We are in the process of changing services on our website. We will be back 100% soon. You can still read the news archives, but any photos in them will not be available right now.
Immanuel Mission is located near the four corners where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado come together. Founded in 1924 by H.A. Holcomb, the work started in an abandoned stone trading post and has grown to include a school, a motor vehicle maintenance shop, a Navajo managed thrift shop, and the Navajo Chapel.
The primary ministry of Immanuel Mission is the school. We strive to provide a quality, Bible-based education for students K-12.
Immanuel Navajo Chapel is a fellowship of Navajo and Anglo believers. We worship together each Sunday with the Breaking of Bread, and teaching meetings in both the Navajo and English languages.
From: John Bloom - Administrator & School Principal
Dear praying friends,
Since Christmas, we have had about 18 inches of snow in Sweetwater. And much of it is still on the ground. This is very unusual. They did grade the roads so the busses have had little trouble. It has been bitter cold as well so the furnaces have been gobbling up the propane. We ordered propane again last week, much sooner than hoped. But God has wonderfully supplied. We’ve had some water lines break in several of the residences but have not missed any school days. There is more snow expected this week. Even Ruth who really loves snow is beginning to look forward to spring. Pray for God’s continued supply of needed resources.
There continues to be relationship problems in the High School and the community in general – mainly between two large families. The problems resulted in some vandalism to a vehicle at a BB game and the subsequent expulsion of one student. Needless to say these are difficult times and we covet your prayers for wisdom and God’s victory.
We enjoyed the ministry of a group of college students from Cedarville University just before Christmas break. They did special chapel times for both the older and younger students. At least two students trusted Christ at these meetings. Pray that these students will be bold in there faith and grow daily.
We had a great Community Christmas day on Dec 12, 2009 with about 250 in attendance. A group from Woodland Park Community Church came to help. The school students put on a nice program celebrating Jesus’ birth. The church also brought some gifts for our students which we gave out the next week at Kid’s Christmas. A church in Iowa also sent gifts. Ruth thinks the kid’s bags were the best we’ve ever given out.
Kelli Wilson’s cousin Abigail Wilson has come to help as a teacher’s aid. She has already been a big help in grading papers, watching the playground and helping students with math. We rejoice that God has kept the staff basically healthy and encouraged.
Ruth and I enjoyed time over the break with all of our kids and grandchildren. On January 11, James and Eryn welcomed Elanor Noel into the world. Eryn is having some issues related to the birth and will have to stay in bed for several weeks. Pray for her speedy recovery. Thanks so much for your continued prayer and support of our labors here. A reminder also that we have a new phone number. 800-2000-351.
We’ve begun the New Year with a great start! It was nice, as always, to get away for a break. I love my life and job here at the mission greatly. I have a wonderful, albeit, rambunctious class and they were just as ready for a break as I was. Plus there are just some comforts that only family can provide. Speaking of family, my cousin, Abigail, has come to live with Melissa and I for the rest of the school year. She is going to be working as a teacher’s aide. I’m very excited to have her living with me.
As a class we have had a great first week back. We’ve started something new in English class that stretches the comfort level of my students and as their teacher I am very pleased. We are enjoying our study of Moses and God’s demonstration of who He is in our Bible class. Miss Abigail has been helping out everyday in Math and it has enabled me to give more attention to my students who really need help. If only I could split myself into two or three people…
When we arrived back to the mission we received a pleasant surprise, snow! The mission received much snow over the Christmas break (close to 10 inches?). Everything is covered in white with splotches of red dirt showing through. It is quite a sight that once again causes my heart to praise God for His beauty.
I want to thank all of you for your prayers for me, my class, and the mission. I beg you to continue to pray. Pray for the students and community members to have a desire to have a personal relationship with their creator. This year I’ve had the opportunity to see God working in both my students’ lives and the lives of their families. With some students I am greatly encouraged that they not only have the Christian influence of Immanuel Mission School, but they also have the Christian influence of certain family members. With other students, I am greatly encouraged to see their Christian influence that they have on their family. And with other students, I keep praying, encouraged by the fact that my God loves them more than I ever could. Pray for the staff here at the mission; pray for unity and endurance. Pray for me; pray that discouragement will not take a hold in my life and that God will remind me that His strength alone is the only way that I’ll ever be who and what I need to be.
