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MISSIONARY OF THE MONTH -- June/July 2008
Update from Mark and Nancy
Greetings to East Main Presbyterian Church. We are
anticipating a busy year working on the Hopi and Navajo
Reservations, and are excited about the work teams coming to
assist!
Mark continues to be the Work Team Director for NAYM. He
spends many weeks on the different reservations, and has several
projects ongoing. He also has a wood shop where he builds
cabinets when he can. Nancy is the
office worker/bookkeeper for NAYM. God provides & Nancy sees
every day how He meets the needs of all the missionaries!
We continue to be a resource for Navajo Christian
Fellowship, the organization that runs the children's home and
youth center in Dilkon, on the Navajo Reservation. Since the
youth center opened 2 years ago, the crime rate and gang
activity has greatly decreased! This success helps our
relationships with tribal officials. We are also a resource and
support for Robert Tso, who runs the Victory House Drug and
Alcohol rehab in Shiprock, NM (also on the Navajo Reservation).
Many work teams have assisted us with both ministries, which are
now under native leadership.
Over the past 2 years, with the help of work teams, we have
been able to build a workshop on the Hopi Reservation in the
village of Bacavi. Half of this shop will be for learning
mechanical skills, the other half for learning crafts that are
God honoring. The tribal leaders in the village are watching it
carefully, so be praying that as we strive to glorify God in the
shop, we don't cause offense to traditional Hopi people! Our
missionaries Russ and Cyndi Toews continue in the work there.
Last summer several VBS teams were working through churches
and at peoples homes. As there is a large need for children's
ministries on the reservation, this once a year outreach into
remote areas is vital. Nancy is instrumental in developing the
curriculum for the VBS teams. As they are 5 day VBS camps, we
need then to come up with crafts, snacks, etc to go along with
each days theme. PRAY FOR HER!
Now, much of our efforts will be about 70 miles north of
Dilkon, at a place named "Hard Rock." The youth in the area are
struggling, much suicide and the drug/alcohol problem grows
larger each year. Over a year ago, the Navajo tribe granted us
rights to 3 acres on top of a small rise. We plan to build a
church/youth center and a shop for training woodworking and
mechanics skills.
On the home front:
Mark: Mark is getting his blood sugar under control. He is
adjusting to the insulin and knowing how to regulate it and his
diet and activity. Mark is helping many groups and people with
the woodworking he does in his
shop.
Nancy: In addition to her other mission duties, Nancy
works 6 days a month at a local hospital to provide her with the
opportunity to keep her nursing skills current & especially to
get health insurance for the family through the hospital.
Ben: Last fall, Ben was diagnosed with Vasculitis, a rare
autoimmune disorder with no known cause or cure. He's
receiving chemotherapy & steroids et al suppress the immune
system to place him in remission. Please pray for him. Our
last lab work showed improvement. Yes! Good is good! We ask
for your prayers for Ben's healing.
We do wish to thank you for EVERYTHING you do to keep us in
ministry! The Bibles and Navajo hymn books we got from East
Main were an answer to prayer. Your prayers are what keep us in
victory! Your financial support
is huge, we are thankful!
And most of all, we want to give thanks to our LORD, and we
pray that all we do will bring HIM glory!
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