school days...or is it daze

On the way home from IN, in Chama, NM.

It is hard to believe we are almost 3 weeks into this school year. In some ways it has flown by and other ways it seems to have gone on forever already.

It has been quite a challenge to say the least. It seems I/we are forever out of wisdom. The original plan we talked about this summer has changed many, many times. The original plan had the mother here helping us. As it is now, Melissa is doing most of the teaching in the morning. (the mother has taken on a full time job) The children are then taken to the school where the mother works for the rest of the day, to be taught by someone else who works there. We are in great need of having a 'sit down' with the mother on some struggles we are encountering. But we keep moving on each day, (blindly it seems at times) because, for several reasons it has not been able to happen. Please pray that there would be a desire from the mother to be more involved. And also for these hurting children and how to work through the pain in their lives. It really affects their days so much.

Tara has spent the last several days being pretty sick. She had a lot of abdominal pain and was in bed for 3 days. She seems to be mostly normal now again and is slowly getting her strength back.

We have been walking beside this young mother here, pretty closely. She is so torn about her relationship with her daughter's father. She doesn't want her to grow up without a father, like she did, yet she questions what kind of a father he can be, if he is not totally committed to following God in every area of his life. She has a strong desire to be obedient to God, so we are praying that she will not push her convictions aside in order to keep that relationship; but that she will be obedient to God, what ever the cost.

The young man I mentioned last time that was trying to stay sober until he could get into rehab...he made it. Praise God! Things are going well for him there.

There are 2 other young men here that say they want to follow God, yet they continue in ways that they know are wrong.

I need to be going for now. Thanks for all your prayers.


This is what I feel like doing some days.

of trying times and very full days...

We are back home again after being gone for 3 weeks. It was good to see friends and family in Indiana, but we are sure glad to be back. So many changes have happened in peoples lives here.
A new baby born, 2 started new jobs, one of those quit, someone else quit their job, children enrolled in school and then taken out to home school, a family moving, personal conflicts among several that we are closely connected with...and the list goes on. Trying to help those work through their personal conflict has been very draining to say the least. Since lying is so much a part of the Hopi religion here, it is very difficult even for Hopi Christians to realize that deception is wrong as well. God, please give us wisdom.

And also today was our first day of school. It went pretty smoothly, considering all of the other things that have preoccupied our time since we got home just 4 short days ago. We have more ahead, with some unfinished school prep that we should have had for today, but sometimes (it seems lots of times lately) there is a crisis that needs to be handled, and so we put non-emergencies aside.

Please pray for wisdom as we help work through conflicts and crisis etc. in peoples lives.

• A man struggling to stay sober until he can get into rehab, while being persecuted by his brother for coming to church.

• A family of 7 in need of a home.

• A young couple getting ready to have a "baby naming" for their new baby, even though the mother is not at peace with it. (What will this open the child up to?)

• A man knowingly and openly carving kachina dolls after, (by his own admittance) God clearly showed him it was wrong.

• A lady is working in an environment that pulls her one way, so it is a daily struggle of discerning God's will.

• A man faithfully and consistently seeking God a short time ago, and now is boot-legging alcohol.

• A man beaten unconscious, in a drunken brawl, at the home where a 4 year old girl lives with her handicapped mother.

• A home school co-op endeavour just starting up with 2 Hopi families. Praying the children's hearts are softened toward God in this school year.

• A mother fears for her life, from her abusive husband since she left him.

And that is just some of the prayer needs that I think of right now. Please pray with us, it is so desperately needed.

Thank you all.