by Janie Gieblehaus, EM Summer Staff on the Navajo Reservation
Post originally written in June 2016.
We had a great week with a wonderful and humble team from Crossroads Church in Las Vegas and an awesome sister-team from Alabama. We all had TONSÂ of fun and wanted to update everyone on a few happenings in Black Mesa, AZ.
For one, the church is in the middle of getting a new kitchen. Throughout the summer, House of Joy will be looking more and more different, as the expansion of the kitchen has already begun and will continue for the whole summer. As of now, the kitchen is around twice the size as it was a month ago, there are new countertops, and fresh paint has been added. We will keep you posted on how it progresses. I know for many readers, this church is a home away from home and we want to include you on how the church changes!
This church is not only a hub for Experience Mission in the spring and summer, but also a very active meeting place for people in the community all year long. We love how many people it invites into its doors, sometimes just for Sunday morning, and other times for days at a time. This is a special place in the community, and we are excited to make it easier and easier to gather here. With the new construction in the kitchen, we are hoping that the women who graciously cook for all congregants every Sunday will experience more ease in preparing such mass amounts of food. We love that we can help to make this church more accessible and more equipped to do exactly what they desire. House of Joy has VISION, and we love partnering with them!
This last Thursday, Grace, Andrew, and I joined the visiting teams on their short trip to the Navajo National Monument. Ashamedly, this was my first visit, even though the monument is remarkably close to the Mesa. We arrived and took a small hike which led to a canyon. One of the girls on the team called me over to some binoculars and urged me to look through.
There, through these two holes, were small houses dug out of the mountain. It felt as if I transported back in time. These homes were not on display or preserved in a museum. They simply lasted in the rock, in this huge canyon, and there was nothing more beautiful to me. Suddenly I was reminded that the reservation (like every part of this country) was not always so modern. The Navajo people look to maintain their ways of being one with the land. This oneness is far more visible here than in my hometown, yet it has still has changed so much from what it once was. I can imagine the ways the Navajo people once lived and ate and it sheds so much more light into the traditions of the Navajo that still remain today. More and more, our team is understanding the wisdom of the Navajo and the depths that come from living on the land for so long with such beautiful traditions.
If you are reading, we would love prayers for even more wisdom and lessons from the Navajo. We know we have a lot more to learn. Thank you for being our partners in this journey of ministry on the Reservation in Arizona, as they work toward their vision for their community. Thank you for contributing to this unity of brothers and sisters in Christ across cultural boundaries.
LEARN MORE | Bring your team on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation!
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