December 14

Shepherds

Dear Friends and Family,

We’re on the brink of Christmas break—just one more week!  Hilltop had a heart-warming Christmas program last Thursday night. The kids were cute (as usual), and the “mistakes” just made it more fun. The best part was sharing the Christmas story with the family members of the students, and it was quite a large crowd! We prayed in class all last week that our voices would bring glory to God just like the angel voices on the first Christmas.  We were praying that God would bring people who did not know Jesus and make the message clear to them.  The program was a success, and we pray that there will eternal consequences.

So Sweet!

With our program behind us, we now focus on Christmas celebration (special classroom activities and a party on Friday) and, most importantly, on communicating the Christmas Story more clearly to our students. One student wrote she believed in Santa and Jesus. We want them to understand as best they can the mystery of the incarnation (challenge spelling word in 3^rd/4^th grade.)  Our Bible verse is John 1:14.  We are eager for our students to respond with awe and worship as they marvel at the truth that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It is not about the “natural” order of the world or the gods of the world. It is about the Creator God becoming man for us.  Amazing truth, amazing love!

We had snow on Saturday.

The 3rd and 4^th grade has been reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (highly recommended Christmas reading). In the story some ruffian kids take over the church Christmas Pageant. The ruffians hear the Christmas story for the first time, and the pageant takes on a whole new meaning as the church people experience the story through the eyes of children hearing it for the first time. The truth is: We don’t just want our students to understand Christmas. We all need time to meditate and wonder at what God has done for us.

Please pray for us this week as we try to make Biblical Christmas real for our students. Also pray that our students will see the immense ramifications of this truth and respond with faith and love.

I wanted to share this also. Last time we asked prayer for a young missionary who suffered some small strokes. And now the rest of the story, which I just found out. Before the strokes, our staff was at a retreat where one of the speakers talked about how to talk to a person who was contemplating suicide. Scott, at the hospital that evening, was lying next to a man who expressed his hopelessness and wish to end it all. Scott said, “All I could think about was drawing my next breath, but I knew the Lord had prepared me for just this moment – to make a difference for this man.” Wow!

May God Bless you richly,

Our friends get married!

With boys from last year's class.

Enjoying the wedding festivities.

My girls from last year are growing up!

December 1

Navajo Nuggets

12/1/14

Navajo Rug- San Francisco Peaks

According to Scott, a missionary on this station, this whole area is a river of sand. The surface fluctuates due to precipitation, drought, winds, etc., so the buildings that are intended to stand the test of time should be built on a special floating foundation.

The region is hilly, and as the water flows through here, things can shift rather quickly. Most people in Tse Bonito live in mobile homes that must be leveled every few years. Our trailer hadn’t been leveled in awhile, and one end was about a foot lower than the other.  Our bedroom was at the bottom of the slope, making it easy to get into bed but hard to get out.  J  We needed a reset foundation of concrete blocks and skirting to make it right.

At least a trailer can be re-leveled. The buildings on the site also suffer from this shifting. For example, there is a giant crack down the middle of the aisle of our church.

When they built the new government building near here, they had to put piers 50 feet into the ground, and it is on tracks so it can adjust to the movement of the earth. (Don’t ask me how they do this.)

The Navajo Nation is literally and figuratively built on shifting sands. Many struggle because they strive to fit Christianity into their tradition. Our Father, God, is accepted as their creator god. They use the English word “pray,” but it might mean making an offering of corn pollen to the rising sun. Our church is planning a prayer walk down at the Nation’s offices this month. We’ll pray for the election of the President and the Holy Spirit to bring Salvation through Jesus.

With my brother
at CBU - our Alma Mater

As you know, I  was in California for two weeks. Thank you for your prayers for us during this time. My mom struggled so much with back pain, and now she is free from that physical agony. She had not built her life on shifting sands, but had trusted in Jesus as her Savior. The morning she passed, she looked different to me. I did not have words of my own, but I spoke God’s words to her – words of assurance and peace. My brother and I held her hands and prayed with her. Her blood pressure dropped, her breathing became shallow, and she relaxed. The Lord gave my mom and us peace in her passing. She was lying there surrounded by children who love her, and the next breath she drew was in the presence of the Lord and loving relatives.*

Prayer Requests:

ü  One of our missionaries here had several small strokes. Pray for him to rest and recover fully.

ü  Our classes as we present the Christmas story -- that they marvel with us that God sent His Son.

Window Rock and Code Talkers' Memorial

We drove through Sedona on our way back. Beautiful.

*Because He Lives (v.3)- Gaither

And then one day I’ll cross that river. I’ll fight life’s final war with pain.

And then as death gives way to victory, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.

Nov. 2

Dear Friends,

Jesus is more like a Navajo than a Biligaana (white person).  Jesus has brown skin, lived in a culture familiar with shepherds, was attached to his family, and was given identity by his tribal (clan) ancestry.

Jesus came from a people who were very connected to the land – the Land of Promise, which God had given Abraham. When the desert wind beats me and the cold bites, I say, “Who would want to live here?” But the Navajo have a spiritual and emotional devotion to this land. They wish to be “free people in their own land.” Not unlike the nation of Israel.

Cowboy chuck wagon

Tiger Tots learning about Nutrition

The Navajo are proud people who resist Christianity as a white man’s religion, saying, “We have our own way.” They are a people of rituals and practices that give their lives meaning as they seek the “Beauty Way” to keep them balanced in this crazy life.

