Dear Friends,
I just finished Lila: a Novel by Marilynn Robinson. It
was a good read. In one long, roaming chapter, Lila explores the present and
her past while musing on theological questions. One of the characters wrote, “So
things happen for reasons that are hidden from us, utterly hidden for as long
as we think they must proceed from what has come before, our guilt or our
deserving, rather than coming to us from a future that God in his freedom
offers to us.” Such a grand thought: we are where we are because of the future God has planned for us, not our
past failures or our ‘deserved’ blessings.
Leon, our WIM bookkeeper, just
returned from the Philippines. He had
been on a mission trip for two weeks. Apparently the people of the Philippines
are open to the Gospel at this time. We’ll be hearing more about his opportunities
and the trip. We at WIM are excited about sending out a Navajo missionary as
the dine’ have usually been the mission field rather than the sent ones.
Another ministry here at WIM is
the jail ministry. Lauretta and June hold a service there every week. June was
having little luck in getting the half-dozen ladies to sing along with her. No
wanted to participate. (Basically, they were just there to get out of their
cells.) Lauretta sensed a spirit of heaviness. Boldly, Lauretta told the ladies
that something was going on, and there was a feeling of heaviness on the place.
The hardened ladies scorned Lauretta's words. Finally after the short teaching
time, one of the ladies approached Lauretta and asked for prayer. After
Lauretta prayed for her, the young lady’s name was called -- she was getting
released right then! What a testament to the other women of God's care and
power!
And in our area with these delightful
children, our hearts hurt as we pray for them and their families. We’re holding
them up when one says, “The hardest thing God wants me to do is about my mom. I
have to not cry and I have to be brave.” Two others have been abandoned by the
mom and several bluntly report, “I don’t have a dad.” In 90% of the families,
one parent or grandparent does the parenting.
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| Traditional Hogan |
Missionaries who have served on
the Rez for almost 50 years say emphatically that witchcraft and casting curses
on people prevails. The medicine men hold power over the people using fear. They
sing a ceremony and command the petitioner to do certain things such as remain isolated
and/or not use scissors for two days, or he might get hurt. One child who was
taken to a ceremony has been crying, taking offense, misunderstanding kindness,
and not paying attention. His academics are not up to the usual level. Are we
facing a physical problem or a spiritual problem? I don’t have an answer for
this one. It boggles the mind that a people who drive trucks and use the
Internet have a religion steeped in demonic activity.
We finish this school year at the
end of May. It’s been good, and we’re excited about adding two grades next year
– going up to 6th grade.
We’ll let you know if we plan to
be in your area this summer.
We appreciate your gifts and
prayers.
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| Navajo Nation - election results |
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| Watching the Ballot Counting |
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