Christmas Eve and Morning 2014

 Our Christmas tree was nice, but bare with little to put on it.  I had a dozen bulbs, and candy canes. We used only 2/3s of the tree stored in the basement of our house because the stand was missing so Elder Allsop secured it to a wooden base.

Because we couldn't get the pre-lite lights to work, Elder Allsop bought a string of little white lights at the local grocery store.

The table was set as best we could with mission dishes, but The Jarvis's fruit basket really made it look nice.  The Elders appreciated having a taste of home. (note the Christmas salad flopped a bit.)

 My gift to Elder Allsop was a set of Lincoln Logs that I heard about on the Colstrip online Garage Sale Facebook page.  I surprised him with it. (a memory from his childhood.)


This was our Christmas day activity.

Elders Weaver and Brewster missionaries serving now in Forsyth, 33 miles to the north.  We have a visit from them occasionally.

Second visit to the Amish

Amish Country on the Reservation

Located north of Ashland several miles is a community of Amish. We went to their little Country Store again, and as I waited in the car I got a few pictures.

Little youngster came riding up fast on his pony, jumped off and checked something then got back on and road back around the barn.  They don't allow pictures to be taken, but I cheated and snapped this as he mounted the horse again.  Cute little feller he was.

This house is near the Country Store.. 

 I enjoyed watching the clean white wash on the clothes line flapping in the breeze.

This barn could probably tell at good many stories.

From all appearances these people have a low stressful life.

Our Missionary Christmas gift.

Our Missionary Gift to Ward Members

 Elder Allsop spent hours burning DVD taken from Mormon.org. 

 The Elders we served with in Poplar took clips from mormon.org, burned them on about 100 dvds and even designed a label.  We had saved all of the information and was able to figure it out, but not without purchasing a newer computer and a dvd writer.  He burned over 100 of them.

We passed out about 30 of them to the families who attended the Ward Christmas party in Colstrip.

For two weeks we traversed the reservation to visit those people who we had been received warmly as we located members these last 3 months.  Each one received a dvd.  Even those not home would find one tucked in their door.

Not only did they get a dvd, but we baked bread too.  Those whom were at home received a loaf of bread.  (thank you to Rhodes co.) We delivered about 50 loaves of bread and even took time to visit active members in Colstrip with our gifts.

These are are typical home we visited.  Yard work is not a priority, but it is made up in the number of dogs they own.

I had to get a picture of the purple painted home.


Also a typical sight are shoes hanging from power lines.  I don't know if there is a significance to these or just kids playing.

Our visit to Birney, Montana

A few members on our Colstrip Ward list live in Birney a very small Native town about 40 miles south.

One day in November, we visited there driving through what we learned was Native Birney on to the other settlement of Birney near the Wyoming border 8 miles away on dirt roads. Checking at the small Post Office, we learned that those we were looking for lived in the Native Birney village.

We took time to take in the local sites.  This small church is used by more than one denomination, we learned from a lady walking down the street,  She invited us to go inside saying that it was always unlocked.

We found a few benches and this old pump organ.  I couldn't resist to give it a try.

Elder Allsop was intrigued with the stain glass window and old lesson books.

We learned that there are only 16 families living in the town but others are on ranches a distance out.  We learned that there are grades 1 through 8 with one teacher and only 8 students attend.

Driving back to Birney Village we did find some of our members and had a great visit with a Alex Sandcrane who use to be active.

We couldn't help but notice two very unusual huts which are obviously homes to someone.
 One was across the street from the other and each had recliner chairs sitting next to the huts made of a frame work and covered with tarps and blankets.

This was November 5th, 2014 and we wondered where they would go when colder weather comes.

District Meeting Dec. 24, 2014

District Meeting Dec. 24, 2014

We suggested that if the Elders held District meeting in Colstrip we would treat them to Christmas Eve dinner at our home afterward.

The Zone Leaders who work in Billings, called to say they would like to attend District Meeting too, so we planned on feeding six Elders afterward.

We arrived at the Ward Meeting house at 9:00 am.  The Zone Leaders Elders Organ and Topham came shortly there after.  No one else came.  By 9:30 a short call came in from the Harden Elders Kharazi and Wilden saying they were a little bit lost and low on fuel.  Later we learned that the Forsyth Elders Brewster and Weaver were following them in their truck.  Cell service on the Reservation is really sketchy so calls and texts to them didn't go through.  One other message came through an hour or more later just saying that they wouldn't be making it to Colstrip, but they were ok.

We had figured out that they probably had taken the back roads which on a map looks like a straight good road, ran out of gas and who knows what else.

Elder Allsop came to our house and got a gas can, filled it with fuel and in the meantime he told the Elders to take me home so I could tend the meal cooking in the oven and crock pot then they would make a plan to go looking for them. We decided to sit and eat since everything was all ready. Luckily, before they got off the four Elders showed up.

They had a tale to tell about how they had taken a "shortcut" from Hardin to Colstrip which landed them in a pasture.  Elder Kharazi's truck was low on fuel.  They climbed a hill to see if they could see Colstrip or any civilization.  A grouchy rancher came in a vehicle and told them that he had trouble with trespassers.  He angrily told them to get in and he took them back to their vehicles and told them how to get to another place that could tell them how to get back on the Hiway.  That man helped them and even gave them some gas.  They ended up in Busby then drove on to Lame Deer.

 Aside form muddy pant legs and shoes they were in ok shape, and their appetites didn't disappear either.

Shown above:  Zone Leaders Elder Organ and Topham.

Shown above:  Elder Weaver, Elder Wilden and Elder Kharaze.

So the gift bags shown on the right side of this picture filled with snacks and goodies became less important as they rehearsed the saga of the day.  But they were glad to take one home.

Colstrip Ward Christmas Party 2014

A good attendance came to the Ward Christmas party held on December 17th. 2014.
Elder Allsop and I helped in the kitchen.  Jeff Benson known for his cooking skills with meat was asked to cook the prime rib roasts.  It was interesting watching him baste, sear and cook them.   Served with baked potato, salad and a long table full of desserts, everyone had plenty.

Plans were made to feed about 100 people.  There were 19 tables mostly full.  The cultural hall was decorated lovely with table centers and wall decor by Jeannie Mansfield and Sue Allred.
 The Primary Children sang "Away in the Manager" and other Christmas songs as part of the program. ( bit blurry shot)

The Battle of the Big Horn Site

Located about 65 miles east of Colstrip is the Battle of the Little Big Horn site, also referred to as Custer's Last Stand.

On the way to  right off of Hiway 212 at Busby is this lone Trading Post store.  Next to it is a large, but in badly need of repair, wooden tepee structure.  We need to find out the history on it.

 Besides a Visitors Center, you can take a 5 miles driving tour of the area where the battle took place.  A narration is given by calling a number on your cell phone and listening to the events of that fateful day on June 25-26, 1876 when Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes battled the 7th. Calvary Regiment of the US Army in the Great Sioux War pf 1876.  A force of 700 men led by George Armstrong Custer, suffered a severe defeat.
There is also a large well groomed military cemetery.

At the top of a hill is a large monument and all over the hillside below are small markers showing the spot where various soldiers and Indians fell to their deaths.