There were three young men, still teenagers. Their priesthood leaders had given them a calling as missionaries. They did not represent a church or a group, simply the presence of priesthood existing outside of the bounds of the LDS Church.
The calling they were given was an experiment of what it would be like to go out as missionaries without purse or scrip, the way they used to do in the Mormon Church.
They lived in eastern Arizona and were nestled between reservations belonging to the Hopi, the Zuni, the Navajo, and the Apache. These three young men were called to serve the Native American peoples in this area, or - as Mormons term them - Lamanites. They were told not to preach to them, unless the opportunity came up. They were to use Alma and the sons of Mosiah as an example, as taught in the Book of Mormon. In that story, the sons of Mosiah went among the Lamanites and worked for them as servants, and, in this way, they were able to have an influence over the people.
The young men drove to the edge of White Mountain Apache Reservation and parked there and set off on foot, with no little trepidation. They followed the highway through the ponderosa pine forest until they came to a dirt road. After following the dirt road, the came across an old house. There were old cars around the house, and the whole yard was choked with weeds that came up to their chests.
They knocked on the door. An old Apache man came to the door, and the three young men introduced themselves and asked if they could clean up the yard. They worked for most of the day clearing out weeds and garbage from the old man's house.
When they were done, they followed the dirt road deeper in the forest. They started to notice many cars taking this road into the middle of nowhere, and so they followed the cars. Soon, they could hear drums pounding out a rhythm through the trees. Soon, a large gathering came into view. Several cars were parked, and hundreds of natives were gathered.
The three young men wandered into the gathering. It was a sunrise ceremony, and most of the community was in attendance. They were invited in and seated at a table and served food. They found themselves seated at a table with the heads of seven different nations. Some had traveled from as far away as Oklahoma.
The young men stared at each other in disbelief. Just hours ago, they had parked their car on the highway, not sure what was going to happen. The next, they are seated at a table, eating dinner with seven chiefs.
They were given a tent. The pow wow went on long into the night. The next morning, they wandered back to the car and drove home, still dazed at the whole experience.
The young men were my brother and two brothers-in-law. This story took place about eleven years ago.
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