singing the blues

I don't know who if anyone every checks this blog...once the cite of great theological debates...deep thoughts and confessions...now mostly we blogged on the ministry site - the mission - but there isn't much of a ministry anymore...art just had surgery and is home but in a lot of pain. I pay good money for insurance, but there was a $500 deductable, which we don't have...infact we are under serious financial stress. behind on everything but rent...hadn't had to pay rent while we were at the mission...thought Art had a job lined up, but that fell through...trying to trust...fighting depression...give us this day our daily bread...God bless us everyone...urg!
Send money...301 E. Hopi, Farmington, NM 87401...lol...anyway, thanks for praying - that's what we really, mostly need.

Merry Christmas

Tziporah's first birthday - with brother Elijah
2 of Jeremiah's kids - 12/19/09

alone on Monday Night

art is in phoenix...there's a pastor's meeting tomorrow. They are supposed to talk about how they followed up after the first of three Healthy Church Growth seminars last month. ironic - we had a stratigic planning meeting 4 days before we found out the mission was being sold and the ministry was being closed down. i am sad. i am in mourning. here i sit in our tiny but comfortable apartment, i can hardly stand looking out across the little court yard at the chapel. i'm wondering if we can take our rocks with us...petrified wood, lava rocks, probably not. and will they cut down the trees? silly thoughts really. I mean, its only a place and full of weeds. I had another silly thought...praire dogs are endangered species, and the field to the east of the chapel, the 6 acres we don't use is a natural habitit for the little critters...a variable praire dog town, maybe whoever wants to buy it might found out its protected by some wild life protection law...we have wild turkeys and a few deer too. silly - but i'm home alone, i've wasted the evening watching stupid tv...a diversion...i'm mourning. i don't want to feel angry, or bitter, numb is better...i haven't really cried yet...but i can feel it coming. one of our Navajo members mentioned a property that had a double wide trailor and little church on it, on the rez, but its in a place called ManyFarms, quite far from here, quite far from where I teach. Rents are pretty high in this area...Art is gonna have to find a job. Well, probably no one is gonna read this rambling...just needed to vent i guess...probably everyone who cares to has already read the post on the blog...we've got some nice words of encouargement. I wish i knew what the LORD has in mind...Oh God make us wise...hear me sigh???? Good night!

All Things Work...

This blog site used to be a place of debate, and personal reflection on theology and faith. For the past 2 1/2 years my "free time" has been spent in ministry, planting seeds, and waiting for harvest. And most of my blogging has been reporting the slow and steady progress of The Farmington Free Methodist mission. It seems that that chapter is coming to its end. And I won't be blogging much anymore.

But I need to post the following paragraphs because I don't want them to be wasted. Just before I found out that "The Mission" was being sold and "The Ministry" was being shut down, I put together 3 special news letters. The pictures and annoucements would be the same, but the scripture reference and focus paragraph would be different. One would be sent out to the many families that participate in our events, get help from our food and clothing distribution, but do not come to church on Sunday. Another would be for the small churches on the Rez, and the area ministries that have partnered with us. The third would be for our donors, and potential doners.

Hebrews 10:24,25

What is church and why is it important? Ask 10 people and you’d probably get 10 different answers. Here at the Mission on the Bisti, church is a tiny, 50 year old chapel. It is a group of people, multi-generational and multi-cultural. It is singing songs to the creator – contemporary Christian songs, old time hymns in Navajo and English, and songs to the beat of the drum or the haunting melody of a cedar flute. It is Sunday Morning at 10:30. Studying the Bible with Pastor Art and having refreshments afterwards. It is children participating in worship and making crafts or playing Bible Bingo during the sermon. It is important because the Bible says so. It is important because the Great I Am commanded it. If you are looking for a church, where you and your family can grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the LORD, where you can learn and serve as well... we invite you – we welcome you – come to our “church” at the Mission on the Bisti – Be blessed.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20

Partnership? That’s what we are hoping for here at the Free Methodist Mission on the Bisti. We don’t have much in the way of resources, but what we have, we want to share with our Navajo neighbors and we want to reach out a hand of friendship to the other “little” churches in the area. We don’t want to “steal your sheep” but rather we want to work with you to reach the “lost sheep” that are wandering around in the darkness of sin and hopelessness. Some of our plans include a special luncheon for area pastors and ministry partners on December 12, a Saturday Seminar on Spiritual Gifts in January, and an Open House – Children’s Ministry Workshop – what is Free Methodism? event in February. You might want to tell your congregation that we have a clothing and food distribution every Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30pm. Why not give Pastor Art a call, just to say Ya’aateh. He’d love to hear from old friends or get to know new ones!


