November 11

This weekend was an “at home” weekend.  The school vans take students half way home so parents do not have to drive for two to two and a half hours to pick them up from school and then turn around to go home.  Last Friday evening, one student rode the van to the rendezvous spot but was not picked up.  Calls were made.  Mom could not take care of her this weekend, An Aunt said that she was too busy to pick up the child that night but could get her Saturday morning. Does this child arrive at school feeling loved and cared for by her family?

A student has an older brother who has been removed from the home by abuse allegations made by the older sister. The mom feels she can’t discipline the younger children (who attend our school) because of the allegations. Discipline balanced with love is a foreign concept. Children are abused or left to run wild. The older sister has a child who also attends our school. The older sister does not have custody of her own child because of chemical dependency. This sister comes to visit her daughter with her partner -- the young child’s “daddy mommy.”  This is how they live.  Do these children show up to school on Monday morning ready to learn?

Many of our children are already in self-preservation mode. They have been forced to think only of themselves in order to meet their own needs. When we talk of slavery to sin, we think of addiction to drugs, alcohol, immorality, gambling, etc. But, my third graders have given me a new perspective on slavery to sin.  They do none of the above, yet they are deeply enslaved to sin.  They lack discipline. They lack self-control. They lack compassion for others.  They lack the ability to practice delayed gratification. They walk in the door thinking only of their needs.  They want to be in control. They want to be the god of their life.  I understand why, but that is still the original sin, wanting to be god. I have been amazed to observe that Satan has the same power over these little children as he does over the addicts; they’re enslaved.

 

Fortunately, not all of the students are like that all of the time.  God is working.  We pray for wisdom as more and more is revealed to us.  Please pray for these students’ culture and their families.. Above all, pray that God will break through the hardness of their enslaved hearts and allow them to find the true freedom they are looking for in the One who can make them free indeed.

The Everetts

November 4

November 4, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Are we having fun yet? We certainly are. Last week was Spirit Week, so we celebrated with all the traditional craziness.

Not too many children felt comfortable wearing their clothes backwards on Backwards Day, but we ran the schedule backwards just to break the routine. Crazy Hair Day got full participation. Boys generally gelled or “dyed” hair, but the girls went into full design mode creating wild hairdos using water bottles, combs, pencils, and other accessories.

On Mismatch Day, the adults dressed weirder than the kids. But, we got a chuckle out of one student who traditionally matches flowers with stripes because she, for once, was not mismatched. It was fun to see everyone’s creativity at breakfast each morning.

Funny things happen all day long, but we can’t always remember them. We were making Christmas cards to send to the sponsors, and one little girl struggled with drawing a manger scene on the front. She finally made one that included zebras and bears. On the inside of the card, she sketched a fat turkey--just because she wanted to.

The children change into indoor shoes right at the door to keep the floors a bit cleaner. Today, a boy in a great hurry to go to recess, took off his slippers, but ran right out in his socks, leaving his shoes on the shelf.

One of the “magic” phrases around here is, “I have to do something about that.” When a child needs a warning or a delayed consequence, this phrase works wonders. It also is a great answer for a Bible test: Question: What happens if you sin after you have asked Jesus to be your Savior?  Answer: Somebody will have to do something about that.

And my favorite story this week. With the exception of two, everyone in my class was eligible to play in the volleyball game. The two that weren’t going to the game sniped at each other all day and complained that they had to be together after the team left. It was getting so bad that they were earning consequences. Anyway, after the team left, I took them to the computer lab for keyboarding class. Here they are in the lab with twenty empty chairs and where do they sit? Right next to each other!

We had a Harvest Party last weekend complete with a hayride, candied apples, and carnival–type games in the gym. Roger and I manned the bean-bag toss. The weekend before, the children went ice-skating.

So, yes, we want to teach the children about Jesus, and yes, education and manners are very important; but when you think of us this week, remember these are precious children, who love to laugh and have fun. And Jesus gives JOY here at Sun Valley every day!

