Rick and I are sitting in a hotel in Albuquerque this morning, taking a day to just chill before flying home tomorrow, having just finished hosting a Winter Basketball Camp at the Navajo BIC mission base in Bloomfield, New Mexico along with two very special Navajo friends.  It was a joy filled week of pouring Jesus into the local Navajo that participated in the basketball camp as well as the staff of the BIC and the students of the Nizhoni Christian School there as well as having Jesus poured into us.  Each day was filled from morning til night with relationships.  No TV, no DVDs, no interuptions of life, just being in relationship and sharing lives. 

 

It was an incredible week of blessings from our God, whom we cannot see in the flesh, but we know the reality of because we see Him in our precious Navajo friends and ministry partners.  An incredible week, yes, but also a weary week, especially for Rick, who endured the high altitude challenges and persevered through the week of demonstrating basketball drills during the camp.  When you are used to playing basketball at an elevation of 500 ft. and then suddenly are playing at an elevation of 7,200 feet, it wears you out. 

 

This morning in my devotion, God took me to Hebrews 11:27, which says, "...Moses persevered because he saw Him who was invisible."  When I read that, I realized that that is exactly what Rick and I lived this week, through our weariness.....perseverance.....because "we saw Him who was invisible."  And we realize that that is what our Faith is "seeing Him who is invisible."  Every time we see Jesus in our ministry partners and those God has called us to be Jesus to, our Faith grows, we forget the weariness and look with anticipation to the next time that we will get to "see Him who is invisible". 

Explaining basketball plays and giving our testimonies were a big part of the Camp.

Running a drill for the adults produced lots of huffing and puffing.

Superbowl Party with the Nizhoni youth who made a Colts flag from a napkin and a broomstick stuck into a 100 lb. sack of potatoes.  They are so creative.  Fun, fun, fun!

A game of flag football at the Superbowl Party.  So much laughter.

A morning of bowling with the youth and teachers of Nizhoni.

These youth are amazing and love the Lord.  They are a blessing to us.

 

I have been struggling for months with a frustration that just doesn't seem to get any better.  In fact, it only seems to be getting worse and I have just had to walk away so many times and put it out of my mind.  This morning, it really hit me hard, and I found my frustration beginning to turn to anger.  And of course, the anger only made the frustration worse.

 

Shortly after the anger began to rise up in me, I sat down at my desk to do my daily devotion.  And God, in His nuturing Fatherly way, wrapped me in His arms and began to speak to me in discipline and love through His word.  The scripture with my devotion for the day was Ephesians 4:26  "In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."  That is so God!  Meeting me right at my point of need when I go to His Word. 

 

Then, as I began to read out of my devotion book, the words that God intended to be just for me at just that moment, jumped off the page and right into my heart........"The way to strangle fleshly thoughts and attitudes is to pour Scripture into the mind regularly and frequently.", it said, followed by the scripture reference Psalm 119:11.   As I turned to Psalm 119 and began to read verse 11, I realized that I needed to read more of that passage, so I began at verse 9 which says, "How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.  With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth   I rejoice in following your statues as one rejoices in great riches.  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." 

 

It was at that moment that I recognized I was giving the devil a foothold by allowing my frustration to turn to anger.  Instead of being angry, I needed to be giving all praise to God the Father for His word and I should be delighting in the riches that His Word is in my life.   Nope, the frustration isn't gone, but my attitude is sure different.  God used my devotion this morning to take my focus off my frustration and put it back on Him.........where it should have been all along.  When my focus is on Him..........the frustration dims and I am much better equipped to keep my ways pure and live according to His word so as to not stray from His commands.   To God Be The Glory!

 

 

 

Early morning flight out of Fort Wayne through Dallas to Albuquerque and then on to the Navajo BIC in New Mexico.

 

We are now on day 5 of our mission to the Navajo BIC and it has been such a blessing to be

ministering to my precious Navajo friends alongside my mom.  She has been right there with the team doing everything they are doing.  This afternoon she worked with them sorting clothing in the clothing bank.  After lunch she worked on sorting and preparing the craft for tonight's Bible Study/Craft time.  The adults have loved what she has planned and had so much fun tonight decorating the hats that she so lovingly purchased for them.  Earlier this week we enjoyed walking through Chaco Culture National Historic Park together as a history lesson.  At 10:30 this evening when I asked the team if they wanted to go out on the rez and look at the stars in the dark night sky, she wanted to go.  She got out of the car to watch the shooting stars even after talk of mice and snakes in the dark.   

