Our involvement:
This is a hugely complicated situation, and we as a team are praying hard over what, if any, involvement we should have.
Steve’s Ministry
Raise funds?
Build?
Joyce and Harley tell us not to worry about their house; They want to see God answer their prayers; they ask us to please just keep coming back and teaching the Gospel to their kids. Just one child, they tell us, just one needs to accept Jesus and then watch the ripples.
Why are we here? - Concerns
Are we meant to be here?
Is Jesus really calling us here?
Would it be more practical/cost effective to send funds for the church to do this themselves?
This is an expensive ministry: multiple trips for teams of 4-5 and up to 18-20 people several times a year
Travel costs
Lodging/RV rentals
Food
Supplies and materials for VBS
We all pray about this: our hearts are there; we want to be there; but is it God’s will? We all believe that yes, God has a purpose for us there.
Ken believes God has told him that he is there because these people are a part of his family, our family. It was a part they hadn’t met yet, and God wanted them to be a part of each other’s lives. These people, the Navajo of Cedar Ridge Full Gospel Church, are our family. We have the privilege and joy of knowing them and serving them and helping to reach their children.
God is a God of unlimited resources! He has faithfully provided, and we always see His hand in every single trip.
Ministry of Yes
We do what is asked of us while we are there
We step out of our comfort zone
If they ask us to speak or sing, we do it. If they ask us to help herd the sheep, we do it. If they ask us to eat mutton stew and blue corn mush, we do it. If a little kid who’s used to going hungry asks for a Big Mac, we get him the Big Mac.
Ministry of Giving Sacrificially without expectation
We spend time with these kids, reaching out and loving them, sometimes without any response, only a blank stare.
We send money for gifts at Christmas, sometimes without getting the fun of choosing gifts ourselves or without the pleasure of seeing the kids receive them. The joy is purely in the giving.
This is a difficult ministry: it is exhausting, physically demanding, uncomfortable, just really hard.
The challenges:
Deer through window
Heat
Lack of water for showers
Bugs
Sickness
Complications picking up and returning the RV
Long, exhausting travel days
But would we trade it for anything? Not in a million years.
We give without expectation of anything in return, but we serve a God of grace, a Father who loves giving good gifts to His children, and He always gives us so much more than we can possibly bring. The joy we take in knowing and loving these children is immeasurable. We get to know them for a few short days, and we come home and miss them like crazy. He gives us a place with a part of our family that we otherwise would never have met. We’ve been accepted into this family, a completely different culture and language, but with the common bond we can only have in Christ.
Prayer Requests:
Pray for the hearts of these children: that seeds may have been planted, that they would continue to be reached
Pray for Pastor Billy as he leads his church
Pray for Cedar Ridge Church
A bilingual pastor
Someone to help reach the youth and children
Pray for Joyce and Harley
Funding for their house
Health
Pray for Gloria
She would continue to walk with Christ
She would be able to reach her family for Jesus
Pray for Sydney
Someone would be able to disciple her
She would be able to get to church
She’d remember to read her Bible and Pray
She’d grow in Jesus
Pray for Naash and his sister Cheyenne
That they would both grow in Jesus
That they would be a light in their traditional home
Pray for the Cameron kids
That they would find hope in Jesus
That they would be safe, fed, and cared for
That their mom and grandma would get clean and be there for them
That the kids that have left or been removed from the home would be safe and cared for
Pray for the Deans and the rest of the team,
That God would continue to provide and enable us all to return
That He would soften our hearts toward His people their
That He would make His path straight for all of us and give us wisdom and direction.
Pray for the ministry
What happens next
The need for full time missionaries
Good relationship with the Chapter House
Pray for the Navajo community
Spiritual protection
Guidance for the Chapter House leaders
Poverty
