Please Pray
We want you to pray with us about staff needed for next school year. (2015-2016) It is always fun to see God supply but we know that it is in answer to many prayers. Would you pray that God would supply in His time and way?
# First Grade teacher
# School cook
# Upper level science teacher or computer tech person
We have had a great school year with much positive impact on students and the community. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Submitted by John Bloom
Student Testimony
In Jr. High I recently shared my testimony. I then gave the students a piece of paper and asked them to write out where they were with the Lord. One boy’s testimony was very sweet. For different reasons he was asked to leave last year and be homeschooled. Then we would re-evaluate in the fall to see if he would be allowed to return. We always agonize and prayerfully seek the Lord before asking someone to leave. It is an encouragement to see that the right decision was made and it ultimately was a big part of God’s plan for his life. I want to share with you his testimony (slightly edited for grammar).
…Before I first became a Christian, I was kicked out of school and being home schooled. I had no point in life and my grandfather had just passed away from cancer. When I came back to Immanuel Mission I was in 7th grade. John Bloom let me come back and then I went to EPIC (youth group). When Jim talked about Jesus, I realized that if John could accept me back into the school, Jesus could do the same. And if John could forgive all that I did, Jesus could too. So I asked Alena, “How do you know you’re a Christian?” and she told me how. I said I believe Jesus has died on the cross so we can live with him and that’s how I became a Christian.
Submitted by Kelli Wilson
Summer Reading
Back by popular demand, summer reading! Last summer’s reading program, Buzz into the Library, was such a success that we are going for round two! This year’s program will kick off the week of May 18th. I will be starting this summer’s program and then handing it off to Sheree Wedel when I move to Minnesota in June. Please pray for Sheree and I as we organize the program, and for the community members that this program will minister to.
Submitted by Michele Lawman
Illuminate Update
Hello, this is Julie Snyder with an update about the new Illuminate program. This program was designed to assist struggling learners and give them extra teaching in areas where they need help, particularly reading and math. I currently work with a total of 16 students, either one-on-one or in small groups. It is exciting to see the progress these students are making throughout the school year. We are celebrating many achievements and setting goals to continue improving.
I love seeing these students improve academically, but what is even more incredible is to see the way God is at work in the lives of these students. Although I am not specifically teaching Bible this year, my goal is to help students see the love of Jesus Christ. I have been able to build awesome relationships with my students and as they become more comfortable with me, it opens many opportunities for me to share Jesus with them. I have been able to pray with students about things that are going on at home and share Bible verses to encourage and challenge them. I had one student tell me that he prayed and asked Jesus to forgive his sins earlier this year! That’s why we’re here.
Please continue to pray for the Illuminate program. Pray for my students to continue working hard and improving academically. More importantly, pray that my students will have a desire to know more about Jesus Christ and ultimately see their need for salvation.
Submitted by Julie Snyder
From the Tailgate of Scott Valentine
I just returned to Immanuel Mission after Spring Break. So I had a vacation from a vacation. At the Mission we are gearing up for a summer of Mission trips coming here . John Bloom will prioritize building and maintenance projects around our neighborhood and here at the school. This year’s project house is walking distance from the Mission. That will make a pleasant commute for those of you who plan to spend your vacation serving in this ministry.
Last Summer we had available souvenir dirt-shirts (dyed in our native soil). There are still some available for $15. The money will go to fund the biannual Junior/Senior Trip. We are also working on a new design and hope to have those ready.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has certainly blessed the work at Immanuel Mission. Thank God for work that we enjoy doing. Psalm 126: 5-6, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of Joy. He who goes out weeping as he carries his sack of seed will come home with cries of joy as he carries his sheaves of grain.” Those who know me here at the mission will laugh because even though on vacation, they hear me cry. Praise God we are seeing fruit and hoping for cries of joy.
Thanks for your continued prayer joining with us shoulder to shoulder. From your good friend in Christ.
Submitted by Scott Valentine
A Favorite Teaching Memory
I really enjoy being an English teacher to these kids from their Jr. High years all the way through their senior year. They may not know it, but their attitudes and actions reveal a lot to me about their likes and dislikes, struggles and victories, and needs and goals. One particular 10th grade girl is very emphatic when it comes to English class. She normally hates reading. (However, this year I found a book that she “likes, kinda a lot!”) In fact, she felt quite free to write in response to a prompt that she didn’t like this book and she didn’t learn anything and it was boring. Yet, even in the midst of her overwhelming dislike of the book, she still managed to put effort into her work and earn an “A”.
However, the next assignment was writing a 5 paragraph essay. The assignment was designed to be a guided essay with heavy teacher involvement. I required them to write their main idea sentence and come to me to get it checked. Then I would send them back to their desk to write the rest of the paragraph. At that point they would have to come to me to get it checked again. Then the process would repeat for each of the five paragraphs. My girl apparently really enjoys writing. After she had written her main idea sentence and shown it to me, she would run—literally run—back to her desk because she was so excited to write the rest of the paragraph! It is such a joy, to this English teacher, to see that level of excitement in a high school student over writing a 5 paragraph essay.
I know that in any class with any assignment, I can’t please everyone. Some like reading, some hate it. For some, it just depends on the type of book we are reading. Some like grammar (yes, I’ve even found a couple who like diagramming sentences!), and some would like to throw it out. Some like writing, and some avoid it at all costs. But even though I know I can’t please everyone, I know two things: some will enjoy it and they all need it whether they like it or not!
Submitted by Kelli Wilson
As Portrayed by a Child
Recently Alena Beeman had her 2nd grade boys help to tell the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac for school chapel. They acted out the characters of Abraham, Isaac and God. It brought tears to my eyes when I heard Levar (as Isaac) whimper when his father told him to get on the altar. Something about acting out a familiar Bible story often opens my eyes in a new way to what was really going on. It was so sweet to see the boys really enter into the story and grasp the sacrifice that God was asking. And the tears come when I know Jesus acted out the story and allowed His Father to sacrifice Him for me.
Submitted by Anne Denny
Jen’s Getting Married!!!
April has arrived seemingly overnight, along with the sunshine of spring. It’s hard to believe we are down to the last few weeks of the school year! There are so many changes coming up! Over Christmas break I got engaged to my best friend and Tim and I will be getting married this summer! I will be following him to Pennsylvania, ending my time here at the Mission in May (for now). I will always love the Navajo people and a piece of my heart will continue to be with the mesas and the students at Immanuel Mission. I’ve loved being a part of the ministry here and I’m just as excited for my next journey as a wife. It’s hard leaving, but how blessed I am to have both a job and a fiancé that I love so much that I hate to say goodbye! Please pray for me as I give these last few weeks all I’ve got and as God prepares me to be a wife. Thank you all for your prayers and support over the last two years. It has truly been a pleasure serving here. Our God does make dreams come true!
Submitted by Jen Boden
Immanuel Mission 