What keeps us out of trouble

This is pretty bad. It's mid-March and this is my first blog of 2012.   We continue to be very busy with Young Singles activities.  We help furnish food for a monthly break-the-fast dinner, plus invite the YSA to our home one Sunday a month for dinner, plus host a game night monthly.  Just keeping them contacted and encouraged, plus shuttling them to the North Chapel (where we are now holding Sunday meetings) keeps us thinking of others instead of ourselves.

 

I continue to maintain a facebook account for our YSA group, with about 40 kids on it.  We've been working both with the SJC dorms as well as the 5th ward, so there are really a lot of kids that age.  Just a few weeks ago, however, Sallie and Jim Hughes were called to serve at the dorms, so that has helped a lot to reduce the leg work.  We are working with them however, to host game night and dinners, at least until next year starts.  We have too many kids we don't want lost in the changeover.

Steve is still working at the temple every Tuesday, and that's when I do a lot of my visits and fellowshipping, as well as getting flyers designed for upcoming events.  We have tried hard to invite our less active (both physically and spiritually)  neighbors out to participate in various activities at our home, as well as the ward, and lunches at the Sr. Center. 

We've had several neighborhood parties during the winter: pinochole, game night, Chinese New Year Party, and others which we hope is as fun for them as it is for us.  We've also tried to always invite someone when we feed the missionaries, and have enjoyed getting better acquainted with them, and it helps the missionaries too.  We've invited the Lobatos, Larry Dennison, Ricky's family,  

In January--we hosted a "history lunch" and invited many of our friends who have been working on family histories.  Those coming were Gayle Shumway, Patsy Shumway, Silvia and Brian, Beverly Vowell, Kay Jones,  Nancy Kimmerle. Each told of strategies, and publishers they have used in their history projects.  It was very helpful and interesting.  Afterwords we had a soup and salad lunch.

Tuesday Evening is when we do the Addiction Recovery Class.  The numbers have been pretty good all winter, between 8-12 coming, but it seems that once warm weather comes, the numbers go down a bit.  Once a month we also attend a community family support group whose goal is to help families who struggle because of addictions of loved ones.
Just recently I made copies of a modified version of our teaching manual, which was designed to be used as a 12 week Sunday School manual.  It's called "Overcoming Hurts, Habits, and Hangups."
I'm hoping that might be used to help others as well. Everyone could benefit from the 12 step program, as we all have Hurts, Habits, and Hangups that prevent us from being all we could be -- especially in the context of change and becoming more like Christ.

Stake Conference visit

Had an interesting visit today by Sister Marsha Richards, whose husband is our visiting authority for Stake Conference.  She came with Sister Shan Redd.  She asked quite a bit about the kinds of writing I'd been doing, so I told her about our Family's Proclamation book, The Ganado History, and Hole-in-the-Rock projects. I gave them both a jar of jalepeno jam when they left and a BMS quilting magazine.

While showing her pictures of our family, learned that they also had 6 boys first, then two girls.  She was very encouraging, and drew upon the scriptures a lot as we talked. 
   Tonight at stake conference I thought I might be called on to speak because of the visit, but it didn't happen, whew!  If called on, I would have shared Jerimiah 16:16 and our role working with YSA and AR people in seeing that fulfilled.

 We had 4 different YSA contacts today.  One young man called wanting to start AR classes to get rid of his bad habits.  We talked to him twice, and took some herbal tea over, as he's starting this weekend. 
   Then we delivered flowers to one of our favorite reformed participants, whose grandfather just died.  We also heard from Matt and Mary Compton, who just got married, thanking us for being there for there for them both on the reservation with Mary, and this past summer for Matt.  Their meeting and marriage has been a great joy to us, and we didn't even orchestrate it!  Corey came over as well, and we talked about missions. 
 Sunday Nov. 21, we had 8 young people over for dinner.  Tyler made the fry bread and we had the beans and toppings ready. So we were fed both spiritually and physically today...

Young Single Activities

Usually we're so busy when we host a Young Singles Activity that I don't remember to take pictures.  Since we've been called in 2009 we've tried pretty successfully to distribute a monthly bulletin to 18-30 year olds both here in the 4th ward, to LDS college kids in the CEU dorm, and to those away from home or on missions.  We usually have about 30-40 to contact.

Since Corey Wauneka has lived with us 3 semesters the past two years, it's been a natural to have others his age in our home.  We usually host a Sunday Dinner once a month, as well as a game night.  Anywhere from 8-20 may show up, depending on the activity.  We especially feel this is important for the kids here going to college, as they don't have family near by.  Most of those are Navajo, and we feel a connection with them since our mission.  We've helped many get reactivated, get patriarchal blessings, attend Institute, and at least socialize with others who are LDS.   We celebrated his birthday Feb. 22.

