December 16

Mom,

I am doing great! I am definitely following your instructions with the advent package and with the 12 Days of Christmas. I started the 12 Days of Christmas on Saturday though, so the last day would be the day of Christmas, should I move it forward one day? I already got the package with the sweater and I actually opened the gift with the two white shirts already since the package said open now. Thank you for sending them to me! We'll be going to the mission office tomorrow so we should be getting the packages either then or by mail tomorrow or something. Thank you so much for sending the sweater! I can't wait to wear it tomorrow.

Do you see the missionaries more often now that our stake has its own set? That's nice if you guys to help them out! I am loving the scarf that we chose, it's conservative yet classy and has a nice pattern. It matches these new cordovan shoes I got from the thrift shop for 5 dollars too!

BIA stands for Bureau of Indian Affairs. It is within the Department of the Interior in our federal government and, as one might imagine, runs nearly all "Indian Affairs" for the federal government. Reservations are basically independent of the state, but aren't classified as states, so they have direct access to the federal government through the BIA, opposed to the traditional set up of Federal government to State government to other local governments. However, because the reservation doesn't have these other governments set up and works directly with the federal government without any kind of state government to write and publish policy autonomously, it does make things work quite differently here. These are things to ponder more on when I come home.

I'm not sure if we will be able to email the next two weeks because Dine College Library will be closed and there's not any other computers we can use in Shiprock so we'll have to figure things out with our zone leaders and mission president to do stuff. If anything, I can probably send you a time through the Watts or something. I'll see my zone leaders later today or tomorrow and I'll ask them!

Yes! I am very glad that with $100 in gas and a weekend I can go visit people from my mission so that will be nice and I'll be able to keep some of the relationships I build with members and investigators down here will be able to go on past my mission!

I hope everything goes well for you all this week! I love you very much and will be praying for a good Christmas for you all back home! I'm glad the whole family is able to get together.

Ya'at'eeh Keshmesh! "Merry Christmas" or "Christmas is well" in Navajo. We've been learning a lot more Navajo the past few weeks because one of the old bishops in our ward is teaching us twice a week for about an hour each time! A'hee'hee shima doo nihi baa a'hee'nisin. Hozho'o nanina!

Love and regards,
Elder Schaelling