In late March we did the Tsaile new trailer. The contractor was building the porch and helped us unload the furniture. On some of the new trailers he had the porch on before we got there with new furniture. It was tricky getting the couch it, but we made it.
Living room
Unloading furniture
Bedroom
Kitchen
One afternoon had a good old western BBQ potluck instead of games or some other activity which we did every Wednesday evening.
This was a great activity. We had an outdoor BBQ cooked by Brother Palmer. After eating we had a tomahawk and knife throwing demonstration by Brother Velarde who has represented USA native Americans in Korea.
Elder Wright (right side) is a cowboy from Idaho and he gave a roping demonstration using a bale of hay and plastic steer head with horns. Elder Wright is 78 years old but boy you should see the throw he had on that rope. It was fast and accurate!
The highlight of the night was when everyone missed sticking the tomahawk even Brother Rod Velarde, Sister Langkilde stuck her first toss. Everyone was totally taken by surprise. Then she even out did her self by sticking her second toss too. Brother Velarde was so impressed that he made her a plaque designating her the "Champion Hawk Thrower"
This is the new Chinle trailer we bought in Phoenix and a welcome basket we started giving new missionary occupants.
Sister Combs and Sister Langkilde are working on a small nightstand.
Elder Combs is putting the legs on the right way due to having them on the wrong way at first. It took the sisters keen observation to find the mistake. Whats is so funny is that Elder Combs has a masters degree in mechanical engineering and Elder Langkilde didn't notice it while he was tightening the screws up either.
Sister Langkilde had a 64th Birthday Party, April 17, 2012 in the mission office.
It happened to be transfers on Sister Langkilde's birthday so we were able to have a big party with many of the missionaries joining it the fun. Sister James obtained a large balloon display, lots of food so we had a great time for a great, "Lady".
We try to mix business with pleasure and on April 21, 2012 our Saturday preparation day we did just that. Arrangements were made to take a new phone, new vacuum cleaner and some vehicle papers to the Sisters and Elders in Durango. While there we did the apartment inspections too. Sister Langkilde helped the Sisters drill down in their apartment cleaning by showing them how to take the screen out of the air conditioner unit and washing it out.
We timed our trip so we could tour Durango's famous main street. We went up one side and came down the other. After looking over all the restaurants we ate dinner overlooking the balcony in the famous Strater Hotel. We then topped it off with Cold Stone Yogurt.
We even saw one of our favorite cars parked on main street, a Z06 Corvette.
The Steamboat trailer with new furniture just like Tsaile.
In the Sawmill trailer we used Victorian furniture.
The Sawmill Chapel is next to the missionary trailer. Elder and Sister Hunt our replacement couple were a big help in moving in furniture and cleaning up from the Elders to get ready for the new senior couple.
This is our last group of office missionary staff. Next to us on the left is Elder and Sister James, Elder and Sister Hunt, President and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Barr, Elder and Sister Fallon and Elder and Sister Hunt. Elder and Sister Fallon will be leaving the end of April and our release date is June26th.
With all the office and housing work there is time for missionary work too.
On Sunday April 29, 2012 after church we I gave the first discussion to the previous branch president's brother. It went very good and we hope to baptism him before our mission ends.
We then made a special trip back to Dulce (90 miles one way) on May 2, 2012 on a Wednesday evening to give him the second discussion. After Sister Langkilde gave this discussion, I asked him if after praying if the Book of Mormon was true would he be Baptized and he said "Yes". That evening Sister Langkilde did our laundry at our famous Shanghai-La bungalow (Dulce missionary trailer).
We move the Elders out of the Gallup trailer and moved some nice used furniture it.
They had cleaned it pretty good, however, not up to Sister Langkilde's standard. We all drilled down in the cleaning process and finally left Gallup around 8:30 pm and got back to Farmington about 11pm. While in Gallup we ate at the Sizzler Restaurant were missionaries get fifty percent off.
On Sunday we had Stake Conference in Bloomfield so we didn't go to Dulce. We meet some of our Dulce members and had a great time. We even pickup some Chinese food in Bloomfield at Panda Garden after the Saturday evening session.
Mothers day has come and gone. All of Sister Langkilde's children called or sent cards. What a great mother they have.
Elder Langkilde goes to the emergency room!
