Details for Dad

November 28, 2011 (email)

Dad,

Dang, I'm a bad letter writer! You might want to put your questions and my answers on the blog for everyone else too. Okay, here goes...

1) Dad: We loved the details in your last letter. Could we get more of this? For example, you happened to mention that the dogs come back to the trailer to get food (so we know you live in a trailer, not a house or apartment) but you never describe it.
Sister Wilkins: We have a trailer. We call it The Ark because its the biggest one on the reservation and it has a giant ramp leading up to it. It is stationed perpendicular to the Seminary building/trailer across from the high school. It opens into a LARGE living room. There is a hall down the right with 2 rooms. One for study, and the other for all kinds of junk that has been left over the years. Next to the living room is a kitchen, LARGE thing. Then a short hallway to the left with washer and dyer, and a bathroom about the size of Della's bedroom. Our room is big, and we each have queen sized beds! The Elders are really jealous.

2) Dad: What is a typical day like?
Sister Wilkins: Our day starts at 6:30. We get up at 6:15, get dressed, and walk across the 2 lane highway to walk the track at the high school. From 7-8 we get ready. 8-9 is personal study. 9-11 is companion study. Then proselyting. Wednesday night is Young Women's and a Relief Society book club for the New Daughters in Our Kingdom book. Thursday night is Young Single Adults, which we are in charge of, and we play basketball or volleyball at the church.

3) Dad: How many people do you usually teach? What are their names? Could we pray for them by name?
Sister Wilkins: We teach mostly less active families that want to get involved again, and they always have children that are overage that they want to get baptized. We haven't been tracting this entire transfer because we've been busy. I could tell you their names. For now, here's one: Jasper (Jay) Deale. He lives an hour away from the church and doesn't have a car. He's a less-active man who was baptized as a kid with his mom but she stopped coming immediately. He is a long lost friend of mine from the pre-mortal life. I know it. I was sent to Shiprock for him. Please pray that he will find joy in the scriptures, that he will understand their teachings, and that he will be able to make it in for church.

4) Dad: How often do you chop wood? Is it scheduled or do you just ask an investigator/member if you can do service for them and you go out and chop wood in your dress? Do you have gloves?
Sister Wilkins: We chop wood for members a lot. We usually do it 2-3 times a month. I have gloves, because I was getting calluses. I'm a good little chopper. Elder Buynak and I have a pioneer work ethic and we chop and chop while our companions sort of stand around. We bring jeans and sneakers almost everywhere just in case someone needs help. I always change, but I wouldn't put it past me to chop in a skirt, it can TOTALLY be done. Actually, people are always surprised when they see me chopping wood. I'm little, but I'm a tough little bugger, and I don't give up on a piece easily.

5) Dad: How is it that you got to go to Four Corners? Isn't that out of your area. Or is your Shiprock area so large that it includes Four Corners?
Sister Wilkins: Shiprock District is HUGE! It covers Shiprock, TeesNosPos, and Toadalina. Four Corners is in Tees' area, like, 5 minutes from their trailer.

6) Dad: Your truck was low on allowable mileage so you had to walk home from the store in the rain. Do you get extra mileage because the reservation is so large? How do you get to go off-roading using 4-wheel drive, doesn't that use up your mileage?
Sister Wilkins: We have 1300 miles a month. Which is about 33 miles a day and we are really proud of ourselves when we do a 20 mile day, but every Wednesday when we drive to Red Valley, we easily do 90 miles. If we are smart with our miles, we have left over at the end of the month, and if we don't use them, our allotment will shrink, so we go exploring...

7) Dad: Does Shiprock have a regular sized chapel, or is a phase one building like Grandpa and Grandma had in San Carlos? Do you have a baptismal font or do you have to go somewhere else to find one?
Sister Wilkins: Shiprock has a good sized chapel, it is a normal little thing. One of the kind where everything is placed on a diagonal. The rooms are wonky shaped because the rectangle of the building is at 45 degrees to the rectangle of the chapel and gym. The building in Tees is tiny. Much smaller than the San Carlos building. We have a font, but Tees and Toad have to come in and use ours.

