OCTOBER 2020
Happy October, friends!
It’s hard to believe that we’re smack dab in the middle of fall – yet, here we are. We hope this update finds you well & somewhat settled in the world we currently find ourselves in.
The Navajo Reservation continues to have a daily curfew + an extended weekend lockdown which is 8pm-5am on weekdays and 8pm Friday to 5am Monday on the weekends. We haven’t met in-person at church since March 22nd, and we won’t be able to meet together until the lockdown is lifted.
We miss everyone so much!
Bill + the girls have finished their first quarter and continue with virtual teaching & learning. Bill travels to Page {about an hour away} to teach on-site while the girls stay home to log into their classrooms.
Beginning October 12th, students can either continue to learn 100% virtually or attend in-person two days a week & attend virtually three days a week.
Thank you for praying as this has put so much more work on teachers {B included} & more expectations on the students on top of everything else they are all handling at this time!
Side Note:
Bill’s grandmother + my aunt passed away a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Bill was able to fly to Roanoke in order to attend his grandmother’s funeral in West Virginia as well as spend time with his mom, etc. We would love for you to pray for Bill’s family along with my mom’s family as loss + grief are always a hard thing to go through – thank you!
We had several people come out to help our neighbors + community late September / early October:
Don Durham, ALABAMA
Andrew Hays – a journalist from Reuters, NEW MEXICO
Stephanie Keith – an independent photojournalist, NEW YORK
Laura Knapp + Mary Ellen Chisholm of
One Nation Walking Together, COLORADO
José Luna + Mitch Presson from First Church Ministries, VIRGINIA
Jack Simpson, PENNSYLVANIA
David St. Pierre of Moonshot Missions, MISSOURI
and
Jim Standing Bear Wheatley, Angie Swinger, UTAH
I’m extremely proud of the girls and how much they helped out while everyone was here. This move can still have its effects on them. We all miss our family + friends, of course. Yet they are stepping up and learning what matters most {people!}, and it’s amazing to have a front seat as they grow.
And yes – we still get on each other’s nerves like most humans do – haha…
We are thankful to Jim for the donations of canned goods, water containers, potatoes, and clothing – as well as the building of a much needed ramp for one of our elders, Sarah Begay.
We appreciate Jack for his help in building Grandma Sarah’s ramp.
Thanks so much to Jessie Gillespie, Sew You Care, and the many people who contributed masks + school supplies to Page Middle School & our area. They are much needed – especially as school starts in person for two days {Mondays + Tuesdays and Thursdays + Fridays} starting next week!
It was such a pleasure to meet both Stephanie Keith {an independent photojournalist} and Andrew Hay {a Reuters reporter}.
Here are the stories that they shared:
{Please click through the slideshow at the bottom to see pictures of a lot of our friends.}
We are thankful that they’re willing to shed light on the living conditions of many of our neighbors!
Laura Knapp + Mary Ellen Chisholm traveled more than a day and half from Colorado Springs to deliver some much needed supplies to our area.
One Nation Walking Together‘s supporters donated 1000 pounds ofnonperishable food, new blankets, cleaning supplies, paper products, hygiene items, school supplies and more! We’re so thankful for their generosity & their willingness to bring all of these amazing items from Colorado to the Reservation.
We are currently in the beginning stages of a project that would bring much needed running water to homes in the Bodaway Gap area. We are working with Moonshot Missions & their Senior Director, David St. Pierre, to hopefully use existing funds to repair homes, add bathrooms to homes that need it, and bring running water to homes that are without it.
We appreciate David flying out to share this project with the community. Thank you for praying as we navigate next steps!
Last, but certainly not least – we are SO thankful to Don Durham, José Luna, and Mitch Presson who spent ten days on the property helping us out. They were able to repair several leaks on the water pump at the tanks as well as repair the valve + leaks at the point where people in the community hook up in order to get water for their homes, irrigation, and livestock.
Earlier this year, we had a Playground Fundraiser with a goal of raising $12,500 to replace our old playground {pictured below}.
Because of all of you who contributed and/or shared this project with friends + family, we were able to raise over $16,000 – thank you thank you THANK YOU!
This money is/will be used for the playground itself and the supplies needed to install it.
This was Don, José, and Mitch’s primary project while they were here – and along with Bill, David {while he was in town}, and Otis – they were able to set it all up!
The amount of work these guys did is insane – we are so thankful!
This set is normally over $16,000 & Tree Frogs graciously knocked the price down to $12,440 including shipping, taxes, and delivery.
As always – we have an ongoing list of projects that we’re working on while navigating curfews, lockdown, etc. during this time. We are also in the beginning stages of planning our Christmas outreach.
Whether you’re local or far away, we’d love to have you consider joining us. We need skilled workers + willing helpers to get these projects done. You can come out for a few days, a week, or whatever might fit your schedule. Contact us if you’re interested or would like to know more…
