Saturday, February 16, 2013
Soon the sun started shining on a new day! That happened after we stopped at Denny’s to get some breakfast. Our drivers needed a break and some nourishment. There was just a half of a day to go when we loaded back up to get home. We were all glad to reach the Louisiana border by Shreveport. Soon, we wandered down Interstate 49, onto Interstate 10, over the Mississippi, and entered our own “stomping ground!” Getting closer to the church, we had to slow down due to traffic–it was the first time on our trip home we had any traffic congestion at all! Whoops and hollers went out as we welcomed the sight of our church building at Open Door Baptist Church! Family members were there to greet us, and our wonderful trip came to a blessed and safe end.

One of the amazing things about our trip is how well everyone got along! From time-to-time we were all outside of our comfort zones, yet everyone pitched in to help and to get things done in a manner that pleased the Lord! We were in close quarters often–especially on the bus! It took about a day to get out to New Mexico, and it took about a day to get back home again. To say we were all tired when we got back home is an understatement, but despite this we have all been blessed!

Church family, thank you very much for your giving, sacrifice, and prayers to help make our mission trip to New Mexico a possibility! God did a work in each of our lives, and we look forward to sharing our testimonies with you (scheduled for Sunday evening, February 24, 2013)! Feel free to ask any of us about the trip!

Friday, February 15, 2013
It was time to get up and get ready to head back home. We’ve all had a wonderful time on our trip, and in many ways we’re sad to go home, yet loved ones, normal life, and the calling God has for us awaits us back in Louisiana! We loaded up the van, trailer, and bus, and then we straightened up our living areas–the ladies did a better job than the guys, but the guys didn’t do too badly! After departing and making a quick souvenir stop, we noted that a tire on the van was losing air. We coordinated a repair stop at a Sam’s Club in Albuquerque as we ate lunch. The tire repair was free, and we headed back on the road! The terrain slowly went from red rocky mountains to brown rocky mountains. Eventually there were no mountains at all–just flat landscapes with an occasional oil rig or stock yard. The sun set on a blessed day, and our mission team settled down for a night of “resting” while traveling. Our bus and van drivers kept a vigilant eye while making progress on the long stretches of road that led to home.

Thursday, February 14, 2013
“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Several of us took the opportunity to share our Valentine’s Day greetings with our loved ones on the trip or 1,000 miles away back home. After breakfast, we quickly got into gear to begin doing some projects and making food to share God’s love with the Navajo people of Coolidge, New Mexico (plus some others we had invited). Bro. Ray Clemmons and Mark Skaggs went off to cut some lumber. Meanwhile, the guys warmed up their power tools to take apart shelves that were occupying a large portion of space in a shed. After the shelves were dismantled and the lumber was neatly stacked (we had two full large buckets of screws, too), we pulled a wagon into the newly-created space to protect the wagon from the weather. They use the wagon for hayrides and events with the children. Inside, several were busy preparing the different courses for the meal we would serve at the Valentine banquet.

We had just enough time for part of our group to go to Bluewater Lake, about thirty minutes east of EHM. Bro. Ray Clemmons took us in one of their vans. Because New Mexico is a desert, it’s rare to find a lake (it’s a big contrast to Louisiana). Due to the cold temperatures in New Mexico, we were able to walk out onto Bluewater Lake–it was frozen! One in our group remarked, “Now I know what it’s like to walk on water!” Next we hiked down into a small cavern that reached a stream attached to the lake. It was a beautiful sight to see as the sun began to pass the rim of the cavern above! Animal footprints dotted the thinning snow and ice suspended above portions of the stream. We soon hiked back up out of the cavern to begin our way back to EHM. Along the way, we noted some of the Navajo camps as we jetted across portions of old Route 66. When we arrived back at the “fort,” we had about 45 minutes before the banquet was to begin, so we easily filled our time making final preparations.

The Valentine Banquet was an opportunity for us to share Christ’s love with the Navajo community surrounding Elim Haven Mission. The previous day, their community showed us their love by making Navajo tacos, so we thought we’d express ours to them by making some Louisiana-flavored foods! We had prepared for about twenty-five of them to come (in addition to our group), and, when it was all said and done, about fifty came! We fed them in the courses our team prepared. There was salad, then crawfish pie, then jambalaya, then gumbo! Along the way we explained what each was. Before dessert, king cake, we did a short program for them. Our mission team sang some songs from their hymnal about God’s love. Afterward, Laura Hampton did a humorous reading from a Facebook post that her husband made. Next, Pastor Schaffer encouraged those attending from 1 John 5:2-5. During the banquet, the people there shared their thanks to us by writing some cards they presented to us. We had a great time, and even though it was soon over, they stayed to fellowship for a long time!

