Category: Newsletters

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Bloom News – August 2009

Dear praying friends,

We are already one week into the new school year. We have settled down to 80 students which is slightly lower than normal. We have three seniors – all boys – and seven kindergarteners. We have several new students coming as a result of contacts thru the summer youth groups. Please be in prayer for this year and that students will respond to the gospel message. We believe the school is a great tool to reach our community with the gospel. Children are generally open to the Lord. Pray for safety and God’s provision for bus fuel and propane – our two greatest expenses.

We now have our fourth diesel bus. I purchased it on Ebay like the others. Only this one was located near Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth and I picked it up shortly after Johnny’s wedding (which was in NC) and drove it 2,500 miles back to the mission. We traveled through 13 states picking up donations for the mission along the way and visiting friends and family. We arrived home with a very full bus.

The wedding was very special. It was great to meet Kara’s family and friends in NC. Johnny and Kara are settled in Topeka, Ks where Johnny works with his brother at a computer company. We are travelling to Hutchinson Sept 12 for their Kansas reception. It will be at Kansas Bible Camp from 2 – 5 PM. All are invited.

We hosted 7 work groups this summer with about 180 total workers. We got lots of work done from cleaning, painting to building a house and an addition on another house. One group repainted the gym floor which was an all week job. It really looks great. Many homes were reached with the gospel. The Navajo families really look forward to the groups coming, often providing a traditional meal to the group.

We have one new staff member this year. Elizabeth Mc Neal is here as a teacher’s aid and assistant coach. She is the daughter of Tim and Liz Mc Neal. She has wanted to serve the Lord on the mission field and God has led her to IM. She has already fit in nicely but please pray for her as there will undoubtedly be some culture shock. We are actually still short one high school teacher so keep praying that God will provide. The rest of us are doing extra duty to teach all the needed classes. The greatest need is for a science teacher.

The week before school started was very difficult. It seemed that Satan was working overtime to discourage us. The fiery darts were flying. We were reminded to put on the full armor of God and to resist – which we did. There was great victory. We know many of you are praying for us and that is so encouraging. We have had a good start to school and believe that this could be a special year here. Keep praying.

John Bloom

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Immanuel Mission et. al.

Dear friends,

Praise the Lord for your prayers for me and Immanuel Mission.  Please talk to the Lord about us right now if you would.  School starts Monday and we’re acutely seeing our need for the Lord’s help.  One student came by yesterday with his mother to enroll.  He didn’t want to work last year and John questioned him about that.  He wasn’t sure if he would work this year either.  He questioned why he needed to have a Bible class.  He left in a rage and the mother returned later seeking help as he was throwing things and destroying things at home.  Her desire was for John Bloom to go to the home and apologize and tell the boy how much we wanted him.  When John wasn’t willing to do that, she also was angry.  It was a reminder that we are in a battle for people’s souls and often it feels like we are on the front line.  Ephesians 6:18 says, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
The Lord is always good to refresh me in between battles.  The summer at Kansas Bible Camp was great.  We saw kids trusting Christ and growing in grace each week.  One example of God’s goodness:  My jr. high girls’ camp was stuck at the big camp for 24 hours due to the road being flooded between the two locations.  I was very frustrated as the program director since so many of my great plans were thwarted.  The counselors, however, were ecstatic.  They had all this free time with the girls and got to have meaningful conversations with each girl.  They perceived that only 4 of the girls were not yet believers and 3 of those trusted Christ that day.  The Lord loves to turn what seems like a disaster into eternal good.  It is a good reminder for me right now as I’m anxious about things here at Immanuel Mission.
A fun refreshment was my trip to Johnny Bloom’s wedding in North Carolina in July.  It was a good road trip with favorite nieces and nephews and we visited other favorite nieces and nephews along the way to and from the wedding.  Highlights of that trip were: attacking the rapids of the James river in Richmond, being attacked by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach and a state park in Delaware, fishing with my great niece and nephew in the Potomac river less than a mile from Mount Vernon, playing hide and seek with dear friends in the National Cathedral, cheering for the Royals at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and climbing through a fuselage and many other crazy things at City Museum in St. Louis.  Oh, yeah, the wedding was nice too.
My roommate this year is Elizabeth McNeal, (Tim’s daughter) from the St. Louis area.  She is 18 and will help in many areas around the school I’m sure.  She has already proved herself invaluable (shouldn’t that be valuable?) doing dishes and helping me with bulletin boards.  She plays games too, which is a bonus.  We’ve played Agricola, Nertz and volleyball so far.  I think she is eager to get to know the students and will be really used by the Lord when school starts.  The kids respond to younger people in ways that they don’t respond to me anymore.  Along that lines, my great nephew called me “Grandma” within hours of my being at his home.  I loved it but kind of wondered, “How did he know?”  I’m closer in age to his dad than my sister (I had to put that sentence in).  I’m delusional about my age and most of my nieces and nephews reinforce that delusion (thanks).
I’ll be teaching exclusively in the upper grades this year.  I’m teaching HS English, world history, and Algebra I and will also teach music to the 7-12 grade as an elective.  The English and history are new subjects for me, but Megan Thurston is coming to visit starting today, so I’m hoping she will help me plan curriculum and map out the year.  She taught both of those subjects multiple times when she taught here.  (Just between you, me and the Lord, I’m praying that she might extend her visit from a week to a year.  We’ll see.)
Thanks again for your prayers.  I was glad to see many of you over the summer and would love to have you here for a visit.  My guest room is occupied, but we have a whole house that is available for guests and I’ve been known to squish up to 20 in my house for meals and games.
Anne Denny
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Academic

