Hi Everyone, I can't believe I haven't written since Sept.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a quite Christmas, but was very busy
 before and after.
   Christy and Ken and the kids, and Andrew Jiles came to see us just before Thanksgiving.
they only could stay overnight, we had a good visit, it was wonderful.
   We took them for a ride around the reservation. they met Lucy Gorman, the lady who made me a weaving loom, I am learning to weave Navajo Rugs it's fun and hard at the same time.
   We also took them to meet Wilma and Darren Begay and their family, She taught me how to weave on a piece of cardbord. Darren cuts wood for the widows and single moms here and we deliver it.  We took them for a ride up on a ridge where we pick up the wood. It's real high with a cliff on both sides. the kids rode in the back of the truck I thought they would like that.

   We had Thanksgiving with the other Missionaries, in Chinle AZ their were about 60 of us.
We had a Branch Thanksgiving Dinner, and a Branch Christmas Party. A boy Scout Troop from Phonix area brought the kids Christmas toys and Oranges ( about 20 -10# bags) We seperated about 10 bags in 1/2 so we delivered themto 30 families. that was fun.

   Between Christmas and New Years,  Friday night Kelly, Daleen, Mae (her mom) and the kids
surprised us and came to visit. they got to stay until about noon on Monday. We took them to Canyon Deche, it's like a small Grand Canyon. they went to church with us and met lot's of Navajo People. A boy named Quinton ( age 10 ) spent the afternoon playing in the snow with
Morgan and Trevor. they thought it great to play with a real Indian  who could speak  Navajo and English.
   We spent New Year's day with some senior Missionaries in  Window Rock, AZ. 
Oh yes,  I forgot to tell you we got our first snow about a week before Christmas  only a couple of inches, but we got more every few days. it got down to -14 degrees here but most of the time it's about 20. they last few days it's warmed up to the 40s hey snow is almost melted so now we have mud.  right after new years we had broken pipes in the Chapel, It's a double wide trailer with 2 bathrooms and a small Relief Society room ( holds about 14 sisters.)  ony way it flooded about 1/3 of the Chapel and the other rooms, after Elder Rice got the water turned off, we started to remove the water on the floor with a snow-shovel and a mop. finally a man came with an extrater and a heater with ablower and fixed one bathroom.  He came back and fixed the other one and patched the walls later. We had church in our small Primary room in the other building for 3 weeks.

   Yesterday we had Branch Conference.  Pres Brown wanted 76 people there, so we invited everyone we visited for the last 2 weeks. We usualy have  20 or 30 people for church, we thought if we had 50 we would be doing good. We told them we were having lunch afterwards.
Can you believe we had 81 people there for Church, about 12 were Stake people but it was wonderful.  I know the Lord helps us when we need it and he touched the people, and they came.

   Well I better go and finish dinner I already burned the Potatoes. Elder Rice is picking up a load of wood.  We sure miss all of you, we are past 1/2 way, it sure has gone fast see you next Summer. all our LOVE    Elder and Sister Rice

Hi everyone;
It's been a long time since i've written on our blog, so here goes.

First I wanted to show you our gardens here on the rez. We have been working with about 20 families with their gardens. This is what they looked like in July.

Yatahey (hello) everyone

I have been taking pictures of the animals here, it is open range so they are everywhere. These are from our porch.

These are Angora Goats

This was our Golf Tournamant in July.

This is Peter Yazzie and his Grandson

Hi everyone,  We have had a busy week here in Steamboat AZ. Last Monday on our P-day (preperation day) We decided to visit Canyon de Chelly (prononced de'shey) near Chinle,AZ.  The canyon is longer than the Grand Canyon, actually 2 canyons, but it's not as deep. It doesn't have a river running threy it but on the vally floor is farms and old ruins, some are over thousands of years old. some of the farms are still being used today. We took lots of pictures so you can see for yourself how big it is.

you can see the old peblo village

here are some farms on the valley floor

This is Spider Rock

This is White House overlook,see the house looks white in the cave.

We had a good time, but it was a lot of walking,we were sure tired when we got home.if we were younger it would be nice to ride horses down in the Canyon.

We have a new Great Grandson Colton Bastin was born June 27th 2012, at 1am  he weight 6# 2oz and was 18ins. long. He was born to Chantel Pennington Bastin and Dean Bastin in Olympia WA. Mother and baby are doing fine. We are so happy to welcome this little boy into our family. We wish we could go visit him, but we are busy serving the Lord in Steamboat AZ When we are finished here next May we plan to visit him and his family.



On a sadder note we have lost 3 very dear friends this last Month First an old friend from Grants Pass OR Deloy Armstrong passed away at 84 years of age. We knew Deloy and his wife Marge and thier family in the 70's. we were both building home's in Grants Pass. Our older children grew up with theirs. Deloy was a great friend in the Gospel and  an example to Bill and I and our family.

In Mountain Home AR a dear friend Levi Oveson also passed away, he to was 84 and a wonderful friend. He was one of the first to welcome us to Mountain Home and always made us feel at home in our new ward. he always had a big smile and a hearty handshake. We will miss his love and concern for us.

then in Longview WA a distant cousin and wonderful friend passes away. Sharon and her husband Val lived in Grants Pass in the 70's our children grew up together. Val passed away Last year, We know they are happy together again. We are thankful that last Sept. we were able to have a wonderful visit with Sharon. She will always be close to our hearts.

