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September 25th, 2008 From: Becky Knopf - 5th & 6th Grade Teacher Hey All!
School’s IN! I have 18 kids in my 5th/6th grade classroom. They do pretty well trying to get the hang of mathematical principles (sort of), letter formation, biblical concepts (somewhat), etc. until 1:35; then, it is unbearably hot in our room and it is a struggle to concentrate. I keep 2 fans running from 6:30 A.M. till 3 P.M. ‘Ooo-da-lolly,’ I’ll be glad when the Fall temperatures show up! I believe just 2 or 3 of my new-to-me 5th graders do not know the Lord Jesus Christ personally, while the others seem to have at least a passing acquaintance with JESUS. Do pray with me for Tomika, Justin, Laqueta, Lashaunda, DeBryanna, Brianna, Cleandro, Angel, Crystal, and Amanda. My sixth graders could actually use your prayers, too, so here we go: Rheyland, Micah, Jaqueta, Vandelia, Terence, Brandale, Joshua, and Ethan. Thanks and Amen!
Our new staff members, Hannah Barr (2nd grade), Cindy Lauersdorf(1st grade), and Becky Allen (H.S./Jr. High Science, Spanish, and English) are doing well. They are welcome here, and stay very, very busy. They have an amazing confidence that comes from being good friends with God!
I am gung ho on collecting Box Tops for Education this year and Mel Meinzinger is gathering Campbell’s UPCs (aka bar codes)
Let’s talk dental, shall we? I am having to have not one, but two crowns replaced. So, already having paid $600+ per crown, I now get to pay again – $850 each. [Do not complain, do not complain, do not complain, Numbers 11:1] So, I asked the LORD GOD to provide that money for me from un-’usual givers’ and I tacked the dental bill on my bedroom wall (to remind God, y’know) I have been writing in amounts as they come in. The first tooth has been paid for as of last Thursday, and I ‘merrily merrily’ walked in to the office and forked over that whole amount! I am amazed afresh at my God’s ability to provide – I don’t know why . . . George Muller isn’t the ONLY one with a direct line! Still, it excites me – which is odd, because what do I have that God hasn’t provided, after all? [Can you spell nothing?]
Thank you again and again for your support of the work at Immanuel Mission. Maranatha!
As usual, I am struggling with getting out of God’s way and letting Him get on with His work. [We both like to lead, we both have plans for Him to carry out, and we both have a time schedule in mind] Do pray for me to let God lead.
I wouldn’t be out here if it weren’t for God working through you,
Thanks, Becky Knopf . . . Psalm 52:9
September 19th, 2008 From: Kathy Staley - School Counselor
Hello Everyone,
School is going in full swing and fairly well. We have 85 students, the same as last year. There are a handful of believers in the high school and we are looking to God for a revival among them, a bold standing up for the Lord with their classmates. I personally, am asking the Lord to give these students a burden for their peers and a desire to pray for them. My vision is for the kids to meet in the school library during the lunch hour. Impossible seemingly but “with God ALL things are possible.” We would appreciate your joining us in this prayer. Our students are very confused because they are told on every side that everyone who prays, prays to the same god. That means that the Peyote Church and the Traditional Church are really not so very different from the Bible-believing Church we staff are part of. The devil has really done a number on our community, as he has in the entire world with this core issue. Parents wanting to retain their culture, pressure the kids to participate in ceremonies of every kind, and I can tell you absolutely that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, is NOT a part of their worship.
Today Greg and another staff member are taking nine high schoolers to the Grand Canyon for a music festival. They will camp out tonite and return tomorrow.
This coming weekend there are many activities in the community–two Camp Meetings (Bible conferences at homes), a birthday party, a Miss Sweetwater pageant, and a dinner with friends- —-all of which we are invited to. Hmm. This is another one of those occasions where, unable to do everything, we have to pick and choose.
A woman in the neighborhood is suffering with a terminal illness and I have the privilege of spending some time with her and the family. I’m praying for Jesus Himself to do what He does best, using me in whatever way to minister to them. “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels”, what a wonderful Gift He is to give away to others. This lady is the most godly Navajo woman I know and she ministers to me more than I to her. Her children went to school years ago at the mission and one girl in particular was a special friend of Jeremy and Jonathan’s.
Our Matthew is going to be in Phoenix next week and we are meeting him at Jeremy’s for a few days. We haven’t seen him since last Christmas so this will be a treat. Also while in Phoenix Greg and I get to go to a conference with RC Sproul and John MacCarther as the speakers. RC is a real hero to Greg and he listens to him on the radio daily. We’ll get the chance to say, “Hey, he doesn’t look at all like I imagined.”
Thank you so much for your prayers and practical help enabling us to serve in this corner of the world.
