This week has flown by! I can hardly believe that it is November 16! How could this be? Could it really be just a month from the Christmas holiday already? We are going to be traveling to the East for Christmas break. Hence the title of this entry! We will be doing presentations at our home church and will be visiting with another church that has been supporting us. Abby & Kelcy will get to see their friends. Abby already wants to see if she can spend the night with Eva. Abby has been talking a lot about her “old” friends in Kentucky and her family. How much she misses them and how much fun she is going to have when she sees them.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mr. Bill is back in the office today! We also have a new Navajo lady who is watching Kelcy and Noah for me in the morning. She arrived right on time! The kids liked her and played with her well. It was a hectic kind of day, adjusting to having two people in the office with me. Not that it is a burden by any means, but it is different. I had been alone mostly all day with the kids for about seven weeks, so it was different, like I said.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Today is the day that our nation sets aside to honor our veterans, the men and women who have served our country in the armed services. I will add my personal thanks to that of many others by saying “Thank you!” for keeping our country safe and making it a place where freedom still rings. In honor of Veterans Day, the school was closed today. We spent the day as a family at home, resting and playing together. The mission also got a new washing machine, that is located in our trailer! Thank you Community Christian Church! The old washing machine seemed to wash fine, but each time the washer hit the spin cycle, one of us would go and sit on the washer so that it would not “walk” out into the hallway and keep it from making loud banging noises. Jerry had tried a couple of times to see if the washing machine needed adjustment from the bottom to make it level and it would be a little better for a while. But now, thanks to a designated gift from our home church, there is a new washing machine here! We can wash clothes without having to constantly monitor the cycles and having to interrupt whatever else we are doing to sit on the washing machine. Yeah! We are very grateful.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Today, we are taking the 5th through the 8th grades on a field trip to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. There are seven children in these grades and they all were signed up to go. Six of the students stayed after school. I got to hit around some volleyball with two of the ladies. I had a lot of fun even there. At 4:30PM, we all loaded up and went to Captain Tony’s Pizza and had supper. It was an Italian buffet with spaghetti and pizza and cheese sticks and salad. It was very good. The kids all had a good time. Next, we drove the 45 minutes to Flagstaff to the Observatory. It is set upon a mountainside just west of the downtown of Flagstaff. As we drove up the mountain, we could see the lights of the city of Flagstaff below us. It was a lovely sight. It was unusual, I must admit. I hadn’t been out at night or seen city lights of that magnitude in quite awhile. We had scheduled a private program and viewing with the 24” telescope they have there. The program about the planet Mars was very educational and the kids asked some good questions, showing they were really paying attention. We all had a great time at the hands-on exhibit hall. There was a puzzle that involved putting the planets in their proper order in distance from the Sun. After this, we went to another exhibit hall and looked at three dimensional pictures of Mars with 3D glasses. It was really neat to see the craters, one as long as the United States land mass and the volcano called Olympus Mons in the three dimensional format. Even Abby and Kelcy enjoyed it. Next was the big event, looking through the 24” telescope at the moon and perhaps other heavenly bodies. Unfortunately, God had other plans. The wind was too strong to open the largest telescope and the night was cloudy, so the very reason for our evening visit not realized. We did get to see the moon through the 16 inch telescope and that was neat. The kids all had a good time and I think they will remember the visit to the Observatory for a long time. It certainly made a memory for me.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Kelcy and I went into town to run errands for work and do the weekly shopping. We went to the bank, the post office, the library, to get gas in the van and to the grocery store. It was a busy day.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I enjoyed the service at Red Sands Christian Church. We had another wonderful lesson about thankfulness and gratefulness. I always enjoy having my life put into the proper perspective. I had four students in my Sunday school class and that went really well.
