A Desolate Land Blossoms

Here is a video about the Hopi and Navajo Gardens that Elder Warnick talks about. 

Polacca Pictures

Pictures from Polacca

Sent on September 22, 2014

Church Gardens that are right by the church and their home

The Mission Truck--a Toyota Tacoma. Church building in the background.

Elder Hooton and the Dukepoo kids all playing Sorry. It looks like Elder Warnick might be losing, if he's blue.

Our Current Home-which is right on the church property too.

 The next three pictures all appear to be taken from the exact same spot. You can spot Elder Warnick's knee in the bottom of the pictures.

They use the big white board for planning.

Elder Warnick gets the top bunk. They have to drink bottled water too. The Rez water could make them sick.

Not a gourmet kitchen! But at least there is a microwave, fridge and stove.

Soon to be home. The Elders will be moving over here in a couple weeks. Looks like a nice upgrade for them! It's just across from their current home.

The View!

First Mesa

Pictures from the Missionary Training Center

MTC Workshop

Sister Fisher, in the middle, and Elder Warnick--the two Kuna 5th Warders in the MTC at the same time!

Elder Schroder, Elder Warnick with Sister Dawson (from KHS) and her companion.

MTC Teachers

District in front of the Provo Temple

Elders in the District

Elders with President Gallager and President Stice

The Farmington Elders: Warnick, Marsaw, and Thompson

The Zone

Elder Warnick x 2

Crazy People

District

Elders from the District, titled "Dorky"

Elder Campbell

Elder Lindsey

Elder Marsaw

Elder Marsaw

Elder McGregor from Jamaica

Elder Schroder

Elder Thompson

Elder English

Happy Thompson

Elder Schroder, he was tired

President Gallager, Elder Warnick, President Stice

All pictures were sent to us on September 22, 2014. They are from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah between August 20 to September 1, 2014. The captions are what Elder Warnick labeled all the pictures, except for the few explanations which I knew.

Week 3 in Hopi

September 22, 2014

 Well first I would like to say that this was the coldest week so far. It rained for 36 hours straight a couple of days ago and has been down in the 40's a couple of times. We catch all of the weather from Flagstaff and all of that has been coming from the Hurricane that hit the Baja California area. About the food, we don't have set dinner appointments, sometimes people call us up and we eat with them and the Hopi like to invite us in and randomly feed us when we knock. But over all we have 4 or 5 meals a week.

Well this week we had another investigator at church, Leroy A. (he's the one who hated the plan of salvation, but we got him straightened out) he also has a baptism date, so that's good. We went to K-town and did some tracting this week, well this is where the Rez dogs are mean. We were attacked by 6 and at one point we had a group of three surround us. Luckily we were able to make it through unscathed. We tracted into a Sioux Indian (married to a Hopi) named Bro. Morningstar he was a member but lost his faith after he was a Navy Seal sniper in Afghanistan and had to "take care of" children who had C-4 strapped to them. He's scarred from that, but he's also a really good father. He has 10 kids and none of them misbehave, we were there for an hour. He told us that when they fight all he tells them is fight a different kid at school instead, that way they'll just be bullying a different kid, apparently it gets the point across to the kids.

Well this was the first week that I've thrown-up my whole mission! It was only once, I'm doing a good job at controlling my anxiety.

Well here is something for you we have mice! We walked into our trailer and saw one climb into our air vents. My area and companion hold the mission record for the most mice caught,18 in a week, so we know what to do and will soon be rid of them.

We harvested form the church gardens on Saturday. The church has a program which my stake president started where they have gardens sponsored by the church and it helps people become more self sufficient. People have them at their houses and there are some at the church. At first Salt Lake didn't like this as a use of church funds and sent a member of the 70 out, but once President Justice showed him around they copied the program and now use it world wide. Well anyway we harvested 400 lbs of potatoes and also some onions and carrots (the onions were nearly as big as my head and the carrots were as big as my forearm). We spent most of yesterday handing them out to needy families.

This week was zone training and these are my favorite quotes from it.

"Like Moroni we must fortify our weaknesses and then focus on our strengths" -President Justice

"A missions is a 2 year refiner's fire on the highest setting" -Elder Tippetts

And my favorite one was told to Elder Tippetts and he shared it with us. "Elder you are work in progress. I would smooth the road out ahead of you, but the best sculptures are made with the sharpest tools"

Well that's it for this week.

Love,

Elder Warnick

Week Two in Hopi Land

September 15, 2014

Well this week was pretty good. Yesterday I gave a talk about discouragement and how to overcome it. I talked about the Israelites and how they wouldn't do the simple things to heal themselves of the fiery serpents (and yes dad I also used the Guinea Worm). I talked about how we must do the simple things and fight like dragons (Mosiah 20:11) against the things that are pulling us down.

We worked on a Recent Convert's sons house this week. He is not a member but we and another member were over there helping him. We had to rip our the floor to the foundation and clean out the rat poop, fill in holes with concrete and begin laying the floor once again. Afterwards we went back to Ralph and Flo's house (the recent converts) and had dinner. Malia the 2 year old girl, who talks really well loves us, but she didn't recognize us in normal clothes. When Hooton tried to pick her up she scream "Mommy! Save me!" it was hilarious.

Another funny thing is this... Bro. Linarte's mother is visiting, they are from Nicaragua. Well Sister Kamka, the senior sister missionary, asked Brother Linarte (who is engaged to a woman who doesn't live here) comes up to them and says "Oh is this your fiancee?"  He sits for a second and the replies "No, this is my mom." That was one of the highlights of sacrament meeting.

