What a joy it was to return to Navajo this month! The
familiar sights, sounds and faces brought the joy of the Lord to our hearts in
an overwhelming flood. How good it was to hug the Nortons and see how the Lord
has sustained, and even grown, them in the past year. Leslie and Philip had both grown so much and
Leslie was very tickled that she was as tall as I am! But what was even more
heartening was seeing how the Lord has been growing the church. New members,
baptisms, and community involvement at the church have all infused life into
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. The programs, meals and fellowship brought out our
Navajo brothers and sisters in abundance. I’ve never seen so many people so
grateful for a sloppy joe! And the smiles, laughter and sharing continued long
after the last of the food was cleared away.
The Lord was also gracious in putting us into places where
we could talk about Him and the mission that we were undertaking: Irene, the
cashier at the grocery store where we bought our supplies every morning;
Harold, the Navajo government worker restoring houses on the reservation;
Gloria, who greeted us each morning at the hotel restaurant, and Meghan who brought
us our breakfasts always with a smile. The Navajo people, intrinsically curious
and big-hearted, would hear our story of why we were there and what we were
doing that day or evening and then wish us well. I have to believe that some seeds of a
relationship were planted, or even just a curiosity about this Jesus who would
inspire someone to come across the country to feed people; and perhaps we’ll see some of these faces in
future years at an evening event or even at worship some Sunday morning at
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. I’m just trusting that my small time at Navajo is a building block: each
meal prepared, each child hugged, every brother and sister somehow touched by
our efforts as another colorful, beautiful piece of God’s growing kingdom.
Dawn
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