My First Area

7/11/12
I got the package that you mailed when I left the mission home on the 10th. My Trainer is Elder Bankhead from east of Pocatello.  He is a farm boy and that is what he wants to be when he goes home.  We are in Ramah, New Mexico, which is 45 minutes south of Gallup, which is where our district meets and the zone leaders are.

We drove 3 hours last night to get here.  The area holds Ramah, all the Zuni rez and all the Navaho rez but we mostly work with the Zuni.

Oh, and my trainer is only at 4 months.  Gotta go.

7/16/12

Yes, I have more than just Ramah, we have the whole Zuni res as well and a part of the Navajo res around Ramah. Yes, I got the water pictures in the package and I got the candy and thought that it was kinda funny.

I love the area. The people are so kind, the Zunis will give you food or water when you go into their homes, as a show of respect for what you are doing. We met a man who is kind of a perpetual investigator, and he does lots of stuff with the culture and stories down here, which will be really interesting and helpful to talk with him. 

Most of the work we do is down in Zuni, simply because the people of Ramah are baptized or they don't want to be at all. Most of our appointments fall through though. We had a whole day that was full of appointments and then we had none of them go through. And the ones we have taught always have the one thing that is holding them back, like common law marriage or the priesthood or other stuff, but its always just the one thing.

And 78* is a very cool day out here. Most days its up in the 90's if not more. Almost every evening there is a rainstorm or lightning and thunder, although they somehow miss Zuni and Ramah. 

My companion gave me a letter that Wilford Woodruff wrote talking about the natives, that said most of the Pueblo Indians are actually Nephites and that the other tribes that were raiders or nomads were usually Lamanites. When I see the people and the attitudes and the history, I really believe it. There is such a difference between Zuni and Navajo, in looks as well as in work attitude and focus. Zuni jewelery is way better than Navajo stuff, usually. 

My companion, Elder Bankhead is cool. He is a farm boy from Malta, Idaho area, worked as a diesel mechanic for years before he came out. He's 26. He and President Gibbons have got me heading to the gym and working out in the early morning. I don't know what else to say about him. 

I have really been working hard to do everything like I should and be exactly obedient, its not that hard but you have to work for it. President Benson once said that "When obedience ceases to become an irritant, and becomes our quest, then will God endow us with power." or something really close to that. That is my goal and my quest. I began reading Jesus the Christ by James A. Talmadge and I really like it. There is so much knowledge there to learn and to have brought to my understanding, I may want a copy sent out later. 

I have eaten more beans than I would really like to have in the past couple days but that's what the food is down here so that's what I'll eat. Oh, and I ate sheep stomach but that's no biggie. Well, that's all I've got this week.

Love

Elder Huff