Hand-Written Letter Dated November 25, 2011

Dear Family,

I hope you had a TERRIFIC Thanksgiving. Mine was really nice, I mean as nice as a missionary holiday can be. We spent it with the Ward Mission Leader and his wife. They are sweet and enjoyed having missionaries over instead of it only being the two of them.

We started discussing what we were thankful for, and I said a Dad who would be/is healthy. First on the list is the Gospel, then my family, then dad's health, and then...toilet paper. Seriously, that stuff saves lives.

I am for sure in Shiprock for another two weeks, but then Transfers happen. I don't want to leave Shiprock, but I feel that I might be transferred. Bummer. I really want to be here for Christmas. I love the people here. The ward members know me now and they trust me. There are so many lives that are changing.

Many missionaries talk about "their focus" meaning some spend all their energies on finding (tracting), others on numbers, or baptisms, or building up the ward. I've discovered mine are 1) The Book of Mormon, and 2) reactivating less-active members.

1) The Book of Mormon has the power to change individuals and families. Reading it brings a surge of the spirit into lives, homes, and families. When someone knows it is true, nothing else can really stand in their way.

2) Reactivating less-active families is more the responsibility of the ward, but when a ward doesn't do that, the responsibility falls on the missionaries. It does no good if missionaries baptize four dozen people, if they all go inactive immediately. It means that missionary didn't do their job well enough and the person is practically "condemned" to the Terrestrial kingdom. I won't have that.

Most of these less-active members have been hurt and didn't want to come back, or didn't know how to come back. I want to love them all and show them what is possible. I want them to know someone loves them and believes they can accomplish anything. I want to bring families to the Celestial kingdom. I want to see temple sealings! I want to see strengthened families and love abounding where there was once only confusion and anger. At least in Shiprock, I'm having more success finding the lost sheep than I am bringing in new ones. And I'm okay with that. Either way, souls are coming into the light.

I hope that you all are making conscious steps into the light. It is so wonderful and peaceful. I have been so thankful recently for my family and the atmosphere I was raised in. We had love and joy. Lots of JOY. Lots of silliness. Lots of rootin' tootin' good times.

Speaking of good times, I included the photos of when we helped "butcher." That is the technical term for any part of the family and social gathering that involves killing, draining the blood and skinning a sheep; harvesting and cleaning out its insides; cutting and cooking the meat; and the big free-for-all when the food is served. If you look at the Ache'ee (the nasty fat wrapped in intestine), I think it looks like a mutant nasty grub thing that only an alien would eat. Then when it gets cooked on the grill, it looks like a burned centipede missing its legs. Not enticing. Once the intestine is cleaned out, it feels like slimy rubber-bands.

I know dad had surgery already, but if he needs another kidney, I know where to find one.

Wrapping the Ache'ee: Strips of fat with cleaned out intestine wrapped around it. Oh, and don't forget the bloody bowl of gizzards.

The cooked Ache'ee. Can you tell from my face that I'm dreading the next moment? Because I DID NOT want to put it in my mouth.

There is a photo of me patting out the fry-bread. It starts in a little dough ball and then you use your fingers to press it into a disk slightly bigger than your palm. Then you pat it back and forth as if you were clapping and rotating your wrists 180 degrees each clap. I'm getting much better at it. I haven't been taught how to make the dough yet. All I know is that they eyeball it and use flour, baking powder, salt and water. That's it. The same recipe and technique for patting it out is used for fry-bread and tortillas. I prefer the tortilla... less grease. Oh, and instead of using vegetable oil, they use LARD! Tastes great, but makes you want to roll over and die when the meal is over. You wonder why I've put on 20 pounds since I left home! Well, I can't think of what else to say. Do you have any questions for me?

Making fry-bread. It is actually round (instead of being lop-sided and messed up!)

Love you!

Sister Melinda Wilkins