At least I'm pretty sure that's what it means. Or it's just someone who isn't Native. Probably that.
My first week on the Navajo Reservation has been great! Crazy, but great! It rained a lot of this week, but it was so pretty to see all of these beautiful rock formations against the gray clouds :) Love it.
First, let me tell you about the ward. I'm back in a ward! It's the Window Rock ward, which covers St. Michaels (me and Sis. Heck and Sis. Clark), Fort Defiance (elders), and Window Rock (elders). So it's a big area, but the 3 sets of missionaries are split up over it pretty evenly. Getting fed dinner is kind of weird because members sign up to feed one set of missionaries, or all the sets of missionaries. So this last week we had dinner with a member who fed us and all the elders....it's weird to like hang out with elders...
Anyways, back to the ward! There's white people in it besides us!! Well mostly me and Sis. Heck because Sis. Clark is half Navajo. And let me tell you, there's an incredible spirit that comes when people bear their testimonies in Navajo. The language is so descriptive, and sentences are so much longer. But i just sat in amazement to hear people declare boldly the things they have come to know, but who sound like they're just making noises. It's incredible.
I HAD PIZZA. Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten pizza?? It's been at least 3 months, probably more like 4. It's crazy. Man that stuff tasted so good!!!
So day one on the Rez, stop number one, we met a man named Anthony. He's an adlani (aht-lan-ee). That means drunkard. Sooooo yep apparently that happens a lot here. He talked to us forever and at one point he came up to me and said "I have a heart. Touch my heart" and he stood there waiting for me to touch his chest!! So I like barely tapped him, and then he made my companions feel his heart too, then he's like, now I'll touch yours. WHAT!? So he came back around and touched our hearts. Luckily he wasn't a creep, he just used like the tips of his fingers to touch kind of under my collar bone, but still it was freaky!! Welcome to the Rez.
I harvested potatoes this week too :) That was fun. New experience.
Also, let me tell you about a girl named Mariah. She's 16 and she's going to be baptized a week from this Saturday (so on the 13th). She's so dang cute, and I love her to death! She wants so badly to be baptized, and she loves the gospel so much! She also has a mental handicap, but she is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet. And she loves going to mutual and seeing all the girls there, and everyone is so nice to her. I love it! I wish I could send you pictures of it, but nope.
We also met a lady this week who's name is Virginia. And remember that He is the Gift video? Well we watched it with her after dinner at a member's home, and she started crying because it meant so much to her. And the member cried as she testified of Jesus Christ and invited her to take the lessons and meet with the missionaries. And she accepted!! GUYS!! You have that power!! You don't need a name tag or good tracting shoes to help people come closer to Christ!! You already are missionaries, and you have the power to invite others to come unto Christ, as well.
So your challenge this week (hopefully you watched the Christmas Devotional last night) is to figure out something that you want to work on because of the Christmas Devotional, and then work on it. And study it everyday and get better! That's the secret to happiness you know.
And your scriptures this week are Alma 41:10-11 and Helaman 13:38.
I love you all!! You are great people, and capable of so much!
Sister Gayiisii (gah-ee-see, which means one who missed the rabbit in Navajo, which is the Navajo translation of Garcia)
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