Winter Arrives at the Navajo Nation....

Well - here we are in "sunny Arizona"............Actually we have had blue skies most of the entire year - which we love. We are children of light....right? But winter has arrived in Window Rock and it apparently is the most snow they have had here in two decades.............was it something to do with our arrival?????????? Anyway - they are all thrilled for the moisture as the land seems to always be in a drought.

We had major storm last week and have more predicted for this week...........Makes us very thankful for our "little blue house" and for heat and food.... and each other!

It was so interesting here - so many people live so spread out and out in the boonies....that when this happens, those dirt roads become pretty treacherous.....rain brings mud and snow makes them almost impossible to travel. Yesterday they were taking food, hay and water out to as many as they could get to - as well as medications people needed.

Thursday at noon the hospital closed and sent all the non-essential employees home and also Friday. They then opened just the emergency room and serviced those patients already in the hospital. They had the hallways set up with cots, etc. Sent home people who could be discharged and were ready for disaster should it occur. I think today they have many people with their roads plowed.

Elder Hafen has been transporting people who can't get their vehicles out so they can get to work, etc..........but we wonder each time if ours little Rav will make it through it all. The speed bumps here on the streets and shopping centers are huge anyway, but now they are like "mountain bumps" and the ice and water and snow in some of the housing areas is atrocious.

I guess this is why we love it all so much!!!!!!! Actually we had lots of people to church yesterday - I think everyone that could get out of their places. Sawmill and Crystal Branches both cancelled theirs yesterday because people just couldn't get out!

Remember we need to be prepared..............

This thought came to mind as we watch all this transpire...."The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way."

Of course "our birds" love us right now..............so Elder Hafen - "Keep Shoveling".....

Youth meeting - Read the Book of Mormon in an Hour!

This was a fun activity - the youth invited us to be with them.and their parents and leaders as well............they had part of the cultural hall all set up with a couch, big chairs, bean bags, and pillows........they also had a chalk board and put each chapter of the Book of Mormon up on it. Also on little slips of paper were each of the chapters.....so we would go and draw out a paper and read that chapter and then go to the board and erase that chapter off the board. This was all silent reading and it was pretty incredible to feel the spirit in the room as we read.............and lo and behold - we did finish the entire book in less than an hour!! Of course there were banana splits afterwards - which no one complained about.

Steamboat Branch......

We always drive the Elders from here with us to Polacca Interviews or Zone Conferences so they can save their miles. We stopped on the way home at the chapel in Steamboat - so we could post our employment fliers on their bulletin board.........We usually drive out here to do it on Fridays (about a two hour drive)...........seems like a long way to go, but President Boone wants us to put them there. Elder Hafen is standing by the door.

Blog Time Again...............

We had interviews in Polacca again - great interviews and positive comments by President Beck. We came away all pumped up! He is a good man and does well......At the interview Sister Beck had the Elders learn Hygiene 101.......and then we went to the cultural hall and she had set up a "shoe-shine" clinic.........pretty funny. One Elders shoes were so terrible and worn out we wondered how he even walked in them....(In fact Elder Rose just went home to Texas after his two years of service and he left his shoes to Elder Barry).....

Snowflake Temple Trip -

A few shots of our trip to Snowflake to take Johanna Henderson to the temple there. What a wonderful experience and a delightful day. We loved it and will carry it as one of treasures of the mission..........She was so excited to take the names of her father, grandparents, great-grandparents and several aunts and uncles. Everyone was wonderful there and we had a great day!

Winter in Window Rock...............

Just a few shots of our back yard the last snow storm. It was beautiful! The birds we are feeding were so thankful for Elder Hafen taking care of them...........fun to watch - we have tiny birds, finches and wrens, blue birds, doves, and pigeons...........we enjoy them each day!