I just wanted to let you all know that all of the staff here are having a personal impact on the students and members of this community. I realize it doesn't look like that by reading this blog. These personal meetings and evangelism will never be reported here. I think that someone would be afraid to talk to me if they thought I might talk about their life situation on this blog. So, please understand there is a lot of individual evangelism that goes unreported here because of confidentiality.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Monday, November 3, 2008
I don’t remember much about this day. I was in bed with a stomach virus from 7AM till 5PM. Yucky!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Kelcy’s Birthday! Today, Kelcy turns three years old! Kelcy woke up happy on her birthday and was happy all day long! It was Tuesday, so we had chapel in the morning. All the school kids sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She smiled shyly during the entire event. Abby & Kelcy & I made birthday cookies to share with all the school kids. We passed those out after chapel service. After school, Jerry worked on the new staff house until 6:30, then came home so Kelcy could open her presents. Thanks to all of you for the cards, gifts and letters! Kelcy had a wonderful time opening the presents. She gets so excited and she really enjoyed hearing the cards and their sentiments! Afterward, we went up to the church and had cake and ice cream with the Roberts family. Kelcy wanted strawberry cake and strawberry ice cream. Imagine! Kelcy picking a pink cake with pink icing! I even got pink ice cream, it was strawberry cheesecake. Both Abby & Kelcy thoroughly enjoyed the cake and ice cream. Thanks to a lot of people, Kelcy had a lovely birthday and felt really special on her special day!
I also forgot to mention that a dream of mine came true recently! I found out that Ms. Anne who does the library for the school was going to be out of town for a few weeks and I offered to perform the library duties. I was able to do story time with the kids and shared some of my favorite poetry and some pictures of works of art. It was a lot of fun for me and I hope for all the school kids.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
After school today, I gave Leah a bath. Leah is Mr. Bill’s dog, who had been staying at the mission while he was traveling in the Northwest to promote mission work. Needless to say, I was afraid that Mr. Bill would not recognize Leah after her seven weeks of running around in the red sand, so I decided to wash her. Boy, was that dog dirty. Abby and Kelcy watched the entire show. They were helping and working to keep Leah in the tub where she was supposed to stay. I think she felt much better afterward and I know that she felt better afterward.
Lights Out! Sometime between 10PM and 11PM, the lights in the hogans went out, with the Roberts inside. The power failed and no one here knew how to fix it. So, the Roberts spent a night without electric, meaning no clocks, no lights and no heat. Yikes! Did I mention we need some help to finish the staff house so that they Roberts can move in there?
Friday, November 7th, 2008
The electricity in the hogans was fixed about 4:30PM today. Yeah! Thank you Mr. Jim for helping us with the electricity! Mr. Bill was expected to return before school was out, but he did not arrive until much later. He did finally arrive and we were very happy to see him! Leah was very happy to see him as well! He stopped in for a chat at the trailer and then he went on to Dilkon to rest.
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Parent teacher conference was this Saturday from 8AM until Noon. Two of Jerry’s parents came to the school at their appointed time to visit and see their child’s work. Jerry’s first parent teacher conference day went well. He enjoyed getting to know the families a little better. All of his students are doing well, so it was a pleasant experience. We also got to hear from Miss Springer how Abby is doing in school. It was a nice opportunity to look at Abby’s first report card and to talk about areas where she was doing well and where she could use improvement.
Ms. Tami wins the prize for attendance. She was able to meet with 100% of the parents of her classroom. Miss Springer had 60% parental attendance, which is good. All in all, it went well and the teachers enjoyed getting to meet and talk to the parents of the students.
Later that day, Abby & I had a special afternoon! I took her into town and we ate at Pizza Hut. We redeemed her “Book It” coupon for a free personal pan pizza. Abby earned the certificate by reading. Abby and Kelcy and Jerry and I all read seven books to reach the goal for her Kindergarten class to get her certificate. She ordered a cheese pizza. We sat in the restaurant and she ate her “special pizza” as she called it. I believe that is the third time that we have sat in a restaurant to eat since we have been in Arizona. Abby really had a good time and so did I. While we waited for the pizza, we colored on the place mats. After she was finished eating, we went on to get her hair cut. We waited an hour and a half for the hair cut! I was ready to give up, but she was determined to get her hair cut that day, so we waited. It turned out very cute!
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
We had twenty people in attendance at the Sunday morning service today. Mr. Bill was preaching again and that was nice. Daron did a wonderful job preaching while Mr. Bill was gone! Thank you, Daron, for being willing to step in where you were needed! Miss Springer was at First Christian Church in Winslow, Arizona speaking for the mission and the school. I know that she did a great job.
