March 1

Dear Friends,

Aren't they cute!

We’ve been slammed by snow again this week. For three days it snowed, and then the rain started. So now we’re deep in mud too. Since we walk to school, we’ll leave it for you to imagine what our boots look like after smucking and slurping both ways. The snow doesn’t put a halt to the schools or the government, so we don’t get “snow days.”

More Snow

We are preparing for a busy Spring Break. We’ve scheduled a couple of presentations in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to share what we are doing here and to raise support. Thank you for your prayers for our trip—from Arizona to Iowa—

and the scheduled and unscheduled opportunities.

The older children shared their stories with the younger ones.

School continues to march along. It’s hard to believe it’s three quarters over already! We definitely love our ministry here at Hilltop Christian School. Sometimes it is frustrating because we know that the things we teach about our Lord are taken in and added to a bunch of other Navajo traditions and teachings, which don’t make sense to a child. We know that our God is greater and calls people out of darkness. We have families with many backgrounds: traditionalists, Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, and non-religious people. I just found out that one of my boys who knows all the answers in Bible class never goes to church at all. All the teaching he gets is from us here at the school.

My newest student continues to struggle in all areas, especially academically and behaviorally. But I think he is trying to do better. Some of the children remember his behavior from public school, and they aren’t giving him a chance to change. We had a talk about how Jesus is powerful and changes people when they follow Him, so they don’t do the same [bad] things they did before. I need prayer for him and myself.

As always, thank you for your prayers and thoughts on our behalf.

At least the boys like it!

Mis-Match Day. 

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

January 25

Dear Friends,

This week I told the story of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers to fourteen wide-eyed children. They’d heard of the ‘technicolor coat’ but not the end of the story. Joseph is an example of God’s grace and forgiveness. Did his brothers deserve this? No. None of us deserves grace. But God takes what is meant for evil and turns it into something GOOD.

I was reading in the newspaper about some Navajo masks that were discovered at an auction house in France and were bought so they could be returned to the Navajo Nation. Here are some quotes from the stories from the Navajo Times dated December 2014.

…They verified the masks as being of Navajo origin. In a private ceremony held at the Drouot Auction House, [Navajo Vice-President Rex Lee] Jim offered Navajo prayers for the masks, which are believed to be from the early 1900s.

“In our prayers and songs to these sacred Navajo beings, we spoke and our deities know that we do care,” [Vice-President] Jim said.  “Our ceremony was a way to reconnect with them and to let them know that we are here to take them home.

…”these masks are spiritual beings and the Navajo people have strong connections with them,” Jim added.

…R. Brown conducted ceremonies and prayers on behalf of the masks and the delegation over this past weekend.

…In total there were 34 masks that were identified by the tribal officials to be Navajo.

…Hale said once the masks return to the Navajo Nation, medicine healers will ‘formally acknowledge and ceremonially rejuvenated them back into the motherland.

…The masks, which include the deities of Black God and the Hero Twins, have a Blessing Way tentatively scheduled for them, according to Tony Joe, program manager for the Historic Preservation Department’s Traditional Culture Program.

…Medicine healers…had conducted hand trembling, protection prayer and other rituals, including at a Night Way Chant Ceremony, for the masks…The Yei Bi Chei masks are used in the Night Way Chant Ceremony during the winter.

…Gorman added that he told French officials about the spiritual nature of the masks, noting that they were not artifacts…For [Program Manager] Joe, now that the masks are back in Navajo, he encourages people to respect and honor such cultural items.

            When I first read this, I thought about this Nation steeped in spiritism and darkness through ceremonies and rituals. There is such a mission field here right in the United States. But, then I thought about God’s grace. Why should we have been given the Light of Christ and had the Way of Salvation taught to us since we were little children? And you came to Christ – He saved you out of whatever road to hell you were on by choice and by His grace.

Thank Him for His grace, which is sufficient in our weakness. And pray that our lives reflect His grace and peace this week.

P.S. There are no photographs of the masks as photography of holy items is not permitted. But there are other Navajo mask images on Google.

January 20

Dear Friends,

Love those Peeps.

The Navajo Nation swore in its President, Mr. Ben Shelly, this week; but if you’ve seen anything on the news, you’ll know that he badly lost his re-election bid.  He is serving temporarily until another election. However, the election is in limbo until the lawmakers and the courts have sorted it all out.

They don't notice the cold when they play soccer.

Last August during the Primary, one of the winners was disqualified because he didn’t speak Navajo fluently.  The tribe’s high court ruled that the election between the two other highest vote-getters should be held by January 31^st, but the lawmakers approved a do-over where all of the previous 17 primary candidates would face off in a special election in June. You can imagine how the court deems this legislation as contempt, so it’s unclear what is really going to happen.

Recess

(If you followed that, that’s pretty good. It’s confusing.) The new council members were sworn in also, and because of a tie, the role of Speaker went to the fellow who won the coin toss. The New York Times calls this ‘the greatest political challenge in a generation: a power vacuum caused by a requirement that the President be fluent in the Navajo language.’ Many are wondering how they can move forward.

Central government is not a Navajo concept, but it was imposed on the Nation in the 1920s. The existing system has been in place since 1990. It is also interesting to me that there is no official constitution, but instead the nation is guided by a set of codes and a document outlining traditional values. The Medicine Men and their counsel are very much a part of the basis for government.

This situation seems to create more uncertainty and instability for a nation that is about the size of West Virginia. Many jobs are subject to the winds of politics, so people have some reason to be nervous. The Navajo Believers are praying for God’s sovereign will to be done. Pray with us for Christians to be elected to leadership and for the nation to seek the One True God.