The Everetts

October 27

October 27, 2013

Dear Prayer Friends,

Well, we had parent conferences this week, and in some ways it was like conferences we had with parents three decades ago and in other ways, far, far different. We were given a schedule, but we had no idea who would show up: a grandparent, a step-parent, an adoptive parent, or a whole blended family. On the whole, the teachers’ opinions were honored, and we were treated respectfully.

Look! We made a chicken coop.

And we came away with a wealth of information that should help us to understand our students better and encourage us. 

 As we knew, these children come from unfathomable circumstances. Moms admitted that they have their youngest children here because they don’t want to make the same “mistakes” they made with the older ones.

    In one class, only one of the girls has a mom.

    Our youngest student just turned six this week.

    Students can’t concentrate because they are allowed to watch all the TV they want or play video games all day when they are at home.

    Children have been allowed to raise themselves: (so they rebel at our authority).

    Children are bounced around to live with different people or are stressed because others have been removed from their families.

    Several children have serious language deficits probably due to understanding neither Navajo nor English spoken in the home during language formation time.

    One boy saw his mother being stabbed by one boyfriend and dumped out of the car by another. Most of the children have witnessed domestic violence.

    A short boy who has serious anger issues had health problems as a youngster, which explains his stature and gaps in his education.

    Moms admitted to going to Christian church and traditional Navajo ceremonies.

Yet, parents told us how their children have shown better attitudes at home.

    One boy insists that his adoptive parents pray before meals. (They are not Christians.) He also makes his sister write Bible verses when she acts up at home, which is a consequence he is quite familiar with.

    One girl has totally turned around her behavior and study habits, to the parents’ deep pleasure.

    One parent assured us that their children would be here for the duration because of the love and attention we lavish on her children.

    One parent cried when I prayed for her. I’m not sure anyone has prayed aloud for her and her child before.

    Parents are concerned about their child’s academic progress and are grateful that they are in a safe and loving environment.

Thank you for your prayers for our conferences. The Lord answered in wonderful ways.

The Everetts

Standin' on the corner of Winslow, Arizona...

October 20, 2013

October 20, 2013

Apparently my weekly ramblings haven’t put you all to sleep yet, according to some feedback we received last week. Thank you all.

Last week was so strange; with the fall break and the Convention with one day of school in the middle, it felt like we had four Saturdays followed by a Friday.  Peter Vasquez (www.2ndchancegrace.org) lodged here on campus and shared with the students from Tuesday through Friday. Friday night was his last message, and being weary from the “convention,” I didn’t want to go, but I’m glad I did.

He started a short message, but as he was led by the Spirit, he turned over the microphone to audience members who wanted to testify about answered prayers or tell how they had come to Christ or share their burdens. The first boy to the microphone was one of Roger’s students who said that God had answered their prayers for a safe trip for the teachers. My newest student, who I wasn’t even sure had a voice because he didn’t speak up in class, told how he had become a Christian. With radiance on her face, a girl shared how she was changed by Christ from being a bully and a failing student to being a friend making good grades. (This one had earlier indicated to me that she was unsure of her salvation, but she is now secure in Jesus’ love.) One of my other girls opened up and told about her nephew’s death and how she thinks God hates her. Pray hard for this one. She knows she is loved here, but she hasn’t grasped the hand of the One who loves her the most. The children’s testimonies were mixed in with those of other adults from the campus and the town. It was an amazing meeting!

We enjoyed the ACSI Nexus Live meetings in Flagstaff, and are still collecting our notes and thoughts from the various speakers. I took a photo of our staff by the pond at Flagstaff Christian School. But another story comes out of that: A woman approached our principal, who was wearing his Sun Valley Indian School shirt, and told him this story: There was a young man who attended our school for one year and through the school became a follower of Jesus and was given a Bible. A few years later, this teen was tragically killed in a car accident. His father, seeking solace, found the boy’s school Bible and began reading it with all its notes and underlinings, and he also put his trust in Christ.  

We just don’t know how much time we will have to influence these children, so pray that our efforts here will have an eternal effect.

Parent conferences are coming up on Friday. We don’t know these parents at all, and this could make for some awkward conferences. We pray for the truth spoken in love and sensitivity to the parents’ needs as well as the children’s.

As always, we appreciate you and your prayers.

The Everetts