Sunday night, we all loaded up in the van and drove to Dilkon for the pot luck. Well, not all of us. Miss Springer drove from Winslow by herself. Danny Roberts provided the devotional for the night and then we ate! Mr. Bill had prepared Turkey and gravy! We all provided the rest and it was quite a feast! We had twenty people at the pot-luck at Dilkon. I got the chance to talk to some of the Navajo ladies that attend at Dilkon. It was nice to get to know them a little better and to share a meal with them.
Next week: Some of the classes get another field trip!
I don’t remember much about this day. I was in bed with a stomach virus from 7AM till 5PM. Yucky!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Kelcy’s Birthday! Today, Kelcy turns three years old! Kelcy woke up happy on her birthday and was happy all day long! It was Tuesday, so we had chapel in the morning. All the school kids sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She smiled shyly during the entire event. Abby & Kelcy & I made birthday cookies to share with all the school kids. We passed those out after chapel service. After school, Jerry worked on the new staff house until 6:30, then came home so Kelcy could open her presents. Thanks to all of you for the cards, gifts and letters! Kelcy had a wonderful time opening the presents. She gets so excited and she really enjoyed hearing the cards and their sentiments! Afterward, we went up to the church and had cake and ice cream with the Roberts family. Kelcy wanted strawberry cake and strawberry ice cream. Imagine! Kelcy picking a pink cake with pink icing! I even got pink ice cream, it was strawberry cheesecake. Both Abby & Kelcy thoroughly enjoyed the cake and ice cream. Thanks to a lot of people, Kelcy had a lovely birthday and felt really special on her special day!
I also forgot to mention that a dream of mine came true recently! I found out that Ms. Anne who does the library for the school was going to be out of town for a few weeks and I offered to perform the library duties. I was able to do story time with the kids and shared some of my favorite poetry and some pictures of works of art. It was a lot of fun for me and I hope for all the school kids.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
After school today, I gave Leah a bath. Leah is Mr. Bill’s dog, who had been staying at the mission while he was traveling in the Northwest to promote mission work. Needless to say, I was afraid that Mr. Bill would not recognize Leah after her seven weeks of running around in the red sand, so I decided to wash her. Boy, was that dog dirty. Abby and Kelcy watched the entire show. They were helping and working to keep Leah in the tub where she was supposed to stay. I think she felt much better afterward and I know that she felt better afterward.
Lights Out! Sometime between 10PM and 11PM, the lights in the hogans went out, with the Roberts inside. The power failed and no one here knew how to fix it. So, the Roberts spent a night without electric, meaning no clocks, no lights and no heat. Yikes! Did I mention we need some help to finish the staff house so that they Roberts can move in there?
Friday, November 7th, 2008
The electricity in the hogans was fixed about 4:30PM today. Yeah! Thank you Mr. Jim for helping us with the electricity! Mr. Bill was expected to return before school was out, but he did not arrive until much later. He did finally arrive and we were very happy to see him! Leah was very happy to see him as well! He stopped in for a chat at the trailer and then he went on to Dilkon to rest.
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Parent teacher conference was this Saturday from 8AM until Noon. Two of Jerry’s parents came to the school at their appointed time to visit and see their child’s work. Jerry’s first parent teacher conference day went well. He enjoyed getting to know the families a little better. All of his students are doing well, so it was a pleasant experience. We also got to hear from Miss Springer how Abby is doing in school. It was a nice opportunity to look at Abby’s first report card and to talk about areas where she was doing well and where she could use improvement.
Ms. Tami wins the prize for attendance. She was able to meet with 100% of the parents of her classroom. Miss Springer had 60% parental attendance, which is good. All in all, it went well and the teachers enjoyed getting to meet and talk to the parents of the students.
