The Talking God

Dear Friends,

Navajo Talking God Mask

Imagine a deerskin mask painted white surrounded by a bristling crown of eight eagle feathers. The mouth, fashioned of a narrow tube of rolled leather, protrudes out an inch, and the eyes are black dots surrounded by painted brows. The lower rim of the mask is a ruff of fox fur.  

You are looking at the Navajo Talking God (yebichai), the one who speaks for the pantheon and calls the gods (yeii) to the Night Ceremony.

Talking is indeed important to the Navajo culture. Their written language was given to them through the work of Wycliffe translators, and they didn’t even have the entire Bible in their own language until 1985. Because it is an oral culture, many things, including stories and laws, remain unwritten. In fact, the best way to get my class’ attention is to start with, “One time David and Joshua were….”

Girls enjoying the sunshine. We need some rain desperately.

When one attends a Navajo gathering, one can expect to hear speeches. Usually I feel like a first grader listening to Mrs. E. drone on, 

but we were at our Western Indian Ministries chapel meeting last week, and the speeches (everyone had a lengthy one) were quite wonderful! We were sharing how the Lord had blessed us through the summer and brought us back to this place for the new school year.

We were greatly excited to hear how God had put together people to fill the 2^ndgrade and the 4^thgrade teaching positions. The second grade will be taught by two part-time teachers, with others helping out for a class here and there. And Mary, a retired educator, came out of retirement to teach our fourth grade. She’s quite excited that God isn’t finished with her yet!

The garden has been growing all summer. It's a short growing
season at this altitude.

Others shared about their trips and safety when things could have gone very badly. The summer interns were excited about the growing program for reaching the youth on the Rez. Our newest bookkeeper praised God that, though her great, great grandparents trudged back on the Long Walk from the camp at Fort Sumner, it was then that they heard the Gospel, and there have been generations of Christians in her family ever since. 

All dressed up and ready to graduate.

We love talking about our Talking God --Jesus Christ, the Word of the One True God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  

Prayer Requests:

·     For a smooth start to the year. With all of the last minute changes, there is a lot to do. 

·     For the staff to have unity and work well together. 

·     For the many new students to immediately feel loved and find friends. That they and their families would be eager to learn about Jesus.

·     Praise for our robust enrollment. This is the highest number (80) we’ve had since we arrived here.