Dear praying friends,
I see that I haven’t written a newsletter since late January. We have been very busy but also I’ve been just a bit lazy in not communicating with you. Please forgive me. We so appreciate those who pray and support the work here. We are near the end of another school year (three weeks left) and have been sustained by your prayers and concern for us.
I have traveled more than usual this spring: Dubuque, IA for Christian Ministries Seminar (where good contacts were made for next year), Sante Fe for administrators conference, Kansas and MO for spring break, Phoenix for 7/8 trip, and Rehoboth for Native American Schools Conference. Next week Ruth and I take the 11/12 grade to Washington, D.C. and NYC for their end of year trip. This all takes lots of planning and usually involves a lot of driving. We did break down in Phoenix but God worked amazingly to keep us safe and we were able to get the bus fixed without major inconvenience.
We have done well in the sports area. Our girls BB team won its fourth league championship. The boys took fourth place. Our girls and guys teamed up with some other schools to win the all star VB and BB games this past weekend. We are now playing co-ed softball in PE and having an in house tournament with good competition.
We have had a wet winter and spring so the desert is as green as I’ve ever seen it. We are expecting more rain this week.
One of our former students who has been coming to Ruth’s craft class trusted the Lord this spring which is very exciting. Pray for Bernelda Begay that she would stay true to the Lord and that her mother Francis will trust the Lord soon. We will have a youth group minister in their home this summer.
We have had three youth groups and several couples here this spring helping us out. They have been a great help and encouragement. We have eight youth groups scheduled for the summer. The main project this summer will be to erect a 40×80 metal building which will house our vo-tech program. The building has been ordered and paid for. We still need several thousand dollars for the cement.
We have 7 seniors and 9 eighth graders graduating on May 12. Pray for all the preparations and that the program will speak to the parents and community about the Lord. Four of the seniors are professing believers.
We have two teachers planning to come next year. Solomon Sun and his wife Sarah will come to teach 4th grade. Kelli Wilson is coming to teach 1st grade. Solomon and Kelli are both graduates of Emmaus. Darrel Valdois finally got his bus drivers certification so we are looking pretty good for next year. We still are in desperate need of a maintenance man
Ruth has grown to enjoy her job as bookkeeper which is a major answer to prayer.
Again, thank you for praying for the work here. What a joy to have 89 children (and by extension about 45 homes) under the sound of the gospel each day.
John & Ruth Bloom
Immanuel Mission 