Life on the Reservation

Life on the Reservation

Roads

There is one paved road to Pinon from Chinle or Gallop or any points west. This is the main artery with dirt roads going out from it in all directions. These roads have names. Not posted names so you have to consult with someone who has lived here to get directions to where people live. From the pictures below can you guess which road it is.

Watertower road             Lost horse road                    Low mountain road            Wepo Wash road

see we have 8 lane roads here also

When you find the right road then you go by landmarks like this to find the house you are looking for. This is stop tree (notice the bent stop sign nailed to it). You turn lefr or right here.

This is Big Tree (notice big tree painted on it). The house you are looking for will be so many miles past big tree.

We spent one hour every morning this week doing yard work. I am raking up bull thorns and burning them

Wayne is digging out old plants in the flower bed.

Our mornings are spent listening to whatever we are studying, baking, cleaning, walking and yard work. In the afternoon we go visiting members and getting to know them.

Another fellow showed up on our door step that has problems with the word of wisdom. He went to BYU, worked in electronics for a time but the came back to the reservation. He has a wife with nine daughters the oldest is 14 and his wife is expecting number 10 in March He hopes that it will be a boy. It smelled like he is already celebrating the new year.

We also met a real nice family that invited us to come visit. He was Branch Pres. at one time but then their kids got older and they go visiting them on week ends and just never get around to coming to church.

New Years Eve tomorrow so we wish everyone the best in this coming year.

Love you all,

elder and Sister Lybbert

Merry Christmas

To continue where we left off last posting. Our first experience at zone conference was good. We met our mission president, Pres. Jones and Sis. Jones. They both spoke about Christmas and we had some video clips and music that helped us get into the Christmas spirit.

After lunch there was a white elephant gift exchange. It was fun to watch the young elders opening the gifts. The most popular gifts were toys and food. We have really gained a love and appreciation for all these young men serving missions. You could not find greater young people anywhere and the work they accomplish is amazing. They have so much enthusiasm and energy. But then giving a 20 year old a four wheel drive truck and lots of muddy roads what could be more fun.

We had a great time shopping and finally get stocked up on food. They had a Sam’s Club in Flagstaff which is about the same as Costco. I also bought an Audubon field guide for this area so I kind learn about the bird, animal and plant life here. I have now identified a bird that was sitting on our tree as a Cassin’s finch.

The roads are finally drying up so we spend the afternoon visiting member’s. They certainly live in poor conditions which is heart wrenching, we had the opportunity to watch Victor weaving a Navajo rug, which was very interesting, what a thing of beauty.  Victor was active in the church until he was nineteen years old, He had received a scholarship to BYU for graphic art and had just received a mission call to Japan, Some of his friends or peers (friends don’t do that) got him to take some drugs. He is an Elder in the priesthood and has talent that could have taken him anywhere he wished to go. He has a strong desire to straighten is life out and return to church activity. The effects of alcohol and drugs have weakened his mind and body so much that he will have a real struggle. He has gone through the addiction program once and we will teach him again in a month or so. He seems to have a real desire to straighten out his life, with all of his problems he has a nice spirit about him and does beautiful weaving.

Most of the people that we visited today live along way out on a ungraded dirt road and have no transportation plus if it rains it challenges even the young missionaries with there 4X4’s

We wish you all a very merry Christmas. The Saviors birth was the most wonderful event in the history of the world. The next most amazing event was when he was resurrected and paved the way for all of us to have eternal life. May we all remember and celebrate Jesus’s birth and do our best to live his teachings.

Love you all,

Elder and Sister Lybbert

Trip to Zone Conference

This is a typical picture of the Arizona landscape. Now, take a look at the red earth betwween the sage brush. There is a road winding alond here that is made of this red sand. Supposedly going on this road(trail) saves you time when travelling to Flagstaff. Its only about 30 killometers till pavement. We were told not to traverse it within one week of a rain. It had not rained much for several days and we were leaving early in the morning so the frost should still have it frozen. Things went fine for the first ten minutes then it got worse and worse . I have never seen such ruts and mud since I was young. We came over one hill and I couldn't see how we could possibly make it through. I cried, hollered and prayed while I yelled at Wayne to gun it. By the time we traversed a few more of these I was not doing well. When we finally came to the paved road  I felt like jumping out of the car and kissing it. I know that senior couples must have a guardian angel even when we do dum things. I don;t know why this is writing in itallics. Dum computers.
We did have a great time in Flagstaff  but this is enough for today

Christmas party

Last night was the Branch Christmas party. Last Sunday ward members volunteered to bring food for it. It was to start at 4:oopm so we went over just before four when the branch pres. came and started to set up. By 4:30 people started to come, I mean come. Within an hour that little building was full. I wondered how we would feed them all but as they came some brought food and in the end it all worked out and no leftovers. A 120 members in all.  Some families from Mesa came and helped serve and clean up. They also brought gifts for all the children and bags of oranges and candy for all the adults. They said  they had been doing this for 27 years. The members here really look forward to it and it gave us a chance to meet lots of people. If we could get that many out to our meetings it would be great.

