Papa Needs A Sponsor!

How would you like to be in my movie?  Nobody has offered to make one but I can tell it's only a matter of time. 

Here's the way I see it.  Through circumstances related to time, money, and a few other things beyond our control, our laptop has become a paper weight with a cord attached to it.  Well that's not entirely accurate.  It will start, operate for a while, and then right in the middle of something...click.  It turns off.  One problem I have is that it is almost old enough to be steam powered and I don't know if sinking any money into this antique would be worth it.  It has needed to be plugged in for some time since the battery is long defunct but now that is no longer an option.

The second problem, the family is going with our church on a missions trip to a Navajo Reservation in Arizona this summer and I have been asked to write about our experiences while we are there.   I would love to be able to end the day by decompressing while typing out a few of my reflections on the laptop.  I think it would be counterproductive for all of the people we were trying to help to be awakened by someone pounding repeatedly on shards of laptop while screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" 

The third problem is that I won't be able to annoy, I mean entertain, you people while I am away unless I have a way to write my blog.  I could do it long hand with one of those yellow pads of paper but I think that would be tedious, I cannot afford to copy and then send copies to everyone...and I don't even know what the postage rates to my reader in Slovenia would be!  Also, I really am writing a book.  A personal book that I think could help a large segment of our population.  And I was hoping to do quite a bit of writing over the summer.  Hmmm...now what?

The fourth, and most important (in my eyes) is that my mom has recently purchased a new laptop and how embarrassing is that!?  Mom has a better gadget than me?  Oh no you di'int!

Here's where the sponsor comes in.  I am thinking that when they make the movie I will be sitting and writing for a large portion of it...The camera aimed at the back of the laptop when all of a sudden it pans down and shows that the laptop is covered with stickers.  Just think of it...Pizza restaurants, Home improvement stores, Book stores, Penzoil, and surrounding the logo of my brand new computer that ( I will insert your computer name here as soon as your company donates a computer) is next to a large number 28 on the side!  I could be to blogging what Junior is to Nascar!  I think it could work! 

So get on it.  Start telling your company that I am open for business!

And now to get serious...I have included what I wrote up about my last trip to the Ganado Mission.  The Missions pastor and I took a four day trip to the church and surrounding area to see what sort of need there was and how we could get a group from our church to go and help them.  It is fairly long and I understand if you don't want to read further.  A lot of this was in the newsletter of our church so my feelings won't be hurt if you don't read further.  I just thought I would put it here by way of explaining.



Our Trip To Ganado

I entered into the trip to the Ganado Mission with trepidation. I wasn’t sure how we would be received. I had no idea what to expect concerning conditions. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know much about the Native American culture. I expected a portion of the people to be withdrawn, standoffish, and maybe a little suspicious of us as strangers. These people were welcoming, open, warm, appreciative, and hopeful. It is exciting to see such determination and hope in the face of such adversity.


The Ganado Presbyterian Church is a church in need. It is not in need in terms of guidance, luxuries, or conveniences, but in terms of real practical elbow grease. There is so much to be done that it's hard to say where to start. Audrey, the volunteer pastor (CLP), showed us around as soon as we got there and before we took two steps from her door we saw things that needed to be addressed. It seems to be a lack of funds, expertise, and support that keeps these things from being done. Vivian, who is the glue that holds everything together in the office, works far beyond her paid time. It seems to be the Navajo way to share in a burden when there is a need...Vivian sees this church as a need.

In the Christian Education building we were shown structural repairs that require immediate attention but it seems that none is on the horizon. The roof needs to be replaced and that has created a domino effect of problems. The leaks in the roof have compromised the ceilings in many of the upstairs rooms, including the pastor’s old office which someone had placed hay bales as insulation. The bales absorbed the moisture and came crashing down. Another room has a composite tile ceiling that is on the verge of coming down. This building also had a main boiler heating system that needed to be repaired but inattention has made it necessary to dismantle the system. This presents a problem in an area where "the summers are at 100 and the winters are at 0." This building is also where the church has their own version of a thrift store. It is where they display items that have been donated and ask for twenty five cents per item. When they have more clothes than they can display they pack them together to donate to other churches on the reservation. It is an example of the sharing of resources that is common among the Navajo people.

The Church building is a beautiful historic place. It is in much better condition than the education building but there are needs here too. They have reinforced a wall that was separating from another and that has fixed that problem, but another wall has begun to separate and there are structural cracks over the main doors. Between the cracks are chimes that have not worked since the pastor has been there. She has said that the church members have requested that these be fixed. “They want to hear the chimes again.” Attached to the main church building are a kitchen and a medium sized multi-purpose room. While we were there it was used for eating and VBS for work crews (and CPC visitors) and a viewing chapel for a funeral of one of the members. After observing a small portion of the VBS that was being led by the high school work group visiting the same days we were, and if Pastor Audrey requests VBS from our group, I think it will be imperative to think very carefully about being sensitive of the Navajo culture.

Being surrounded by all of these challenges might make the leadership of a church feel overwhelmed but Pastor Audrey is moving ahead. She has spent her relatively short time at this church being a bridge between Christians and the “traditional” Navajo population. She has a unique advantage by being married to a Native American. She has talked about feeling very welcomed and there have even been privileges that have been given to her that are usually reserved for the Navajo. She is accepting of these privileges but still relies on the help of a Navajo Christian named Custer to help her maneuver through the cultural differences. While we didn't feel it was our place to attend the funeral, we were able to hear about this delicate mix of traditional and Christian Navajo traditions. Pastor Audrey was adamant about funerals that she helped with, being Christian. All are welcome but the service will be led by her. She allows for traditions that do not conflict with Christian beliefs and what the Dine (dee nay...translated as "the people") want to add to the service fall more into the logistic side of things... how the hole is dug, the placement of the coffin, and how the coffin is covered. It all seemed mutually respectful.

The elders of the church have had the difficult job of maintaining the church for ten years without a pastor. Vivian is a large part of why the church has remained. She is married to a "traditional" man who does not attend the church but is the first person to respond when there is something to fix that the people can do themselves. When Audrey came to the church she had a hard time convincing the elders that they were the ones who decided what was to happen. "It was their church." They complained and said that, "It was Christ's church." They have agreed that it is Christ's church but the elders are the ones responsible for taking care of it here on Earth. When Audrey first arrived there were 20 members of the church and now the numbers are at 47. She is growing this church, performing multiple baptisms, and maintaining an open door for "traditionals", some of whom have been told that they should never set foot in this church.

When we attended the service led in Navajo this was the time to present the gift from the missions committee. I was expecting a single minute of the service to be dedicated to receiving the envelope and then Custer, who leads the Navajo service, would continue on with his sermon. Instead we were both brought to the front where all of the people present came and thanked us, shook our hands, and gave us hugs. It was an emotional time for me. I felt none of the uneasiness that I was worried about before the trip. Custer then gave his sermon, on the prodigal son, and I was enthralled. While not understanding the words, I was (following an 8 week sermon series and reading The Prodigal God) able to follow along in his sermon due to his hand gestures and facial expressions. I couldn't help but think, I was supposed to come here. I was glad I didn't let my fears and hesitations lead my actions.