Every year our students participate in an Academic Meet/Fine Arts Festival with nearby (only 3 hours away) mission schools. I’ve been organizing the academic portion of this event for several years and because of helpful coworkers things went swimmingly. Our students worked on art projects and social studies reports all year that we saved to submit to the contest.
In early spring we began learning songs for the mass choir and preparing small ensembles and solos and instrumental (recorder and guitar) pieces. The days of the event went well. There was a musical concert the first evening after the day of performing for judges and practicing with students from other schools. The following day was full of academic tests, Sword Drills, Bible Memory recitations, speeches, and spelling bees.
It was a great time to see other Native American students learning the same things and singing the same songs to our glorious Father. The students came home with many ribbons and medals. It was fun to honor the students for academics and music and to be reminded that God is working all over the Navajo reservation, not just in our little corner.
Anne Denny
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News in April

Hey all,

When last heard from, my students and I were planning the annual restaurant and my prayer was that God would bless it and do whatever He wanted to in it. God said OK and did. All of our ‘needs’ were provided and the restaurant brought in more money than ever before. We praised God for His answer to those prayers. It was an incredible evening, because of God’s blessing and the HELP from my family out here.

Less than a week later, we headed out on our class trip to Albuquerque, and my prayers were the same. God graciously granted us a wonderful trip. We were accompanied by Miss Denny, our bus driver and my ‘voice of reason’, Mrs. Kathy, who exhibits enthusiasm enough for a whole busload, and Willard, who supplied my ‘close eye on the boys when I can’t be with them’ need. My girls fulfilled their traditional role – putting the boys’ hair into tiny pigtails while the boys followed tradition and put up with it. All of them smiled and waved at pedestrians as we drove through ALBQ. We rode escalators and elevators at the mall, toured the Aquarium and Zoo, swam for 2 hours, finally played Laser Tag (!!!!), rode bumper boats, bumper cars, played mini golf on a flooded course, and did more at a ‘Family Fun’ place.

I am recovering from a fall. I was carrying supper to Hannah’s house, and tripped at the cement, landing on my face, and tossing nacho cheese, shredded cheese, and sour cream as I fell. The chili, Praise the Lord, had already been delivered on the previous “trip”. [I fall in slow-motion, and am wondering, Do you?] I began right away to thank my Lord Jesus for His timing, and to laugh with Hannah, who saw the whole thing and was concerned for my injuries. We couldn’t help but laugh – nacho cheese was EVERYWHERE, although the lid of the small pan landed right back on top of the pan (!) and somehow, an enormous blob of sour cream was on my nose! It still cracks me up! I don’t know how God arranged that, but it was a scream. [I’m so glad you didn’t see it, but I wish I could’ve] Nothing was broken, my bruises are fading, but my shin will remember this for a while yet.

