Happy New Year

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday morning once again arrived with new snow and very cold temperatures. On Saturday when we went to Valentine we found Elder Lindsey a pair of Carhartt insulated bib overalls and boots that will keep his feet dry and warm and they came in very handy.

Finally it won't take the rest of the day to dry out his boots and warm his body.

We managed a quick trip to the post office and were especially happy we did when a special package arrived.

Our friend Thelma makes the best almond roca!

Tuesday was Relief Society and what a good time we had. It was the annual white elephant gift  and cookie exchange. We played a game where after everyone chose and opened their gift we passed around two pair of dice and if you rolled a double you could exchange your gift for someone elses gift. There was a lot of good natured teasing and laughing but in the end everyone went home happy with a nice gift. The cookies and other treats were delicious and visiting and getting to know the sisters better was nice. At one point we all said what we were thankful for this year and it was humbling to hear the sisters talk about their trials and triumphs and the different ways in which Heavenly Father had blessed their lives.

We had 17 sisters attending...a record for us!

Wednesday was our ARP class. This week we had a woman come who had seen the announcement of the program in the local paper. It takes a lot of courage to walk into a meeting with strangers and we were so happy she chose to join us...especially on New Years Eve when so many have a hard time staying clean and sober. We enjoyed vegetable beef soup and fry bread after the meeting. 

In the evening Annette and her niece Mattie and nephew Memphis took us to our first powwow in St Francis. It was so interesting and fun. The Lakota tradition is to feed their guests so dinner was provided at no charge. There was also no charge to get into the powwow. The money to put on these events is raised through items they auction and raffle off. 

This cutie knew how to dance!

We loved the costumes and that these children are retaining important parts of their heritage.

After the powwow we arrived back home to find the New Year's party at the church in full swing. Many people came as this party is know in the area as the place to be for lots of fun without alcohol. There was volleyball and board games and tons of great food and for us another chance to meet more people from the community that we don't see at church every week. It was especially nice that Beth who was new at our ARP meeting that morning brought her mother and joined us for the party. Elder Lindsey and I called it a night before midnight but we did listen to the fireworks at the magic hour. 

We spent New Years Day relaxing, doing some needed chores on the home front and working on getting rid of our colds! 

Friday we took a ride to Murdo and visited the Pioneer Auto Museum. Because of the snow and icy conditions we could only see the first three buildings so we will make a trip back in the spring to see the motorcycles. 

I took this picture for Ernie.

The Love Bug!

This one gets 100mpg

Saturday we had our ARP training meeting. We do this by computer/phone on the first Saturday of every month. This Saturday I was asked to give the spiritual thought. I will share with you what I wrote. 

Courage

Last Wednesday just as we were starting the sharing portion of our meeting a woman entered the church came in and introduced herself as a recovering addict. She had seen the notice of our meeting in the weekly paper, in fact she had seen the notice for three weeks in a row and on the third week she got up the courage to walk through the door and introduce herself to us as a recovering addict.

That is what I want to talk about for just a minute; courage. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we read; be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God he it is that doeth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

As we and the people that attend the ARP classes have the courage it takes to attend and participate in the recovery process we truly will learn to “fear not” and we will learn that our Savior Jesus Christ is with us and will always be with us.

It is through having the courage to take the first step, then the second and so on through the twelve steps that we will come to know our Savior and the love he has for us.

It is through having the courage to give up our addictions and go through the repentance process that we learn the meaning of the atonement and can have the power and blessing of its effect in our lives permanently.

Yes it takes courage to walk through our door the first time…and sometimes even the sixth time but that one step will build in us the courage we need to enable us to live Christ centered lives.

It took a lot of courage for Beth to walk through our door last week and it took even more courage for her to bring her mother and come to our New Year’s Eve party that night. Just as it took courage for Daryl and Crystal to spend New Year’s Eve home with their children watching movies instead of partying but each courageous step they and we take each day toward living Christ centered lives brings us closer to the blessings our Heavenly Father is waiting to share with us.

After our training meeting we headed out to White River to pick up Bountiful Baskets. It was our first and hopefully our last opportunity to drive in what they call out here a "low blizzard". The wind blows and the snow is driven across the roads with such force that it is almost impossible to even see the lines for the lanes. We stopped at the Allen's on the way back and arrived in time to help pull Tronson out of a snow bank. He was on his way to pick up his dad because his truck had slid off the road in Mission. Treacherous conditions. We just might be hibernating for the winter!

Sunday dawned clear and cold, cold, cold! Church warmed our hearts as we had two of our less active members come with their families. Life on the reservation is hard and it takes strength and perseverance for our members to live the gospel. Many have testimonies of it's truthfulness but face great obstacles in getting to church on a regular basis. We just try to love them and let them know how much we miss them when they can't be with us. 

It's a new year and we are excited for the adventures that lie ahead. 
Our love and prayers are with each of you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey