Cradleboard

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This is Mondo, Audreyana and little Shiwaylynn who was born about a month ago. We are teaching the family, Audreyana being the oldest child of a family of nine children.

The cradleboard is commonly used by the Navajo Moms. This cradleboard has been used for Audreyanas four younger sibblings and now for her little girl. The baby had only been tied into it for about ten minutes when she was fast asleep. They only put her in it at night.

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A sign of spring when the flowers start to bloom. A pretty sight even if it is a weed.

When rottotilling the garden this little guy came crawling out. According to my field book he looks like a Regal Horned Lizard but anyone who has looked at him calls it a Horned Toad. From what they say here we will see a lot of creepy crawly things in the summer. Snakes are very common in fact Antonias' family had to move from their house a couple of years ago because it was so infested with snakes. YUK.

We are keeping busy with the garden projects plus our teaching appointments and visiting members. With so much sickness and spring the attendance at church has gone down but hopfully that will change. Elder Lybbert has finally got over a cold and cough he has had for two weeks so things are looking good.

We love you all,

Elder and Sister Lybbert 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

The first garden workshop where they showed us how to prepare the soil and how to run the rototiller and we were able to wear jeans all day long.

The Navajo Hopi Food Initiative Program started a year ago to help people help themselves by growing their own garden produce. It was started by an inspired Bishop and Stake president in Tuba City. After a year of efforts on their own they enlisted the help of the Benson Institute for financial help in 2011. Last year there were over 300 hundred gardens. Here in Pinon there were 18 gardens, of which about six were very successful and the rest in varying degrees of success. This year we have 30 gardens and are hopeful our success rate is much higher.

The program is very organized or at least we try. The particpants are required to attend three training meetings in order to receive a garden. The gardens consist of wire and posts for a 30 ft. square garden, windscreen, fertilizer, seeds and hose for an irrigation drip system.

 In our mission there are about six couples who come for the summer as service missionaries to help with the project. Here  in Pinon it is up to us to help out. We have a demo garden that we are responsible for. In this area they grow watermellon, cantalope, squash, cucs, corn and the usual root vegtables so we are looking forward to our garden.

Elder Lybbert spreading the sheep manure on our demo garden. The Young missionaries help out by hauling manure which is very appreciated.

Spring has sprung, our lawn is green but not much grass can be seen.

We went on a shopping trip to Farmington this week. The mission office is in Farmington and we had not been there so we decided it was a good choice. Its a nice city with the necessary stores like Sams Club, Walmart and Pennys. On the way we drove over a mountain pass and then by Shiprock so we were able to see some more Arizona landscape.

Shiprock

There is also a town named Shiprock.This was Elder Lybbert's first area when he was on a mission 50 years ago. 

This is a stand of rock with Shiprock in the background. It is a natural formation but looks like the ruins of a great wall. I guess its the great wall of New Mexico.

Going over the pass we drove through these trees and there were aspens also. It seemed so nice to see big trees and mountains. There was also snow which Elder Lybbert calls sadistic beauty.

This week was spring break for the school so most everyone was busy with family but we were able to do our usual service projects etc. The weather was beautiful all week which was great but today the wind is blowing and there is snow and rain forcast for the next few days. We do need the moisture but could do without the wind. If you have ever lived in a trailer with a tin roof you would understand why

Love to all

Elder and Sister Lybbert

SERVICE PROJECTS

Elder Lybbert taking out the old broken wood

As senior missionaries we have the  opportunity to do service projects for the members. Home repair is often needed here. Sister Larue left her home here on the Rez and worked and raised her family in Phoenix until about a year or so ago when there were so many lay offs in Arizona. Her sister and family had lived in her home and done a lot of damage. This door jam was broken when the door had been forced open.

The finishing touches. Screwing the plate on.

Elder Orme, Larry Kay, Delvenia, Terrel, Roxanne, Valaria

The highlight  of this week was seeing Terrel baptized. He turned eight years old last Oct. and when the missionaries visited him a few weeks later  and talked about baptism he got excited about being baptized. His family are less active members  but since we started teaching him his mother has been coming out to church and the Dad attended the baptism and is very receptive. We have enjoyed getting to know the family and be a positive influence in their life.

This is another of Arizonas spectacular landscapes. These are called the TeePees and are part of the Painted Dessert. We have enjoyed being able to see the sights of arizona. When I was a teen our family was given a monthly subscription to the Arizona Highways magazine  and I loved to look at it. Now I have the opportunity to see it first hand.

We are enjoying our work here. Time is going faster which is a good sign that we are busier. This week we are planning a trip to Farmington to do some shopping and stop by the Mission office.

Love to all,
Elder and Sister Lybbert

Navajo taco's

Navajo fry bread is one of the staples here on da Rez. When the native women make fry bread their hands move very fast. Sister Lybbert and Sister Boyes do very well although another twenty years of making it several times a week would speed them up some.

NAVAJO TACOS

Fry Bread

1 cup Blue Bird flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

about 1/2 cup warm water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder then add enough warm water to make a soft dough. Let stand for 20 minutes. Form into 2 dough balls. Work  dough till thin and fry in oil in fry pan. Makes 2 large pieces of bread.

Place fry bread on a plate. Cover with warm chili beans. Add desired toppings. Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, Salsa etc.

Elder Lybbert at Bashas with a 10lb. bucket of baking powder and Blue Bird flour. The blue buckets on the shelf are 10 lb. buckets of lard.

The dutch oven addiction is spreading. Monday morning the missionaries came over and cooked 'Mountainman Breakfast' in the dutch oven. It was very good and very filling.

This week Elder Lybbert needed some eye drops for dry eyes, no problem, right. Well, here on da Rez the stores don't carry it, my guess is the natives get it at the clinic. We had to travel to Walmart (they had lots of eye drops)in Gallup, N. M, two hours and ten minutes away. Got back in time to teach a lesson and visit a new contact as the one appointment we had was not at home.

As missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints we are invited into homes and have the privilege and opportunity to bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ and teach from the scriptures on a daily basis. We have met some wonderful people here.
We have noted that people from around the world read our blog. If you have any questions we would like to hear from you. Email address wayne@lybbert.net