8) Dad: You've mentioned that there are also Elders in Shiprock. Is the area divided geographically, or do you dived it by the type of investigator you are teaching? Do the members give you referrals, or do you do a lot of tracting?
Sister Wilkins: The Elders are in charge of the North and East sides of Shiprock and we cover far West and deep South. We have the fun stuff.

As for Christmas...They ask us not to give out our PO box address, but they don't do anything to us if we do. If the package is sent Priority they can forward it to us in Shiprock. If not, we have to wait until we go into town, which is once or twice a month. They probably want them in early so that they can forward them before transfers, because the week before they start holding them until they know where everyone is going. Send it to the mission office, and it will get to me before transfers, and if it doesn't, I'll have to go to Farmington for transfers anyways.

I love you. Sorry I'm bad with details!

Sister Melinda Wilkins

Thanksgiving

November 28, 2011 (email)

Hello everyone. This may be short because I wrote a long letter to dad...hopefully he will post it on the blog.

This week was rough numbers-wise because we had 2 p-days (Thanksgiving) and a zone conference. But Thanksgiving was great!

We went to our Ward Mission Leaders home with just him and his wife. Sister Kesler and I came early at 9 to cook food while the Ward Mission Leader and the Elders went to chop wood. We finished and all sat in the living room. Sister Walser had the Thanksgiving day parade on TV, and she watched while Sister Kesler gave her a foot massage and I wrote in my journal and tried to do letters. The Elders came back totally beat, but we made them stay awake and eat. We were totally surprised that we didn't have any sheep at Thanksgiving. We had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, jello, yams, bread, cranberry stuff, and a bunch of other goodies. I was amazed at how much I packed in. For how small I am, I was able to eat as much as everyone else. They all watched as I sat and tried to finish it. They made me show I had swallowed like in Fear Factor.

We were all too full to do much, so we decided to go on a walk, and the Walsers suggested the actual Shiprock. They brought their dogs and it was funny watching them follow Elder Buynak all over the place. He's a monkey and climbs everything and the dogs were always by his side. You'd see him reach a peak and then pop! the dogs show up beside him.

We came back and had dessert: ice cream, yummy raspberry stuff, pumpkin pie, cheese cake and something else tasty. It was a really relaxing day.

We have a baptism this weekend...which means there will be tons of opposition this week. Ugh, but glad game: someone is entering the gate to the CELESTIAL KINGDOM!!! IT doesn't get much better than that. The little boy's name is Kamriyano Tyler. He's 12. He's way smart and quick. He's excited to get the priesthood and be able to go to the temple with his mom ( who is working on going to do baptisms for the first time in years!)

Well, I love you all!

Love,

Sister Melinda Wilkins

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

SHEEP!!!!!!!

November 22, 2011 (email)

GUESS WHAT!!!! WE HELPED BUTCHER A SHEEP!!!! It was AMAZING and TERRIBLE at the same time!

We went to do service at a member's home, went around back to chop wood, and TADA!! All of their extended family was there butchering. But it gets better: all of their extended family are less-actives and investigator families that we are working with!!!! We didn't even know they were related! Sis. Kesler got all into holding the innards. Gross. I didn't want to, but by the end I had held everything, poked the bucket of blood, watched them squeeze the poop from the intestine, and got blood splattered on me!

I thought we could sneak off, but no. We got roped into making Achee'ee. Its a terrible thing! Strands of fat, wrapped in INTESTINE!!! HORRIBLE!!! Then they made us eat it! I had vowed when I got to Shiprock that I would never touch the stuff. That worked well, because I not only touched it, but I made it, and then ate it. But it gets worse. I ate it from the bloody fingertips of the sister who had cleaned out the sheep and squeezed the poop out! It's AMAZING that I didn't die from food poisoning. I didn't even burp up the nasty taste. It was bad. You chew and chew and chew and chew and chew and chew and nothing happens, so you have to "SWALLOW IT WHOLE!!" (That quote was for you Ashlee and Charli.) Then we had all the other parts of the sheep. Plus fry bread, which I made by myself!!! Perfect circles! And I made dumpling stew: ripped up dough tossed in the boiling water that is cooking chunks of meat.

