HAPPENINGS IN KAIBETO

We were able to teach 4 children in November who were baptized. It is so fun to teach them and then see their smiling faces when they come out of the water. We are grateful to be a part of it.

We have been able to visit two Temples this month. We drove 4-1/2 hours to the SnowFlake, Arizona Temple with 12 members of our ward. The session was in Navajo so everyone understood it but us and another member who is Sioux. We wore headphones. The decorations were beautiful native woven rugs and pottery. We also drove 3-1/2 hours to the Monticello, Utah Temple with the other missionaries in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

For Thanksgiving we had a great dinner with the other senior couples and our Mission President and his wife. There was lots to eat and fun entertainment. It helped so we didn't miss our family quite so much.

Arizona has so many kinds of beauty. A member here took us to see the White Mesa Arch on her father's property where she grew up. He is still using the old sheep pen. She then took us to her husband's family property to see the Eggshell Arch. We had some good hikes that day.

Another day we went looking for dinosaur bones & tracks. Pretty interesting!!

We are so happy to see our ward members understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve one another. We have witnessed much progress while we have been here in Kaibeto. We have made so many wonderful friends.

INDIAN SUMMER IN KAIBETO

Autunm is here. We have had a few chilly days and nights, but now it is beautiful. Our garden is almost done. We have had a wonderful harvest planted on that little plot of road base in our parking lot.

In September there were 3 beautiful Navajo children baptized. We have been so happy to help them become members of the Church.

We have made two trips to the St. George Temple. One family was sealed together and there was a youth baptism day with the BlueSalt Branch.

Since we live 36 miles from Page, Arizona, most of the youth activities are located there. But we had a youth dance in Kaibeto where the teens really had a good time.

Our Young Womens Presidency had a "New Beginnings" meeting for the young women and their mothers. We are helping these wonderful girls learn about Personal Progress and how it can help them in their lives.

Two weeks ago we had our first "Popcorn and a Movie" at our ward. There were 45 people there. It was so fun it will be a monthly tradition from now on.

Last night we celebrated the success of all the gardens in our ward with a "Harvest Dinner." Our members brought lots of food made from their gardens and fry bread. (I've got to learn how to make that. It is sooo good.)

WHAT'S GOING ON IN KAIBETO?

Yesterday was a great day in Kaibeto. We had four baptisms of children 10 and 11 years old. It has been fun teaching them. They are shy at first, but finally we see smiles and personalities come through. We are grateful for this opportunity to help them learn about the Gospel.


In June, 11 youth from our ward participated in Youth Conference. Some of the places they went to included Lee's Ferry, Pipe Springs, and the St. George Temple doing baptisms for the dead. They learned about the early pioneers, the hardships they endured, and the "Honeymoon Trail" they traveled to be married in the St. George Temple. We were able to join them at the Temple for the baptisms. While camping they had to wear bandanas over their faces because on the tiny gnats. One of the pictures shows our bishop, his wife, and one of the young women.

Also in June we were able to attend our daughter's wedding in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. It was so great to be there with some of our family and visit the others on the drive up. We were gone about a week. Our mission president felt it was very important for us to not miss this important family occasion and we loved it.

The gardens here are flourishing. When we visit people they always say, "Come see our garden." They have worked hard, gained a wonderful sense of accomplishment, and added many healthy vegetables to their diet. Katy said her children are going to put a sign on it saying, "Grandmas's Paradise." She tends 8 grandchildren and they love to eat the peas and cucumbers.

We just passed our halfway mark. We are seeing great progress with these good people in our ward and enjoy helping them.

SAD NEWS

We received some very sad news on Sunday, June 26. A member of our Bishopric, Brother Darrell Cervandez Curley, who was a Sgt. in the Navajo Nation Police was shot and killed when responding to a domestic violence call here in Kaibeto. It has been very hard on his family, our ward, the community, and those who knew him through church or police work in many parts of Arizona and New Mexico. He had a wonderful testimony of the Gospel and was a leader to his fellow officers. His example has touched so many lives.

There was a memorial and dinner for family and friends in Chinle, Arizona (where he grew up) on Monday night with over 300 people in attendance. Tuesday night there was another just like it in Page, Arizona. Church members and friends in the community contributed all the food.