As the school semester came to and end so did my library project. All the books on the main library shelves are now in the computer system. I also did some construction in the library with the much appreciated help from the visiting Cedarville group. I tore out the library closet and replaced it with a floor to ceiling cabinet and added a new shelf to the library with adjustable shelving. The new shelf allows taller books to be upright on the shelf instead of sideways as it has been for years. Most of the children’s easy books and juvenile non-fiction was in this category along with a large section of adult oversize books. In addition I also added carpet to half of the library. There is a link at the end of this newsletter to pictures of the finished library. There is still work to do in the library, but it mostly includes adding new books that had not yet been added to the library in the first place and also refining the computer system that runs the library now.
As mentioned there was a group at the Mission from Cedarville University in Ohio. They have come to minister in the school in the past. They had special chapels for all the students with plenty of skits, games, Bible stories, puppets, and songs. During the rest of the day some of them worked on projects while the rest helped teachers in their classrooms.
Soon after school was out I headed to Kansas to visit friends and family. Soon after I arrived at my parent’s home eastern Kansas was hit with a big snowstorm. This postponed Christmas as it made travelling not so fun. I spent the days around Christmas working on some problems on my car and then headed off to a 5-day missions conference. The conference went right to the end of the year. It was a very good time and I came away with a lot of good information, insights, and challenges.
Pray for the challenges of sharing the gospel with a different culture. It is important we do not force our culture on them or make them give up theirs. We quickly lump their religion in with their culture and make them give up their culture too in order to be a Christian. And it is also too easy to take our traditions and teach them as if they are vital or required to being a Christian. Pray we would be careful to share the pure gospel with nothing added so that the people we are ministering to do not come away with yet another ceremony or tradition to follow and end up minimizing the rich culture God has given their people. This has already been done and has caused much damage and is hindering the true message and power of the gospel I believe. Pray for wisdom about how to reverse the problem. And pray the all the staff would see this issue from a truthful and biblical standpoint.
We are so appreciative of the work you put into gathering and sending the Box Tops out here. Thank you, everyone. The school receives checks twice a year, thanks to the Box Tops for Education program. Box Tops are worthless if they are torn, so I am asking that you keep mailing them out here, but please do not put any tape on them at all.
=> We are stopping the Campbell’s UPC program; they are so time-consuming to process and they are just not worth the effort. We thank you for years of saving/sending them to us, in the past.
=> We do not use Betty Crocker coupons either; in fact Betty has shut that program down herself.
Our God is an Awesome God! It has been really neat to see how God works everything out. Last year I went back to WV to visit an aunt. I had hopes of making it back to visit her again within the next two years. A little over a month ago I had been thinking about my aunt and didn’t see any way that it would work out to visit any time soon. I was talking to God about a few things and told Him about my hopes of visiting her but didn’t see how it would work out in the time frame. About a week went by and John asked if I would be willing to fly to GA to pick up a van that was donated and drive it back. I said yes almost immediately seeing it as a good opportunity to see more of our country. John found me a flight that was to leave in about two weeks. A week later I was Google mapping my route back when I got to wondering how far it was from where I was picking up the van to where my aunt lives. I did a few calculations and figured it would be about a 5th the cost of any other way. So I asked John if it would be all right to take an extra week and he said that would be fine. While at my aunt’s, I was able to fix a few things for her. My aunt also took me to the Creation Museum, a place I have wanted to visit ever since they opened. The whole trip was just a real blessing. It’s been neat to see God working out all the little details. Our God is truly Awesome.
“Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” (Psalms 84:9-12)
TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD. LUKE 2:11
[2010, Can you believe it?! Anyone noticed where 2009 went? It was here a moment ago]
Dear friends,
Out here at Immanuel Mission, the daily temperatures are freezing (!) and we have entered into the ‘brouhaha’ (make that brou-ho-ho-ho) that is the end of the year.
Community CHRISTmas will be celebrated Saturday, the 12th, Lord-willing. Mr. John encourages each Elementary class to do something for the celebration. My class is attempting to do a stable scene ‘tableau,’ with passages from Matthew and Luke being read. Miss Denny has the chapel body practicing a couple of Christmas songs in Navajo. Mrs. Ruth has been setting aside little crafts [involving gluing, cutting, twisting, coloring, stringing, etc.] for small children to work on during the event, as it involves sitting for 3-4 hours, basically, for everyone else. She sets tables up in the hallway just outside the gym and I usually help HER out there.
Children’s CHRISTMAS, the last day of school, is on Dec. 17. Ruth and I are working on the bags of gifts for the students. It is a thrill to see God provide the exact number of a kind of gift needed for that class. We love seeing His provision daily.
