Arizona - Update #4

The VBS has been going well.  We have been averaging 40-45 kids which is a good number for our group.  Don and I have been leading an adult bible study during VBS for parents and community members.  Yesterday we had a group of 15.  We are learning to teach slowly so that they can interpret to the older ones who don't speak much English.

The past couple days we have encountered sand storms which was quite a challenge for our group. Winds were 30-40mph with gusts in the 50mph.  We were unable to do anything outside and had to clean out our tents every night.  Sleeping bags, clothes, and whatever was in our tents was absolutely covered in sand.  Even though the conditions were not desirable the group did well to pereservere through the circumstances.

We are learning a lot as a group.  Encountering a different culture, serving in difficult circumstances, and learning to work with each other has been challenging but fruitful.  Each day we have a passage of scripture that we are to be meditating on then we come together as a group to share.  Philippians 4 was the passage the other day.  I encourage you to pick up your bible today and read that chapter.  Take a moment to reflect upon the words of God and allow him to speak to you.

I may look like a gangster but this was my protection from the sand.

Arizona - Update #3

Sunday at Middle Mesa Bible Church was quite the experience for our group.  Church started at 10:00am with a few people in attendance.  0ver the next hour or so people constantly trickled in until the church building was about full.  Part of our group ran a children's church for most of the morning.  The scheduled time for church to end was noon but since the food wasn't ready church just kept going and going and going until the food was finally ready around 1:45pm.  We spent the rest of Sunday setting up and preparing for VBS.

Monday was our first day of VBS.  Jeff and I went out early to pick up kids.  I felt like I was in a Jeep commercial as I navigated what were supposedly roads.  Let's just say it's good thing I have 4 wheel drive.  It took over an hour to pick up kids due to the distance and road conditions.  In some spots you could only drive 5-10mph so you can swerve to miss the really big holes.  Other parts were really sandy like driving on a beach.  We had 33 kids on our first day while Don and I had 5 adults for bible study during that time.

The plan was to visit the Grand Canyon this afternoon but due to 30-40mph winds and massive dust storms we postponed the trip to later in the week.  This has allowed our group for our first rest time this whole trip.  We have been going non-stop since Friday.  They are enjoying the much needed rest.  Please continue to pray for us. Pray for the kids, myself as I pick kids up and take them home, the adults in the bible study, and for our team as the sand storms are getting sand everywhere!

In our adult bible study we looked at John chapter 3.  We had some great discussion and eventually started talking about God's unconditional (agape) love.  It was encouraging to hear how everyone there, including us talked about how we are called to love people with the love Christ has lavished upon us.  We can't manufacture that love on our own, in fact we need to die to ourselves, put off the flesh and put on Christ to love people unconditionally.

We found something in common...volleyball!

The kids were a little worn out after a long day.

Arizona - Update #2

On our drive to the reservation we stopped in Flagstaff for gas.  During our stop my wife was cornered by a drunk guy asking for money so I had to come to the rescue.  Then after I filled up our vehicle a man named Jack came and talked to me.  He was an older man driving a beat up Ford Bronco.  He parked at the gas station and had no money for gas.  He was just waiting there for help and you could tell he was embarrassed to even have to ask.  We filled up his tank of gas and while doing that he shared he was in Flagstaff to visit his wife who is in an alcohol recovery program.  Jack said he has been sober for ten years and drove out to visit his wife to try to save his marriage.  I told Jack about our group and that we would be praying for him and his wife Pamela.  Today if you have a few moments I encourage you to pray for them as well.

Our time Saturday at the Camp Meeting was a great cultural experience for our group.  Everyone got to use an outhouse, eat fry bread, and get to know many of the Navajo people.  Some of our group took the kids during the meetings and sang songs, played games, and has some Bible lessons with them.  The rest of us attended the meetings and some even got to sing and share.  In fact, one of the leaders of the meetings asked Don if he knew him during one of the services.  Afterwards they were talking and found out they went to Moody Bible Institute at the same time and did some Native American ministry together back in the early 90s.  It is amazing how connected we are in the Kingdom of God.

The teaching was very challenging.  The last speaker talked about peacemaking and reconciliation.  One issue that happens in Navajo Nation (and also in most churches in America) is that we don't deal with issues between each other well.  Instead of going to the person, then taking two or more witnesses as Matthew 18 calls us to do we just go somewhere else to find peace.  You see, we look to a new place for peace instead of realizing that true peace is dwelling in us through God's Spirit.  That is why God gives us instruction on how to walk through conflict.  Gossip doesn't bring peace, avoidance doesn't bring peace, running away doesn't bring peace.  We need to be the people of God who through much grace and love are honest and direct and strive for peace in our relationships with one another.  He ended by talking about our most important relationship and that is ours with Jesus Christ.  Are you at peace with God?  Are you reconciled to him through the blood of Christ?

This is our home for the week.  There is dust everywhere and in everything!

Our group singing some songs at the Camp Meeting

Arizona - Update #1

Last summer we took a group to El Nathan Christian Camp in Flagstaff, AZ.  We did a lot of work, mainly a lot of painting to help improve the facilities there.  We showed up shortly after the camp had experienced some damage from a flash flood so God's timing was perfect.  During our time there we built a strong relationship with the camp director.  He then introduced us to a Navajo family who invited us to the reservation to do the VBS we are set to do this week.  Jeff, the camp director informed us that this is a rare opportunity and was amazed at how quickly they trusted our group to come.

The journey to the Navajo Reservation began on Wednesday for a few but most of us were up and on the road early this morning.  There are a total of 23 people on this trip.  A group of 4 began driving out with a camper carrying our luggage, sound equipment, camping equipment, food, kitchen supplies, and all our VBS material on Wednesday. The rest of the group is flying into Phoenix then making the 4 hour drive to the reservation.

This weekend is the yearly camp meeting for Middle Mesa Bible Church.  From my understanding the camp meeting is like a yearly weekend revival/family reunion since most of the churches are family churches.  The families on the reservation are fairly large (think Amish) and most churches are small and consist mainly of extended family.  This often times presents a challenge when it comes to outreach but it has been encouraging to see their heart to share the gospel at Middle Mesa Bible Church.

Prayer Points

- Spiritual & Physical Strength: after a long day of traveling many of us will be physically wiped out and we will be entering a spiritually dark place.  Pray that we would be rooted and grounded in the word, praying continuously.

- Kids: for them to come to VBS and that their hearts would be open to the Gospel

- Team: that we would represent Christ in a way that demonstrates His power and His Spirit. That the people we encounter would know that we have been with Jesus.

Please pray for us! I want to share with you something for to meditate on.  It is from John Piper and was an encouragement to me reading this on the plane.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

God did not spare his own Son, because it was the only way he could spare us. The guilt of our transgressions, the punishment of our iniquities, the curse of our sin would have brought us inescapably to the destruction of hell. But God did not spare his own Son; he gave him up to be pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities, and crucified for our sin.