Dec 11

December 11, 2006

At last a P-day, where we could stay home and relax…except…

• The Elders came so of course we fixed dinner for them. Then Elder Meeks wanted to make a table runner for his mother for Christmas so at 9:00 we were at the church playing Christmas music, making table runners and talking about our favorite Christmas memories. It was really fun but Itri said it made him “trunky.” This is his first Christmas in the mission. Meeks goes home January 17 so it’s a little easier for him. We finished about 11:00. Meeks comes from rather meager circumstances and he said that one year his family was really struggling. One night someone left on their porch a little tiny Christmas tree with money tied to it and a note that said, “Sometimes money does grow on trees.” We thought that was such a cute idea. After that every year his family went to a homeless shelter and took boxes of candy canes for the kids because he said they realized how much it meant when someone helped out at Christmas. Itri comes from a little more comfortable circumstances. He said his favorite memory was that every year his family video taped the kids opening their Christmas presents. Then on Christmas Eve they watched all the old tapes. As they grew up it was really fun to see themselves when they were little.
• Irene Murphy, the Relief Society president, came by for the first time today. On Sunday I gave her the list for food for the dinner on Wed and told her I had signed up everyone I know and could she find someone for the last 10-12 items. She took the list and today returned it to me with no new names added. Thanks a lot! Maxine told me she wouldn’t do it and she was right. But we had a lovely visit. This is an older Apache woman who has been very active trying to get the school to teach the kids Apache. It’s a big issue to the older people that the young people don’t speak Apache any more. She also asked if we ever go to the Temple. We said yes, we’ve been to the Temple once or twice in our lifetimes. She wants to go with us. She’s endowed but doesn’t currently have a recommend. Of course we said we’d be happy to take her and told her a member of the Stake Presidency will be here Christmas Eve and could sign a recommend for her. We need to mention this to Bonito. I also mentioned to her that I would like to write the stories of the women in the Branch and she was very excited about that. I’d like to have quilting or something going on and just sit in a corner and have them tell me their storie while I type them into the computer and then put together a little Cibecue Branch booklet. She said she would love to do that.
• Before dinner, the Elders went to play basketball at the community gym with Bonito’s team (he likes them to come because his team always wins…Itri especially is quite an athlete…wants to play baseball for BYU when he goes home). The team they played tonight was called, and I’m not making this up, the Apache Ball Grabbers. No comment is neccessry, but Robert warned the Elders to be careful. While they were there we had a surprise visit from the Apache war chanters from the home up on the hill. We’ve never been brave enough to go there and visit as they have a pretty wild reputation. Well deserved, no doubt, but they were fine when they were at the house. One of the boys has a girlfriend and a sister who had visited before. Those two girls were with them tonight. The girlfriend is staying at the house with Isaac, the boyfriend. Wonder when that baby will be due??? We’re suspicious enough and know enough about their reputation with drugs to wonder if they had any less than honorable motives for being in the house, but we gave them lots of candy, joked and had a good visit. Other than the computer and camera which always go with us when we leave there’s not much that’s valuable here, unless they want the puny 23-inch TV which Robert curses daily anyway. We never leave cash in the house so we decided to just be happy we made friends with them. The other brother is named Carnelle and the 2 girls are Harrilyn and Danitra. It’s been a challenge getting used to the names out here.
• Murphy called and wanted to know if we have an extension cord we could bring him to use for his Christmas tree. Our official missionary duties now include supply officers for the town, Sacrament bread providers, chauffeur and treat givers. No one ever tells you what a mission is really like.
• In between all of this we made cereal candy, which was all eaten by the end of the day, wrapped Christmas presents, paid some bills online and caught up our e-mail. Robert tried to watch “Superman”, his latest netflix, but we got interrupted too many times.

So that was another quiet, peaceful day in the mission field. I wish we could find something to do. We’re so bored all the time.