Wedding

Last Saturday, Mark and I attended a wedding. This was not a traditional Navajo wedding.

 The Bride and Groom are Trudy and Lyman.

The happy couple.

 Mark got to know Lyman from patching and changing tires.

Notice the boots!

The floor is vinyl, good thing they through the rice in the church.

It was not her dad, who gave her away, but he was at the wedding.

Not sure about it and didn't feel right asking about it.

Trying to put the ring on.

 Something are just the same!

The kiss!

Bridesmaids

Groomsmen

His saddle

Looks like someone else wedding?

Her saddle

Does the branding idea looks like another wedding?

a better picture of the groomsmen

I thought this idea was neat. It's just hot glue dripped, to make it look like moisture.

Trudy and Lyman dancing.

You could tell he likes to dance.

Reminded me of someone else, Jamie Lee!

Please pray for them, us married folks know its not easy.

I need to remember, Thou shall not convent thy neighbor's blanket!

But it is

 SO PRETTY!

We had a great time.

 One of the things they did different, was they were one of the first one to the reception and greeted the guest there.

Another was it just wasn't the best man but all the groomsmen gave a little talk.

The groomsmen also handed out the cake.

The bridesmaids help unwrapped the gifts and handed them to Trudy so she could say what it was and who it was from.

So I'm not sure if these difference are Navajo or just how Trudy and Lyman wanted their wedding.

It was Beautiful!

Closing for VBS

Here are somethings that the VBS's kids ask about during our time of skyping.

The Hogan  at the mission.

The Hogan can be 6,8,10 sided, or round. The door always faces east.

In the back ground you can see a Mesa, (flat mountain). Do you remember what Mesa means?

flat like a table

One of our neigbor's !

A calf

A bunny out side our door.

Not much for him to eat. No grass or clover.

Quail

lizard

sage bush

lots of sage

And more sage!

This plant is use to make Navajo tea!

Navajo bread (fryed bread)!

The playground

catus

 granddaughter - Rachel

 

grandaughter - Jessie

grandson - Caleb & daughter - Lacey

 Son - Marco

Son - Jamie Lee

We want to thank our home church's VBS for the money they raised this week for us. They raised enough for us to stay another month. We had a great time skyping with them and answering their questions. We had a great week and I hope you' all did too.

God Bless you'all! and remember what you learn this week in Bible School and live it!

Hope

Psalm 33:20-21 We wait in hope for the Lord: he is our  help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

I know this looks like a church and at one time it was. Now it is a school.

Nizhoni Christian Academy

The school serves grades K-12.  This last school year there were 13 students.  The mission provides a solid alternative education to the public school system where young people were being left behind because of a lack of understanding in how to teach youth of another culture.  For these students, this education affords them a brighter future.

Teachers desk

Student desk

computers

more student desk

Overcomer's

Statistics show that there are many Native Americans struggling with drugs and alcohol.  Many of these addicts are living in horrbile conditions with no hope.  The mission offers a program called Overcomer's where the men face their addiction issues.  Most of the men are court appointed.  This program combines a three month intensive residential treatment with a three month aftercare follow-up with a 70% success rate.  Through this program, the men receive various therapies and educational sessions, but much more than that, they receive HOPE!  Their future takes on a different outlook, not one through the bottom of a bottle.

Overcomer's building

inside Overcomer's

kitchen

 living room

One of the bedrooms

work=out room

shop room

This poster is on the wall as you go into the kitchen. I really like the way it says it. It sound very Native.

The Mission Teams

Mission Teams can do Bible Camp, Vacation Bible School, Sports Camp, and/or be a work related team doing projects around the mission and/or in the community.  Teams raise their own support to fund their mission work.  Groups come from all over the United States and stay for about a week.  While here, groups form bonds with the Navajo people which in turn stregthens the connections between the Navajo community and the mission.

work team

bible school

for all ages!

This group does both, they have been come out here for 9 years.

Love Gifts

 Each Christmas, the mission facilitates the collection of items for gift bags for all ages.  These bags are then distributed to various local Navajo community organizations like Headstart, some kindergarten classes, nursing homes, etc.  Last year 500 bags were given to babies, toddlers, preschool age thru high school boys/girls and senior adult men and women.  These bags were the only Christmas gift some of these folks received.  Through the giving of these gift bags, the door was opened to tell about the Perfect, Greatest Gift of All, Jesus!

Jesus is with us so we can be fearless about our future.