January 25

Dear Friends,

This week I told the story of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers to fourteen wide-eyed children. They’d heard of the ‘technicolor coat’ but not the end of the story. Joseph is an example of God’s grace and forgiveness. Did his brothers deserve this? No. None of us deserves grace. But God takes what is meant for evil and turns it into something GOOD.

I was reading in the newspaper about some Navajo masks that were discovered at an auction house in France and were bought so they could be returned to the Navajo Nation. Here are some quotes from the stories from the Navajo Times dated December 2014.

…They verified the masks as being of Navajo origin. In a private ceremony held at the Drouot Auction House, [Navajo Vice-President Rex Lee] Jim offered Navajo prayers for the masks, which are believed to be from the early 1900s.

“In our prayers and songs to these sacred Navajo beings, we spoke and our deities know that we do care,” [Vice-President] Jim said.  “Our ceremony was a way to reconnect with them and to let them know that we are here to take them home.

…”these masks are spiritual beings and the Navajo people have strong connections with them,” Jim added.

…R. Brown conducted ceremonies and prayers on behalf of the masks and the delegation over this past weekend.

…In total there were 34 masks that were identified by the tribal officials to be Navajo.

…Hale said once the masks return to the Navajo Nation, medicine healers will ‘formally acknowledge and ceremonially rejuvenated them back into the motherland.

…The masks, which include the deities of Black God and the Hero Twins, have a Blessing Way tentatively scheduled for them, according to Tony Joe, program manager for the Historic Preservation Department’s Traditional Culture Program.

…Medicine healers…had conducted hand trembling, protection prayer and other rituals, including at a Night Way Chant Ceremony, for the masks…The Yei Bi Chei masks are used in the Night Way Chant Ceremony during the winter.

…Gorman added that he told French officials about the spiritual nature of the masks, noting that they were not artifacts…For [Program Manager] Joe, now that the masks are back in Navajo, he encourages people to respect and honor such cultural items.

            When I first read this, I thought about this Nation steeped in spiritism and darkness through ceremonies and rituals. There is such a mission field here right in the United States. But, then I thought about God’s grace. Why should we have been given the Light of Christ and had the Way of Salvation taught to us since we were little children? And you came to Christ – He saved you out of whatever road to hell you were on by choice and by His grace.

Thank Him for His grace, which is sufficient in our weakness. And pray that our lives reflect His grace and peace this week.

P.S. There are no photographs of the masks as photography of holy items is not permitted. But there are other Navajo mask images on Google.

January 20

Dear Friends,

Love those Peeps.

The Navajo Nation swore in its President, Mr. Ben Shelly, this week; but if you’ve seen anything on the news, you’ll know that he badly lost his re-election bid.  He is serving temporarily until another election. However, the election is in limbo until the lawmakers and the courts have sorted it all out.

They don't notice the cold when they play soccer.

Last August during the Primary, one of the winners was disqualified because he didn’t speak Navajo fluently.  The tribe’s high court ruled that the election between the two other highest vote-getters should be held by January 31^st, but the lawmakers approved a do-over where all of the previous 17 primary candidates would face off in a special election in June. You can imagine how the court deems this legislation as contempt, so it’s unclear what is really going to happen.

Recess

(If you followed that, that’s pretty good. It’s confusing.) The new council members were sworn in also, and because of a tie, the role of Speaker went to the fellow who won the coin toss. The New York Times calls this ‘the greatest political challenge in a generation: a power vacuum caused by a requirement that the President be fluent in the Navajo language.’ Many are wondering how they can move forward.

Central government is not a Navajo concept, but it was imposed on the Nation in the 1920s. The existing system has been in place since 1990. It is also interesting to me that there is no official constitution, but instead the nation is guided by a set of codes and a document outlining traditional values. The Medicine Men and their counsel are very much a part of the basis for government.

This situation seems to create more uncertainty and instability for a nation that is about the size of West Virginia. Many jobs are subject to the winds of politics, so people have some reason to be nervous. The Navajo Believers are praying for God’s sovereign will to be done. Pray with us for Christians to be elected to leadership and for the nation to seek the One True God.

* Here’s some gold from my class. One of my children started writing the words of the National Anthem (on his own). He erased the first copy, which was even more precious, but the “corrected’ copy is fun too.

Oh see can you see by the darts wood be light

What’s so prise wood we helled at the twise lass a swedee

Oos a stripe and wide star

Threw the pears a as spian

Or the rass wood speed was

Wor so glad wor we squeezie

And the rass get’s were breres

Of the Lord get’s rere grains

Gets threw of the thys

And the flag was still there

Oh see a that’s Star Spangled Bender then yard and pr---ay

Or the now then yard the pre---e

And the hol-----e of the bra----ve

Anyway, I love it that “The flag was still there”! That’s the point of the whole song!

Elementary students

*Pray for my new student to be able to catch up quickly.

*Pray that Roger will know how best to help those who are struggling in his class.

