So’oh’s Gotta Cook!
We pulled up to her trailer, a Hopi elder’s home, worn by time and weather but still standing. Still hers.
There was no running water. A small propane tank and a few solar panels kept things going, barely. But the challenges were everywhere. Windows were broken, thin, or missing altogether. The roof was leaking. An old wood stove, too close to a paper thin wall to be deemed safe. And in the kitchen, a stove/oven range that no longer worked at all, with a hotplate carefully placed on top for cooking the best Hopi fry bread out there. So many repairs were needed for her comfort and safety.
Still…this was home. And not just anyone’s, but Bernalda’s home. She’s a Hopi elder who loves Jesus, her community, and even strangers like family. Such a beautiful women inside and out, with a heart the size of the mesa she has called home her whole life. Old Oraivi.
It was an easy decision. We got to work!
We coated her roof, no more leaks.
We installed strong, new, insulated windows so warmth, light, and safety were restored.
We replaced the dangerously placed wood stove with one properly backed and safely positioned.
And we installed a working kitchen stove/oven range so she could cook again with ease. She was back in business and cooking up a storm before we left. Her way of saying, “Thank you” through the tears.
This is what compassion looks like, not just patching what’s broken, but rebuilding a sense of home.
Because every elder deserves warmth. Every So’oh (grandmother in Hopi) deserves safety. And every home, no matter how humble, deserves care. And we sure love our So’oh, Bernalda. I can hear her say now, “Is Asqualie”...”Thank you very much!”
