Happy Birthday!!!

God has been so faithful! I am continuing to heal. Each day my skin is closer to normal and there is very little itching now. The swelling has been gone for several days. It is amazing how He works. I have so enjoyed being out in public again after 2 weeks, and fellowshipping with others. We hosted ANF (Anabaptist Native Fellowship) meetings here last weekend so we had visitors from several places here. It was nice to visit with friends we had not seen for a while as well as make new friends. Saturday night we had a cookout behind the village.

We are looking forward to a visit from several men and boys coming for a visit this weekend. They are from our church in Indiana.

Please pray for this family of 7 living here in the fellowship building as they walk through some very painful things. That God will give them strength through this and that they will grow stronger and closer to the Lord and each other.

Continue to pray for all of us as we help school 3 extra children. It is certainly not without challenges. There may need to be some changes made in the way we are doing things for school very soon. Pray for wisdom as we seek the Lord's leading in this process. Also just pray for this family in general, they all have a lot of painful things to work through.

Today Sharayah turned 6. It's hard to believe she is 6 already. We had a little celebration tonight with presents, cake and ice cream. Now she is having a hard time falling to sleep.

Well, I need to get off to bed. We really appreciate all your prayers...we couldn't continue without them. God bless you.

very itchy and feeling drugged...

life has been a challenge here the past week. I have been fighting an infection (cellulitis) since about last Sunday. We thought I might end up in the hospital, but we are thankful for a Dr. that goes to church here who was able to prescribe 4 very potent antibiotics for me to take. I know that lots and lots of people were praying and the Dr. was very pleased with my progress when he made his "house call" this morning. Jim has been quite a trooper through all of this, waiting on me hand and foot, sterilizing anything I touch, keeping the house running, homeschool...and I'm sure the list goes on. The biggest thing I'm dealing with right now is the itchiness of the drug reaction. Pray that, that will clear up soon. Thanks for all of your prayers through this, God has been faithful.

In other news...

Please pray for the lady who lost her daughter several weeks ago. It seems she is running from the pain and is not handling/processing it very well.

Another lady who had gone to rehab is now back home and is staying strong in her walk with the Lord. But her situation here is not without trials. There was a death in her family recently, her adult son is very angry and has physically hurt her in the past, her 5 year old son is being kept in a home that is not a good situation, illegally. She has custody but has not been able to get him back.

Continued wisdom is needed as we teach these 3 children in school.

Here are some random pics from around here.

Homeschool Bible class

Ok, well....I think they're getting carried away now. What does that say in the top left corner?

It started out being Bible class.
Seth, making eggs on the wood stove.
They're making hats.
Sharayah is wearing a hat she made and is making another one.
She likes to relax while she works.
That's all for now.

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.