First Team

The first team for this year can under AIM(adventures in missions). The project leader came from Minnessssssota, Rachel. And the team came from Arkansas, youth leaders and their youth group. Total of 13 people. They did something different, they had a youth group for the kids out here Monday through Wednesday. Thursday was Family Night. Friday night it was Mission staff appreciation supper.

They would start with playing basket ball. That way as teens came they could just join right in!

Sometimes there would be to many so they would line up and take turns shooting the basket.

Some would just watch. Or they might be taking a break.

Then they would have what they called "Circle Time" I don't know if they realize that fit into the culture, being a circle, I think that was God at work!

Each night they would have a different topic they would talk about.: Like Friends, Family, and I forget the third.

We had a great turn out. Ever night more would come.

            

Tammy and Rachel

Then they would eat!

   I was ask to cook Monday - Wednesday.

 Monday was Mark's Pizza, Lettuce w/dressing that came from my Grandma, Aunt Lou, and Mom. Also some ice cream w/toppings! Tuesday we had Taco and Watermelon! Wednesday was Lasagna, green bean casserole, garlic bread, and Marco's Chocolate Chip cookies.

                                          Then on Thursday night they had family night.

The Team also put on a very meaningful skit.

This is Guy, he is a walking I-pod. He knows so many song, even ones you would not think some one his age would know. He came with the team. We at the mission want to keep all of them. They were GREAT!

Here is how their day went:
By 9:00 up, breakfast, quiet time, and ready for Mark to give them something to do.
9:00 to 11:30 they worked cleaning up the cemetery, playground, weeded around some of the buildings, pick up old fencing and moved it, changed some washer around, switch two air conditioners, and went rock climbing.(Not all in one morning, but all in 5 days)
11:30 to 2:15 They would go to a boarding school nearby and help with lunches and anything else that needed done.
2:15 to 3:30 break(I think)
4:00 to 8:00 Youth group for the community and help clean up
After that I don't know I went home.

The Orchard

When we was told about this position at the mission, we were told they had an orchard that is water by satellite. All kinds of questions went through our minds and everyone we told about this. Well now that we are here we can answer some of those question, but still have many to be answer.

Mark has dug a ditch to be cement for the gate to rest on

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The orchard had 2 grape vines, 1 Li Jujbe(have no idea what this is), 1 Rio Oso Gem Peach, 1 All in one Almond, 1 smokey Service Berry, 1 Mt. Royal Prune(I thought plums dried, made prunes), 2 Bali Cherry, 2 Montmorency Cherry, 1 Honey Crisp Apple, 4 Golden Delicious, 4 Red Delicious, 2 Bartlett, 2 Chinese Apricot, 1 20th Century Asian Pear, and 4 dead trees. Only the almond and the Apricot has any on them!

Last fall they put the fence up because the deer was very hard on the trees.

This is the best tree. I think it got extra water from the raised beds!

Not all the trees are doing great. We didn't think you wanted to see dead trees. The water system is giving Mark a real headache! After a month of trial and error, he thinks all trees are now getting water. But the satellite is not working, it's Mark, who turn the water on for 90 minutes in the evening and in the morning. The guy who has this system sat up, lives in Calf. and is to show up sometime around the 4 of July. I hope we still have some trees living.

Ladies Day Out

Last Saturday, the mission had its first Ladies Day Out. We had 30 women who came out for it. All this week, when people came to the mission we would here: Thank you so much for Saturday or I heard I missed something really good. We were encouraged.

We had fruit, little muffins, trail mix and other goodies for them in the morning. Then for lunch we had taco salad.

Diane had ask a very interesting Navajo Lady to be our speaker. She would do it in Navajo and then English. She was good. She knew what these ladies needed. At the end she prayed with the ones who wanted it.

I was glad I was part of this day. In our home church I have helped with Ladies Day Out and had fun doing it. So it's neat that I can come to New Mexico and help with this.

A Different Memorial Day....PLus

At our last staff meeting Mark was told that on Monday, Memorial Day, he would need to be available to top off the graves. Very different then in PA, but then again no green grass out here either. The following pictures will show you the differences.

Some have dirt that are about 4 feet above the ground. They would take off the old plastic flowers and put on new. The following pictures are what they took off.

Plus this!

The Blog was down for a week. It would not let me post. I tried to tell them about it but got nowhere. So I prayed about it and the Lord answered my prayers! Thank you Jesus!

So to add to this on Friday we had a funnel here at the mission. It was very long. 9:30am - 5:00pm. They would say things in Navajo then in English. Of course somehow Mark always gets involved. Some ask for a cordless drill, so Mark went to get his. Then he was ask to drill the lid on the casket(That is what he heard). What they really wanted was to screw the top on the vault (it was OSB board not cement like at home). So at the grave site they put the vault in, but the top, then the casket, then the top, then Mark got in and put 22 screw in the top of it(that's how many they gave him).

After that was done, then they started to fill the grave in by hand using 4 shovels. We had heard the Navajo way is this: Everyone stays at the grave site until it is all filled in by hand(shovel). Mark was talking to the guys who had dug the grave and said he could help with a power shovel(tractor). The guy said," Would you, being your day off?" Mark said sure but he did want to offend the family. So the guy went and ask the family and they said, "Sure".

Its was deep!

Alot of dirt to move by hand!