Guess what? The boys have had the opportunity to attend Vacation Bible school at a local church here. The church we attended on Sunday, Navajo Bible Baptist Fellowship, is hosting Vacation Bible School for kids this week. This church reminds me so much of the church my dad is pastoring in Berlin, Wi. It's a small body of believers, but they are fervent in their love for the Lord and their desire to reach the community. The pastor just took the pastorate about four weeks ago, so they are new to the community as well.
This church has been friendly and welcoming to us from the time we came in the door on Sunday night. Roger had gone with the three boys in the morning, but we all went together on Sunday night. It was a blessing to be able to sing along with songs that we actually know and that we could hear the other people singing. :) They currently don't have a piano player, so the music is sung to a guitar. However, their hearts seem to be sincere and that we appreciate.
This church was started in 1998 due largely in part to a church in Shelby, North Carolina. It's primary goal is/was to minister to the native Americans here, and so the church body is made up of mostly native Americans. The pastor and his family are Caucasian and so are the Robertsons. :) We had a good time of fellowship with the pastor and his wife after church on Sunday night, and we are hoping to have them over for dinner next week.
The boys have enjoyed this week of Bible school, and so have Roger and I! It was definitely different for us to drop of the kids at a church event and not be helping in some capacity! However, God also probably knew that Roger and I needed this time for us to be able to talk and visit...with Emma along. :) On Monday night we stayed for the first part of Bible School. Since it was so different just dropping them off, and we don't know the people really well, we stuck around for a bit. However, the church is doing a great job with the kids. The church was without a pastor for five years before this summer, and yet they still came together to try to reach other kids for Jesus Christ.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Tonight was the last night of vacation Bible school. We are so incredibly thankful for this local church, and it's outreach to the community. The boys have been enjoying the craft time, Bible time, games, and snacks. It's been so much fun and a delight to my heart to hear them come home with stories to tell all week long. God knew that my children needed to be encouraged as much as I did and thus provided an opportunity.
Meanwhile, while they've been a Bible school, we've been exploring various trails, local places, and hiking new trails. Emma has spent a lot of time on my back in her carrier this week, but she has seen some beautiful sights. (Not that she's been that interested!) Roger and I have enjoyed the opportunities for long conversations, listening to dreams for the future, expectations for today, and plans for tomorrow. It's been a good week!
Sunday, July 26
We went back to the Navajo Bible Baptist Church today. Their service starts at 10:00 am., and they have one morning service. Roger and I are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that everything is within a five minute drive, so we are early for everything! In Wisconsin, our church was about thirty minutes away, so it's a change! And since church is stated to start at ten, we've quickly come to realize that it really means about ten after ten...at the least. :) People were still trickling in at about 10:45, so we were early! :) The church has a small children's church program, so it was nice for the kids to attend the children's church. The kids enjoyed it even more since they knew the teachers from Vacation Bible school. After church everyone stayed around and visited with each other before heading home. We went home, ate lunch, and had rest time. Roger took one of our boys on a date with him this afternoon. This particular child really seems to be struggling to adjust to life here, and we are concerned with his closed-off attitude towards us. Please pray that we can reach his heart.
We arrived about ten minutes early on Sunday night. I had mentioned to the Pastors wife that I could play the piano during vacation Bible School. Since no one was there yet, I asked if I could try out the piano. The church has a beautiful baby grand piano that hasn't been played in several years because they don't have a piano player. It was so relaxing and soothing to my soul as I sat there and played through the hymnal. I hadn't realized how much I had missed playing! The song leader came up and asked if I would play for the song service. Of course, I was happy to do it! There was one song that I wasn't familiar with, so that was interesting. And we sang one song through, then they took up the offering. I switched to a different song to play for the offertory, but they sang the same song that they had just sung for the offertory. So I was behind on that one! Because the church is a ministry to the Navajo People, they often sing songs in the Navajo language, I'm thankful that the piano notes are the same regardless of the tongue it's sung in! :) It was a good service, and it gave us an opportunity to visit with the people. Roger and I are trying to figure out a date to have the Pastor and his wife over for supper, but we have to figure out a time when Roger isn't flying an evening flight. The pastor and his wife are currently living in a little Rv, and they are looking to find a place to move into. We are looking forward to getting to know them better. I believe that God has allowed us to find a good place for our family to attend church while we are here in Arizona. I love how God is concerned about all the details in our lives, and he takes care of everything. It was a special delight to my heart to attend church this morning knowing that the kids had attended Vacation Bible School, we knew some of the people, and this body of believers seems to be warm and welcoming. We are blessed!
Another blessing I have is how God provides for our physical needs as well. When I went to the grocery store for milk and a few items today, I found bacon and pork chorizo at 75% off! Guess what we are eating this week? I've never cooked with chorizo before and I have no idea what I will make with it, but we will eat it and be happy! The boys are excited about having bacon and eggs, and I love how God provides.
Monday, July 27
Yesterday at church, one of the men had given Roger a few fishing tips. The boys were anxious to try fishing again, although neither Roger nor I are crazy about it! Roger had a flight today, and we did school. We tried to hold off the boys from fishing until it about six so it would cool down a bit. However, by about three o'clock, they were chomping at the bit. So off we went to go fishing. It was nice and cool about 100 degrees (insert sarcasm here!), but the boys dragged along their bait, poles, and extra junk down to the fishing dock. We went to the Waheap Marina this time as they have a fishing dock, and it has a little shade. Emma and I spent the time walking around looking at the huge houseboats and trying to see some fish. Well, none of us were very successful, but the boys had a great time. And they want to go again! Chandler wants to try in the morning next time as he thinks that's the solution. So, we will see about that at a later date!
When I walked to the airport this afternoon, I checked in Rogers box to see if we had any mail. To my surprise, I had a letter waiting from a friend! One of my friends, Kelli, had written me a note. I didn't even bother to wait until I got home, I just read it at the airport. It was a special blessing to get mail in our box, and it brightened my day.
Anyways, another week is over and it's time to post my thoughts to the blog. Thank you all for your love and prayers.
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