Fall weather is here...

...and it is hard to believe. We are having colder nights and pleasant fall days. (we even burned a fire a few nights) It seems there are so many things happening and changes taking place. Some exciting things and some not so exciting.

I was sad to see a young mother move back to CA, but I know it may be the best thing for her right now as she makes some major decisions in her walk with the Lord. Just pray that she will stay close to Him, as she doesn't have Christian friends there.

A lady moves back in the area before finishing her rehab and seems to still be weak in her walk with the Lord. Will she be able to stand up to the pressures around her?

We see the hearts of these 3 children coming to school here, softening. Praise God! Pray for wisdom and patience as each day brings new challenges that we feel so inadequate to handle.

A lady who comes around some, finds herself pregnant. Based on the choices she has been making during this pregnancy, the baby will have FAS. God have mercy on this helpless child.

There are different ones around here confused by what is being taught in another ministry here on Hopi. As they share their confusion...I am so sad that these young Christians are having to face this.

There is the mother who recently lost her 8 year old daughter; and I think of all that she is walking through right now.

For some reason today I am feeling especially burdened for this and other situations here. My heart aches for the souls of these people. Lord, what would you have me to do? We are here on this earth to bring glory to Him...how does that look practically?

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for us here. We certainly do feel the need for them.

In other happenings....

I sorted through closets and found so many clothes that are too small. How fast they grow in what seems like just a few short months since I was putting away their warm clothes.

School for our children is going quite good amidst all the busyness here. I am really enjoying my teaching time with them, although it seems I never get enough. Sharayah loves to read and often does 2 lessons in reading a day because she likes it so much. With Math-U-See Tara and Seth really like Math and do it in their spare time sometimes. Bryce has been doing some extra studying in an electronics book that a friend of ours loaned to him.

Tara is really enjoying Choco, the dog we have claimed...I guess. Tara is definitely Choco's favorite. We were able to get rid of the other stray dog so it's nice to just have one hanging around. (i'm actually glad she's here because i really like her, i just don't proclaim that too loudly)

One of these times I will put some pics on here again.
For now I need to go.

God working in tragedies

In some ways the week here has seemed so long and in others, so fast. The funeral for that young girl was on Tuesday with a memorial service in the evening. God is working in so many ways through this. There are people that would never think of stepping inside a church, that were there Tuesday night and heard the salvation message. There were/are many hearts softened. The mother is overwhelmed with what God is doing in the lives of so many (including her own family) as a result of her daughter's life being taken. She said "It is painful but I know God had her here for a time to draw others to Him and it was her time to go." We are seeing her family draw together where there was dissension before. And even someone who her daughter was specifically praying for seems to be drawn. Please keep praying that God will be glorified through all of this.
Here is a picture she drew hours before she disappeared. She said the angel on the left was her.

In other news and happenings...
We took Choco to the free vet clinic Monday and got her fixed and vaccinated along with this sick stray dog that will not leave us. She had to be treated for all sorts of things so was not able to get fixed. Now we just need to find a home for her. Any takers?

The Toews' left today for CO for a week or 2.

School went so much better this week. Praise God for that!

Tonight the girls and I are planning to head down to K-town for a women's retreat. They always look forward to these. It is tonight and tomorrow.

Right now I need to go get some things done before tonight.

sad news

Today has been a difficult day here. Yesterday evening we spent some time praying with a single mother for her 8 year old daughter who had been missing since early afternoon yesterday. The Toews' spent time helping look for her into the night along with several others including the police. They found her body this morning. They are investigating the situation.

This mother has been coming here for Bible study, women's group, and other activities that we have for the last couple months. Tara has spent some time playing with her daughter. Most of her family is very hostile towards her mostly because of her choosing to do what's right. It is a daily struggle where she lives. She has been carrying so much...and now this.

We just came from a prayer service for her and her family. The details of the funeral have not been planned yet. Please pray for her family as we walk beside her in this time.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for the homeschool here. We have seen some answers to prayer in the last couple days. Praise God for that. Pray that there will be a good relationship between us and these precious children even when it is so difficult to have that.

There are lot's of other things going on around here, but it has been a really long day and I need to get some sleep.

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.

What's been happening since last post and where to start?.....