We cleaned up, started preparing some of our kitchen stuff for the trip home the next day, and took some time to once again share some testimonies. Before we left to prepare for bed that night, we took some time to pray and thank the Lord for the time we had to serve Him together during our trip. That night, some of the ladies and men took the opportunity to share and be an encouragement to each other in their respective groups at their houses. (Note: the ladies were in the “guest house,” and the men were in the “parsonage.”) Exhausted from a great week, we went to bed with thankful hearts. “Lord, thank you for helping us share your love with others!”

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The day started “overflowing” with problems, so we knew God would work! It seems that whenever God is at work that the Devil starts fighting. The guest house where the ladies were staying had a couple of issues due to the freezing temperatures. The drains froze making the process of getting water out a bit harder until they thawed–the washing machine and a toilet.

Despite some of the early morning problems, the day was full of promise! We drove from Elim Haven Mission in Coolidge, NM, to meet Bro. Ray Clemmons in Grants to go t0 Casa Del Malpais, an assisted living home. We gathered in a small room, and Bro. Ray led the folks there in a time of prayer requests and songs. Our group then led in some songs. Their favorite was the “Potato Chip” song. In fact, they requested that we send them the words, so they could add it to the book of songs they sing! Bro. Mark Skaggs gave a challenge from Romans 8 which was well received. We enjoyed being with the folks there and invited them to come to the Valentine Banquet on Thursday (three actually came).

After we got back to Elim Haven Mission, lunch was made and consumed (we ate well on this trip), and preparations were made for the children’s Valentine’s Day Party they would have that night during the midweek service. Shortly after lunch, some of the local ladies came to show us how to make Navajo “fried bread.” They mixed in the ingredients and solicited Pastor Schaffer’s help to kneed the dough. After they let it rise for a short time, they instructed us in how to shape a small lump of dough to get it ready to go into the frying pan (it’s similar to the kind of outfit we’d use to boil crawfish back in Louisiana–using a propane tank and burner). We helped make about thirty pieces of fried bread for our supper, Navajo tacos. Navajo tacos are similar to what most of us would think of as a taco, but the shell is made of the fried bread, so it is larger and thicker–and really, really good!

The midweek service at Elim Haven Mission (EHM) began at 6:00 P.M. (Mountain Time). To get some of the children to come for the service, they took a bus out to pick up them up from the Navajo camp nearby. Some in our group got to ride the bus into their community. On the way, they saw horses roaming around and houses that were typically mobile homes or hogans. A hogan is a traditional Navajo home that has eight sides. When everyone arrived at EHM, we began the service. Bro. Ray Clemmons ran the service. We sang some congregational songs, our mission team sang a song, a choir of Navajo people sang some hymns in the Navajo language, we took prayer requests, and did a Bible study from the Book of James. Early in the service, the children were dismissed to go to their special program which included their Valentine’s Day party. Several from our group got to help out with the children, and Bro. Brian Robbs told them about Christ. Seven children raised their hands for salvation during the invitation! There were several gifts that they gave away to the children that attended. The service was a lot of fun!

Following the evening service, we gathered in the fellowship hall at EHM for a time of sharing testimonies about what God has been doing in each of our lives. A day that started out hard only proved to be a day where God actually “overflowed” us with blessings!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Today has been a very full and rewarding day! It started early since we were getting on the bus just after 8:00 A.M. to head out to Wildcat Christian Academy (WCA) in Arizona. WCA is a little jaunt over the border, and most of the students that attend it are Navajo. It’s been serving the Navajo community for about 45 years. We went into the little church auditorium they use for chapel, and after a short time about twenty-five students came in dressed in their blue shirts. Pastor Schaffer introduced our mission trip group, and we sang songs and had fun teaching the students the “Potato Chip” song, too! Bro. Brian Robbs preached to the students from John 3:16. After chapel concluded, the students were dismissed, and we were invited to go and interact with the students in their study area (they have “cubicles” for ACE-styled learning). The more time we spent with the students, the more open and friendly they became. We played with some of them on the playground and in the gymnasium, too. Our hearts were blessed to encourage them, but time prevented us from staying too long since we had some other stops.

After being at WCA, we headed over to the Window Rock area, which is the Navajo capitol. We visited a Navajo museum and cultural center, and then we went to see the actual Window Rock formation. Being out west provides some great views of red rock formations. Window Rock is a large, steep rock formation that literally has a round “window” in it. There are other rock formations in the area, so several people from our group took off to go climb them. One still had snow on it, so those below had to be careful of the rain of snowballs that were thrown from above! We took several pictures here, including a couple of our group. Some took the opportunity to purchase hand-made jewelry or pottery that was being peddled close by. We then visited a couple of stores to give people the chance to walk around and shop for Native American souvenirs. On the way back to Elim Haven Mission, we stopped at Walmart (I know it’s a shock) in Gallup, NM. During that time, our team went to local restaurants for lunch. We got some supplies, and then we loaded up onto the bus again.

