September 29

Today we are going to play 20 Questions:

1. It looks like you have changed your e-mail address:

We have added a new address to keep our ministry-related mail separate from our other accounts. We can still be reached at our previous address

2. What is your mailing address and phone number?

See the website.

3. How do you spend your free time on the weekends when you have no teaching responsibilities?

While it is true that the children go “home” every other weekend, our teaching responsibilities never seem to end. We spend quite a bit of time preparing lessons, etc.  Then there are the normal household chores to be done. We usually don’t go anywhere. The cafeteria is not open on the weekends. While I’m content to live on chocolate and coffee, it is not the same for Roger.

4. What about on the weekends that the children are here?

We usually spend the same amount of time on school preparation and household business. But every few weeks, it is our turn to accompany the children on a Saturday outing, which gives the dorm parents a break for the afternoon. They go swimming or to a show. Once we took them for a long hike in Walnut Canyon where they could have looked at cliff dwellings if they had had the inclination to.

5. What is your apartment like?

We live in a two-bedroom apartment attached to a dorm. The dorm is unoccupied except for another dorm parent at this time.  (She lives in a different dorm apartment.) If we get one more girl enrolled, the older girls will be moving over here from the dorm where they are now housed. Our kitchen, dining area, and living area are all one open space, but it is comfortable enough. We have the coolest rocks in our front yard.

6. What do you do officially?

Roger is the third grade teacher. He has 8 students, mostly boys. Sara is the 6^th grade teacher. She has 6 students, mostly girls.

7. What is the best thing about your new position?

This is a great question, but it’s hard to answer. We like that we are working together in the same ministry. Even though they are so needy and difficult, we love our students. We also like being here and working with people of all age groups and from all over the nation who have the same heart to serve Jesus in whatever He has chosen for them at this time.. We come from Maryland, New York, West VA, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, CA, AZ, NM, Wyoming, VA, WA, etc. But we’re all here because God brought this particular group of people with their gifts and talents and personalities together for this ministry this year.

8. Is the school open all year round?

No, we have a traditional school year. We’ll be finishing the first quarter on Oct. 10^th, and the school year will be over in May.

9. Do you have support needs?

We do not officially raise support. If people would like to help out, they are certainly welcome to do so.  Some of our friends have joined the ranks of sponsors for a student. Others have sent things to fill a specific need, such as books for our students, calculators, and cases for their recorders. We have our food and housing needs met, and our small stipend can take care of our other needs. Our school also collects Campbells’ Soup labels and Boxtops.

10. Will you go someplace for Thanksgiving and Christmas?

We won’t go any place for Thanksgiving, but our son will probably pass by here on his way to California during that time. I can hardly wait. As far as Christmas, we’ll probably be in California with relatives.

11.  What subjects do the children take?

Our first through eighth graders take all the classes you would expect school children to take, but they also have sheep/wool and chickens. We teach our own music and art, but our principal is an athlete, so we gladly let him take our PE classes. In addition, we play five schools in sports. We just finished the Cross Country season. We’ll have volleyball and basketball next.

12. Do the children speak English?

Yes, they all speak English, though their grandparents might not. But though they are fluent in spoken English, their vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and grammar skills tend to be two or more years below grade level. That is a challenge to every teacher.

13. Are you on a reservation?

No, we are an ACSI Christian boarding school not in the Navajo Nation. But our children mostly come from the Reservation. Some of them do not have running water or electricity.  We send busses out to pick them up from a couple of locations so the parents don’t have to drive all the way in. Some live several hours away.

14. Have you done any sightseeing in Arizona yet?

We wish we could say yes, but we just haven’t had the time. This state is beautiful, and we are eager to visit some of the sites and some of our friends who live here.

15. What is the nearest town?

The nearest town is Holbrook.  We will attend church there. It has the nearest library, post office, and restaurants. If we want to do shopping, we can go to Winslow or Snow Flake, and if we want to do REAL shopping, we’d have to go to Show Low or Flagstaff.

16. Are the classes difficult to teach?

Yes, that is one of our weekly prayer requests. The children are here because they have difficult home situations and many have been asked to leave their former schools. They are all needy in some way. Their biggest need is to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We also are trying to catch them up academically because they have not been consistently educated or parented. The classroom is a challenge due to constant behavior problems also.

17. What is the school website?

www.indianschool.org

18. Do you have a blog?
It is more general than our newsletters, though the information will be the same. If you know people who would like to hear from us on a regular basis, we’d be happy to add them to the mailing list.  We send out specific prayer requests almost every week.

19. Does the school have computers?

Absolutely. We have a good computer lab – donated computers, smart boards, and internet. Our library is still getting put together, but we hope to have that up and running soon.

20. What is your enrollment?

It varies from year to year, but this right now we have around 37 children. That includes our preschoolers, who are staff children.

Thank you for the questions. Hopefully this has sparked more questions in your mind….

We sincerely appreciate your partnership with us and your prayers.

Love,

The Everetts