February 14

Kathy Antone, WINGS Ministry

On Valentine’s Day I attended a Heart to Heart Women’s Conference. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how this conference would be like other women’s conferences I’d attended.  I half expected an emphasis on being a woman of God and encouragement and instruction on being a better wife and mother. One of the stated goals of the annual conference was to break down the barriers between Native Christian Churches and other cultural/racial groups, thus the communication from heart to heart. As these barriers are broken down, the way to love and hope that can only come from God is opened up. The conference focused on the needs of women starting with the need for a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

Allison Speer, Keynote Speaker

A delightful list of speakers came to the podium from many different tribes and nations. Karen Anton talked about Esther in a way that related to the Navajo history (e.g., Long Walk) and current problems (e.g., spousal abuse).  Still the message rang out that God has put us in Position to win territory for Jesus. We must not let our people perish!

Grandma Eunice

Grandma Eunice, who is in her late 80s, sang  “The Great Physician Now is Here” in Navajo. If women knew the words, they sang along, and others filled in the background with beautifully harmonized humming. Much respect is shown for the grandma in this culture. When kids slip and call me “Grandma” in class, I am honored.

The Keynote speaker/singer Allison Speer evoked praise, laughter, tears, comfort, and everything in between with her magnificent voice and her down-home stories.

Singing group from Albuquerque

The crowd of women, men, and children wore everything from traditional native dresses with moccasins and leggings to Pendletons, cowboy hats and baseball hats, which remained on. Many women wore their hair pulled back in the traditional bun wrapped in a tie, and almost all wore beautiful turquoise jewelry. Turquoise jewelry used to be worn by everyone for good luck, but for the Christians, the jewels, which are very beautiful, are their family heirlooms. I was surprised that this was specifically stated as a women’s conference, yet at every table, there were men.

Enkhsuren Enkhtur, Mongolia

I was fascinated by Nkhsuren Enktur from Mongolia. Her culture is just so much like the Navajo culture that she felt immediately at home when she first ate mutton stew in a Navajo home, sucking the marrow from the sheep bones and enjoying the delicacy of sheep head.  She spends half of the year in Mongolia and the other half ministering to Native Americans. She founded Tribal Bridge under the Mongolian government. It is a prophetic land bridge where Natives return back to their former homeland in Mongolia and other nations to make disciples for the Creator. Every year USA teams are hosted. 


Louva Dahozy’s closing remarks challenged women to reclaim their parenting responsibilities and engage their wayward children to redemption for the Life they were intended to have by God’s creation. So, the message of love for God and the family rang out perfectly for the Valentine’s Day event.

February 8

Dear Friends,

As usual, I’m reading several books at once. One of the novels I’m reading is about the Navajo (Spider Woman’s Loom by Lorie Adair).  It is very insightful as to why some in this people group might resist the gospel. I’m reading it now for the story, but I think I must revisit it for more knowledge.

100th Day activity

There was a story in the news about a Navajo woman living in California whose husband, a veteran, had died. She wanted to cremate him and bury the ashes in California, but the family (which is very, very important in this region) took her to court to have him buried on Navajo Land.  The state court turned it over to the Navajo Supreme Court, which governs by tradition. It was decreed that Navajos must never be cremated and must be buried on their own land. The interesting statement made by the courts was that the Navajos don’t even talk about the dead, and they were very uncomfortable being involved in all this. After the ceremony, which releases the soul of the person to the realm of the deities, that person’s name is not spoken again. This made me think how much we Christians talk about Christ’s death and resurrection and how uncomfortable it might make a Native listener to hear that our faith follows a man who died. The traditional Navajo beliefs concentrate on the here and now and making the world a beautiful place. They do not think much about an afterlife. That is not really their business as far as they are concerned.

The Armor of God

I have a new boy in my class, and he and I need a LOT of prayer. He is working a year behind the other students, and his behavior problems are challenging to me and abrasive to the other students. The atmosphere in the class has changed, and not for the better. Please pray for this disruption sent by the enemy to be kept away.

Window Rock has a small museum and zoo. We took the opportunity to breeze through the museum to see a special exhibit of black and white photographs by Kenji Kawano, a Japanese photographer who has photographed Navajos for many years. The photos were fascinating. You can see a few of them on his website. www.kenjikawano.com

Sunday at church we learned that the same family that was affected by the suicide last Fall had another incident – this time an eighth grade cousin. The enemy is working hard to discourage this family. A demonic spirit has been enticing the younger boys to follow their sister. They are nervous about going into certain rooms of the house, and they have had bad dreams. God’s power is the only way to bring down this stronghold of the enemy.

Thank you for your prayers.

Children in Chapel

Window Rock Event Center