Sep 11 07

September 11, 2007

This date always brings a little sadness as we all remember 9/11/2001. Our prayers are with all whose lives were touched by that act of terror and all those still in military service fighting terrorism throughout the world.

Today we started out with the intent to help Alfred and Thelma with their financial difficulties by getting them a food order. As we’ve done this many times it seemed like a fairly simple objective. However, we’ve discovered in our aging years that we can make the simplest task complicated.

We left home around 9:00 AM, knowing full well that the Bishop’s storehouse in Snowflake closes at noon. Thirty minutes later we turned around and headed back to Cibecue to get the Bishop’s Order that we left lying on the counter in the trailer. We managed to get to Snowflake at 11:30, and did manage to get the order filled, but in the time spent doing it we could have gone to Phoenix and back.

We were so distraught we had to take ourselves to Eva’s for lunch. We got home around 2:30 and went to work on stuff for our translation group. We called Elder Barnes in Salt Lake and asked him to check on why we haven’t received travel plans for the Bonitos. Then I decided I should check their lds e-mail accounts. I could get in Cecil’s and Maxine’s, but not President’s. So called the tech service in Salt Lake. We explained who we are and the guy asked what mission we’re in, and then changed President’s password so I can now look at that account. They should receive copies of some of the talks to start working on before conference. This is supposed to be totally confidential. Do you think I have the willpower to print the talks and not read them? I probably do, only because I’m terribly afraid of being struck by lightning.

About half an hour after we finished all this (meanwhile our computer kept kicking us off the Internet…every time it did Robert, our computer genius, fixed it) Sister Piert from the Mission Office called. She said David Bonito was trying to set up and lds e-mail account using the mission office phone number. I explained that he was not doing that, but that I had done it. Apparently when you inquire about an account they send a notification to the phone number of the unit you tell them you represent. The tech guy never asked us for a phone number, just sent the inquiry to the mission office. Sister Piert said she had tried to call President to ask him about it (good thing she didn’t get him..he wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on) but the phone number they have on record for him has been disconnected. I told her that in the 11 months we’ve been here he’s changed phone numbers 3 times and she said, my goodness, how do you ever keep up on things out there. Good question. Anyway, the interesting part is that apparently the church system also sends the telephone number the inquiry comes from and so Sister Piert called that number and got me. I gave her a detailed explanation of why I had called, and we hadn’t meant them to think it came from the mission office, and she said, it doesn’t really matter I just needed to know it was OK. Well, we had a lovely conversation anyway.

Then we spent 2 hours delivering invitations for homemaking meeting. Thanks to friendly family input I have a plan for Thursday night, a grocery list, and a handout ready to go. We had a counseling appointment with Paula, but she wasn’t home. Was it one of you who told us the reason you make appointments on a mission is so that the people will know when not to be home?

We got home at 7:00 and I went right to work typing recipes and making a grocery list. We’ll have to make another trip to Show Low tomorrow to get the stuff I need for Thursday. Meanwhile, Robert was busy disposing of yet another mouse in the mousetrap. We don’t know where they’re getting in, or just what the h… is wrong with Cue that he can’t eat a few of them, so we just keep setting the mousetrap and listening to Robert curse when he finds one in it. In the midst of the mouse crisis, President called and said he’s out of town but his sister, Friendly Cami, for those of you who have met her, was sick and could Robert go over and give her a blessing. He told Robert to find someone to go with him. Right! Who? Neither Fernando nor Cecil has a phone, so Robert went over and got Alfred. Turned out to be perfect. Alfred was so pleased that Robert would want him to help. He even did the anointing. Turns out Cami wasn’t really sick, but very upset because she went outside and saw an owl. In Apache folklore an owl is a bad omen. They gave her the blessing and then Robert blessed the house to get rid of any evil presence. Alfred told Robert that one of their relatives had been making evil signs that medicine men can give because they didn’t give him money when he asked recently.

Alfred also told Robert that one of their relatives was sick and Eric, whom we have been struggling for months to activate, and who came to church Sunday, went to his house and gave him a blessing (Eric is an ordained Elder) and the guy got better. This was quite a boost to Eric’s self-confidence.

Earlier in the evening Thelma called and said they really want to go to the temple on Saturday but don’t have money to buy gas, and we can’t take them because we’re taking Murphy and Cheryl and Betty with us. We told them we’d either get President to help out or we’ll fill their gas tank. Thelma is either a truly dedicated temple attendee or the best scam artist we’ve met so far.

Well, that’s our story for the day…and we’re sticking to it!