Great news to report, there are 142 children that checked in to our Vacation Bible School. They are having lots of fun during our first afternoon carnival. The men are working very hard to try and let us be the first to have a party under the new Ramada. More reports later!!

This week has been such a blessing with the Navajo people. There have been endless opportunities to experience God’s love and power, surely his will is being done here. We started the week out with a bonding trip to Canyon de Chelly, which was a beautiful sight. On our way out of the canyon we stopped at a Navajo woman’s home where she prepared us all fry bread. The woman had a very young Daughter, no older than 5, whom sat down with me and had asked me to help her weave part of her mother’s rug. Words do not do justice to how much love I felt in that moment. On Monday night I even got to experience the sweat lodge just as the natives did. Additionally I have been a part of the work crew over the past week and I am very pleased to say that we have been making incredible progress on the armada. At the beginning of the week we had arrived to nothing more than a concrete slab. Now there is a full structure built and we are very near completion. The goal is that we will be able to eat lunch under the armada today, a goal that we are so close to accomplishing! I have done various jobs on the sight ranging from sawing excess length from metal bolts to nailing in pieces of the roof all while getting to know the men on the trip much better than I could any other way. Last night while I was on top of the structure I looked around and I could see for miles. Despite the poverty that is here, the view of the land was breathtaking. The sun was setting in the west casting a gorgeous orange hue through the sky. God’s beauty is so evident here. There have been countless “God moments” on this trip in every facet of my participation.  I have reaped boundless rewards experiencing God’s love here and I will remember it always.

Miles Jones
19

Incredible progress on the new Ramada, a few days ago this was a cement slab. Geat Job!!!

Today I went on the bus and got to pick up the kids.  We were driving there, and I was talking to a Navajo woman that was driving the bus. I felt very blessed to have running water and electricity all of the time.  While I was picking up the kids they all had a huge smile on their face when we drove up to their houses.  They were all so excited for vacation bible school to start!  When we arrived at the church we got the kids all signed in and vacation bible school started.

                During vacation bible school I helped with the seven through nine year olds.  We had games, bible lesson, craft, and then singing.  Then we ate grilled cheese sandwiches, apple sauce, and chips with all of the kids.  We also played on the playground with the kids after lunch until they left.  Then we set up for vacation bible school for the next day and I played sequence with Kortney and her mom and then the Navajo women came and sold jewelry to us. We ate Navajo tacos for dinner and Navajo tea and then I helped with clean up.

 

Christina Anderson, 13

Greetings from Rock Point!  What a wonderful and inspiring trip this has been so far!  I am honored to be here serving the Navajo people, who have been so warm and kind.  I am helping with the Adult Ministry group – yesterday we had 17 ladies (and 1 man) show up and today there were 22 ladies! Each day we begin with a Scripture reading and a prayer, followed by crafts, snacking, and chatting.  It may not sound so inspirational, but I know the Holy Spirit is with us in our room.  There are two special ladies that I have grown very fond of: Antuane and Laprensa.  They are both in their mid-20’s and they met in school in Special Ed class.  I call them my “giggle sisters” because they make jokes and laugh the entire time we are working together. J  I cannot fully express to you how much joy I have received working with these two precious, lovely children of God.  I have learned much from these young ladies:  living in the moment, appreciation for small acts of kindness, how good a big hug feels, having fun, and how important it is to just sit and talk to each other.  I am truly grateful and humbled by my experience on the Navajo Lutheran Mission campus and look forward to future trips.  In Christ’s love,

Drue Anderson

The Vans were really busy and Sally and her gang broke the 100 kid mark this morning. Lots of grilled sanwiches for lunch

Everything is coming along as we had hoped!!

It is our third full day here up in Rock point, and it has been quite the adventure so far.  Since this is my first year going on the Navajo Mission trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  So when we came up here I just wanted to make sure I had an open mind and an open heart, to allow God use me for whatever purpose he sees fit.  As part of the work crew I have been helping a great group of guys build a ramada on the site.  Already, some major progress can be seen.  After a bunch of drilling and nailing we were able to lift of parts of the ramada today and it looks awesome!  I was really impressed to see how much progress has been made in such a short time.  Today I also had the pleasure of serving lunch to all the kids and adults who came here for the Vacation Bible School that we’re running.  This is when I experienced what we’ve been calling up here a “God moment.”  Though I was on the work crew in the morning and was not able to see all the people who came up here, I got to see every single face by serving them food.  (Side note: BIG shout-out to the cooking crew, they have prepared some amazing food and done a lot of great work!)  I was shocked to see the amount of them, as plate after plate was passed out.  It was a great feeling realizing that all of them came here with a different background, a different culture, a different way of life, but we are all here to learn more about God and spread his word.  I love that everyone here is working together for one ultimate purpose and willing to do what comes our way.  So many great moments have happened already, so many great friends have been made, and we still are only about halfway.  I can’t wait to see what more God has in store for us!