Thank you for your prayers.

Have a good week.

After-Care fun

January 11

Dear Friends,

This week I started on my resolutions: On Monday, I tore the shrink wrap off of my exercise DVD. On Wednesday, I popped it in and listened while doing dishes. How are you doing on your resolutions?

The third and fourth grade Bible lesson this week is on Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  Roger and I have been discussing how the Israelites did not deny the existence of the One True God; they added “practical” gods (rain, fertility, etc.) to the mix just to make sure. The Native American Tradition is syncretistic in much the same way. We have families who are not offended by Jesus or God because they will accept Him into the pantheon and say, ‘He’s the creator-god.” Some participate in events called “prayer-walks,” which are not really opportunities to bring petitions to the Great Almighty God, but are meant to draw attention to a cause such as man’s harming of mother earth. Because the language is similar, it can be confusing for our children. We are concerned for them and their responses.  We want them to understand that the God of the Universe is the One and Only God, and the One Way to God is only through His Son, Jesus Christ. You can see why we pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and timing every day as we try to clearly present the truth in a loving and gentle way.

The Navajo people identify themselves by their clans when introducing themselves and even in the newspaper. For example, in an article about the Ultimate Arizona Cardinal Fan, she was identified as: Big Water Clan born for One Who Walks Around Clan. Her Maternal Grandfather is Towering House Clan and her Paternal Grandfather is Salt Clan. The clan system gives them a family support system and identity.

I just finished Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell. It is historical fiction about the Long Walk to Fort Sumner the Navajos endured in the 1800s. It’s juvenile fiction and an easy way to learn more about the culture of the Navajos who made their home in Canyon de Chelly.  Some of the clans mention in the book were Bitter water, Under His Cover, Red-House, Trail to the Garden, Standing House, Red Forehead, and Poles Strung Out. These are mentioned on p. 90, and I couldn’t help but notice that they can be related to Bible stories and characters. It seems that many peoples carry the seed of the truth in their religions and culture. Last year one of my students got greatly offended when I told the class that their religion had lost the whole truth and they needed to return to the God of the Bible.

We praise God that we had water this Sunday morning. The two previous Sundays we didn’t. There is something to be said for Saturday night bath-night. It’s been warming up here during the day but still freezing at night. We see that many of you are experiencing extreme weather too.

Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

January 5

Dear Friends,

Snow for Christmas and New Years

What a ‘vacation’ we have had -- two snowstorms: one that necessitated a Gallop stay and the other kept us in Albuquerque longer than expected-- frozen water pipes, blown fuses, loss of power area-wide, lack of hot water … It will be great to get back to normal. We did enjoy the visit from our David and my brother and celebrating Christmas with them (late). The snow/ice covered roads filled in the pot-holes, so the drives were slippery, but not bumpy. They loved God’s creation here, especially Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay), which we plan to revisit in the summer.

My class will be missing one student tomorrow because the family is planning to move. This child could potentially ‘fall through the cracks,’ so pray that this is a good move for him. I’ve heard rumors that another one might not be returning, but nothing is official. These children have unsettled lives to begin with, so we pray that he will remain in a stable place.

Fun in a shoebox!

It was fun to celebrate Christmas with the children. People love gift-giving no matter what culture they are from! They all became familiar with the Biblical Christmas story and learned many traditional Christmas songs. My mom had quite a few holiday pins, so each girl got one for her very own. However, I think they were more thrilled with the ‘Frozen’ stocking I put it in. They were so excited about their shoebox of gifts from Mr. Tiger’s home church and their big toy from Toys for Tots.

Now, just for fun December incidents:

·      One boy, who is perpetually in trouble and struggles with grades, was given a spontaneous round of applause when someone noted that he had not gotten his name on the board all day!

·      A girl discovered that my first name was Sara, but she knew it would be disrespectful to call me Sara instead of Mrs. Everett or Teacher. I told her it was just like she called her mom “mom” instead of her first name. She stared at me and responded, “My mom doesn’t have a first name.”

Who are these cute kids?

·      A boy informed me that his older brother was covered with tattoos. Then he said, “My brother used to be bad, but now he knows Jesus.” (Hallelujah!)

·      Roger was checking out the boys’ behavior in the restroom, and he heard one of my boys in the stall singing “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.”

Making a paper chain

·      The first graders are still puzzled about the deity of Jesus. You should have seen the looks of incredulity when I told them that Jesus was much smarter than Mrs. Everett. (Maybe they just couldn’t believe I said that.)

·      Roger asked the children to journal on what they would like for Christmas. One boy wrote: I just want to be with my family (awww) … and get an Ipad.

Anyway, we’ve cleared away the Christmas decorations, finished the fruitcake, written the thank-you notes, and are ready to begin again. Roger will have a new fourth grade girl, so please pray that she fits in well and he has the wisdom to reach her academically and spiritually.

Blessings

With family at Window Rock.