Later that day, Abby & I had a special afternoon! I took her into town and we ate at Pizza Hut. We redeemed her “Book It” coupon for a free personal pan pizza. Abby earned the certificate by reading. Abby and Kelcy and Jerry and I all read seven books to reach the goal for her Kindergarten class to get her certificate. She ordered a cheese pizza. We sat in the restaurant and she ate her “special pizza” as she called it. I believe that is the third time that we have sat in a restaurant to eat since we have been in Arizona. Abby really had a good time and so did I. While we waited for the pizza, we colored on the place mats. After she was finished eating, we went on to get her hair cut. We waited an hour and a half for the hair cut! I was ready to give up, but she was determined to get her hair cut that day, so we waited. It turned out very cute!
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
We had twenty people in attendance at the Sunday morning service today. Mr. Bill was preaching again and that was nice. Daron did a wonderful job preaching while Mr. Bill was gone! Thank you, Daron, for being willing to step in where you were needed! Miss Springer was at First Christian Church in Winslow, Arizona speaking for the mission and the school. I know that she did a great job.
Sunday night, we all loaded up in the van and drove to Dilkon for the pot luck. Well, not all of us. Miss Springer drove from Winslow by herself. Danny Roberts provided the devotional for the night and then we ate! Mr. Bill had prepared Turkey and gravy! We all provided the rest and it was quite a feast! We had twenty people at the pot-luck at Dilkon. I got the chance to talk to some of the Navajo ladies that attend at Dilkon. It was nice to get to know them a little better and to share a meal with them.
Next week: Some of the classes get another field trip!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Oct 26 through Oct 31
The school registered two new students recently, one in the fifth grade and one in the seventh grade. Unfortunately, the seventh grader was a transfer student, but has not returned to school since the first day. We are praying for the child, but have now heard that the student will be registering at yet another school. The total students at this point are 23, including Kelcy & Noah in preschool.
Thursday
Today, we went as a school to the Winslow first station and visited. The trip to the fire station was so great! We got to meet two fireman, who showed us some of the tools that firefighters use to combat fires. We saw an ax, a hammer and a hook. Dylan got to demonstrate the "Stop, Drop and Roll" technique. They also informed us about fire safety and the proper installation of smoke detectors. After their demonstration, one of the firefighters put on his jacket, neckguard, helmet, oxygen tank and mask and all his fire protectant clothing. I thought that this was a brilliant idea. Afterward, he went around and shook hands with the kids. It was quite an intimidating sight. The firefighters want to make sure that kids will recognize them in an emergency and not hide from them. Abby and Kelcy reacted strongly to seeing the firefighter with his uniform. I think the picture of the firefighter in uniform brought back the memory of the past. Our neighbor in Kentucky had their house burn in November of 2006. Abby and Kelcy were right across the street with their babysitter Lindsey and they witnessed most of the scene. The neighbors called the emergency department from our house and they saw the firefighters and the fire truck and everything. Abby has talked about what happened for a long time. They witnessed the devastation of the fire and Abby will remember that forever. It is coming up on the second anniversary of the fire. Beth Ann and Wayne, if you are reading this, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! We love you and miss you all!
The school kids got to try on the fire fighter's jacket and even the oxygen tank and hat. One of the kids in Jerry's class got to try on the uniform and I really think she could see herself in the job of firefighter. We all also got to hold the fire hose and shoot some water! Even Kelcy and Noah got to hold the hose and spray some water. The kids also managed to get very wet in the process. Thank you, Winslow Fire Department, it was enjoyable and educational!
After the fire station, we went to a local playground and ate our lunch, then played for a half an hour. It was a nice change of pace for everyone. On the way back to school on the bus, the kids sang songs and had a good time.
Friday night (WARNING: Sensitive Health Information)
Kelcy woke up about 1AM vomiting. She has been sick with the stomach virus since then (it is Tuesday). Same night at 3AM Abby woke up vomiting. Abby woke up Kelcy and she had to vomit again, so, we had one in each bathroom! Abby was fine the next morning.
Saturday night
Jerry & I made Navajo tacos tonight. I mixed and rolled out the fry bread and Jerry fried them in the iron skillet. Then, Jerry made the ground beef with onions and taco seasoning and the beans. We chopped up lettuce and tomato. Then we added cheese and sour cream and had a feast. I confess that I cannot make the fry bread like the Navajo ladies. I do not have the ability to pull it out flat enough to fry it, without getting holes in it. So, I cheated and used my rolling pin and it seemed to work fine to roll it out.