-Alex LoRusso, 16

Riding on the bus today was amazing! At first we, obviously, got into the bus and headed our way over to pick up the kids. The first stop was “okay”. The kids are very shy once they see a new stranger. At first I was shy also. I didn’t want to talk or even look at the kids because I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable to communicate. But as we started to head to the second stop, I opened up a bit and gave a slight smile at the kids. After I gave them a smile, they started to smile back.

You would think that we would just be picking up kids. But at one stop a father and his kids got on. When I looked at the father I was confused because you don’t expect grownups to come onto the buses. Then at the last stop a grandmother came on. No kids, just her. That’s what amazed me the most.

Seeing the houses and what they had around the house was also very cool. The animals were the cutest things ever. We saw Chihuahuas, Chow Chow mix, maybe a Boxer, and also a black pig. The kids got silly and asked if they could bring the pig onto the bus.

On the way back to the mission I mostly just stared at the view from the window. The red hills, the houses, the cows, the horses, everything became a fantasy.

  Juliana(Jay Jay), 13

My experience on the Navajo Mission trip so far has included God’s beauty, God’s Word and God’s Children.  I experienced God’s beauty on our trip down Canyon de Chelley on Saturday.  Navajo guides drove us through this magnificent canyon.  They explained the history, showed us the ruins and petro cliffs and shared their own stories about growing up there.  It was a great day!

I experienced God’s word on Sunday at the church at the Navajo Mission.  They read parts of the gospel in Navajo which made me realized that we are all God’s children no matter where we live or what language we speak and He loves us all.   During Pastor Deborah’s sermon she spoke of Christian’s who have come to bring Christ to the Navajo’s while also stripping them of their culture.  Unfortunately this resulted in many missed opportunities.  My prayer is that what we do here brings glory to God and perhaps plants a seed that keeps growing.

Today, VBS started.  I was able to go out in a van to pick up children.  We went to homes in need of repair that had no air conditioning, no toys visible and some with no transportation. Amazingly, the children came running up with smiling faces, excited to come and spend time with us.  You couldn’t help but smile.  It just reminds me that happiness is not about what you own, but Who owns you.  God Bless.

 

Angie Stenberg

Worship Service this morning with Pastor Hubbard.

Canyon de Chelly

We have been at the Navajo Lutheran Mission exactly 48 hours as I type this.  It is much cooler and more overcast here than we had expected, so we feel very blessed!  Both days we have enjoyed the sound of heavy rain which brought much needed relief to the Navajo people from the recent draught.    Pastor Lynn has ministered to us while guiding us on a seven-hour van tour of many sights including Monument Valley, Goulding, Mexican Hat, and Bluff.  While working and fellowshipping together, we have enjoyed listening to great conversation, laughter, the soothing sounds around us including the music from Pastor Lynn’s flute, as well as many beautiful hymns and psalms in Navajo.  It has been very moving to see the strong faith and grateful hearts among the Navajo people who have endured so much suffering.  They give thanks to God every day.  They, along with Pastor Deb and Pastor Lynn, have reminded us to always pray no matter what, even when times get tough, and not to just pray when we want something.  They have also taught us about “mission in reverse.”  Although we may think we are coming in to help the people here, they are actually helping us.  God was always present in their lives.  We were reminded today in a church service led by Pastor Deb to give God priority when we pray and to pray for our daily bread, meaning only enough need for the day.  We are to live one day at a time, ask for forgiveness, risk trusting others, and resist the tendency to judge, and finally, to remember peace, beauty, and harmony.