 

Getting ready to walk through Chaco Culture National Historic Park.

 

Seeking out some shade at Chaco Culture National Historic Park.

 

Working in the clothing bank at the Navajo BIC.

 

Working on a craft with a new Navajo friend.

 

She especially enjoyed watching this sheep dog herd this herd of sheep and goats on the Navajo rez.

 

She also enjoyed the First Nations Gathering on Sunday at the BIC.

 

She had fun exploring the Blanco Trading Post with the team.

 

Outing to the Badlands with Navajo friends.

 

Receiving a homemade Bible cover made by her new Navajo friend.

 

Enjoying a party with some of the BIC staff.

 

Ending our trip with a tour of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

 

I am so thankful that God has allowed her come to the field with me to meet my Navajo friends and be a part of my ministry with the Navajo.  She will know how to pray more effectively for my ministry and for her new Navajo friends in Christ.  As God is amazing, He is amazing in my mom and I thank Him tonight for her love for Him and her willingness to say "Yes" when He called her to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.  To God Be The Glory!

 

 

 

and I grieve.......struggling to hold back the tears.  This afternoon my young Navajo friend, who is staffing my project this week with me, and I went into the Game and Fish office on the Fort Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona to obtain a recreation permit for our group to go to Reservation Lake tomorrow for a fun day with our Apache friends.  As we were waiting at the counter for our permit to be processed, one of the Apache ladies that works in the office received a phone call.  After she took the call, she dialed the phone and my friend and I listened as she began to report a domestic violence case to the police department.

 

I really wasn't listening too much at the beginning, but when I heard her say something about her son, that caught my attention.  As I listened she began to ask the police department to go to her home and pick up her son who was drunk.  She told the police department that when her son gets drunk he gets violent, and since her son lived in her home with his girlfriend and his infant baby, she was afraid that her son would hurt the baby and she was calling the police and asking them if they would go to her home and pick up her son. 

 

She was so calm as she asked the police department to pick up her drunk son.   My heart ached as I listened to her reporting her drunk son to the police department.  I thought about my own two sons and how it would tear me apart if I had to report them to the police.  The more I listened to this lady talk to the police department, the more I noticed the lack of emotion in her voice and in her person.  She was just stating facts to the police department with no emotion whatsoever.  When she hung up the phone, she went back to her job in the office as if nothing had happened.

 

As I observed all this, I became angry.  No one should have to live like this.  This mother was absolutely numb.  She had no emotion whatsoever.  And it really hit home to me that there are alot of people living on the rez that are just like this.  Life on the rez is so cruel that you just become numb to it after a while.  My heart ached for her and her family.  And then my heart began to ache for every person living on the rez..........because this is the norm, not the exception on the rez.  Every single family on the rez has a similar story like this to tell.  Every single family on the rez has been touched by this kind of violence.  Every singe family on the rez lives with pain every day of their lives.    NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And then I thought, do people who live off the rez know what is happening to people who live on the rez???????  Do people who live off the rez know that alcoholism, drug addictions, gambling addictions, suicides, automobile accidents, daily deaths are the norm on the rez???????  Do people who live off the rez want to help make a difference in the lives of those who live on the rez? 

 

I talked to a Navajo friend of mine a few days ago and said, "How are you doing, Bobby?"  "I lost my 24 year old son this week," he replied.  "Oh dear God, what happened?"  I asked.  "He was hit by a train.  The funeral is Friday at the family plot."  Again, like the lady in the Game and Fish office, no emotion in his voice, just numbness.............NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!  I am so angry..............God help the Indians.............they are hurting so............please send more workers to the harvest..............help them God, please help them. 

 

As my Navajo friend and I drove away from the Game and Fish office, I choked back the tears.  I didn't want her to see me weep, like I usually do when I encounter this kind of a situation.  I struggled with the tears for quite a while and finally got myself under control.  We went on to enjoy a nice day of ministry together.  Then tonight, over pizza, we began to talk about what had happened this afternoon and she shared with me how she hadn't really known how extensive the poverty and dysfunction was on the rez.  It had made her extremely sad and she shared with me that she was glad she was no longer living on the rez.  Today's experience really made her think about her people and what they are enduring. 

