Dec 13 07

December 13, 2007

Today we actually have a few hours at home before we hit the road again, so of course it was a crazy day. Josephine Haven, who lives next to the church, came over to visit. She needs a baptism record for her daughter who just turned 18. They need proof of her age so she can get the money the tribe gives every tribal member when they turn 18. It’s about $2000.00 and everyone we’ve known has had it spent within a week.

We found out yesterday that Dion and Verbena got their car impounded. She was driving and doesn’t have a license. She got pulled over and the car is now in the impound lot. They said they were trying to find out how to get it back. We didn’t tell them that whatever they have to do will involve a lot of money. They are such a cute couple but true airheads, both of them.

Today is the day we had scheduled for Alfred and Thelma and two of their children to be sealed. We needed to leave about 4:15 and at 4:00 we were at their house filling out papers. Thelma told us that Jared and Alfred’s pants were still in the dryer and wouldn’t be dry for another 30 minutes. We left wondering if they would make it, but they did. They were only 20 minutes late.

There was some confusion at the temple over their paperwork so it took a long time to get everything cleared up. We’re pretty sure we broke or bent every rule in the temple and that legions of angels were working on the other side, but they got sealed and it was truly a wonderful event. Their son, Jared, and daughter, Rochelle, were sealed to them. We are sad that Eric couldn’t be there, but hopefully he’ll be motivated to find new friends and give up his bad habits. Thelma’s sister, Velma, and her husband, Vince, who is Alfred’s brother, came to the temple and waited for them. After the sealing the workers let all of them go downstairs in their white clothes so Velma and Vince could see them. We went to dinner at Eva’s with all of them and the Wilcocks and as we left Vince said he would see us in church.

At dinner Thelma told us a story about her mother. She said her mother was attending the Pentecostal church, but there were stairs she had to go up to get to the church and she couldn’t get up them. No one ever helped her so she stopped going. One night she prayed that someone would come and if there was a true church anywhere on earth she wanted someone to come and teach her about it. The next day two missionaries came to their door. Shortly after that the Hellmans came to serve their mission in Cibecue. Her mother was baptized and went to the temple before she died.

Right now we’re on our way home from the temple and the temperature is 22 degrees. We’re thinking we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up back in Idaho.