The weather is still snowing once or twice a week, between days that get up to 70. The WINDS have arrived, of course, and we regularly retrieve bits of our belongings from each others’ yards. The upstairs apartment of the new building is coming along. It now has a beautiful deck on it, from which one can almost see Texas, or so it seems.

The Academic Meet is Thurs/Fri in Window Rock. Join me in praying for Anne to enjoy God’s peace – as she is again in charge of the entire event.

Hebrews 4: 14 – 16 has been especially delicious to me lately, as I fail so often, yet look to Christ.

I’ll be in Michigan this summer.

Looking to Jesus, and enjoying Him greatly, Becky Knopf

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Bloom Newletter – March 2009

Dear praying friends, March 2009
It’s time once again to share with you the blessings and challenges of ministry at Immanuel Mission. We are having a good school year and we are nearly 3/4 of the way through. Basketball season is winding down with the league tournament next week. We expect to do well. The juniors and seniors have been doing lots of fundraisers in preparation for their big trip to Florida this year. Last week we had our annual carnival night. The BIG attraction this year was a new climbing wall — 19 ft of hand and toe holds with different skill levels. Putting people in “jail” is also a big attraction. We have had a lot of sickness in the school but so far no teachers have missed a day. Mel Meinzinger our kindergarten teacher (Ruth’s niece) is scheduled for surgery later this month to remove some growths on her ovaries. Please pray for her. This may be done over spring break but she may have to miss the rest of the year.
Here’s a great story. Laverne went to school here through 8th grade. She was a student when we first came here 21 yrs ago. She went to Red Mesa to high school. Later she got “Navajo married” which means she lived with a man but was never legally married. This is a common practice out here. It usually ends up being common law marriage. She and Bernard had three children which are in our school. Not surprisingly they had marriage problems and eventually separated. Last fall Laverne was very depressed but fortunately got out the Bible we gave her for 8th grade graduation. She remembered many of the verses she memorized in school. Well, she gave her life to the Lord — then told Bernard and he trusted Christ as well. They are back together and planning a wedding. Sometimes the seed takes a while to grow but we are reminded to be faithful in sowing and leave the increase to God. Pray for Laverne and Bernard and kids.
Johnny graduates from Emmaus this year and we hope to attend. Then he will be married July 25th in North Carolina and we definitely will attend. He and Kara plan to live in Topeka, Ks where Johnny will work for his brother Rex.
Our daughter-in-law Katie continues to improve. She still is not back to work but is able to handle raising three active children.
Today I go to a planning meeting for a Navajo produced Passion Play. I am hoping many of our believers will participate. Our maintenance situation has improved with the addition of Willard Shannon to the staff. We still need an auto-shop teacher.
We have 9 youth groups scheduled this year. The first is a large group from Hutchinson that will be here in early March. There will be 8 more in the summer. Pray for blessing as the Word goes out into the community.
Thanks so much for your faithful prayers and support. Your partnership in the gospel is a great encouragement.
John & Ruth Bloom
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October Newsletter

I love the month of November for several reasons. One being that November means that December is almost here. November brings winter–I woke up this morning with snow on the ground. November also brings Christmas music. And November gives me the hope of going home for Christmas soon. Those are just a few of the numerous reasons that I love the month of November.

October proved to be a fun month as well. Around the middle of October, the first nine weeks of school ended. We rushed to get everything done and improve grades before the end. Open house was on the 21st. All in all I love open house time–it feels so festive. I met with a few of the parents of my kids and we were able to discuss grades and learning and all that teachery stuff.

After the nine weeks were over, we needed a crazy week–before we all went crazy. So last week we made Piñatas in geography in conjunction with the High School Spanish classes. We also made a movie of Peter’s escape from prison in Bible class. In English, we started Literature Circles–which is new to my kids. It was nice to do some things that were out of the ordinary. Now we are back to the same old, same old, tried and true learning, but every now and then we’ll switch it up again. This week we are writing a blog as if we are Paul at Lystra and Derbe.

