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Sometimes in our lives the Lord asks us to wait on Him, actually more times than we would probably prefer. At least that has been the case for us. However there are also times when the Lord says loud and clear, “GO!”

We would like to reintroduce ourselves, my name is Liz Skillen and I followed the Lord’s calling to Immanuel Mission in fall of 2009. I served as a single woman on the mission for four years until Ryan and I got married in 2013. We stayed at Immanuel Mission and served the Lord together, our oldest daughter was born, then the Lord called us to be used in my home state of Missouri in 2015.

We have had many years of thinking about the mission and praying for them daily. We had been trying to come out for a visit but the Lord always seemed to close doors or ask us to wait.

At the end of September 2021 we really felt the Lord calling us to visit the mission. We came and it seemed like God was just undeniably getting our attention that He wanted us to come back. Of course as typical humans, we felt like we had to overthink all the details. How would we sell our house? Ryan is a Physical Therapist who loves ministering to others on the job, how would he do that out here? What about our 3 daughters and their friends and family? In typical God fashion, He took care of every detail so quickly and clearly that we could not sit back any longer. Our house had a contract after one day on the market. Ryan was offered a PT position at the Indian Health hospital. Our daughters fell so much in love with the reservation that they were excited to move forward and follow the Lord.

So here we are. We moved at the very end of November. Our 3 daughters are attending classes at the school and are growing daily. I am working one-on-one with students in the special–ed program. We are excited for all the opportunities the Lord continues to present to share His love and minister to others. Thank you for your prayers, support, and love for the mission and those serving. The Lord is so good. His timing is perfect and I thank Him daily that when He says “Go” we can trust Him.  

We weren’t planning on getting married for another year or so, but when we were informed of the need for more staff we decided it was time to tie the knot and step into missions together. We arrived here early in December from Kansas where John was working as house staff at a boys foster home and Brynne was a daycare teacher and working towards a psychology degree. Here at Immanuel, John is mainly doing custodial work and Brynne is teaching the first grade class. We’re so thankful God changed our plans and opened this door for us.

I am finishing up my final school year as the preschool teacher at Immanuel Mission.  While it’s been a challenging 3 years of establishing a program due to ever-changing Covid restrictions, we have been able to serve 20 different preschoolers in our community during this time.  From the classroom to the home to the classroom again, the preschool program has continued to address children’s academic, social-emotional, and spiritual needs.

   As I head back to Oklahoma this summer to continue my graduate studies in education, I will miss these children and this program.  I will miss my little bodyguard who punches anyone else who tries to hold my hand.  I will miss hearing “Hey, Moffitt!” yelled across the playground.  I will even miss the dinosaur obsession that takes over the classroom no matter what else I try to interest preschool boys in.  But most of all I will miss talking about the character of God and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross with these little souls. 

  Please pray for the preschool program going forward.  Tiffany Hosteen is planning to take over the program in the fall; she is doing an amazing job as my co-teacher this year!  I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use what I started long after I’m gone.  “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 

   Anne Moffitt 

He came to us with Valley Bible Church in California this past summer and heard the call for a 4^th and 5^th grade teacher.  The Lord brought him to teach this year.  It has been a growing experience but God has provided and we appreciate that He sent us the best man for the job.

Hey all!

Here I am on the ‘past tense’ side of our class restaurant, praising God for how it turned out.  I always fight worrying about it, and at the last moment, I fling myself on God and let Him do it His own way.  [Wisdom in action, huh?]

This year, we tried something that worked well:  People paid for what they wanted when they first came in and were given tokens.  The tokens were then redeemed at various places around the edge of the gym.  We had tablecloths and flowers (and salt) on all the tables, which were in the central area of the gym, so it still had the feel of a restaurant, but the kitchen itself was not a ZOO!

The sweetly superb Sarah Sun sang ‘saintly’ songs, serenading ‘supping’ spectators throughout the evening.  Anne Denny was our cashier, Miss Kelly was at the dessert table, Mr. V was at the Mutton Stew & Frybread table, Melissa baked Pizza, Mrs V. grilled burgers, Miss MEgan started the Navajo Tacos/Burgers on their way, Kathy served 120 drinks, the staff baked cherry pies, helped with set-up and tear-down, and Flash made a short DVD of it all.  Everyone here helped.  God brought in $700!  You can look at a video about it on the Mission website: www.immanuelmission.org

None of it was ready to go at 6 P.M. when we opened our doors [!!!!!], but one great thing about Navajos is that the same character trait in them that brings frozen hamburger patties and frybread dough into the kitchen at 5:50 P.M. [!!!!!] is also willing to patiently wait around for the food to be cooked – with out so much as a single complaint.  When will I ever remember that?

At 7 o’clock, the frybread crew in the kitchen, having served their time, merrily waved good-bye.  At first, I panicked.  Then I began scrambling through the busy restaurant, approaching every Navajo woman I knew, begging her to come to the kitchen and pat out frybread.  Three of them gazed up at me, mouths full, and nodded “OK”, and the restaurant continued.  Thank you for your support in prayer!