A month ago, Anne and I went to a small rodeo for ‘local’ Jr. High/High School students. One of our students was in the bull-riding event (!) I had a great time watching those fearless young people. ”Woolly-riders” were new to me, but what a HOOT they are! Their cowboy outfits were complete and made of (get this) ,satin!
Be freshly amazed with me at Jesus Christ’s birth. Take in the words of the carols written so long ago, and so familiar to us. Fairly recently Chris Rice (I think) wrote a song called “Welcome to Our World” My favorite verse says,
Fragile finger sent to heal us, tender brow prepared for thorn,
tiny heart whose blood will save us, unto us is born, unto us is born.
What a miracle His love is . . .
P.S. Thank you for your checks, notes of encouragement, prayers, and Box Tops.
This is my family’s third year at Immanuel Mission. So far, this year has brought challenges to our lives that we have not experienced previously. I must admit that true friendships are among the many things that are hard to come by out here. Some of the many struggles for us have really hit home in this third year. It is difficult to avoid feelings of frustration, anger, and discouragement as you work so closely with the community and fellow staff. It is a battle of will’s; God’s, Satan’s, and our own. So at times, when we are struggling with the school and our students, Satan is throwing a lot at us. But what we must not forget is that God is good… always.
God uses the many supporters of Immanuel Mission to keep the Mission operating and to be an encouragement. All of those who give help to “keep our heads up” and remind us that this ministry of teaching and showing the Navajo of Sweetwater community the love of Christ is what God wants. It is His will; and our lives should revolve around God’s will, not our own. Seeing donations come in from all parts of the country make living on the reservation so much easier to cope with. We must all know and remember that the Mission, school, and people are what God has brought us here for. Immanuel Mission is able to provide for the financially hurting a Christian education, a breakfast and lunch program, and healthy activities that promote family unity and togetherness. Also, it allows the teachers, God-fearing and well-trained, to really put into practice their love for Christ as it relates to their teaching, themselves, and our community. Sweetwater families, plus the staff who rely on your support, thank you greatly.
Immanuel Mission is doing well and making a difference, because of its great support system. The main prayer requests that we all have, would be God continuing the support that He does provide, the safety of the community, and for God to persuade more hearts to come to Him for guidance and love. Thank you all for praying for Immanuel Mission as it continues to serve the Navajo Nation.
God’s timing is amazing. I know this, yet every time something falls perfectly into place I am always so amazed and surprised. I laugh at myself because no matter how many times it happens, I am always so awe struck at God’s perfect plan. As silly as it is, I am glad I haven’t lost that awe and appreciation for God’s incredible timing. In particular, I am thinking of how grateful I am to have one year of teaching under my belt. I now know that last year was training for this year. This year brings many challenges in my classroom that might have had me saying, “I quit” last year. God knew that, so He made sure I had some training and preparation before this year. I am so grateful to Him for that and even though I often leave school thinking, “what am I doing?” I know that I am doing my best and trusting my abilities.
I am so happy to be back at Immanuel Mission for my second year. I have mentioned this before in some of my previous newsletters, but I wake up every single morning excited to face each day. I can’t remember another time in my life where I loved getting out of bed every morning. That tells me I am exactly where God wants me. It is so much fun moving beyond the introductions with the community and on to the getting-to-know-you stage. I am slowly getting to know more of the students better and even some of the parents. Building relationships is so important to spreading God’s Word and I think I am slowly building relationships.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here in Sweetwater, building relationships and teaching the Word of God. I am thankful and excited for God’s plan in my life and for His plan in the Sweetwater community.
From: John Bloom - Administrator & School Principal
Recently our assembly held its fall camp meeting. This is like a gospel outreach and conference all in one. One of our Jr. High girls, Shantelle, responded to the gospel and accepted Christ as Savior. She is the granddaughter of one of our Navajo elders. It is fun to see the change in her countenance. Immediately she wanted to get her cousins and siblings together on Sunday morning for Sunday school which she taught. Also, we heard that recently an older grandfather, Dean Paul, has trusted the Lord. His wife has been a believer for many years but he has always seemed hard to the gospel. His two grand-daughters are in our school. We are rejoicing that God’s word is bearing fruit in our community. Another lady, Lucy, approached me at fellowship lunch about taking communion. She had trusted the Lord years ago but had strayed away. Recently she has come back to the Lord, been attending regularly on Sunday, but was not sure about taking communion. It was neat to see her excitement in taking part for the first time in many years last Sunday. Please pray for these new believers.
