimmie kept saying he could vision tire tracks – what a trusty Indian Scout. Actually we could see the tracks as well, but had no idea why any human being would drive a ride on such a place. As we got closer, we could see some people watching us. We got laughing about what they were saying about us. This is for serious—we traveled all across these rocks and then there was a cattle guard. We turned into the house and they both came running. I introduced as LDS missionaries and the man literally turned and ran. We asked if she was a member and she said yes but…. We talked to her for a while and she drove us out on a better road. She had been Miss Navajo in 1978-79. It was a fun trip. Then we went further up the original road and turned to find another member. It was a terrible road and all of the sudden we noticed the entire driveway was covered in old levi’s filled with sand. How creative!
We did a few more homes and then came back and fixed lunch for us all. That afternoon EP taught literacy and I taught piano. There was one crisis when we couldn’t find the checkbook but prayer showed us the way. We noticed Emery and Carolyn walking and invited them in and taught him how to bless his baby. We drove them home and basically collapsed.

5) Friday had an old west start. We awoke to an interesting sound and looked out the window to see a big steer trotting across the church parking lot. EP told me to grab the camera and he grabbed his lariat and out the door we went. He made a couple of great attempts but that steer took off and found a way under the fence and was history. EP laughed afterwards about what he would have done if he would have caught him, but it was a fun experience trying. The rest of the day was piano and garden day. I taught 10 piano lessons while EP worked in the garden and washed the ride. WOW! Is it ever clean! The last piano lesson left about 7 PM and I was just a bit tired. We made some calls and just took it easy for the rest of the night.

6) Saturday we were up early and on our way to the temple. Our new lady did not materialize, but Sister Yoe wanted to see the Monticello Temple so she went with us for a little temple trip. All went very well and we had a very nice day.

We took a little nap before I typed out the piano recital program. Just as I pushed print the computer crashed but after much delay it all happened. 18 out of the 26 that started this semester showed up with bells on. It was more than obvious that some practiced more than others but everyone did a pretty great job. It was a very nice experience. After the recital we had sandwiches and side dishes and there was tons of food. I did have the energy to make it across the parking lot to my house but there was no sleep in the body. It was a very long night indeed.

7) Once again we come to Sunday. Sacrament meeting went really well. Brother Miller from the seminary came from Holbrook to speak. We had 63 people to church so that was not too bad. I was alone again in primary but Sister White came in to help me and I asked Kelsey Curley to help me as well. Wouldn’t you know it—we only have 5 children but everyone stayed to help. I had lots of things to do so it went really well, especially the last game.
After church we fixed a bit of a sandwich and tried to nap but I got leg cramps again. We went out visiting that night (we found 4 families home) and read with Dale Mitchell one last time. That dear sweet man tries so hard – we will miss him. We came home to talk on the phone most of the night. Again, we were just too tired to sleep and spent from 3: 00 AM to 5:00 AM up. Too bad the tennis tournament didn’t start till I fell asleep.

I would imagine this is going to be our last productive week of the mission. Next week we are taking the new couple around and packing and cleaning. Sound like fun? We will call Greg and Nancy when we have the boxes loaded so they can pack the ride. Meantime, we ask for your help – goodbyes are never that fun.

The Church is True,

Serve well – till the very last point (day),

Love all,

Elder and Sister Parkinson