 

It is my prayer for her that she allows God to use what she heard today to help make a difference in her own people's lives.  It is also my prayer today, that everyone reading this Blog will "shout from the mountain top what is happening to our own people who are living in hell on the rez."  If you are reading this Blog, will you please pray and ask God how you can help make a difference in the lives of those living on the rez?  It's Jesus they need...........and if you have Jesus..........will you pray and ask God how you can be a part of sharing Jesus with those on the rez who desperately need the hope of Jesus in their lives?  If God is calling you to help make a difference, please call (260-403-0557) or email (sherryhemsoth@adventures.org) me and let's talk, talk about what you can do to help bring Jesus to those desperate  for a Savior.  To God Be The Glory!

This past week, my Navajo-Nageezi, New Mexico mission trip has been a treasure chest of relationships for me.  Relationships of building up one another in Christ and relationships of pouring Jesus into people who haven't a clue of what it means to walk with Jesus.  I thank God for all the people He brought into my life this week, Navajo, Mexican and Anglo alike.  I thank God that we could all be one, brothers and sisters in Christ, working together to bring the love of Jesus to those who don't know, who don't understand, who don't believe.  What a special, special week of being in community with a group of people who are like minded with me, who have a passion to share Jesus like I do, who only want to live in obedience and surrender to His will like I do.

Building a relationship with the project leader at the BIC was special as we toured the Aztec Ruins National Monument together before the project began.

 

Building a relationship with my staff during the week was a gift from God.

 

Building a relationship with these three gals during VBS was exciting.

 

 

Building a relationship with this Navajo teen who didn't know about Jesus was rewarding.

 

Building a relationship with the Pastor's daughters was a blessing as we studied in the Purple Book together in preparation for them to begin working in the Purple Book with the Youth Group that they will be starting at their church, Dineh Baptist.

 

Building a relationship with the participants from Village Church of Gurnee was another gift from God as we learned how to be a team for the week.  They are awesome Christ Followers!

 

As I sit in my hotel room tonight in Pinetop, Arizona waiting to meet with the pastor of East Fork Riverside Church tomorrow to discuss ministry for my next project in Whiteriver, I am filled with the peace of God that passeth all understanding.  It was a long, hard week of ministry and I should be exhausted, but actually I am exhiliarated and can't wait to dig in to another week of building relationships with my next group and the Apache people of Whiteriver.  I am humbled that God has called me to this ministry and that I am a part of what He is doing on the rez.  To God Be The Glory!

I woke up this morning feeling crummy, achy, icky and Satan told me to stay in bed.  This was my last free day before beginning leading projects this summer.  I had planned on driving 2 1/2 hours to Broken Arrow Bible Ranch, one of my newest ministry partners, and see the campers enjoying the camp's activities.  Then I was going to go on to my other newest ministry partner in Sanders, AZ and go riding with her.  Satan told me that it was too far to drive, that it wasn't "official business for AIM" so I didn't need to do it, that I needed to stay in bed and rest, that I wasn't feeling well enough to ride a horse.

 

Everything in me agreed with him, I really wanted to stay in bed.  But, Satan is such a liar.  And since I know full well that Satan is a liar, I listened to the other voice in my head that told me to "get up and go," that "today was going to be a good day".  And of course, that other voice was the Holy Spirit talking to me.  And, of course, He was right.  Today was a good day and I would have missed it if I had listened to Satan.

 

What a delight to be at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch watching and talking with the campers.  As I went from activity to activity, everyone was smiling, enjoying themselves, happy to be at camp.

So proud of the picture frame that she painted.

Learning to shoot a bow and arrow.

Playing Human Foosball and loving it.

Racing against time to win a prize.

So happy to be up on a horse.

What a treat to be able to go out on a ride with the campers.

My ministry partner training her horse to jump.

Moonlight and me........she is a GREAT ride!

 

Wow!  Riding two different horses in one day, the Holy Spirit was so right, it was a GOOD day!  I feel like God reached down from heaven today and gave me a big HUG!  Thanks, God, for once again teaching me that obedience is all you want from me, and Thanks for blessing me for it.  To God Be The Glory!

God laid this Blog on my heart a few months ago.........but I put it off........don't know why.........only God knows why.  When God lays a Blog on my heart I usually sit down and He writes it for me.  But this time........I just wouldn't even let Him go there........I just wouldn't sit down at the computer to write it.  But now, God is telling me.......write it, so here goes...........

 

Rick and I have been married for 35 years.........35 years of lots and lots of ups and downs........in fact, 35 years of the hardest years of our lives.  It's not easy being married, it's quite alot of hard work, actually.  Frankly, there were times we both wanted to bail out.  Times we just didn't want to work on our marriage.  Times we kind of lived our own separate lives doing our own separate things.  Rick.......alot of golf, me.......alot of kids.

