April 2

Dear Friends, Nobody likes to be told he/she is wrong. When studying nouns last week, I emphatically told one crest-fallen face after another that dogs and cats were things not people. Now I must admit I was wrong. The Navajo tradition holds that dogs are indeed spiritual “people.” They have a song. They have a way. They are not to be chained up or abused.   Rez Dog Somewhere in the process of becoming town dwellers, some have  the idea that people take responsibility for their dogs, and dogs are left to be survivors. So, there are stray dogs everywhere. Most are just hungry, not dangerous. If you want to see an interesting documentary on the Rez Dogs go to http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/rez-dogs#1 The Navajo Culture is described as a closed culture. Sometimes they may be offended by our intrusions, but they don’t express it. Unless great pains are taken to build a trusting relationship, there will be resentment when others tell them how to take care of their problems, such as dog overpopulation. Here’s another way the dominant population tried to fix things. We find that our students come from a variety of backgrounds – Mormon, Christian, Catholic, and Traditional Navajo.  We had thought this was because of various missionary influences in the past. Perhaps it is, but we also learned that during the period when they were seeking to integrate the Natives using the boarding school system, the children were divided up randomly into four groups, and whichever group they ended up in, that was the religion they were taught.  Reading Partners This has made for some mixed up religious practices. Please continue to pray for us as we try to help the children who are going to a “church” that teaches something different from what we teach them from the Bible.  We have enjoyed the help of the group from Redwood Christian School this week. They’ve made excellent progress on a building project and have contributed in very helpful ways in our classrooms. They totally transformed our lunchroom for a Carnival/Open House. We’ll have photos soon! Bells play O, How He Loves You and Me. Happy Easter. Ready for Chapel

Three leaf clover - God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

March 22

Dear Friends,

Hilltop Students

I started this letter on the way home from Iowa, but technology failed, and I lost the unsaved documents and photos, which was basically all of it. I had written about the feeling of traveling home—seeing the fields and familiar buildings, and enjoying the changes in the church, school, and town. But truly, what makes any place ‘home’ is the relationships. We treasure the meals, snacks, and conversations we had with you all. You have been a great encouragement to us. Thank you for your generosity, interest, and support of our ministry here among the Navajo. We enjoyed catching up with you and your families and ministries also. God is Good.

Jesus was all about relationships. He could have preached to masses, but He chose to pour His life into His close companions; so we also are intentionally making this a part of what we do. In I Thessalonians 2:5-12, we have Paul’s pattern to follow. At parent conferences this week, when Parent C says they are sending their child to participate in a traditional ceremony to protect him, I listen and don’t assert authority (6). She is probably as torn and mixed up as her child. When Parent L relates that she is overwhelmed with all she has to do, I want to be gentle and tender with her (7).  I am thinking about a tangible way to help her with the burden. When Grandma T (the guardian) relates her own hospital stay and health issues, I want to show affection and let her know that she is dear to me (8). When Parent J hesitates to pray with me, I encourage him that we want to relieve their burdens and not add more (9). So, as the conferences went on, I found myself exhorting and encouraging the parents (11). Some are Christian believers, and many are close to trusting Jesus as Roger and I share our vision of a life of hope for their children.

Navajo Nation Offices in Window Rock

Well, that was our week. Thankfully, a group from Kansas has been here all week. They were very helpful in our classrooms as well as with a construction job on the Western Indian Ministries Campus. The Lord knew who we needed for this week. In class, we’re working on the Easter Program and focusing on the Final Week of the life of our Lord. We’ll need wisdom when presenting the crucifixion lessons. Many movie clips are available, but our kids are just little children, and some of these clips might be too graphic for them.

The temperatures are on the rise, and, like you, we’ll soon be tackling the weeds. Enjoy each season as God brings it into your life.

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