Greg and Kathy Staley
September 15th, 2008 From: Anne Denny - High School Teacher
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid infinitely more than we are worth to purchase us back for Himself.
Our school year is now in full swing, I’ve given tests in every class, hosted two fundraisers for the Jr. Sr. trip and am planning on a field trip with the high schoolers to the Grand Canyon this Wednesday for a music festival. I am thrilled to be teaching high school kids most of the day with a general music class for each elementary class in the afternoons. I try to stay ahead of the kids in geometry, by doing the lesson I’m about to teach, Consumer Math is a breeze as I’ve taught it before, and I read the government book about four times so that I’m ready to lecture on the topic each day. When I taught elementary school, I had no appreciation for the preparation that goes into teaching older students. It takes a lot more work to be sure I know more than the students about the topic I’m teaching. I actually have a little more free time in each day this year and it is fun to see how the Lord is filling it up for me. One of my seniors is taking Navajo govt. and language on line and stays after to work on the internet. I read over her shoulder and am learning a lot too. I mostly drive the bus only in the mornings so am able to work with her several days a week. I’ve filled in minimally for Ruth Bloom these last few weeks while she’s in Iowa with Davey and Katie. That involves making deposits and paying the staff who get weekly pay. I’ve gained an appreciation for what Ruth does and am eager for her return around the 22nd.
Our women’s craft class is going to start in October and we hope to do some cooking together for a while. A Navajo brother, Gerald Harvey, has cooked for the school and also at Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. He plans to teach the class. I am excited to have a Navajo teaching it, but another Navajo believer wonders if our grandmas who come will be as receptive to a male. It is something to pray about.
Please also pray for our high school students. We are looking to the Lord for a revival this year among the teens. There are several who are Christians but so far haven’t been able to stand up to peer pressure and be bold about their faith among their classmates. I’m praying that we will see the Lord work powerfully through them and change the pressure at our school to be more like Jesus, not less. I think since my school work load is lighter this year, I may have more energy for extracurricular activities.
We’ve all been enjoying the idea that the Lord will return this fall at the feast of the Trumpets—Rosh Hashannah. It falls on Sept. 29-30 this year. So I close with this variation on the traditional Jewish expression;
Next year in Heaven,
Anne Denny
September 5th, 2008 From: Kelli Wilson - Junior High Teacher
Dear Friends and Family
Greetings from Arizona! It has been a while since I last sent an update out. So I’ll give a quick summary. My first year of teaching ended well. All of my first graders passed on to second grade thankfully. Even now it is difficult to hear them call out ‘teacher, teacher’ and realize that they are no longer talking to me. I had a wonderful summer vacation. I spent a couple weeks at home with my dad—always refreshing, but never enough time. I also spent a couple weeks at grandparents’ homes—something that I’m so thankful that I get the chance to do every summer. I also spent six weeks at Kansas Bible Camp. I got to see a new aspect of camp life this summer as I spent one week as a speaker for the girls’ grade school camp. I enjoyed it greatly, but my favorite part of camp remains counseling—which I got to do the other five weeks.
For two of the weeks at camp I got to work with Jr. Highers. This was a blessing from the Lord in the fact that He graduated me from teaching first grade to teaching Jr. High! This year I am teaching 7th and 8th math, English, Bible, and world geography. In the afternoons I am also the school librarian. Totally new work for me, but the Lord is faithful to provide where there is a need. We had a desperate need for teachers at the close of last school year and He has provided exactly what we needed!
I am very excited about teaching Jr. High. I am enjoying it and still getting used to it as well. Part of it involves a re-organization of my thinking as I am used to little people who need help every step of the way. I also sometimes make the mistake of assuming that my students know more than they do because I overestimate the knowledge gap between first and seventh grade. My students and I are also still getting comfortable with one another. I am still waiting to see them relax enough to joke around with me in the classroom. I am still trying to find the perfect relationship with them that it takes to motivate them to work their hardest for me. I would greatly appreciate your prayers in this respect and also that I would find a way to love them that they can hear.
Another new part of my life involves a new house and a new roommate. Because of the influx of new teachers this year, we needed to provide more housing. So Melissa Meinzinger (the kindergarten teacher) and I moved into a three-bedroom house together to free up our two apartments for two of the new teachers. We love the house that we now live in. The couple that occupied it before we did were very bold in their choice of wall colors and we get tor reap the benefits of a wonderfully painted house. I am mostly settled with only a few little details to take care of. I even have pictures up on the wall—which is the fastest they’ve been up in the last several moves!
During the summer I was able to share with a few of my campers that I find no greater joy than knowing that I am completely in the will of my God. Change is always scary—and I often avoid it, but with all the changes in my life in the last few months, I can still say—there is nothing better than know that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. I don’t know exactly what He has in mind yet, but I hope that I will continue to trust His guiding hand.
In His Arms,
Kelli Wilson
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