At 3:00 am Saturday a police escort left the mortuary in Flagstaff, AZ to bring his body through Tuba City, Kayenta, and then onto Chinle. At each stop more officers joined the procession. They arrived at 8:00 am. The funeral was held in Chinle at the Stake Center. The chapel and cultural hall were filled to capacity and extra chairs were set up all over the building and still some had to stand.

Besides officers from police districts from all over the state, also attending was the President of the Navajo Nation, a representative from the Bureau of Indian Affairs from Washington, DC, a representative from the governor of Arizona, and the Director of the Navajo Nation Dept. of Public Safety.

As the funeral began Brother Curley's casket was brought in with an escort of police officers and a bagpiper. There had been police officers on guard with his body since he went down. During the funeral the guards were changed every few minutes to give all of them an opportunity at this service. Before the Eulogy was read, the Governor's representative gave sister Curley a folded Arizona State flag. It was uplifting to hear many stories how he had helped or been a positive influence on others. At the conclusion the bagpipes played "Going Home."

We joined the very lengthy police escort for an hour-long drive to the burial site. There were many people by the roadside waving or with their hands over their hearts along the way. The family plot was in a beautiful, peaceful canyon outside of Fort Defiance, Arizona. What a contrast to the crowded cemeteries we are used to with the power lawn mowers driving over the burial sites once a week.

It was heart wrenching to see the officers show such love and respect as they carried out these last rites to lay their friend and fellow officer to rest. After the bagpipes played "Amazing Grace," we heard the dispatcher make the "Last Sign Off for Sgt. Curley" over the police radio. Then Elder Payne dedicated the grave.

After the burial there was a reception at the Nakai Hall in Window Rock. They were expecting 2,000 to attend. The Navajo Nation supplied most of the food with more coming from the two closest LDS stakes.

We are so grateful we were able to know and love Brother Curley.

WARD ACTIVITIES

Our Primary had a fun Easter egg hunt this week. I got to be the egg hider outside while the kids were inside decorating little bags to put their treasures in. The Primary leader fed them all healthy sandwiches before they got their treats. Then on Sunday the children were taught about the real meaning of Easter--the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of the newest members of our ward came to the Easter egg hunt, but she really didn't participate. She just took a nap and and then sat there and looked cute.

Our new bishopric is keeping busy trying to get organized and staff many empty callings in our ward. The picture shows Brother Curly, Bishop Lynn, and Elder Payne.

Sister Payne is now in the Young Women's Presidency. We are trying to get ready for Youth Conference in early June.

Several people are excited to start the new Temple Preparation class for a long-awaited trip to the St. George Temple.

This week we will be teaching 4 young people get ready for their baptisms. It is fun because they are so eager to learn.

GARDENING 101

The Church Welfare Services is providing gardening supplies to people around the globe to help them feed their families. There are also gardening missionaries who serve 6-month missions from spring until fall to distribute, teach, and help with this gardening program. In the March 2011 issue of the Ensign Magazine there is an article showing it's success. In this article the picture on page 60 shows the garden in our backyard last year. That spot is being used by one of our ward members this year, and a new demonstration garden is being started right behind our trailer. Page 62 of the article talks about the Tuba City Stake about 45 minutes south of us. There are several gardening missionaries serving in our mission who have organized about 80 gardens this year. The participants are given fencing, poles, a drip system, seeds, fertilizer, and sawdust (to hold moisture in the soil). The gardens must be fenced since all this land is open grazing with cows and horses everywhere. The new gardners must commit to attend the 3 different classes for training. Once the gardens start growing, the missionaries will go to the individual homes to help if needed and check on progress. These people are so excited to get started. It has been fun to help a little bit with the distribution of the gardening supplies in our ward. Elder Payne got to plow and fence our spot and we will plant it.

DOWN COMES THE WATER TANK

When we arrived here there was a giant water tank behind our trailer that hadn't been used for years. Two of the other senior elders located a Navajo who needed it for his property to store water. The Navajos who don't live in the housing areas don't have running water so they have to haul it in barrels from the Chapter House. The elders got a flatbed trailer and we talked to the people at the school next door who agreed to bring over their backhoe so we were in business. It was quite a process to watch. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Elder Payne pulled it over with our truck, then the backhoe took over.