Sep 13 07

September 13, 2007

Today was Casserole Day and so I prepared 4 casseroles for Homemaking Meeting. I made Chinese Hamburger, Spaghetti Pie, Layered Enchilada and Sausage Rice. In that a number of things were going on around here today, such as the Community Health Fair and a Sunrise Dance, we laughingly said we’d probably have to freeze a lot of casserole and let the Elders eat them, since we were sure not many women would come. It took almost all day to get ready with all the cooking, and setting up, and getting stuff over there, and Robert having to run to the Commercial Center for drinks and anything I forgot to buy yesterday.

We started picking up women at 6:00. Robert had to go with me because Rhonda said she wanted to come, but she was at her brother’s house, and I didn’t know where that was. She didn’t come, however, but we picked up Betty, and Cheryl and then Cheryl’s aunt, who had never come before. We also stopped at Verbena’s, but she wasn’t there. We got back at 6:30 and there were cars waiting in the parking lot.

One of the people waiting was Paula and her daughter. They came for counseling. Robert met with them while I started the meeting. I had already cooked 2 casseroles, then had 2 ready to make while the ladies watched. The irony of it didn’t escape me. There were times I almost started to laugh, picturing what it would be like if one of my friends could have been there. Me doing a cooking demonstration would surely have sent them into uncontrollable fits of laughter. I felt like I was on a TV cooking show. Nevertheless, before the night ended there were about 22 women there…the most we’ve ever had for a Relief Society activity.

This is the part where I have to eat a big helping of Humble Pie. I complain incessantly about Homemaking Meeting. I tell Robert I hate doing it and it’s not accomplishing anything at least 500 times the week of the activity. It was very painful to come back last night and tell him the meeting was a great success, women I had never seen before came, and I had a great time doing it.

In addition, every time we have an activity we distribute flyers, post them at the commercial center, and take them to individual homes. One of the places we go is just above the church to Fernando Thompson’s mother, Mary. We have invited her to every single thing we’ve done since we got here and she’s never come to anything. So this week we were distributing our flyers and when Robert turned up Mary’s road I went off on a tangent. I said how many times are you going to come here? She never comes, she doesn’t want anything to do with us, give it up, get over it…so when Mary walked in I just thought, “Oh sh….now I have to crawl back to the trailer and admit he was right all those times.”

After I made the casseroles, I had ingredients on another table to make an apple dip recipe Veda sent me. Safeway didn’t have the caramel in a tub that the recipe calls for so I bought the caramel candies and while the casseroles cooked I turned the dip making over to the ladies. I told them I didn’t have the right kind of caramel, and it turned out that was important, because the candies didn’t work. They set up too hard after you melt them. They had a great time anyway. They loved the dip and chatted and socialized the whole time they were making it and cutting up the apples. I don’t know whether or not it was good because I never got a bite of anything we made. They scraped up every bit of food before I had a chance to taste anything. On her way out the door after we were finished I overheard one lady say, “Gol, that was goooood food!” I’m thinking, it’s casseroles, people, the very food that caused my children to ridicule me for 20 years.

I also told them that Sharon is coming in November to teach them how to crochet and help them make a Christmas gift. They audibly gasped (I am not making this up) and said “How fun!” I asked how many already know how to crochet and no one did. So Sharon, ignore the e-mail I sent yesterday that said 25 would be too many to plan on and just keep crocheting!

While I was having all this fun Robert was in counseling with a mother and daughter. The mother’s boyfriend had molested the daughter. An FBI agent has been assigned to investigate the daughter’s allegation. The mother indicated that this man has a history of sexual involvement with teenage girls. She also said that one of the Tribal judges is related to the man, so it will interesting to see how this plays out.

We often say this mission is filled with highs and lows. Today was definitely a high and we were very pleased with the outcome. The Lord does watch over His children and perhaps there are even times when He knows better than I do how things should run out here.