We are getting to know and love the people here more all the time. We are getting over the first stages of culture shock so hopefully things will get better and better. The biggest challenge are the roads. We are unable to visit the members as much as we should. We could use a four wheel drive but Wayne says he would then be expected to drive in the mud and he doesn’t want to go there.

We love and miss you all,

Elder and sister Lybbert

p.s. We have zone conference Tuesday in Flagstaff so we are leaving tomorrow and I get to go SHOPPING. Never thought I would be excited to see a city and stores, I have a long list.

Elder Lybbert's contribution to the Christmas Party. Dutch oven rolls and cinamon knots.

This is Libby Bekay excited about her gifts at the Christmas party.

Muleboy Muzzy. He is 93 and his daughters bring him to church most every week. He first started coming to church as a young man riding his horse the 3 1/2 miles. This is at the party with a friend Vicky beside him and his daughter Lori behind.

Fry Bread

On Tuesday this week the Navojo sisters showed us how to make fry bread. I wish I would have taken a picture. They flip it from hand to hand so fast. It is a baking powder dough made from Blue Bird flour. The Relief Society pres. Said she’s been making them since she was a child. When she was 10 she was taken I by her aunt and did the cooking and ironing for the family. It was a family of 9 boys. She is a lovely lady and has six children. She joined the church three years ago. Her husband is a member but was not active till she decided to be baptized. She works in Chinle in charge of a gift shop and her husband works in Colorado during the week.

Another interesting day was when the mission office phoned to ask if we would follow the Elders to Chinle (about 40 min.) because their truck wheel had a noise in it. About 15 min from Chinle they started going slow and pulled to the side of the road when the passenger side wheel came off. It was on fire so they started to throw sand on it but couldn’t get  the flame out till Wayne managed to pull the wheel out of the way. They then noticed the grass on fire 20 feet behind where we had parked. Elder Harper had the shovel in his hand so managed to get it out before it got to the tumbleweed in the fence. The mission sent a tow truck so when it came we sent the Elders with it to be towed to the mission home in Farmington and we went back home.

Christmas Decor

We survived week number 1, only about 70 more to go. We now have heat and lights. Our furnace quit for three days and the power was off for one but everything has been working for 3 days now so we are warm and happy. The up side of this is we left and spent a day in Gallup where we were able to buy real food and stock up on a few necessities like knee socks and leggings.
The picture above shows our living room all decorated for Christmas. I found a fake poinsettia and a small nativity scene in the closet so that will do for this year.
The young Elders have taken us on a several adventures showing us where members live and we visited some. Elder Lybbert and I have ventured out on our own also and found a few at home. Last night we went with the Elders to Henry and Salina Whitehairs for supper and had a nice time.
When we go to the post office or store(which includes a pizza place and subway) people are very friendly when they see our name tags. These are the only businesses in town except for a service station and car wash.
The weather was below freezing the first few days we were here so we did a lot of shivering with no furnace but the snow has now melted and its been warm and sunny.
We love you all and just a reminder our phone number is 435-879-1871. We have unlimited minutes afer 8 pm and on week ends but if you can't phone then phone anyway.

This is our new home. We arrived about 3 pm yesterday and the missionaries helped unpack the van. What a lot of stuff we brought. Our furnace went out last night so we are chilly. three things I am thankful for , that I brought a heating pad, wheat bag and sleeping bag.

The church looking from our front door. We went to church this morning. There were about 60 members there which I guess is a real good attendance. About ten were white and the rest native. They gave us a warm welcome and assured us we are needed. Its all rather overwheming. What we accomplished today- found out how to use the church's Y5 so we can update our blog, got in contact with the FM so they are coming tomorrow to fix the furnace, elders told us where to buy beef that was less expensive than here(which is two hours away). Here most of the meat is mutton and it looks like the critter was rather old and thin when butchered.
The young elders were just here and we were going to go over some things with them but they got a phone call that they were late for an appiontment they didn't know they had.
Love and miss you all

Welcome to Arizona

Arizona gave us a Canadian welcome. The roads were good with only a few miles of snow on the road.

Mission Training Center

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This proves that I didn't skip class, now Donna can take over. This is our district in our classroom. It has been a great experience living at the MTC among 2500 young missionaries and 86 seniors. They all treat us so good and the facilities where we stay are designed for seniors. We leave tomorrow for Arizona. A missionary couple are meeting us in Chinlee and driving to Pinon to show us our new home. Love you all!!!