Oct 9 07

October 9, 2007

Our plan for today was to stay at home and have some serious study time. The Lord’s plan, however, was quite different. First of all Byron and Juliet wanted another Temple class, so we did that this morning. They are a delight to teach and be around. Their little girl, Brionna, sat on my lap and we read her Book of Mormon Storybook about 3 times while Robert taught lesson #3. They are so eager and ask good questions. They’re actually asking questions from lessons we haven’t even reached yet.

Then last night President Bonito called and was going to bring the van back to us, but a few minutes later he called again and said he couldn’t because the van was out of gas. Somehow this became our problem, even though he was the last person to drive it. So after the temple lesson we went up and put enough gas in the van to get to the commercial center and filled it up. The beast is back in service, although we have trouble understanding why we go fetch and pay for the gas when we didn’t even drive it. Oh, well.

We talked to Maxine for a few minutes. We really want time to hear all about Salt Lake, but she’s working every night this week. We’ll have them to dinner and have a good talk as soon as we can. She was very tired, but said she really enjoyed the experience. Faith has a sprained ankle and was home from school. I knocked on the back door and Ariel ran out the front, threw her arms in the air, and said, “Here I am. I’m here. Come this way.” Later she said, “What are you talking about? You’re talking about me, aren’t you? I know you’re talking about me.” Her world certainly centers around her.

We tried to find Irene twice today, but never could. I think she’s missing in action because she knows I want her to help with Homemaking this Thursday. We went back home and had only been there a couple of minutes when Amber came running up the driveway crying. Her Grandma apparently threw them out of her house this morning. They had everything they owned packed in the back of their pickup and were going to Whiteriver to stay with Henrietta’s sister. I don’t know if they’ll ever be back.

Then Robert went over to Alfred and Thelma’s and spent about an hour talking with Eric, who says he thinks he’s ready to go to the Temple. That would be a beautiful change of heart for him and a true miracle. He told Robert about having a dream where a heavenly messenger visited him and confirmed his belief in the church. When he told others about this, they laughed at him. Robert reminded him that Joseph Smith had the same experience when he told people about the first vision.

We next went to Show Low, about 2:00. I needed to buy stuff for Homemaking and thought I would do it after a brunch we’re having in Pinetop tomorrow. But last night Elder Lamm in Whiteriver called and asked if we’d go with them to the brunch. Robert talked to him and said he sounded pretty discouraged and Robert felt they were really asking for some time to talk. So we decided it would be good to change our plans and shop today.

For homemaking meeting we’re making yarn dolls. In one of our previous meetings Irene Murphy said she knows how to make them, so I asked her if she would teach us at one of our meetings and she said yes. I had it scheduled for last month but ended up doing the casseroles at the last minute because Irene couldn’t come. She was involved in her granddaughter’s Sunrise Dance. Ever since then I’ve been asking her if she would do it this month. She just kept putting me off. One day I asked her if she could show me the doll she’d made, and she said she’d bring it by the house. She never did. Then I asked her if she could just give me the pattern. She said she couldn’t find it. Then the last 2 or 3 times I’ve stopped by her house she’s not home, at least her husband tells me she isn’t. This morning we stopped before we went to Byron and Juliet’s and her husband said she had just left to take her grandson to school. Never mind their only car was parked in the driveway. We said we’d come back after 11:00 and when we did no one answered the door.

Knowing Irene as I do I had a backup plan. I found a yarn doll on the Internet and printed the pattern, so we left for Show Low intending to go to Wal-Mart and buy yarn for that doll. In one of my conversations with Irene she told me about a craft store in Show Low that I’d never heard of and said she bought the faces for the dolls in that store. I had Mapquest directions to the store but didn’t really plan to go there.

However, I brought the directions with me and just felt curious and wondered if we could find the store. We did sort of luck out and found the store, which turned out to be in a garage attached to a home. I went in and there was an old lady inside. She had to be at least 60 years old, poor old thing. But she was very sweet and friendly, like all the 60-year-old women are, right? I asked her if she had any patterns for making a yarn doll and she said no. I just chatted with her to be nice and looked around for a couple of minutes. Then she got up and went behind the counter and started looking around. She said people used to make a yarn doll that she remembered, and suddenly held up this doll that looked exactly like what Irene had described. I was excited, but not as much as a minute later when she pulled out the pattern for it. Next thing I knew she was finding yarn, and faces, and before long I had everything we need to make the doll. I told her I needed to go out to the truck and get my checkbook, because of course the little dear didn’t take a credit card, and I asked her if I could bring my camera back in to take a picture of her doll to help me make it. She said, “Oh, no, no. You just take the doll with you and bring it back when you’re finished.”

Again we thought of the scripture, “And the Holy Ghost will bring all things to your remembrance.” Interesting isn’t it how I went from having some sort of vague plan that I hoped might work to being handed everything I need for homemaking meeting. And my little friend, who looked completely blank when I first asked about a yarn doll, suddenly remembered that she had everything I needed. How many times must we be shown that we are not the ones in charge but that if we do our part the Lord will take care of the rest. When I got back to the car, we both commented that we were dumbfounded, again, about how things work out. We wondered if God is up there wondering why we’re dumbfounded and wondering when we’re going to learn that it’s really all about faith. Perhaps we can feel that we’re somewhat in tune with what He wants done out here as long as He continues to help us in such obvious ways. Either that or there’s a whole bunch of overworked guardian angels trying to keep us from totally screwing up.

We finally did go to Wal-Mart because I wanted to get my pictures developed. Then we went to a movie. We were too late to go home and do anything constructive, anyway. We saw “Game Plan” and it’s definitely a “go to” movie for all. It made us laugh and cry. It was just totally enjoyable. Good family movie. Now we’re driving down the canyon in complete and total darkness. When there are no stars or moon out this can be the darkest place we’ve ever seen. Feels just like driving down a long, dark tunnel.