Mom's Story -Southwest Indian Mission

Mom’s Story

Southwest Indian Mission

             There were house tours, landscaping classes, roadshows and hundreds of activities during these busy years that I was involved in, but the greatest calling I have ever received was to be the President of the Southwest Indian Mission Relief Society.  I had served on the Board under the presidency of Sister Helen Hill for a year or so before being called to be the President.  We, the Board members, would leave Snowflake Saturday morning and go to the Reservation, conduct leadership meetings and activities Saturday afternoon and evening.  Then were housed in the homes of Lamanite members.  Sunday was spent in Branch conferences.  It was a grueling weekend and we were totally involved in the work.  During the week we feverishly prepared for the weekend conferences.  Our families were placed second, but they were superb support.  Some months we clocked over 1100 miles travel –furnishing our own car and expenses. 

          

  Several important events stand out in my memory of those years that I served the Lamanite women.  In October of 1968, Sister Mary Ann Sharp, first counselor in the General Relief Society of the Church, called me and asked if I would be willing to write some Relief Society lessons for the Lamanite sisters throughout the Church.  I was overwhelmed, but attempted to do so.  She also wanted pictures to illustrate the lessons, and I had some Indian students do those for me.  They were beautiful.  This was a huge effort on my part, but through my experience with the Indian people I could see the need for a more simplified approach.  I and members of my Relief Society Board worked tirelessly over the lessons.  There were too many wonderful faith promoting events during this time while working with the Lamanite people for me to record here – you will have to refer to my journal for them. 

Belle Spafford

            In March 1968, near Red’s birthday, he died of a heart attack.  What a blow for my dear Mayola.  I shall never forget the sweet, little private funeral we held for him in her home before she took him back to New Orleans for burial.  Sister Belle S. Spafford, General Relief Society President, flew down to Phoenix to be with Mayola.  Mayola had just been called by the Relief Society to establish some Social Service Agencies in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.  It was a big job, but she was well qualified for it. 

          

  As I saw the great needs of the Lamanite women, I was more able to help them.  Our calling as Board members was to establish Relief Societies throughout the Reservation and to teach the women the pattern of Relief Society.  Every year we tried to have a Mission-wide Relief Society conference, which were big events and took lots of effort.  As Window Rock was near the center of the Reservation many were held there.  We were nearly always honored with General Board visitors.  Two outstanding conferences were vivid in my memory – one held at Window Rock with Sister Spafford, Sister Sharp and Sister Gilbert attending, and one held at Snowflake with Sister Spafford and Mayola attending.  My, how we worked to get things ready for these conferences.  We held fashion shows, art shows, craft shows, mini classes on Nutrition, and Sanitation lessons in connection with our meetings, using the Indian talents.  Our husbands and children were enlisted to help serve the meals.  We left no stone unturned.  Every idea we were inspired with, we tried to act upon.

Navajo Women Waiting by Barbara Latham

            I shall not forget the wonderful convention in Snowflake.  We had over 600 Lamanite women attend, coming from all over the Reservation –Apache, Navajo, Hope, Zuni and Pueblo, and we housed them in homes around town.  It was a cold March day in 1972 and we had expended every effort even to enlisting the Stake Relief Societies around us to help:  St Johns, Snowflake, Flagstaff, and Holbrook Stakes.  These Stake Relief Society leaders were simply marvelous.  The women from Kayenta, about 30 of them, had decided to bring their bedrolls and sleep outside the night before the convention.  However, about midnight a knock came on my door and the Relief Society President from Kayenta was there telling me that the women were cold and needed to be housed.  I told them to come in and we spread beds all over the house for them.  The next morning we were all up early enough to feed them and get them out of the house before I served Sister Spafford breakfast.  The most wonderful aspect of this experience was that among those dear women was Eva’s mother, who was not a member of the Church.  Imagine the thrill for Eva to awaken the next morning and find her mother there.  Later, through this experience, Sister Long joined the Church. 

Grandma Ericksen's little white house and flower garden

            There were many other important events that happened to us during this time.  Bill’s father died suddenly in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and his mother was lonely and lost.  We had an opportunity to purchase the little white house across the street from us owned originally by Aunt Janet Smith.  We fixed it up for Grandma and invited her to come to Snowflake to live.  It was hard for her to leave her friends, but over the years it proved to be a blessing for her to be near one of her children.  She lived there from July 1968, keeping it just like a “doll house” until she died in November 1976.  The last few years of her life were hard for her after she suffered a stroke.  She loved beautiful things and it was difficult for her to keep her yard and home like she always was accustomed to keeping it.  Bill and I helped her all we could. 

           

The school, under the superintendency of Steve Clayton had just passed a bond issue and in May 1968, the new, beautiful auditorium was dedicated.  In June a devastating fire burned the old gymnasium, and Seminary building, and the east end of our beautiful new swimming pool, and would have burnt the old Academy building had not John Ballard, single-handedly hosed that huge roof.  With the wind blowing about 60 miles an hour, to see that brave man on the top of that huge building trying to save it, struck fear in the hearts of the Townspeople.  But the building was saved, and the swimming pool repaired.  July 20, 1968, the Swimming pool was dedicated.  It was a triumphal day after so much work to accomplish the project. 

           

September 30, 1968, our Indian Mission was asked to put on a display at the General Relief Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I’ll never forget how Mayola came to our rescue and put the final touches on our display.  We had gathered Art and Crafts from all over the Reservation to take up to be displayed.  Also, a year later, Sister Spafford asked our Mission to gather beautiful pieces of Indian Art for her to take as a gift to Thailand when she was serving as the President of the National Council of Women.  Later at another conference my Mother was asked to be one of the speakers.  How we prayed for dear Mother, but she was composed and beautiful and presented her talk in an inspiring manner.  She was over 80 years old, and told what Relief Society had meant in her life –in my eyes a fitting example of Relief Society.