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Show M E S S AG E fro m Juniper Helen sturges Joan Eskell Oljeto, Utah (Box 157, Mexican Hat, Utah 84531) September, 1966 "Padr e , your friends all want to know where you are, what you're doing, and why", said Helen Sturges, just back from a trip East. Brothe r Junipe r and J oan Eskell promptly took the occasion to predic t darkly that they wouldn't have a friend left in the world unless Something Were Done Soon. Never would they find the time, they said , tQ .wri t e the story of how they came to leave the Mission and l ive in Oljeto to all their friends-and-relations. We were all a greed that here was a rea l need we should meet in~ome way. But what with bui lding, digging , drilling, planting - not to mention cooking, dishwashing, laundry, etc. - how can one write to hundreds of people , much as we l ove them all? So, here is an effort ••..• Here we a re, then, a quartet of expatriates from st. Christopher's Mission, living in trailers i n the Oljeto area of the Navajo Reservation on a piece of land , known as a School Section, which Father bought s ome y ears' ago from the Sovereign State of Utah in a moment of unwitting foresight for which we have much reason to be thankful. As you know, a hogan churc h , named St. Mary of the Moonlight, was built on this property, and used by the Mission for the monthly visits to this area, and of course Father still permits it to be used for this purpose. "But why did you leave the Mission, and what are you going to do?" Well , we all felt, in one way or another, that there was no further cont r i but ion we could make to the work there, so we got together for a conference , decided to pool our resources and move to Oljeto. Joan wa s t he first to pull out, her resignation taking eff ect as of Febr uary 1st. She lived i n Bluff pendi ng the removal of the group to our new homestead and , after t aking the State Merit Systems examination, was employed on a part-time basis by the Utah Department of Employment Security i n their trailer office newly opened in Bluff. As the job was primar ily concerned with the placement of Navajos in whatever j obs they wer e qual i fied to do, she was very happy in still being ins trumental in h e lping the People. Unhappily, budget appropri at i ons f or part - time help were withdrawn and she is no longer working in Bluff. However , she has been a ssured of re-call when and if appr opriations a r e r e s tored. |