For the most part, we just had VBS for the Navajo kids Monday thru Thursday for three hours in the morning and then Mal and I watched the girls (and the other kids that were there as part of the mission team) in the afternoon while the rest of the team did work projects or more preparation for VBS the next day. It was really tiring but a great experience and exercise in patience and positivity ☺. I really enjoyed spending time with the girls and spent a lot of moments teaching and encouraging them to find out what it means to have a servant’s heart.
The actual VBS was a completely different experience in and of itself. It was really hard at first to connect with the kids because many of them are so quiet and unresponsive (you ask them a question and they literally do not say anything back). A lot of the concepts were really countercultural to them as well so it was hard to meet them on a level where they cared or understood what you were saying or doing. However, after the first two days, they really started to open up to us and I enjoyed working with the 5-8 year olds, getting to know them and show them love despite the difficulties.
There were a few boys in particular in my class that I really felt drawn to, and one of them that I’d like to share with you. His name is T.J. I think he’s around 7 years old. He came on the second day and was pretty quiet but he had no trouble participating. There was something about him that stood out to me, but I can’t really describe it. Anyway, he seemed to have fun but was not an instigator like a lot of the other boys in our class. I enjoyed talking to him and teasing him and on the last day, after VBS, the other teacher and I were talking about how much we liked him. She then asked me if I had heard what Al, the missionary that lives by the church there, had said about him. T.J. has long hair, unlike the other boys, and it’s sort of folded up and wrapped with a cord. Al said that when a boy’s hair is wrapped like that, it means that they are grooming him to be a medicine man (if you don’t know, that’s like a healer or spiritual leader in Native American culture). Mal said that they probably saw in him the same thing that we noticed that drew people to him. It was very surreal to me—it made me think of the Israelites and the old customs, etc., like that. It just really hit me and I would really love it if you guys could be praying for him this summer. He’s a great kid and it’s amazing that he was even able to come to the VBS. Pray that something he heard would stand out to him and that God would intervene in his life, especially his future.
(T.J...obviously)
(here's T.J. again--you can see how his hair's wrapped)Overall, I was faced with many opportunities to be humble and it wasn’t easy, but God definitely worked on my heart through trip. I just wanted to share with you guys! It would be great if you could pray that I would continue to seek humility every day because I have been struggling with pride a lot lately. I’m thankful for the things I have begun to learn and am especially grateful to be able to share it with you all ☺. Hope you’re learning a lot and enjoying your summers as well!
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