Sarah Banks

This morning we all filed into the church service, and I know that at least I was not sure of what to expect. There was beautiful flute music playing in the background while we situated ourselves among the locals. We filled those pews end to end with our large crew! Pastor Deborah informed us that we would be singing many of the hymns in Navajo, and while assuring us that the Navajo language is mostly phonetic, did give us a quick lesson in the sounds that were a little harder. We boosted our confidence by starting out with Jesus Loves Me (Jesus ayoo’asho’ni). I loved that Pastor Deborah blended all of us in the church together so well by letting Judy do the first reading, Matt do the responsive reading, and having other members of the congregation stand to read certain passages in Navajo. I was excited to see that included in the gospel was my own confirmation verse! “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” - Luke 11:9. Hearing it read in Navajo as well seemed very surreal and I quite enjoyed it. Monsoon season has fallen upon the reservation and kept us cooler than expected inside the church, while we also got to enjoy the soothing pitter-patter of raindrops outside the windows. The service even paused momentarily for one Navajo man to say “Thank you, God, for this rain”. The reservation has been put in a state of emergency due to drought, so this has been much needed for the people of Rock Point.

Pastor Deborah’s sermon was spectacular. She focused a lot on the prayer we are taught in Luke. “He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” - Luke 11:2-4. Don’t give God a list of requests. Oftentimes we pray in desperation, and beg. Bring him your problems and desires, and then say “thy will be done”. She told us one story that ended in “Don’t give God instructions, report for duty.” I think this is important especially for our team this week, that we remember that we are here to report for duty and serve our Navajo brothers and sisters while exploring cultures foreign to us.

Pastor Deborah reminded us that it was not too long ago when Christianity and the government had wreaked havoc on the Native Americans, committing genocide and forcing children into boarding schools that robbed them of their culture. They cannot separate their culture from spirituality, and were presented with a misrepresentation of the gospel that was hurtful to their communities. God is and was present on the reservation and this can now be the age of reconciliation and healing in a broken place. The good news of Christ is filled with love and grace, and I believe that Pastor Deborah and Pastor Lynn are able to show that to the Native American people. I believe they are truly appreciated for what they do and will continue to do for their community.

There is a quilt hanging inside of the church with many different panels full of beautiful images and inspiring quotes. One of my favorite panels has the phrase “blessed to bless”. I think that we are so very blessed to be put in a position where we are able to travel and host a VBS for children that oftentimes do not even have electricity or running water. We are here to show God’s love and grace and we are blessed to bless.

 

Jodi Clark

The first day was amazing!  We took a 7 hour drive to Monument Valley and saw incredible things. There were rock carvings that were over 3,000 years old, and the view was beautiful. The ride up was very comical with its many surprises, but I think we made the best out of it and learned to embrace the unknown. Today was amazing, and tomorrow will be even better. We are one day closer to starting VBS. I cannot wait to see the kids and teach them about Jesus, but it seems like they teach me more than I could ever teach them. It’s truly a magical place where lives can be changed forever.

Sarah Dwight, 14

The trip to Canyon De Chelly wasn’t only beautiful, but inspiring.  The long ride to the Canyon was full of different shapes and sizes of the red rocks.  When we got there the Tour Guides were very welcoming.   We hopped into the Jeeps and traveled our way into the Canyon.   The way into the Canyon was exciting to see.   There were many hieroglyphics and breath taking views!

On our way back we stopped at a Navajo’s family’s house.  We ate homemade fry bread that the Navajo women made for us.  It was very good and then she showed us how she made rugs from scratch.  We got to feel the wool and help make it into string and learned how the whole process works for making all the types and colors of string.  The tour guides were very helpful in learning about the canyon.  We all had a great time and it rained a little towards the end of the tour.

Kortney Kroner Age 13

 

This is a group photo before we left. Our first group left to Monument Valley and the second group is scheduled to go soon.

We arrived safe and sound with all members of our team. After a 7 hour drive from Phoenix we all received room assignments and in most cases new friends,

Tonight we had a nice spaghetti dinner with salad and bread for dinner. Tomorrow some are planning to go to Canyon de Chelly and another group to Monument Valley. We will be set up tomorrow to post some photos for you to see. The Mission is in the greatest shape it has ever been due to the hard work of all of the staff working here.

Check back tomorrow for photos and another update.

Check Here for the latest 2013 Rock Point Mission Trip Information

Our mission team (over 40 strong) from La Casa de Cristo Lutheran church is traveling to Rock Point Arizona on July 28th, 2013. We will be hosting a Vacation Bible School and in addition will constuct a patio shelter to be used for outdoor events by the church and school.

Check back after July 28th and we will give daily updates along with some photographs to keep everyone informed. Keep us and the mission in your prayers.