On Monday May 15, 2012 I went to the San Juan Regional Medical Center emergency room. After lunch as I got into the car heading back to the office I felt a pain in my right hip in the back area. It really got intense while at the office and others said I looked pale. Not knowing what was going on I asked and received a priesthood blessing. Sister Langkilde took me to our fifth wheel to lay down. I rested for about five minutes and it wasn't helping any so we decided to go to the doctors office. They didn't have any openings so went to the emergency room at the local hospital. After checking in I vomited while they gave me an IV with some medicine including a pain killer. In less than a minute I felt like I was in la la land and had no pain. The doctor said I could have a kidney infection or kidney stone issues. Then they rolled me out to get a cat scan.
The doctor came back in a few minutes and said I had a small kidney stone. He gave me a prescription and said to urinate in a filter and watch for a small kidney stone. The next morning sure enough out came a small kidney stone. Thank goodness I had no more pain and am fine now. I have been asked to do a followup with my local doctor for some other test due to a questionable picture on my left kidney. I have an appointment for next week. Before the diagnoses I was thinking that we had not get to secure with out situation, life has a way of throwing cure balls at you. I reflected on a business associate I had in Provo, Utah who was in his early sixties and had a pain in his back. Long story short he had kidney problems and died in two weeks.
Sister Langkilde a few days later had a gall bladder stone pass and used Elder Langkilde's pain pills but no emergency room. "Life is not fair".
The Ten Commandment Stone carved in Hebrew.
We set a date June 2, 2012, for those who wanted to attend the Albuquerque Temple to go also and see the ten commandment stone. We had an enjoyable temple session then went to find the Ten Commandment Stone. I paid a $25.00 permit fee due to it being on State regulated land. Fortunately I had copied driving instruction and photos of the location from the web site or we would not have found it. There were no markings or signs anywhere to be found.
This is the entrance gate to the Ten Commandment Stone 15 miles west of Los Lunas South of Albuquerque New Mexico. You have to hike about one mile from this spot up to the base of the mountain in the horizon.
Here is the trail leading up to the stone. Its not very steep and is located about 100 yards up the trail.
When you get there its very unassuming. But it is there and seeing causes you to reflect on all the possibilities.
Is it really authentic? If it is authentic when and who engraved it? Is it a fake? If fake why here, where few could ever find it? I think it is authentic from what I have read. I found in my research that it is written in a Hebrew script that was common used in the 1000 BC to 0 BC time frame.
Sister Vicinti and her two sons, Nephi and Jacob hiked up the trail with us. I told the two boys we should look for a cave that may contain swords and breastplates. When they took me up on it, I said next time. I am getting to old to climb around to much anymore. There were all kinds of other markings in the area, some modern and some not. Anyway we did it, we saw the Ten Commandment Stone!
This is the area where the Ten Commandment stone is located. It is in the draw area just left of the smaller hill on the right side.
We later were asked to help serve during a meal after the funeral of a Dulce young man. There were several we knew at the funeral. The interesting thing it was both a Mormon and Jicarilla burial. The Jicarilla Apache side was when they dug two holes. One for the coffin and the other for all the deceased personal belongings. This tradition goes back as far as I have read even reflective of the Tribe of Israel. It represents their belief not only in an after life but the resurrection. I have read an interesting book by James Adair, "History of The American Indians", published in 1775. It is his reflections on 30 years of being an Indian Trader along the lower Mississippi area. He presents 25 arguments that the American Indian is of the House of Israel, illustrating their culture, dress, language, burial customs, etc.
One of interesting issue we have had is somewhat limited mobility moving the missionaries around in the mission. We have chapels all over the reservation and one of our objectives working with the facility management (FM) group was to put in RV hookups next to the chapels for senior couples having fifth wheel or travel trailers. In addition it was felt that if the Mission could purchase a few travel trailers that would accommodate both senior and junior missionaries it would be a big help.
President Jones and I had been working on this for over a year and was finally given approval. On our first trip to Arizona to look for trailers, it just so happened to be the same time Isaac home getting prepared to move to Texas. He and Sarah Pratt his girl friend took us out to dinner at a Chinese place.
I took the children to the local park in the morning, then we went to the Bolack Museum showing many animals from Africa and around the world.
We later drove to Cedar Springs on our way to Dulce and had KFC hiked a bit. After leaving Cedar Springs we saw some deer, elk and wild horses.
We spent the night in our Dulce missionary house next to the chapel then got up the next morning and went to Church. We later had lunch and then she took off for SLC by bay of Pagosa Springs and Durango Colorado.
We later drove back to Farmington and waited for all the Happy Father Day calls. What a week end!
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