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