Christmas Nuggets Dec. 2024

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your precious prayers and gifts to us and to Hilltop Christian School and Across Nations. 

In a blur of activities and blessings, we’ve completed the first semester. The children enjoyed a fall festival, which was connected with the Across Nations Radio Shar-a-thon. Our art teacher organized the pumpkin patch, hay ride, and several carnival games. The Shar-a-thon raised a few thousand dollars for the school, and we were blessed by Radio listeners’ generosity. 

Preparing and presenting the Christmas Program occupied much time in December. The children were unable to rehearse in the church in Gallup where we held the program, but they adapted and did well on their songs and verses. The theme was “Follow the Light.” Just as lights are a major decoration used during this season, Jesus is the Light of the World, and we celebrate His birth, His life, His sacrifice, and Christ, the light of Heaven. The families responded positively, and we continue to pray for salvation of those who are being called.

Hilltop Christian School’s enrollment hovers around 55. We are operating this year with a part-time consultant/principal who is on campus four days a month. He keeps in constant communication and also works on school business from his home in Southern New Mexico. We are grateful for Dr. Four's expertise and experience as an administrator, but please continue to pray with us for a full-time principal for next year.

In addition, several of the teachers and their families have faced physical problems and would appreciate your prayers. 

  

Just this month, we were saddened by the passing of Mrs. Lois Harper, mother of the Across Nations Director, Chuck Harper. Larry and Lois Harper formerly directed this ministry, and they founded Hilltop Christian School in 1964. Lois was the first teacher. We’ve met Lois a few times, and she always had entertaining Hilltop stories from the early days. The memorial service will be in January.

We pray you and your family will have a great Christmas season as we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, the Son of God who dispels our darkness. 

The photos are from the Christmas Program. The delightful drummer boys stole the show.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

August 25, 2024

Dear Friends,

She saw a shadowy figure hanging around her workplace. Other staff had seen it near a closet, so it wasn’t just her imagination. They were on edge and fearful. It was time to bring in the big guns. She called her parent, who is part of the Across Nations Staff, and requested prayer.

Across Nations staff hustled over to visit with the workers. They discovered that the workers believed the building was ‘haunted’ because they were at fault for someone’s death. Later that week, Across Nations was requested to come and pray over the area because the employees had tried everything they could in their ceremonial ways to get rid of the “shadow.” KA took three other Native American believers with him, and they prayed over the entire building, room by room. They reported they were like Joshua, driving the evil influences from the land.

Yes, we know there are cultural differences between us and the Navajo, but this is not the equivalent of my students telling me that if you touch a bug, you will break out in red dots or that owls and snakes are not acceptable topics of discussion because they bring evil and bad luck. The spiritual world is real, as you know, and the battle belongs to the Lord.

Hilltop Christian School has been working, saving, and accepting donations for several years to buy playground equipment. Just when we were ready to make the purchase, the funds were taken by fraud. It was a sophisticated scam, and the amount lost was huge. Of course, we are doing all we can through law enforcement and insurance to recoup some of the loss.

We’re angry and heartbroken, but it reminds us that if Across Nations and Hilltop Christian School were on the wrong path, the enemy would ignore us instead of disappointing children and stealing the Lord’s money.

We have started the school year with a full staff. Our administration situation is interesting. We have Dr. John  as our part-time principal. He’s on campus several days a month, and is always available through e-mail, text, and Zoom. Dr. John was the principal at Hilltop many years ago, and he is delighted to see the improvements to the campus. We all want this to be a workable solution, and we pray for him as he travels back and forth from southern New Mexico and as he assumes the leadership of Hilltop Christian.

When Jesus sent out the twelve, He sent them out with nothing. I take too much when I go on vacation: clothes, OTC meds, books, cash. But Jesus said no staff: nothing to lean on or to protect you from wild animals; no bag: nothing for emergencies; no bread: no extra food because He provides; no money: something tucked away to get me out of a jam; and no extra clothing. We are to be what they see. We are just servants of the Lord copying Him by teaching and healing and proclaiming the Kingdom. We teach, we love, we protect, and mostly we proclaim the love of Jesus, the Truth of the Word of God, and the reality of the spiritual realm where God is sovereign and Jesus is our Savior.

Though we have enough teachers, we are sorely lacking substitutes. Pray that more people would be willing and available to substitute for us. We’ve already had two teachers catch colds, another had an infected hand, one is missing a few days due to cataract surgery, and one missed a week because of a death in the family. Don’t tell me there isn’t a spiritual battle going on.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support in many ways.

In Service of the King of Kings,