On Saturday, August 4th, thirty-seven members and friends went to Shiprock, New Mexico to minister to the Navajo people. Central’s own Mary Hoggard drove up from Santa Fe (where she now lives) to work with us all week in VBS.  The mission team stayed in a dorm built by United Methodist work teams. While the conditions were close and spartan, everyone enjoyed each other’s company, not to mention the delicious food prepared for us each day by Elaine McGinnis and Chandra Ozment.

We had the pleasure of worshiping at First UMC, by attending a Navajo/English service. We were very lucky to have Martha Lee with us, as she accompanied their praise choir on the piano for a round of hymns sung in Navajo. The preacher gave his message in English and then in Navajo, and communion was done similarly, with Beth Keasler assisting him.

On Monday the work began.  The team divided into two groups: one to teach Vacation Bible School to children in the area and the other to work on three homes in need of repair.

We went out in vans to neighborhoods resembling third-world countries and brought children back to the church for VBS, sometimes making three or four trips each day. Our VBS workers had planned the curriculum for months and had worked very hard preparing stories, crafts, recreation, snacks and music for the children. The theme, “Fiesta!,” was a huge hit with all the children. Each day, they learned a different phrase, and every time it was mentioned, they threw up their hands in the air and shouted, “Viva!” The first day, the children seemed timid and reserved, but by the end of the week, they were singing and dancing and shouting “Viva!” as loudly as they could.

To celebrate the end of VBS, we had a hot dog lunch for all the children and their families. Several parents attended, including one mother whose four daughters had attended the last three days. She mentioned that she had gone to church at First UMC with her grandmother while she was a child, but stopped going in high school. She was 25 years-old and had five children, including a 6-month-old son. She said the girls had such a great time that she realized their family should be attending church. She asked the minister when services were and said they would start attending.

The work projects were daunting in the desert heat, although the first four days it was hotter in Concord than in Shiprock! The work teams scraped, primed and painted one home, removed and replaced tile and linoleum in a bathroom and painted the kitchen in another home, and replaced rotted doors and windows in a third. All the work was difficult and time-consuming, but the mission team persevered, and all projects were completed by Friday.

Sunday, the group headed up to Mesa Verde for hiking and exploring. We saw beautiful desert scenery, including a magnificent thunder storm on the way home.  We squeezed in a trip to Monument Valley during the week, and saw the sunset from the top of a mesa. On the way down the mesa after dark, we pulled over and rejoiced in God’s majesty by lying on our backs watching an unbelievable display of shooting stars.

During the week, a group of our ladies visited a nursing home in Farmington, NM, where one of the residents was a retired Navajo minister. He sang “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” for us in Navajo. Once again with Martha on the piano, we sang residents’ favorite hymns and left them teddy bears made by Central’s children during VBS.  Another afternoon, a group visited New Beginnings, a domestic violence shelter in Farmington that receives funding from the United Methodist Women. We heard the story of one of their residents who has struggled with domestic violence and drug addiction, and thanks to the help from the shelter, is now seeking a better life for herself and her two daughters.  On Saturday, the team packed up and drove back to Albuquerque, sightseeing all the way. We flew home early Sunday morning, eager to see our loved ones and friends at Central.

We are so proud of everyone who went with us, but our youth really should be commended. They worked so hard on all projects, contributed to KP duty and kept smiles on their very tired faces the entire time.

All of us reached out to those who are different from us. We showed God’s love to all with whom we came in contact. We were blessed many times over with the responses we received. We all probably left a bit of our hearts in New Mexico with the Navajo people, but our souls are so much richer for the journey. We’d like to thank all of our family at Central for their prayers and financial support, without which this trip would not have been possible.