* Here’s some gold from my class. One of my children started writing the words of the National Anthem (on his own). He erased the first copy, which was even more precious, but the “corrected’ copy is fun too.

Oh see can you see by the darts wood be light

What’s so prise wood we helled at the twise lass a swedee

Oos a stripe and wide star

Threw the pears a as spian

Or the rass wood speed was

Wor so glad wor we squeezie

And the rass get’s were breres

Of the Lord get’s rere grains

Gets threw of the thys

And the flag was still there

Oh see a that’s Star Spangled Bender then yard and pr---ay

Or the now then yard the pre---e

And the hol-----e of the bra----ve

Anyway, I love it that “The flag was still there”! That’s the point of the whole song!

Elementary students

*Pray for my new student to be able to catch up quickly.

*Pray that Roger will know how best to help those who are struggling in his class.

Thank you for your prayers.

Have a good week.

After-Care fun

January 11

Dear Friends,

This week I started on my resolutions: On Monday, I tore the shrink wrap off of my exercise DVD. On Wednesday, I popped it in and listened while doing dishes. How are you doing on your resolutions?

The third and fourth grade Bible lesson this week is on Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  Roger and I have been discussing how the Israelites did not deny the existence of the One True God; they added “practical” gods (rain, fertility, etc.) to the mix just to make sure. The Native American Tradition is syncretistic in much the same way. We have families who are not offended by Jesus or God because they will accept Him into the pantheon and say, ‘He’s the creator-god.” Some participate in events called “prayer-walks,” which are not really opportunities to bring petitions to the Great Almighty God, but are meant to draw attention to a cause such as man’s harming of mother earth. Because the language is similar, it can be confusing for our children. We are concerned for them and their responses.  We want them to understand that the God of the Universe is the One and Only God, and the One Way to God is only through His Son, Jesus Christ. You can see why we pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and timing every day as we try to clearly present the truth in a loving and gentle way.

The Navajo people identify themselves by their clans when introducing themselves and even in the newspaper. For example, in an article about the Ultimate Arizona Cardinal Fan, she was identified as: Big Water Clan born for One Who Walks Around Clan. Her Maternal Grandfather is Towering House Clan and her Paternal Grandfather is Salt Clan. The clan system gives them a family support system and identity.

I just finished Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell. It is historical fiction about the Long Walk to Fort Sumner the Navajos endured in the 1800s. It’s juvenile fiction and an easy way to learn more about the culture of the Navajos who made their home in Canyon de Chelly.  Some of the clans mention in the book were Bitter water, Under His Cover, Red-House, Trail to the Garden, Standing House, Red Forehead, and Poles Strung Out. These are mentioned on p. 90, and I couldn’t help but notice that they can be related to Bible stories and characters. It seems that many peoples carry the seed of the truth in their religions and culture. Last year one of my students got greatly offended when I told the class that their religion had lost the whole truth and they needed to return to the God of the Bible.

We praise God that we had water this Sunday morning. The two previous Sundays we didn’t. There is something to be said for Saturday night bath-night. It’s been warming up here during the day but still freezing at night. We see that many of you are experiencing extreme weather too.

Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

January 5

Dear Friends,

Snow for Christmas and New Years

What a ‘vacation’ we have had -- two snowstorms: one that necessitated a Gallop stay and the other kept us in Albuquerque longer than expected-- frozen water pipes, blown fuses, loss of power area-wide, lack of hot water … It will be great to get back to normal. We did enjoy the visit from our David and my brother and celebrating Christmas with them (late). The snow/ice covered roads filled in the pot-holes, so the drives were slippery, but not bumpy. They loved God’s creation here, especially Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay), which we plan to revisit in the summer.

My class will be missing one student tomorrow because the family is planning to move. This child could potentially ‘fall through the cracks,’ so pray that this is a good move for him. I’ve heard rumors that another one might not be returning, but nothing is official. These children have unsettled lives to begin with, so we pray that he will remain in a stable place.

Fun in a shoebox!

It was fun to celebrate Christmas with the children. People love gift-giving no matter what culture they are from! They all became familiar with the Biblical Christmas story and learned many traditional Christmas songs. My mom had quite a few holiday pins, so each girl got one for her very own. However, I think they were more thrilled with the ‘Frozen’ stocking I put it in. They were so excited about their shoebox of gifts from Mr. Tiger’s home church and their big toy from Toys for Tots.

Now, just for fun December incidents:

·      One boy, who is perpetually in trouble and struggles with grades, was given a spontaneous round of applause when someone noted that he had not gotten his name on the board all day!

·      A girl discovered that my first name was Sara, but she knew it would be disrespectful to call me Sara instead of Mrs. Everett or Teacher. I told her it was just like she called her mom “mom” instead of her first name. She stared at me and responded, “My mom doesn’t have a first name.”

Who are these cute kids?

·      A boy informed me that his older brother was covered with tattoos. Then he said, “My brother used to be bad, but now he knows Jesus.” (Hallelujah!)

·      Roger was checking out the boys’ behavior in the restroom, and he heard one of my boys in the stall singing “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.”

Making a paper chain

·      The first graders are still puzzled about the deity of Jesus. You should have seen the looks of incredulity when I told them that Jesus was much smarter than Mrs. Everett. (Maybe they just couldn’t believe I said that.)

·      Roger asked the children to journal on what they would like for Christmas. One boy wrote: I just want to be with my family (awww) … and get an Ipad.

Anyway, we’ve cleared away the Christmas decorations, finished the fruitcake, written the thank-you notes, and are ready to begin again. Roger will have a new fourth grade girl, so please pray that she fits in well and he has the wisdom to reach her academically and spiritually.

Blessings

With family at Window Rock.