Sunday
Sunday service at Red Sands was not so well attended as usual. Daron brought a great message about the Superheroes of the Bible and how we can all be Superheroes if we trust God. It was pot luck Sunday and some of the members had prepared lots of food to help feed the multitudes we were hoping for. So, we had lots of leftovers!
The Roberts left to go to Phoenix right after service. They were picking up two men who have come here to help finish the staff house under construction. Please pray for the safety of the workers and for success in their efforts
Next week: Kelcy turns 3! Mr Bill Returns!
The school registered two new students recently, one in the fifth grade and one in the seventh grade. Unfortunately, the seventh grader was a transfer student, but has not returned to school since the first day. We are praying for the child, but have now heard that the student will be registering at yet another school. The total students at this point are 23, including Kelcy & Noah in preschool.
Thursday
Today, we went as a school to the Winslow first station and visited. The trip to the fire station was so great! We got to meet two fireman, who showed us some of the tools that firefighters use to combat fires. We saw an ax, a hammer and a hook. Dylan got to demonstrate the "Stop, Drop and Roll" technique. They also informed us about fire safety and the proper installation of smoke detectors. After their demonstration, one of the firefighters put on his jacket, neckguard, helmet, oxygen tank and mask and all his fire protectant clothing. I thought that this was a brilliant idea. Afterward, he went around and shook hands with the kids. It was quite an intimidating sight. The firefighters want to make sure that kids will recognize them in an emergency and not hide from them. Abby and Kelcy reacted strongly to seeing the firefighter with his uniform. I think the picture of the firefighter in uniform brought back the memory of the past. Our neighbor in Kentucky had their house burn in November of 2006. Abby and Kelcy were right across the street with their babysitter Lindsey and they witnessed most of the scene. The neighbors called the emergency department from our house and they saw the firefighters and the fire truck and everything. Abby has talked about what happened for a long time. They witnessed the devastation of the fire and Abby will remember that forever. It is coming up on the second anniversary of the fire. Beth Ann and Wayne, if you are reading this, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! We love you and miss you all!
The school kids got to try on the fire fighter's jacket and even the oxygen tank and hat. One of the kids in Jerry's class got to try on the uniform and I really think she could see herself in the job of firefighter. We all also got to hold the fire hose and shoot some water! Even Kelcy and Noah got to hold the hose and spray some water. The kids also managed to get very wet in the process. Thank you, Winslow Fire Department, it was enjoyable and educational!
After the fire station, we went to a local playground and ate our lunch, then played for a half an hour. It was a nice change of pace for everyone. On the way back to school on the bus, the kids sang songs and had a good time.
Friday night (WARNING: Sensitive Health Information)
Kelcy woke up about 1AM vomiting. She has been sick with the stomach virus since then (it is Tuesday). Same night at 3AM Abby woke up vomiting. Abby woke up Kelcy and she had to vomit again, so, we had one in each bathroom! Abby was fine the next morning.
Saturday night
Jerry & I made Navajo tacos tonight. I mixed and rolled out the fry bread and Jerry fried them in the iron skillet. Then, Jerry made the ground beef with onions and taco seasoning and the beans. We chopped up lettuce and tomato. Then we added cheese and sour cream and had a feast. I confess that I cannot make the fry bread like the Navajo ladies. I do not have the ability to pull it out flat enough to fry it, without getting holes in it. So, I cheated and used my rolling pin and it seemed to work fine to roll it out.
Sunday
Sunday service at Red Sands was not so well attended as usual. Daron brought a great message about the Superheroes of the Bible and how we can all be Superheroes if we trust God. It was pot luck Sunday and some of the members had prepared lots of food to help feed the multitudes we were hoping for. So, we had lots of leftovers!
The Roberts left to go to Phoenix right after service. They were picking up two men who have come here to help finish the staff house under construction. Please pray for the safety of the workers and for success in their efforts
Next week: Kelcy turns 3! Mr Bill Returns!
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