Greetings from Crystal, NM
I am writing this post from the Crystal Navajo Bible Church in Crystal, NM. Day 4 of Vacation Bible School will start in just over an hour. We have had a wonderful week with 75-85 children attending every day, including 25 middle & high school aged Navajo teens.
The group arrived on Thursday and Friday of last week. Friday was VBS outreach day. We distributed flyers and met many of the children in the neighborhoods in Crystal and Navajo, NM.
On Friday night, we attended a "Cake Walk" at the Crystal Chapter House. This is a fundraiser for the senior citizens in the community and a great way for us to interact with the familes on our first day in town.
Saturday was preparation and team building day. Rev. Al Ward from Zion Presbyterian volunteered for breakfast duty all week and cooked a spread for the 25 member team. The VBS teachers and helpers planned the curriculum for each day of the week. In the afternoon, the team travelled to
Canyon de Chelly National Park and hiked the 2 mile winding trail to the canyon's floor.
Every evening after discussing logistics for the next day and praying as a team, Rev. Robert Arendale is leading devotions through Christ's letters to the seven churches in Asia from Revelation 2 & 3. Nightly team meetings are also a time to share stories of what God is doing through the various activities at VBS and on the service projects.
Sunday morning we had the priviledge to worship with members of the Navajo Bible Church and to enjoy a potluck meal afterwards. As a child of the south who has attended a number of these, I was right at home when the jello salad was served. Rev. Ward delivered the sermon on "Jesus conquering death" from 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Sunday afternoon we took another team outing to a beautiful overlook up the mountain from Crystal.
Monday morning was the first day of VBS. Jim Wheeler, from Christ Church in Katy, TX, and I were rookie van drivers. I confess that I wondered if anyone would come out to get on the vans. VBS in Crystal is a little different from back home -- there is no pre-registration and we provide the transportation. To prove he has a sense of humor, God sent us a van full of children. We had 80 total on day one. VBS opens every day with an assembly in the sanctuary and then the classes rotate among various "stations" around the grounds: bible story, crafts, scripture memory book making, and recreation. Gayle Hinkelman and her son Ben were the tireless leaders of games in the 95+ degree heat all week. We feed all of the children (and a few parents who wanted to sit in) a snack, popcicles, and lunch every day. When we get back to Crystal after our run to Navajo, Jim and I are on kitchen duty. Gayle's food preparation makes us look better than we really are. After we serve lunch to the gang, we load up the vans and take the kids home.
Tuesday afternoon the women on the team hosted a "Ladies' Tea" outreach for 40+ women at the Crystal Chapter House. Martha Hatcher coordinated a feast of goodies that she had to keep the men from eating. At the tea, they also shared special music and testimonies.
John Ward & Jay Benningfield from United Methodist Temple in Lakeland, FL have been leading the work projects. This year we have focused on some much needed repairs to the men's & women's bunkhouses here at the church as well as repairing a porch and a roof for one of the church members.
Wednesday night was our first of three weeknight worship services. Rev. Robert Arendale from Ballantyne delivered a powerful gospel challenge from Hebrews 2:14-18. In addition to the mission team and the Navajo church members, the two Mormon missionaries from the LDS church down the street were in attendance (because Robert invited them).
Tonight, Matthew Icard, the youth intern at Ballantyne who has been leading the Navajo teens this week, will be preaching on Luke 19. Please continue to pray that the gospel would change hearts here in Crystal and throughout the world.
I will try to post one or two more updates before we head home on Saturday morning. In the meantime, please browse through some of the photos we've posted from the trip here:
In Christ,
Chairman, Missions Committee
Ballantyne Presbyterian Church