In my last newsletter, I mentioned the need for prayer for a particular student. I very much appreciate your prayers. I wanted to let you know that in the last week and a half, I have seen a major difference. She is beginning to interact with her teachers, is smiling in class, and she is even trying a little in her homework. I praise the Lord entirely and am anxious to see her grow even more in the next few weeks.

Life here at the mission is going well otherwise. The weather the last couple days has been fun. The wind has been blowing the warm weather away. Last night I heard thunder and what I thought was rain, only to wake up to find snow. Of course it melted away by lunch time, but it is still quite cool. Right now I am sitting in front of the fire and am torn about the need o leave it. Tonight we have our cooking class. Gerald, our school cook, has been offering a cooking class on Wednesday nights as part of our craft class. It has been a fun change up. Tonight is freaky Wednesday where everyone brings their own recipe. Wednesdays are quite busy as we also have our Navajo class. Greg Staley, one of our seasoned missionaries is teaching a Navajo language/culture class for the newcomers. I am really enjoying it. It has only been a few weeks, but I already know more than I ever thought I could. Yet I still only know a handful of words and have troubles understanding what I am saying. But I am learning–and that is what it is all about.

November promises to be an equally fun month. The busyness of the season is about to hit full swing. I am also looking forward to Thanksgiving break even more so than the kids. I pray that all is well with you and I would love to hear from you. I do thank you so much for your prayers.

Much love, Kelli Wilson

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News from Becky

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

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September Newsletter

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
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Bloom Newsletter – August 2008

Dear praying friends,

School has started for another year. We have 82 wonderful students enrolled. There are 10 kindergartners which is good for the future of the school. We have three new teachers; Cindy Lauersdorf comes from Phoenix and is teaching first grade. Hannah Barr is from Longmont CO and is teaching second grade. Becky Allen is from Manhattan, KS and is teaching HS English, Science and Spanish. Please pray for these new teachers that they will have a minimum of problems adjusting to another culture and living in a mission community. We praise God He has once again supplied what we needed for the year. Their stories of how God called and led them here are really neat and you will be able to read about them in the fall mission newsletter. By the way, if you want more IM news you can subscribe to get all the news at http://www.immanuelmission.org/.

Please be praying about the great expense of bus gas and propane. We run two buses everyday on 30 – 40 mile routes getting about 5 miles to the gallon. We have gas delivered about 5 times a year. A truck full of gas is around $5,000. A load of propane is around $7,000. These are our largest expenses. For many years we have been adding insulation to all the buildings to conserve heat but the cost of propane keeps going up.

We had a great summer with six work groups coming. The new Vo-tech building is almost ready. Please be praying God will provide a teacher for that program. We were able to do a lot of work in the community as well as hold many Bible clubs. We enjoyed having three new groups this year from Tulsa, OK, Portland, OR and Woodland Pk, CO.

As most of you know on July 18 our daughter-in-law Katie (Davey’s wife) had a severe headache. When taken to the ER they found severe bleeding in her brain. Immediate surgery was performed to relieve the pressure but they gave little hope that she would survive or recover. But God has seen fit to spare her and she is doing great. She is still in the rehab center but her progress is remarkable. You can follow this miracle on the internet at katiebloomprogress.blogspot.com. We spent a week in Des Moines in July praying for the miracle and watching the kids so Davey could be at the hospital. Davey has been on the radio and TV in Des Moines giving God the glory for what He has done. We know many of you have been part of the prayers for Katie and we thank you.

I turned 60 this summer, got false teeth and began an oral chelation regimen to reduce plaque in my arteries. Because of the new teeth and perhaps the pills I have lost over 30 pounds and feel great. I was able to go backpacking again this summer and plan to climb 14,000 ft. Mt. Wilson again this fall (maybe not to the top).

Johnny is in his senior year at Emmaus and is the student body president. He seems to be in all their promotional materials.

Again, we thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

John & Ruth Bloom

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Eager to move in

Christian Friends, after a year of working everyday on the house, Greg is looking at the finished product and the family eager to move in. Thank you so much for your help in making this new home a reality for Ilene and her four children.