Supper was pulled pork sandwiches that had slow-cooked overnight. After supper, we shared testimonies and prayer requests. It is refreshing to see that God is working in each of our lives! Wednesday would be a whole new day of exciting things!

Monday, February 11, 2013
This morning, we packed up at the hotel and prepared to head out. We were able to invite the breakfast lady from the hotel to City Baptist Church, and she was so grateful that she came on the bus with us while we prayed for God’s blessings on the day! We departed for City Baptist Church (CBC) to help with their “Operation 10,000” outreach. Our goal was to share Christ and to put out 1,000 tracts in the community. We partnered up and went door-to-door for about 2 1/2 hours and got it all done! Through our efforts one homeless man was won to Christ and several good contacts were made for CBC to follow-up on! Sadly, we said our good-byes to Pastor Tom Huffman and Adam Franks at CBC. With our hearts excited and our bodies a little worn out from doing the Lord’s work, we headed to pick up lunch from an Italian restaurant named Dion’s. We carried lunch to a location just west of Albuquerque where there are three extinct volcanoes. We ate (most ate on the bus and a few braved the cold winds) and then spent some time hiking and climbing. We soon departed toward the west as we watched the clouds in the distance sprinkle snow. The terrain along the way changed from a flat desert area to steep mesa-like mountains. After a stop in Grants at Walmart for food supplies, we headed down Interstate 40 to Elim Haven Mission (EHM) where we will stay the remainder of the week. Bro. Ray Clemmons, the pastor/director of EHM, met us as we drove atop the snow that fell during the day. It’s like a winter wonderland–especially for us Louisiana folk! We’re hoping to get some photos of the snow when it is light outside. There are icicles hanging from the buildings, too. After unloading and setting up “shop,” some of the ladies made chili for supper. We ate, shared some testimonies and prayer requests. Then we prayed and headed to our respective dwellings to get some rest. The Lord has richly blessed our trip so far, and we are thankful for his goodness, safety, and the ability to experience God’s work first-hand! Tomorrow, Tuesday, will be an early morning. We’ll be heading to Wildcat Christian Academy for chapel. Thank you everyone back home for your prayers! We love you and miss you all!

Sunday, February 10, 2013
Last night we rested well–at least much better than we did getting catnaps on the way here on the bus! This morning, we headed over to City Baptist Church. On the way there, our crew rehearsed for a choir song they’d sing in the service. The service went very well, and God blessed it! Our ODBC “choir” sang “You Are My All in All” and a trio (Kathy Skaggs, Modesty Hampton, and Elizabeth Swan) sang “In the Presence of Jehovah.” The congregation at City Baptist Church appreciated us coming. Pastor Schaffer delivered the sermon. To close the service, City BC had one join by transfer of letter from Tennessee and two baptized! It was the first time they were able to use their baptistery since they got it last year.

After a New Mexican lunch, our “missionaries” headed back to the hotel to change for some afternoon rest and activities. The plan is to help City BC on Monday by doing door-to-door visitation.

In the evening, we rode a tram to the top of Sandia Mountain. It was a beautiful sight to be able to look at the mountains, the valley below, and snow-covered trees. The tram is one of the longest in the world. We waited until after dark to begin our decent and saw the city lights at night. We met back at the hotel with some pizza and had a time of fellowship, testimonies, and prayer before retiring for the evening (some played some games together or fellowshipped a little longer).

Saturday, February 9, 2013
It was a long night, and our drivers and vehicles did well! Most of the crew woke up as the sun peaked up over the horizon. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and headed back out on the road with about 5 hours to go before getting to Albuquerque. We started the day looking forward to getting checked in at the hotel for tonight. The terrain has changed vastly. In western Texas, it’s gentle hills and unlimited visibility in all directions. There are wind-turbines galore along I-40–their numbers may rival the number of the ones seen on last year’s trip in India!

This afternoon, we had to slow our travels due to a wind/ dust storm. There was real tumble weeds everywhere!

Tonight, we had dinner with the pastor of City Baptist Church, Tom Huffman, who started the church about 12 years ago. We are going to meet for a bit this evening to prepare for our service there tomorrow.

Friday, February 8, 2013
We’re on our way toward New Mexico! Twenty-one of us loaded into the church bus and a vehicle to drive overnight. Please pray that the vehicles stay mechanically sound and that the passengers hold up being in close quarters for an extended period of time! We’re excited about what the Lord has ahead for us!