 

But.......we hung on........hung on to our faith in God that kept us hanging on to each other.  And then something happened, something happened several years ago that really changed everything for us.  It happened in me first........God began to call me to a greater walk with Him.  He began to stretch me in what He was asking me to do in life for Him.  I resisted a little at first, a little until I began to see that when I quit resisting and began to obey, He came through for me.  As I began to obey, and as He began to come through, I began to change.........I began to desire Him above all else in my life.  I began to crave His word.  I began to crave prayer time with Him.  I began to crave serving Him.  As I craved Jesus above all else in my life, I became a different person.......and as I became a different person, Rick noticed. 

 

Then something began to happen in Rick.  He began to become a different person.  He began to seek out more of God in his life.  He began to desire to obey God above all else.  He began to look to God for more direction in his life.  And then we began to treasure each other as husband and wife.  Now we crave spending time together.  Every minute we can, we spend together.

 

This week God has blessed us with time together in New Mexico, hanging out together, seeing the sights and preparing for time spent apart as Rick heads back home to work at the golf courses and I head to northern New Mexico to lead my second project of the summer.  We are enjoying every minute that God has given us this week and give Him all praise, honor and glory for teaching us that when we obey Him, He is always there for us and will bless us far beyond what we could have ever imagined possible. 

Riding on the Taos Pueblo together.

Two nights together in this little house, "Casa Pepper" in Taos.

Touring the Taos Pueblo together.

Exploring Bandelier National Monument together.

Hiking on Sandia Mountain together.

Preparing to hike Petroglyph National Monument together.

Preparing to enjoy a Mexican meal together in Old Town, Albuquerque.

 

If anyone is reading this and is wanting to bail out on their marriage.........please don't.  God wants you to look to Him for guidance in your marriage.  Please just immerse yourself in The Word, pray constantly and then get on your knees and ask God what He wants you to do.........then just do it.  He'll take care of the rest. 

 

I'm sorry, God, that I took so long to write this Blog..........but I know "all things work together for good to those who love Christ" and even if I messed up, you will use it for good.  To God Be The Glory!

 

 

I'm reading the book, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, recommended to me by a friend who is in the same place in life that I am.  She lives in a different city, but we've had some great conversations through email and she said this book would inspire me in my walk with the Lord.  She was right!  God is using the scriptures in the book to confirm in me that my passion and desire to grow in my relationship with Him are right on.  Through my scripture reading this morning, God showed me that I can try on my own power to do everything right in my relationship with Him and I will mess up every time OR I can obey the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38) to "Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind" and then everything that I am supposed to do in life will come naturally out of that love for Him.  When I do this, fulfillment of the second commandment will flow naturally out of me, "Love your neighbor as youself."  Matthew 22:39.  To God Be The Glory!

 

Well, it's done.  Finished.  Wrapped up.  The groups have cleaned up and are ready to go in the morning, as am I.  And I do believe everything looks just as good as we found it a week ago if not better.  One thing I definitely know is better than last week when the two groups and I arrived, is me.  I have been refined, reshaped, readjusted, realigned.  And it feels.........so good!

 

I absolutely love coming here to the San Carlos rez.  God brings me here several times a year and deposits me into the midst of family, my brothers and sisters in Christ that I love to share Jesus with.  Some have no running water, some no stove, some no kitchen sink, some use an outhouse, some cook out of doors, some have no parents........but all of them have..... Jesus.  Every time I am with them I see the joy of the Lord in them.  Even though they don't have as much as the "world" has, they are filled with hope......hope that this earth will be replaced some day and they will live in paradise with Jesus.  And it is that hope that keeps them going, through the suffering, through the pain, through the heartache.  And it is that hope that fills them with joy.

 

Today was a good day, a day to look back at all that has been accomplished this week, a day to look forward to going home to see my family...........but today was also a sad day, a day to say good-bye to new friends and old friends alike.  The two church groups that were his this week from Texas were amazing.  I feel like I've known them forever.  We became comfortable very quickly with each other and moved right into a good ministry relationship.  It was hard to say good-bye.  It is my prayer that we meet again.......before heaven that is......and share ministry together.  What a blessing they were to me this week as well as to First Nations Ministries.

 

Two groups from Texas that I loved partnering in ministry with this week.

 

Fun day mining Peridot and hanging out at the San Carlos Lake & Dam.

 

Sharing Jesus at the Apache Little League Championship game.

 

To God Be The Glory!