Navahome

by Sydni Sonnier, 6-month Africa Immersion team member
The Africa Immersion term has just transitioned to South Africa from their first community on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Here's a short reflection from their time with the Navajo people.

Our team returned back to Many Waters mission house after a week of serving in Bisti, New Mexico. Even though we were only here a week ago, I feel like a different person than I was the last time we were here.

I grew pretty attached to Rhonda and Leroy's ministry at Roger Deal Memorial Baptist Church. Our week was packed tight and we were stretched to new limits in a new culture that I didn't even know existed. From running a VBS to cleaning out trailers and exploring ancient caves, we had a great week bonding as a team and learning about ourselves. It's mind boggling after only a week how attached you can become to a place. I like to call that "post-mission trip blues." I loved having a day off and getting to explore Colorado with my team, but it was a weird feeling to no longer hear Rhonda's joyful voice over in the next room calling for some help and to not go running. It's weird to not have her come up to me and randomly hug me and tell me how me much of a blessing we are to her. I'm not sure what I'm going to do after we spend 6 weeks in a community in South Africa, Lesotho or Namibia and have to leave! It's like I have this empty spot in my heart for the Navajo nation that will always be theirs.

Even though I know Rhonda appreciated everything we did from the bottom of her heart, I just feel like we could have done more. I feel dumbfounded that I didn't know people in the U.S. still are living without running water and electricity. I feel like the "joy" in all my blessings is so minuscule compared to people who have true joy when it rains just because that means they have water for the day. My prayers feel so selfish when I hear a Navajo pray for a real need while I'm praying for something I want. As I sit here, it's apparent that I'm learning more from the Navajo Christians I met this week than they're learning from me.

But at the same time, while it may look different, we're all broken. We are all striving for the same goal: to be more like Christ. Paul writes in Philippians,

"I do not mean that I am as God already wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue to try to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above."

We all fall to our knees when life gets heavy and our hearts cry out, "Lord I need you. I'm broken. I'm a sinner. Pour your grace on me and make me whole again." The lesson I'm learning (only into week two of this journey) is to stop the comparing and start seeing everyone as a child of God. Stop thinking that we are better or worse than the people we encounter and start seeing ourselves as the broken sinners we all are, that have been saved by grace. We are all children of God. We all just want to be loved. We all just want to feel like we're good enough. And guess what? We totally are.

You must have a group size of at least 6 members to join this trip. Please view the Small Team trips or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.

View Small Team Trips

For most trips, you must have a group size of at least 6 members. Please view the Small Teams tab on each Community page or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.