Well, the dog from the last post has left. She disappeared a couple days later. But we now have another dog that has been hanging out here for at least 2 weeks now. She may actually stay. We are calling her Choco (Chocolate). She's not the prettiest dog around, but she grows on you.We had a family from CO stop in for overnight last week. It was such a blessing to have them here and so refreshing to fellowship together. The kids really had fun together too.
We went to the homeschool conference in Pheonix last weekend. I have to say, that I got more out of the conferences I went to in IN. But, I am glad we went. We took some from the village and they got a lot out of it. I enjoyed hearing about what they learned and how it helped them. Please pray with us that God will meet the needs of this single mother planning to homeschool her children with our help, this school year.

Our kids favorite part was being able to swim at our friends pool where we stayed for 2 nights. Seth even got to try out his remote control submarine, which he has been wanting to do for a long time.
This week has been busy. We have been having VBS every afternoon and every evening we had something going except for Monday. Tomorrow will be the final day with a BBQ in the evening for the families. Please pray for a little girl that is not living in a good situation right now. We see so much more of what their day to day life is like when we are picking them up every day.

God has been showing me so much in the last couple weeks. We have been listening to a series of messages, The Cost of Discipleship by Paris Reidhead. (They are available free here.) Matt. 16:24. What a challenge. To be a follower of Jesus, to truly be his disciple, I need to give up my selfish ways. Am I wiling to give up what I want to do, when I want to do it and see others as more important?

Here are some random giant bubble shots. Tara got this from the Toews' for her b-day.
Goodnight all!

As the end of the summer draws near.....

It's amazing how fast time goes before I get another post on here. There has been so much happening it seems.

Melissa's family was here for about 10 days and we did a lot during their time here. They sewed for Tara and Sharayah, helped tie a comforter top I had made for Tara's b-day (it just needs the binding now), helped with some homeschool planning and they painted our living room (I'll try to put pics in sometime).....and lots more that the guys did that I don't know about. It was such a blessing and encouragement to have them here. Thanks so much for all you did!

The top of Tara's quilt, before tying.
I have been trying to get some home school details planned for the school year before we go down to Phoenix for the home school conference this coming weekend. It has been quite a struggle to get that done. It seems each time I set aside for focusing on that, there is a ministry opportunity at the door or in our house. I'm beginning to think I will just have to get what I think I need at the conference and work out the school details when we are in IN in August. (Much as I was hoping to do that now) As I am learning lately, my ideas are not always God's plan. Am I willing to be yielded to His plan for my day?
If all the details work out it looks like we will be schooling 3 children from the village this year as well as our own. Melissa and their mother will be helping out with that too. It will be a challenge to be sure, but I am really excited about the opportunity to immerse these children in the Word of God.

Currently the annual Hopi Camp Meetings are going on. We have been there last night and tonight and will probably go the remaining 2 nights as well.


I have been trying to catch this very smart mouse for over a month now. We tried regular wooden mouse traps- always licked them clean, 2 different kinds of live traps- never bothered going in to get the bait, several sticky traps-he got caught in twice, but always managed to wiggle out, leaving lots of hair behind, a homemade trap using a bucket for him to fall in when getting the bait-he stopped short of the bait, homemade mouse bait with dry cement in it and water nearby- he wouldn't eat it. It was really annoying. We found droppings in various places, including on our dining room table. Yuck! Well, after some research online I got one of these traps. We checked the trap 2 hours after setting it and we had caught the culprit. My tip for the day is to use these for those mice that think they're smarter than you, it seems to work.

It seems that we have had stray dogs living here off and on this summer. Most of the time they are very thin and a little skittish. Back in April there was a puppy that stayed here that seemed to be getting weaker by the day. So we fed it and Jim said if it stayed around we could keep it.
We called her Nutmeg.
A couple days later she disappeared. It was really disappointing for our kids, but they have since grown used to "short term" dogs over the summer months, even though it is still hard sometimes. Another skinny dog showed up last night and has hung around most of today. (although she could be gone again even as I write this) Just this afternoon we figured out it was actually Nutmeg. She looks so different that we didn't notice at first.
















She has far too many ticks to count and you can tell she has had to fight for every scrap of food she got. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to change that.

In the meantime I should retire for the night.