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Ministering to the Navajo
by Brian Snyder, Lifeline’s Administrator & Missionary to the Navajo
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This past summer and fall at Red Sands Christian Church & School has been full of life!
Your support of Red Sands Christian Church and School is changing lives! Your love of this ministry is evident, and we are equally excited to see that almost all of the work team weeks are filled for the summer of 2016. We can’t wait to see you, ready to serve!
We are already working on new opportunities for you, as you join us on an upcoming work team. We tried some of these opportunities with a team from Alberta Bible College (Calgary, Canada), and they really enjoyed participating in those ministries. We look forward to sharing these new opportunities to connect and serve next summer!
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Work teams are a huge blessing!
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In our previous update, we shared that the first work team had arrived and was busy making some lasting changes to the mission. That team, as well as many others over the summer, painted school classrooms, built picnic tables, fixed roads, built office space, and much more. You were very productive and we are so blessed to have teams share in the ministry and the physical work, as well.
Many teams come hopeful to share the love of Christ with the Navajo, which they certainly do. Although, every now and then, God gets a hold of the hearts of people on the teams: there were 9 baptisms within one team this summer! God moved in a mighty way and this team (and church) will forever be moved closer to God through this experience. God is so good, and He used this experience to show how much He truly loves them.
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The Navajo team serving in Haiti
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Sending a Work Team to Haiti
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In October, our team of six people from Red Sands traveled to Haiti, and it forever changed our lives. What a leap of faith for so many of us, and it was very special for me for two reasons: 1) I took my daughter, Bailey on her first mission trip, and 2) we had Navajo from Lifeline’s ministry in Arizona going to Haiti and seeing Lifeline’s ministry there. One mission location visiting another mission location; it was incredible! The joy on our team members’ faces and the pain in their hearts of the absolute poverty was unforgettable. I know this will constantly be on their mind, as it continues to be part of many conversations.
The home building, the prayer ministry in the homes, the early morning calls to prayer at 4am, the infant nutrition, and so much more are still being processed. Following our experience, discussions are already happening about how to step up the ministry at Red Sands. Exactly! We prayed this would happen as the team returns back to Arizona. We prayed that the Navajo would be excited to share with the Navajo on the Reservation and influence lives there. Please continue to pray with us that this becomes a reality.
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Sharing God’s love to the forgotten
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The “Least of These” ministry continues to move forward as we reach out to more and more living on the streets in Winslow. Work teams provide a warm meal and one-on-one conversations. We have a couple very interested in helping this ministry move in a new direction, but still praying that God makes this clear and shows us how to fund new staff. Please continue to support this ministry with white socks, winter items and prayer!
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Challenging the youth to serve
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| Evangelize, disciple, and release |
The prayers for a Navajo minister are still needed. In the previous update, we were praying and meeting with a Navajo college student in regards to an internship at Red Sands. God has other plans, though. We continue to pray and seek God’s leading on this. Will you also pray about this?
We are discipling a Navajo gentleman named Brian (Not me! I sometimes feel as though people think I am talking in 3rd person about myself.), who is growing incredibly fast. Discipleship takes time. Training for ministry cannot happen until the person knows that the love of God must transcend their entire life (at church and at home). Brian is growing and we are working on all areas to ensure consistency and integrity are instilled as he grows.
Discipleship training is part of the overall plan for ministry here: evangelize, disciple and release. I love that God has opened that door!
The youth of the church are starting to get more involved as well. Dawn Springer, one of our Red Sands teachers, is challenging the youth to think of a project where they can become more involved in serving. Youth group is a fun evening that the kids can come play games, hear the Word of God and connect with one another. We are thrilled to see this grow as they invite more kids to come. The difficulty: the transportation to get everyone here!
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Bright, young minds busy at work
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Exciting new program begins at school!
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It is finally official: Red Sands Christian School is part of the National Archery in Schools Program! The Arizona Game and Fish Department approved the course, and now we are hopeful that more volunteers will help keep the archery program alive. We have a few trained volunteers.
The students have been learning the 11 steps to archery success, the parts of the bow and arrow, and how to be safe while shooting. We hope to have the kids actually shooting at the targets in just a few weeks. They are doing well in preparation, but they are so excited to start shooting! We now have eight bows, 40 arrows, three targets and a repair kit to keep things in good shape. There are a few items we still need, and if this is an area you are interested in helping, please let us know.
Our school volunteers are a blessing! We have volunteers helping with music, library, chapel speaking and art. They are such a great gift that keeps the school moving forward. The volunteer team is also helping the students with special projects and events coming up for the Christmas season.
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Catch a glimpse of the latest school happenings in The Point
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Providing opportunities for more students
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Growth is exciting…and challenging!
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Your prayers are needed regarding our future facility and campus plans!
We are anticipating a new building that will dramatically increase the number of students we can teach and reach to over 100! The current facility will only allow for a little more than 40 students, and we are nearing that with our current enrollment. It will be built in phases to make it workable to raise funds.
A new building would also provide lunches for children who come hungry to Red Sands. Having a commercial kitchen would allow us to feed the children which will in turn help with their learning. Having a gym and indoor sports options would also provide much needed safe play and physical education options for the school. Many children need a safe place to participate in sports and athletic open gyms. This would also open doors for additional youth programs through sport ministries. A physical presence at the top of the hill may also provide exposure to people that have no idea that a school sits down at the bottom of our property – which will attract more to our school ministry!
The first step is to raise funds to get preliminary design piece completed, which is about $20,000. This will provide a master plan of all 80 acres, a building design that we can phase in, and a cost analysis to see how we can budget for this project. We are hopeful that this money can be raised before the end of the year so that this preliminary work can begin first of the year.
Consider how you might help in this area and let’s talk!
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Thank you all for your dedication in prayer, and support, of all that happens in the Navajo ministry. We cannot do this without God and your prayers, support and encouragement. Thank you! We truly love this ministry and the Navajo. God has seen us through a lot, and there have been some incredibly difficult times. Thank you for remaining faithful as well in lifting up this ministry. We look forward to truly giving thanks this Thanksgiving season as we have been blessed by God and by you!
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To learn more or be involved in changing lives in Navajo Nation,
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- The work team experience in Haiti sparked conversations to reach out to the Navajo on the Reservation. Pray for this passion and excitement to grow, along with tangible ways to put God’s love into action.
- Pray for the ministry to the street people, especially during these cold winter months. Your provision of white socks, winter items and prayer are a blessing!
- We continue to pray and seek God’s leading on a Navajo minister. Please join us in prayer about this: for patience, wisdom, and guidance.
- Pray for the youth of the church, as they look to be more involved in serving.
- We are hopeful for more volunteers to help keep the archery program alive at the school. Pray for God’s leading.
- Growth is challenging our current facilities! Pray for wisdom and guidance, funding for the next steps, and ministry partners to invest in the future of the students and ministry at Red Sands.
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Lifeline Christian Mission: restoring hope among the nations!
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