Another exciting week full of new adventures. We left at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday and drove to Monument Valley. The new trailer for the Seniors up there had only a wobbly metal porch. So the Zone leader made arrangements for some of us to get together and build a new, wooden porch for them. There ended up being four sisters and six elders (all senior missionaries) who came to help. I said it looked like a High Priest service project seeing all those guys working together on the porch. There wasn't much the sisters could do, but be in the way. So we hung out in the church and enjoyed the day visiting, fixing lunch, etc. We spent most of another day in Tohlakai working on the RV there and making two trips to Gallup to pick up parts.

My foot had started hurting me in the joint by the little toe. It just kept getting worse and swelling up. So I finally went to the doctor. He said that I had a bacterial infection just under the skin (cellulitis) and gave me a prescription. He advised me to stay off of it for a few days and try to elevate it as much as possible. Thank goodness the antibiotic is working. Most of the pain is now gone, but there is still a little swelling. The Branch President came by and assisted Owen in giving me a blessing which, I am sure, is the real reason it started improving.

Last week was the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock. It is really a big thing. Due to our trips and my foot, I wasn't able to see any of it. Owen did go up and spend a short while. We were assigned to man a booth representing the Church on Friday, but had to forfeit that opportunity to someone else.

Saturday we picked up the Sister Missionaries in Gallup and headed to Farmington for the Mission Conference. The one sister from Portland, Oregon has been out three months. She is training the new sister (been out less than a week) from California. We had received word earlier in the week that our visiting authority would be Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and two members of the Seventies. We pulled into a nearly empty parking lot (Owen always likes to be plenty early), and could see several men standing on the sidewalk talking. Two of the men we figured were security guards by the way they were acting. Then we realized that Elder Holland was there among the group. We went ahead and got out of the truck. He started getting into a car, then said he wanted to shake hands with these people before he left. He came over to the truck and shook hands with all of us, as did the members of the Seventy. Then he said he would be back in an hour, got in the car, and left. Our timing was perfect! That was really special to be able to shake hands with a General Authority. The Bishoprics and Branch Presidencies had a four hour meeting with him in the morning, and Elder Holland shook hands with all of them. The next meeting was for the Stake Presidents. Then the meeting for the missionaries (prospective missionaries in the missionary prep. classes in the area were also invited) finished off the day. We were privileged to have a two-hour meeting (which stretched into 2 ½ hours) with them. Only a few people got to shake hands with Pres. Holland as he was coming in or leaving the Chapel. So that made us feel even more special. I was excited that we had the opportunity to shake their hands and especially excited for the new sisters that were with us. A neat experience to be taught by a general authority who testified so adamantly about the importance of missionary work. Definitely something to write about in our journals.

Another special event happened on Saturday We had a grandson baptized. When we called to talk to him, he wanted to know when we were coming home. I told him it wouldn't be until he finished the second grade. He told me he was lonesome without us being home. It is the grandkids and moments like this that can make serving and being away from family hard. Sure do love them; and hopefully, we are setting an example for them of the importance of doing the Lord's work.

Sunday the young girls we are teaching had their baptismal interviews. The Zone leaders came out from Gallup and met with them at our Church. They were pretty nervous and didn't know what to expect. But they did fine, and we are so proud of them. Their baptismal date is set for the 20^th. We can't do it this coming weekend because of stake conference.

In amongst all our comings and goings and pampering my foot, we were able to squeeze in several visits to people in our area and lessons for our investigators.

The work of the Lord continues to go forth here in the Lupton area.