OCR Text |
Show The following day the service is probably at a twenty-mile distant place known as Piute Farms, at the home of a man called Tall School, because once in the far distant past he. spent a few years in a school which was two stories high! The first time we went to Piute Farms it took us all day, as the wagon trail was hardly adequate for any kind of car, but soon after that a mine was developed nearby, and a dozer cleared us a "good" road so that we can make it in two hours now. Mr. Tall School likewise has married daughters and sons, though not as prolific as Bob, and we can expect a goodly grQUp. The farm is irrigated from the San Juan River and has produced corn for fortyodd years. One summer he complained that the crop was not doing so well, and the priest murmured something about nitrogen and the possible advantage of sowing beans or other legumes, but he said rio, it was because Father had not been coming for prayers as often as necessary. Perhaps · his faith is better than ours? . . The next outstation trip is probably to Navaho Mountain, in the far western corner of our area, and after that to ·Montezuma Creek, neal' the Colorado line. When some of the priests come who are planning to join us, we hope to expand this outstation work so as to cover even more completely our vast 2,000 square mile area. ' IF MORE were needed to emphasize our need for adequate equipment, as mentioned in our last Newsletter, consider the plight of the missionary on a recent return trip from Navajo Mountain. The trail is one that few car drivers care to attempt, but we have come to consider it quite ordinary, provided all is reasonably in order, mechanically. On this trip the brakes gave out completely only a few miles from the Mountain. Plugging the leaking line with a piece of belt helped only a few minutes, and it blew out. Trusting to low gears over washes and arroyos, your missionary negotiated the first hundred miles with caution and apparent security, when, at the crest of a hill that wound downward for a mile or more, and at a speed of some 30 m.p.h., the clutch gave out! Steering gear wa,.s the only remaining control, so there was nothing to do but head for the sagebrush, loop around up-hill -4- until the car came to a stop. Some Utes came along in a pickup a half hour later; they kindly took a note to the Mission and three or four hours later came the Mission pickup, and so we towed the helpless hulk, chained to the rear bumper of the pickup, buffered by an old tire, and got home before dawn! ~CHOOL AND MEDICAL WORK go on. y/e ha.v~ two boarders besides Jeannette, (who IS. growmg marvellously and learning fast!) RIght now the mumps are working havoc, but we hope the peak is past, and full attendance should soon be resumed. Helen works as hard with the few that come as with a roomful. The cliilic is seldom without a resident patient, and surrounding hoghans keep Catherine . on the jump for medicatipns of various sorts. Br. Juniper at the moment is deep in overhauling the poOl: worn-out light plant. BUT you want to know about reactions to our Appeal. First person who read it said, "This is not for me, it's for your millionaire friends-if any!" To which the reply was, "If everybody who reads it sends $1 a month we'll have our goal." The Appeal started going out November 11. First reply came on the 20th. To end of year 336 responded, witli a total of $4,877. Pledges came from 66 individuals or groups. We are definitely encouraged: one-tenth of our goal has been reached; many responses came from persons who had never sent us anything previously, and there are more than three thousand yet to be heard from. We know they will not fail us, and that while the First Ten Years may have been the hardest, the Next Ten Years will mark great progress for our Lord and His Church among the Navajo P eople. They are in your hands. -5- |