 We've also mailed out packages for those on missions and in the Army.  Most recently I've set up two Facebook groups, one for those here in town, and one for out-of-town youth we've known over the 7+ years we've either worked as YSA ward advisors, or hosting home evenings.


In April 2009 we took Kim Black, Kayla Haley, and Corey Wauneka with us to April Conference.  This was a first for all three of them.

Matt, ready to launch his Root Beer Express

Last summer, Mary Baker, one of the BYU girls working in Ganado the summer 2008, contacted me via Facebook, and asked us to invite her boyfriend Matt Compton over, as he was very discouraged and lonely. He was working in Monticello for Canyonlands Youth Corps with teenagers all week, and was sleeping in his car on the weekends.  We called him immediately, and invited him to come over on the weekend.  He came to the YSA branch several times, as well as joined us for dinners, cookouts, and the famous Water Rocket Launch.  He was such a great young man, and we were glad we could step in and help in some way.


When Matt left in August, he sent us this note: “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat.  I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink.  I was a stranger, and ye took me in…Verily I say unto you.  Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  Matt. 25:35,40

I just wanted to write a quick note of thanks to you guys,.  You are truly wonderful people!  You are literal answers to my prayers in many ways.  May the Good Lord bless and keep you both for the kindess you have shown to me, a stranger.

This summer was very tough, but your hospitality helped me see the light again.  I’m forever grateful for you.  I know God will bless you, for you served me and Him. 

                           Your friend, Matt Compton.

Matt and Mary were married October 2010.  

April Conference in SLC

We had the great pleasure of taking three of the Young Singles we mentor, to April Conference, and go to the Sunday Session.  For Corey, Kayla and Kim it was a first time experience.

On Friday afternoon we took of tour of temple square taking lots of photos.  Here we are in the Tabernacle.  We had two sister missionaries talk to us and also take us into the Visitors Center.   Corey developed an immediate crush on the sister from Korea!

It was a wonderful experience being able to share these special places with these young people.  After we finished exploring, we drove out to Tooele and stayed with Nathan and Tammy.  Kim and Kayla stayed with the Blacks in Grantsville.  Nathan got in that night from Wash. DC and we had a good visit and also played games with the kids a bit.

Brendan and Laurie are always fun to be around and had lots to tell us.  Tammy fixed us several delicious meals.  We are so happy they are finally in such a lovely home of their own.

   On Sat. we listened to conference, and then got groceries to take into Autumn's so we'd have food to feed the kids Sunday, before Steve started home with them. Also got to see Hinckley for the first time.  Hunter and Peyton are being doting little "big" sister and brother.  Andrew and Amy and their kiddos met us there, with their vegetable basket and the strawberries I had ordered.   (I made jam a couple of times while at Autumn's).

Sunday morning Kim and Kayla met us back in Toeele and we flew into conference.  We were in our seats by 9:30.  The girls were blessed to find us 5 seats together.  It was a great thrill hearing the choir, and wonderful speakers. 

We drove out to Autumn's, ate, and then Steve and the kids headed back to Blanding.  Corey stayed awake the whole time to keep Steve company.  Good for him!

It was a wonderful Conference weekend!

New Callings in Church

We'd only been home a week and received two callings. The first came from President Redd, the night we reported our mission to the High Council. We've been called as Service Missionaries for the two stakes in Blanding, and asked to start the first church sponsored Addiction Recovery Program here in town. We'll start the 1st Tues. in June. In the meantime, I'll get the publicity started, and Dad will hopefully find a recovered addict to be a facilitator to help him.

Bishop Carroll came over later in the week and called us to be the Young Singles coordinators for our ward. We've done it before, and love working with that age group.
We had 3 of the 4 youth, we know about in 4th ward, come to the break-the-fast pot luck,and CES fireside tonight with Elder Bednar. He gave a very strong apostolic warning about the dangers of excessive video gaming, and cyber reality games. He said this is one of the ways that Satan takes control over our bodies, and takes us from important real life experiences. I've actually seen this happen to several youth and adults I've worked known. I'll hopefully, get some quotes tomorrow and e-mail out. Here's the link:http://www.byub.org/talks/Talk.aspx?id=3543


Saturday morning we got to hear Shawn Bradley talk. Wow, he was great. Then that afternoon and evening we drove up to Moab to share some of our missionary experiences with Anna Pearson, a former missionary companion, from 1st mission. It's been a great week, and the Lord showered down a wonderful rain upon us Friday and Sat.