We have 1 month left of school.  It amazes me how God brings us through year after year.  It’s a delight to Him, but it ‘floors’ me.  The Valdois’ and MEgan are leaving I.M., that’s 3/5 of the Jr. High/High school faculty AND 2/4 of the bus drivers!  Help!  Come!  Drive!  Teach!  Pray on, if nothing else! [I’m talking to you]

THANK YOU for being a part of the work out here where “God is with us”

Because HE is, Miss Becky Knopf

I trust you are more faithful in praying than I am in writing. I think this is the longest time in 35 years of ministry that I have gone without communicating with our friends. Please forgive me. I could use busy as an excuse but really it was just procrastination. There is lots to update you on so here goes.

Of course the BIG news is that on Mar 23 on our way back from San Francisco Ruth began having severe pain in the abdomen. We arrived home at 2AM and at noon on Monday the pain was worse so we went to Farmington to the emergency room. They took a CT scan and thought it was appendicitis so scheduled surgery for 8PM Mon night. During the surgery they found a healthy appendix but also found some twisted tissue around the colon that had cut off the blood supply and was causing the pain. It is called a torsion of the omentum and is fairly rare but can be serious. The operation seemed successful and we were sent to a regular room in the hospital. At 3AM on Tuesday the nurse noticed that Ruth’s blood pressure had dropped to 45/35 which is very serious. The room was immediately full of doctors, nurses and who knows who else. They rushed her into surgery again to stop internal bleeding. This time there were no problems and we came home Thurs. She has been steadily improving each day but it will take about 6 weeks before she is back to normal. Thanks to all who are praying for us and forgive us if you are just now hearing of this. God is so good and we are thankful that God is healing her. Through it we strongly felt God’s protection and care.

We are already planning and looking toward next years staff. Megan has decided to go back to school so we will need a 7/8 grade teacher. We have a young lady, Hannah Barr from Colorado, interested in teaching 2nd grade. We still need a maintenance man. Two families are praying about that position but still no firm leading of the Lord for them to come. Dave and Margie Meinzinger have been here for a month helping out with maintenance and a host of other things.

Several other needs to be aware of. One of our Christian young ladies is planning to go to college in Kansas and needs a small car. If you have one you could donate or sell cheap let me know. We also need mechanics tools for the new shop program or funds to purchase them I try to buy many things at auctions to stretch the dollars. We are hoping to begin operation in fall of 2008.

Please remember to pray for and support our Navajo workers. There are eight on staff now which really eases our burden.

The most exciting news is that a young high school student, Uriah Haskie, professed salvation a month ago. Pray he will want to grow and continue in the faith. He is not from a Christian home and has a lot of issues to deal with. It is very rare for a high school student to come to Christ.

Thanks again for your love and friendship. We are rejoicing in God’s goodness and care.

John & Ruth Bloom

Hey, everyone!

February started off with a running start. We’ve had three birthdays in my class this month, not to mention a Valentine’s party. The first weekend of the month we had a carnival here at the school as one of the big fund raisers for the junior/senior trip. They won’t take one this year but are saving up for one next year. It was a huge success. I think one of the biggest attractions was The Jail. For one ticket you could put anyone you wanted to in jail. In order to get out they had to say a memory verse. I was put in jail twice! Good thing that I have had many people over the years encourage me to memorize verses! We had several home basketball games this month, despite the fact that one or two were canceled. Both teams did really well this season. The boys had a 7 and 6 season; the girls were 8 and 5. This weekend is the State Tournament.

For February 10th-12th I went to Emmaus Bible College in Iowa as a representative of Immanuel Mission. Every year the college has a Christian Ministry Seminar. In it several ministries send representatives to tell the students about the opportunities to serve the Lord at their particular camp or mission. I went to represent Immanuel Mission. Last year when I was still just looking at coming down here, I was able to talk to John and Ruth Bloom at CMS. It was great to go this year and talk to other people about the mission. Many of those I talked to this year were still just freshmen or weren’t interested in coming to work here, but still interested in the work that goes on here. We are still looking for several people to fill in gaps in our staff. I also got to participate in a Women’s Ministry panel. There were about 10-11 women on the panel. That was a new experience for me, but I enjoyed it. It was neat to be back in the halls of my old college, but not have the pressure of homework and papers and all that college stuff. I was surprised at how many people I still knew. I was able to have some great conversations with some great people. I stayed the week with my old roommate and her husband. A couple of friends even made the trip to Dubuque to see me. It was great to catch up and hang out with good friends. The travel to and from Iowa was less than ideal, but the time I had there made it more than worth it!

The last weekend this month, several of the women from the mission went on a retreat to Durango. There is a retreat center there that is just for people involved in full-time ministry—and it is free to stay there! It was a wonderful facility. There were 5-6 bedrooms and almost everyone had their own personal bathroom and shower. We had a great time that included shopping (of course!), games, sharing times, prayer, worship, and fellowship. It was a great weekend. I was challenged and encouraged in ways that only the Lord can do. I also enjoyed getting to know the ladies on a more personal level. All in all it was a huge success!

Please continue to pray for me:
Pray for my new student Kenneth as he learns how to listen and obey.
Pray for continual spiritual growth.
Pray for the business of life to not derail me from the more important things.
Pray for my students (and all ages) to be saved and to come closer to the Lord

Much Love,
Kelli Wilson