Real Jr. Cowboys

We are seeking wisdom on ways to teach our school-children better – for even if they know phonics and multiplication, if they don’t know Jesus, our teaching has been unprofitable. So, as we tell our Bible stories, we endeavor to make them more real by connecting with what we know about the Navajo land and culture.

Cowboy hat day

Please pray for the elections this week: Here in the Navajo Nation, they will probably vote for everything except the President.  Dine’ Bizaad (Navajo language) is central to the Navajo and the preservation of the culture.  The President is required to be fluent in Navajo.  One of the two candidates was recently disqualified because of lack of fluency in the language.  They will hold the election for all offices except president.  (That election will be held at a later date.) We pray that they will eventually vote for a Christian man to lead their land.

Best Test Answers of the Week:

Q. What did Daniel Boone build at the end of his explorations?

A. Boonies Burgers (correct answer is Boonesborough)

Q. Why did the Pilgrims leave England?

A. It was too cold.

We love you and pray God’s blessings on your lives,

October 26

Dear Friends and Family,

I don't know. I think you can tell who this is.

Thank you for praying for our initial conferences with our students’ parents. Each teacher reported some positive experiences. One of the pre-school teachers shed tears of joy in telling how one young mom was saved because of seeing the reality of Christ in our school and teaching. Another preschool mom said that her daughter asked who this Jesus was and was He coming to visit our school because “we sing about Him all the time!” The grandmother had explained that Jesus is the Creator God.  I pray that this youngster is understanding Jesus of the Bible and not some amalgamation with the Native Religion.

The parents were very open to me about their own lack of faith in their lives, but they were all happy with their child’s learning about Christ. Interestingly, when there is a second parent in the house, he/she came also. I offered to pray for each family, and the reactions were positive: the unbelievers, Mormons, and Traditionals quickly responded that they would like prayers.  Yes, I have some of each, as well as a couple of Christian families. I feel so much better equipped and challenged at the same time.

Playground fun.

The conferences in some of the grades were also difficult because of the children having unaddressed problems and behavior and learning difficulties. We continue to pray that the parents know we care about them and their children and that they will learn to trust us and our God.

The Navajo Culture is so broken: only one of my families is an intact family with a mom and dad together in their first marriage. Other families lack mother or father or both, and some are complicated with step-children and former spouses. One boy lives with his Grandma, who is responsible for five other children, in a tiny home.  One boy is bouncing back and forth between a dad, a mom, and a grandpa. No wonder he can’t get his homework done. We heard stories of alcoholism, unemployment, rampant diabetes, and cheating and abuse.

We had fun with a volunteer from Kentucky.

Our principal, Mr. T., wants to draw the fathers into a men’s group, which would include social time, basketball, and Bible teaching. Let’s pray that this can come together soon, as these fathers do not know about the Lord and that He has power to help them overcome in their lives.

We are so grateful to you for your prayers.  Pray for the school finances.  We are considering raising some support that would help the school pay our salaries. We’ll let you know how you can be a part of our ministry if this is how the Lord continues to lead us.

Thank you.

We learn about rocks.

Decorating a Pumpkin as a teamwork project.

Selling pumpkins.

October 12

Dear Friends and Family,

This week one of the students came to school late and asked permission to eat her breakfast in class after a certain time. When asked why, we learned some of the taboos concerning the eclipse (October 8^th).  According to Navajo tradition, the moon and the sun are sacred in the way they were created, and you are not supposed to watch the moon or stare at it for any length of time.  It is a sacred time when the heavenly bodies line up and everyone is called to show reverence – people are not allowed to eat or drink water. They just go into the house until the eclipse passes to show respect for the sun and moon. In addition, if a pregnant woman sees an eclipse, it will affect her and the baby, and a special ceremony must be conducted to rid them of the influence.

Playground fun

Generally, the children run around on the playground playing various games. Last week they spotted a tarantula, which they followed around – probably stressing it out. These hairy spiders come out this time of year for mating. There will be hundreds of them for a month or so, so we are told. Then they will retreat to the crevices in the hills for the winter.

Then one boy caught a cute little horny toad about the size of a quarter. There is a taboo against harming horned lizards because they are traditionally called “grandfather” or guardians of the arrowheads. If you kill one, you will have a stomachache or a heart attack. Some even have a taboo against picturing a horned lizard in a rug-weaving design. One of the girls told me (as they were gathered around the lizard) that it was “shicheii,” which means grandpa. Another voice in the crowd said, “It’s just a lizard.”

I love the rocks in the background.

Still, the tradition is that when you pick one up, you rub it on your chest and say, “I will be in good health and harmony.”  The armored body and spiky horns represent arrowheads, which protect it from predators.  As far as the classroom, horny toads should be handled with respect and must be released in less than a day. Students are allowed to read and write about them and draw pictures of them. We have this kind of traditionalism permeating the belief system of the people. Think how confusing this can be for the children.

 Authentic moccs with leggings

I was listening to my children as they were singing “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.” Because of vocabulary limitations, here is what I heard: (real lyrics in parentheses)

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus,

Be (Ye) soldiers of the cross.

Lift high His royal banner;

It must not suffer loss.

From victory unto victory,

His army shall believe (He lead)

‘Til every foe is vanished (vanquished)

And Christ is Lord in me. (Indeed)

Somehow, I like theirs better. Let’s pray that the foe is vanished and Christ is Lord in me!

Have a great week! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

My birthday!

Art Project - painting beads.