The other is that Ted came. He is a 25 year old that we are teaching. We had a lesson with him later that night and he loved church. I see a baptism in the future. However he does have some struggles when we taught him on Saturday he was giving himself a tattoo. we need to work on some stuff still.

Well there is nothing to do here. We are so isolated and only go into town (Tuba City) for district meeting on Thursdays. We have to drive 1.5 hours one way, it takes a lot of working time out of our day. It's been raining a lot here but it's nothing compared to Phoenix.

Well before I close I'll leave you with a thought. When Peter, James and, John gave Joseph Smith the priesthood how many of them had died? The answer is 2, one of them had been on the earth because he was given eternal life...

Well that's it for this week from Polacca and the rest of Hopi.
(The following is a p.s. e-mail sent about 10 minutes after the first.)

Also I have been really blessed in the past because Hopi food is very bland. I also see giant ravens all over the place. Well anyway...



Love,
Elder Warnick
 

Not the Lamanites

September 8, 2014

Hi Everyone!!!!!

About the pictures. I'll send some soon, but I can't take many. If I do I may get killed by the traditional people because of the sacred nature of the villages (I'm not kidding either). Old Oraibi is a village here and is the oldest continuously inhabited place on our continent. Non-natives are forbidden from entering it. It is pretty serious stuff.

So here's the scoop. I am having a great time. Elder Hooton is from billings Montana and we are getting along great. We cover the entire Hopi reservation we have a couple of really great investigators. Ted is struggling to stay clean from illegal drugs but he is progressing like a monster! Eric lives in a plywood shack because his family kicked him out. He is a recovering alcoholic and is mending ties with his family, he is also making good progress. And there is Leroy he is also doing very good he was an alcoholic (most people our here were) but has been clean for a few months. We committed him to a baptism date for October 25. for some reason he thinks that everyone who has heard the name Jesus should have been baptized and if they weren't or hadn't heard of him it is their own fault and they should "burn in hell" he really doesn't like the thought of the spirit world after we die. We were kind of stumped.

I forgot my Holland notes so I'll give them some other time. However when we were in Farmington (4 hours from Polacca) we went Wendy's. there were 5 Elders in the truck and they messed up our order so we knocked on the drive through window. Nothing... So our zone leader opens the window and starts yelling for someone's attention. We lost it, it was hilarious. But it was all repaired when we drove away we had given both windows a pass along card. Another funny thing is we taught an investigator who we hasn't been visited for a couple of months and when we asked him where he was with his reading he flipped randomly through until he landed in the index. (he wasn't being truthful).

Okay now here is the spirituality. I have a testimony that I am not among the Lamanites. Here is a background on the Hopi. Their legends say that they came across the sea in boats. (Think Book of Mormon). They were attacked for years by the Navajo tribe, but they couldn't defend themselves because they had buried all of their weapons. They were eventually protected by another tribe called the Tewa. (Sound familiar yet?). All of this was told to me by a very old Hopi-lady in our ward when we went to visit her. Now here is something cool. A few hours from where we are there are what looks like 70' tall cliff faces, but they are actually walls. centuries old stone walls that remind me a bit of the fortifications around the ancient cities.

Some more history and prophecies for you. The land is barren yet the Hopi prophecies say that is the richest land in the area. Modern scans show coal, oil, and diamonds underneath the Hopi reservation. They also prophesied that turtle-men would infest the land, what did the old Spanish armor look like? And here my favorite one...

They prophesied that their traditions would all die (I am witnessing it each day) and they would all run to a church to try to be saved. Along with this prophecy they say the 2 men in white with a line down the front will come to bring them this truth. (white shirt and a tie?). Wow this is amazing. It is difficult though because their traditions are so similar to our church that they think they don't need it. They baptize at age 8. They have eternal marriage, they have temples, now I don't want to make light of the temple but they even do some of the same things that we do. I won't go into detail.

Now some of this gets really deep so I'll stop now but I have never had a testimony of the Book of Mormon so strongly. I am being safe and having a great time.

Love,

Elder Warnick

First E-mail From the Mission Field

September 2, 2014 

Everyone,

I got to Farmington yesterday and today I was just assigned my trainer Elder Hooton we are serving in Polacca, Arizona on the Hopi Reservation. We live in a RV and the closest store is 1.5 hours away! But we do drive a Toyota Tacoma (it is really an awesome truck). I'm so excited but at the same time really nervous. My pinkeye is all better now. It is really dry here though. I went tracting for the first time last night and my first door was a Buddhist Lady with a dog named Obama. We were in the white ghetto part of Farmington and they were all kind of redneck. Most of the people shut us down and one didn't answer but I think he came out with a gun a few minutes after we were there because he thought that we were snooping (that's what happens when you tract at 8:00 at night). We did talk to some really amazing people thought and we even set up an appointment. I can constantly feel the spirit with me and I still feel very comforted. We Have to wear suits from conference to conference (unless it's over 70 but it's really not too bad). The area is Beautiful and I am just super excited. 

My P-day is Monday.

My mailing address is 

Elder Dallin Warnick

PO Box 832

Polacca AZ 86042

Here's something AWESOME!!! Elder Holland is coming to my mission on Saturday!!!!!! I am so excited. 

Bruce and Thayne keep up the good work! I Want you to keep pushing yourselves hard. Don't forget to do your homework, read your scriptures and pray. 

Hunter keep your head up, I really miss you buddy!

Luke I hope that you are feeling better, you are in my prayers.

Thanks for the cards. I love all of you!

Love, 

Elder Warnick

Sorry no pictures...my camera is in Arizona and I am in Farmington...