Dear Friends,
Spring is officially here at Immanuel Mission! I have enjoyed getting out and working in my garden this year. With such a long winter, I am very eager to spend as much time as possible outside. People who have lived here before me have planted several flowers in a couple different spots in the yard. I have enjoyed tulips, grape-hyacinths, hen and chicks, daffodils, and irises. I’ve never had a garden before, so it’s all new to me, but I’ve enjoyed working in the yard. As I worked, the Lord used the garden to remind me of some of His everlasting truths. Someone before me (Barb Valdois and Megan Thurston) planted the flowers in the yard. Someone else (Ruth Bloom) has watered them during the summers. I feed and weed them. But God causes them to grow. I have had the privilege of seeing that very same truth acted out in the school this past year. This has been another God-filled year at the mission. These kids that come to our school year after year hear the truth of God’s Word in their classes and in chapel. They see the love of God reflected in the teachers and other missionaries here. Periodically, groups come and offer support, help, and encouragement. This year, I was able to see one group come and preach the gospel, another group come and offer encouragement, another group come and disciple the believers, and yet another group come and offer more encouragement. The Lord has really blessed me and encouraged me as I have seen His workers follow His leading to come and teach or disciple. And then He causes the growth in me and the students whom I love.
With much victory, comes much opposition. And so I continue to ask you for your prayers. Ruth Bloom is constantly encouraged (and passing on her encouragement to me) from people all over the US sending notes and/or comments about how they pray for us and the work here at Immanuel Mission every single day. I want to say thank you for those prayers, and pass on a few prayer requests. First would be for more workers. Melissa Meinzinger, our current Kindergarten teacher (and my roommate) has decided to move back to Michigan and go back to college to get her teaching degree. The Lord has already provided us with another Kindergarten teacher (Mallory Heggin from Iowa). Esther Yazzie, our current third grade teacher, plans to stay here at Immanuel Mission, but to teach a Navajo language and culture class daily for each grade K-6. We are very excited about this, but we are praying that the Lord would send us another elementary teacher. Also, we are evaluating the feasibility of continuing to offer a high school. In the past, we’ve had 5 high school teachers, but we are currently down to only 2 teachers for the high school. We are asking the Lord to guide us as to His plan for the future of our school. We are open to either continuing the high school if more teachers could come and help out, or to canceling the high school program and beginning more of a youth ministry outreach. Whichever way the Lord leads, we would love to have more workers to help. Pray with us as we seek to know His will and look for individuals or families that would consider moving to and working at Immanuel Mission. Another personal item for prayer would be for my car. It is currently broken, we’re not sure what’s wrong, and I tend to worry about being able to pay for the needed repairs. So a big prayer request is for me to continue to trust God in this. My God is so rich that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Also pray for Greg Staley as he is the one that I’ve asked to take a look at my car and help me decide what to do about it.
Once again, I thank you so much for all your prayers for me and for the mission. I am eager for the end of the school year, as I am excited to come home soon for the summer and see many of you. But I am also eager to return for the next school year and see what God has planned.
In Christ Alone,
Kelli Wilson
Immanuel Mission Jr. High Teacher