But is that the end of the crazy things they fed us?!? NOOOOO!!!!! They cut off the head, burn the hair off on the grill, and then wrap it in tin foil and they cook it for a few hours. Then they split the head open and fed us the TONGUE! BRAINS! and EYEBALL!!!! I ate them allllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe myself. The tongue was the best part of the whole sheep. The eye was like a fried egg with an olive sliver. And the brains were like hot rice pudding (in texture) they start out solid in your mouth, but then disintegrates into nothing. UGH! But they all taste like a barnyard. Ugh ugh ugh. We just laughed and giggled through the whole thing. I didn't have my camera, but they did. They printed off the photos yesterday and I will send them in the mail next week.

I attached a photo of me and Sis. Kesler. I really like it. You can tell how large of a girl she is. She towers over me and all the people here. They ALWAYS comment on how tall she is.


I also put a picture of me and Jay. He is probably one of the reasons I was sent to Shiprock. He lives out in Red Valley, so we only see him once a week, and it kills me. He is a less-active and he is amazing. He's an artist and he is making a custom Navajo pot for me. I'm so excited.


Then there is a picture of one of the elder's creations. The ward set up all the tables and chairs for a thanksgiving dinner, but we needed to move them for our YSA basketball. The elders got creative and TADA and Rameumptom (or however you spell it.)

WE had a miracle on Sunday! THEY OPENED THE OVERFLOW FOR THE CHAPEL!!!! For the second week in a row we had over 170 people!! (Instead of only 110.) AMAZING!!! Let's keep it up.

I hope this was a slightly more interesting letter, my last few have been sad and short. I have a challenge for you all this Thanksgiving week. Get a big piece of paper, and fill it completely with all the blessings in your life. Be specific and think. For example, at the top of my list would be my family and the gospel and specific blessings from following commandments. But right beneath that is toilet paper, bag balm, and stretchy clothing. Please do it. One last request, please have family prayer kneeling down every night: with family members or roommates. Please.

I love you!!!
Love, Sis. Wilkins

Overwhelmed

November 15, 2011 (email)

I can't even think straight. I just heard about Dad's surgery, and I'm totally shocked and thrilled. I can't believe it happened! Can't believe it! We waited for this so long, and I can't believe it. I'm just sitting here, and I can't think straight I'm so excited and thankful.

Yesterday we had the miraculous blessing of going to the Monticello Temple as a mission. It was amazing!! I couldn't believe how strong the Spirit was, and how close I felt to Heavenly Father. I sobbed and sobbed in the Celestial room. IT was wonderful beyond words.

Things in Shiprock have really picked up. We are working with a lot of less active families and we had the highest sacrament attendance I have ever heard of. We had over 170 people in comparison to the average 110. WOAH! We couldn't believe our eyes. They blessed the sacrament 3 TIMES!!!!!

Its finally frozen here. It snows lightly, but melts before it hits the ground. We have to clean our windshield off with credit cards every morning.

We are still working with crummy computers, so I will send photos next week. Hopefully I will be able to send a better letter. This was a pretty sad letter.

Love, Sis. Melinda Wilkins

November

November 7, 2011 (email)

Hello Everyone! Happy November!!

Well, I sent 2 photos of my Halloween pumpkin. I couldn't figure out what to do, so Elder Buynak and I decided to go all missionary on it. We carved the Plan of Salvation. It was a 2 person job. We had a pre-mortal life, veil, earth life, paradise/prison, "judgement", and the 3 kingdoms. I'm actually pretty happy with it. Bummer though, we didn't have any candles. We had to turn off the lights in the kitchen at the church, and hold it up to one of the spot lights. It looked pretty cool. I think we did a good job, especially because Sis. Thomas broke all of our carving knifes in the first five minutes. We accomplished our feat with switch blades and crummy steak knifes.

There is another photo of me on a tractor. I think I'm pretty stinking cute on it! I was trying to imitate the one we have of Grandpa Wilkins when he was a boy, but wearing a skirt and nice coat looks really different from thermals and a hat.

