Saturday, July 16, 2016

'The joy of the Lord' by Dawn Jorgensen

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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