We are blessed to have known these wonderful Brothers and Sister in the Gospel they were great examples to us of Brotherly Love and careing for the people around them. They will be greatly missed here on earth but are welcomed with opened arms of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. They are wonderful examples of enduring to the end.

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't written for awhile, we seam to get so envolved in our work that the days go so fast.We have met some wonderful people here. Every week we find a few more. It's like doing you Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching everyday. We try to find people we haven't met yet and then visit the ones we know, to see how they are doing. Most of them have gardens at different stages of development.  they all need encourgment and help.  The couple we took to get their Marriage Licence last Mo. have finnaly set a date.its next Sat July 7th at 11 am here at the Chapel.

We went to a Stampede (Rodeo)  the first of June. It was fun. they don't have bleachers to sit on so you either sit on your horse or sit in your truck. We sat in our truck.   This is a couple of boys who were riding around and around the arena 

                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                           

These little girls were going for a cool drink.

Hi everyone hope this blog find s ya'all doing well we're dong fine.Yesterday was our 53rd anniversery did'nt celebrate much was to busy. It seems in the last two weeks everyone wanted to garden at the last minute, so we've been busy hauling sawdust, fertilizer,seeds and the rototiller everywhere.So far we have put on 6400 miles on our poor old truck since we left home At that rate I am not sure who is going to fall apart first the truck or me.Sister Rice taught the Relief Society sisters how to make laundry soap last night.Today we have 3 or 4 families to visit, one needs a blessing. There is only one Priesthood holder available to assist me.I have to convince sister Gorman to speak in sacrament meeting with me sunday, also the rototiller needs delivered to sister Silver. Guess I had better get started daylight is burning
Love you all Elder and Sister Rice

Yah ta hey ya all. What a gorgeous sabbath day. We had 37 people in sacrament meeting today.Only 5 of us were'nt Navajo. President Bitsoie setup the sacrament table each Sunday and only used one slice of bread and 26 cups of water.I blessed the sacrament and of course we ran out of bread and I had to go to the kitchen get another slice, break and bless it again. He only set up 26 cups so I had to do same thing with the water, what a great problem to have. We're able to set up a teaching assignment for tuesday afternoon with Delores and her daughter Candice. It will be another busy week, we have to take the rototiller to another 5 gardens and get another load of sawdust. Beginning to learn everyones name. We get hugs from all the little kids and some grandma's. One fellow we have met named Ernest is a great guy he helps all of his neighbors around him and is a latter-day-saint but does'nt know it. I tell him my goal in the next year is to get him wet. He laughs and says a lot of missionaries have tried with no success. Well you all have great day and week. Hug all our grandkids for us. Love ya. 
Elder and Sister Rice

Ya ta hey everyone we hope everyone is doing well. We have been very busy this last week. Had a District meeting with President Jones and Sister Jones wednesday. That was special they will be leaving us in about a month.We will be getting a new Mission President President and Sister Batt. We have been picking up loads of sawdust for peoples gardens and delivering the rototiller from garden to garden so they can be planted. The sawdust is needed to help loosen the soil because it is so hard. One funny thing happened, at Sister Julia Hildreth's home the garden was all prepared for planting and her grandson Amelio went to plant th seed potatoes we gave her, he could'nt find them. It turned out Sister Julia cooked them for dinner. She is 75 and a sweetheart. Sister Rice and I planted a little garden between our trailer and the fence yesterday. We have go to gallup Monday to get plywood to fix a gate and block behind our steps so the  animals can't get in. A few days ago I heard a bell tinkeling looked out our door and there was a flock of sheep there. Have had great week the Lord is blessing us every day. May the Lord bless each of you especially our children and grandchildren. Love you all.
Elder and Sister Rice.

I have been taking a lot of pictures, here are a few.

                 

              Went to our first Baptism in Ganado, AZ. A young woman and her son.  Elder Rice conducted and I led the Music. First time I'd led music in 20 years. but I did OK. They have Player Piano's here you punch in a # and tell it Piano or Organ and it plays it for you. kind of cool. 

                                                                     Window Rock AZ

                                                          Capitol of the the Navajo Nation

This is the window in the rock. In front of it is a Park like area with a sidewalk circle where the flags of colors of the Navajo Nation. Red ,Yellow, Blue and White. each is a symbol of something they believe in.

I don't know just what, I'll find out. In front on the left is a statue of a Code Talker. During WW 2  they helped the Army build a code that the Japanese could not decipher. they started with only a handful of Navajo Men who developed the code from Navajo language. by the end of ww2 their were over 400 Code Talkers. this was all classified until about 1968 when they were declassified. and received some recognition. by then a lot of them had died.

                                                                                          Here's Elder Rice standing by the statue 

This is me with the couple we were taking to gat their Marriage licence. Their name's are  Cedric,and Leanna,the baby girl is Jordyn they are eager to get Married. so then they can be Baptized. they live across the street from the Church. Is'nt she a cutie.

  

these are some of the Navajo Nation Services Buildings

These are some trees along the Highway on the way out of town going back towards Steamboat, AZ they look a little like trees in OR ,only not as many.