This week I got Sis. Kesler as my new companion. She is a combination of Kristin Lang and Cameron Smithson. So...We are going to get along very well. She is 6 foot even, and built like a linebacker. She is a tough cookie, in the most endearing way. She is really creative and writes songs and stories. She thinks I'm the silliest thing around (and I might be.) She loves Manheim Steamroller and we might listen to it 3+ times a day. We do a lot of giggling, thank heavens...I've missed that.

We did have a miracle this week: we got back in the door with 2 investigators who had pretty much dropped us. I guess they didn't bond well with Sis. Thomas, but they loved Sis. Kesler within the first 2 minutes. HOORAY!!! Oh how I love these girls! They are amazing.

Here is the BIGGEST NEWS OF THE CENTURY!!!! For the first time ever, the New Mexico Farmington Mission is going to have a TEMPLE DAY!!!! All of the missionaries are going to travel to Monticello and participate in a session. There are a couple different session through the day, but it will be only us missionaries. They don't rent clothing there, so we have to borrow from members. Most areas wouldn't have a problem with that, but we don't have a ton of endowed people. Let alone someone who is Sis. Kesler's size. We did find a larger woman who is willing to sew fabric on the bottom of her dress, and we thought we had made it to cloud nine. One of my favorite sisters in the ward is exactly my size and said I could borrow her clothing. Everyone is so excited. We all start to glow as we talk about it. I hope everything works out so that we can go without any complications.

I love you all! so very much!

Sharla and Alex, Congratulations!!

Sis. Wilkins.

sorry this was so short, I had extremely limited time

Happy Halloween!!

Monday, October 31, 2011 (email)

Hallo, Happy Ween!

What a week: filled with stress, joy, giggles, tears, and sore muscles.

On Monday we drove out to Four Corners...not as big a deal as you think it might be. But I did buy a magnet (sarcastic woot.) And a turquoise ring. I wasn't going to do it, but Elder Buynak saw it and went nuts over it. (he rarely shows emotion, so I knew he must REALLY like it). It is stinking cute, and I've never seen one like it. We also drove out to a waterfall. When I say drove, I mean off-road in a truck. The road was really just a wash that had trees on either side. I have never seen a car do what we forced out truck to do. IT WAS AWESOME!!

We had rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. So much rain! Then we had to drive out to Red Valley and cove. WAY FAR. MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD . Plus a couple rivers that weren't there the week before. We were fish tailing and sliding all over the place. Fun until Sister Thomas almost got us stuck. I was not excited to get out and push us out. Thank heavens for 4-wheel drive!!

Saturday night was the Ward Trunk or Treat. As you can see, "I'm a beautiful Butterfly!!!" (name that movie.) I have been so excited for this costume for a MONTH! and look at my make up!! ITS AWESOME!!! I've never done anything like it before, but I think I did a pretty good job.

Saturday night was really stressful. One, because of the activity: it wasn't our responsibility at all, but everyone left us missionaries to do the whole thing. Two, because it was transfer news night. NOT EXCITED!! I was freaking out. (Ask the elders, they were getting antsy because I was so jittery.) I did not want to leave, AT ALL. Well.......DRUM ROLL PLEASE.........I'm staying in Shiprock!!! YAY me! I love it here, and I hate the idea of going to the city. I often wish I was an elder so I could stay on the reservation as long as I can. The only other place kinda res is Gallup. And even then its a city that touches res. Oh, I hope I don't leave Shiprock until after Christmas!!

This week's letter isn't very interesting. Sorry. Life isn't tremendously interesting. Oh, but fun fact: my zone leader hates my guts!! And I'm loving every minute of it!!!! :) I'm totally serious! He thinks he's something really special, and acts all high and mighty. (I compare him to turd bucket from high school). Most people just ignore him, but I wasn't going to let him make fun of me and walk all over me and my companion, so I call him out on stuff. I'm quick witted enough that I can get him speechless. Its fun.

Well, I love you all. Stay safe! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sis Melinda Wilkins