2 Corinthians 8:1-6

Here at the Mission on the Bisti, we are all about restoration. Restoring families, restoring hope to wanderers lost in the dark, restoring relationships with reservation churches, and restoring a 7 ½ acre site that was desolate and in ill repair for many years. We are about planting seeds. Handing out treat bags and sacks of potatoes at the Shiprock Fair parade (and upcoming Holiday Parade in Farmington), distributing canned goods and warm coats on Tuesday afternoons, inviting our Navajo neighbors to eat with us, play with us, and worship with us. Our needs? Of course we need cash donations. Walmart cards come in handy too! We need tangibles such as: personal size toiletries – lotion, chap-stick, handi-wipes (no mouthwash) socks, gloves, and hats (it does get really cold here during the winter months), hard candy, little toys (brown skinned dolls are especially appreciated), kids’ books and blankets or quilts for the elderly. Mostly, really, we need your prayers! May God continue to bless us, everyone!

Well, that's that. I still can't believe this is over. After the Healthy Church Growth Seminar we went to last month, and the strategic planning meeting we had last Sunday, and the prayer vigil pastor and I were having...I really thought it was time to begin harvesting, not time to plow it all under, well - to everything there is a time...turn turn turn

Life is a great adventure...

one of our young men observed that life is an adventure, you get started and there's no turning back, you just have to keep on living...
one of the joys of my life is being a grandmother...and here is a picture of our littlest one, playing drums with grandpa art...

Eli

Blessed are those who mourn – for they shall be comforted.
To everything there is a time, and a season for everything under heaven.
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Friends of mine just lost an infant grandson. Since my own little nephew passed into Jesus’ arms over 25 years ago, I’ve often reflected that the death of a child has to be the most faith shaking experience of all. Whether the baby lived only a few hours like little Eli, or a few years like little Nicky, it has to be one of the hardest things a person, especially a mother, has to endure.
I was thinking about that during my devotions yesterday, and thinking of the babies I know of personally, whose mortal lives were so very short.
When Nicky was nearly the end of his battle against Leukemia, I remember lamenting to our God, who clearly said “Ask and you shall receive…what so ever you ask in My Name…” but He will miss so much, and hearing the LORD say to my heart, “but he will be spared so much” and I remember praying, “LORD, he will be scared when it happens, will you hold him for a while, ‘til he gets used to this new place?” Then I thought how stupid that prayer was. How many babies die at any given moment? How could God have time to rock each one? And the LORD said to my heart, “Maryellen, never limit Me to your understanding of time, I will rock Nicky as long as he wants.” It occurs to me now that in some way our Heavenly Father might still be rocking him. And Eli, and little Emily. Little Emily was my best friend’s grand-daughter. She was born with a multitude of problems, and everyone knew she wouldn’t last very long. I got to hold her days before she passed on. I whispered in her little ear “give Jesus a big hug for me when you see Him.” It was a strangely peaceful experience, knowing that this little angel, sleeping in my arms, was soon going to be in the presences of God, in His heavenly kingdom. I suppose the question often comes up in such circumstances, when surely the parents and grandparents and friends of the families, especially in all these cases when the babies were born into families that were “Believers”, prayed for a miracle – why didn’t God say yes? Why didn’t He heal? Surely death wasn’t part of His original plan. Surely He is able to heal the sick, even raise the dead. It is hard, nearly impossible for some, to simply sigh and say “Thy will be done.” I just don’t know. I do know that God is Love, and death is not the end of things, and Heaven is a wonderful place. I know that life is hard. I know that 7 minutes or 70 years of life, its so short compared to eternity. I think of little Eli, fearfully and wonderfully formed within his mother’s womb, a few breaths of our air and heaven bound. No reasons, no excuses, no what-ifs will make a bit of difference. So I mourn with those who mourn, and I trust the LORD who counts our tears, and I know blessings will come and peace that passes understanding. I saw a thunderstorm in the mountains today – The God of glory thunders, and I saw a rainbow – God keeps His promises. And I said a prayer for my friends…and I think of little children dancing in Heaven and I smile.

Renaissance on the Rez

School's out. I'm already looking forward to August 15 when I get to start all over again. I love my job! Here are some highlights of the last week of school. Our classroom Renaissance Fair, our end of the year dance, and my favorite - the promotion ceremony when all my students are so nicely dressed and refined. Bless their hearts.