Category: School

A new video has recently been posted on Creative Impact Ministries’ website.  This video features Esther Yazzie, our Navajo Language and Culture teacher.    We hope you follow the link and enjoy hearing Esther tell her story.  Immanuel Mission: Esther Yazzie

Highlights of the last month of school:

I think teaching is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. It is often thankless and frustrating. Kids don’t usually appreciate our love and efforts in their lives. It can be lonely in a classroom when you are the adult and not part of the group. There are inside jokes you aren’t a part of, but often the brunt of. Immanuel Mission can be lonely as well. We are far from town and some need to go to town just to be in the midst of people. I have found now that I like waiting in line, being in a crowded place, and even going shopping on Black Friday is fun just to be in the jostle and mess. So those are some of the negatives but this is why I don’t quit or leave:

Teaching is one of the most valuable things you’ll ever do. It is so nice to have a job that has eternal consequences not just a paycheck as a reward, but crowns in Heaven. I know we are supposed to do everything we do to the glory of God but it is more obvious that it matters when you are dealing with a student than when you are dealing with a vacuum cleaner. Kids do learn stuff. It is kind of amazing at the end of each year when you realize that, in spite of themselves and the struggle, they know more than they did in September. They quote me; sometimes that is honoring and sometimes embarrassing. I make a difference and have significance. Selfishly, it is fun for me to be the center of attention. I like having a captive audience everyday. I bet these things are true of parenting too, but the Lord hasn’t given me that ministry. I love teaching at a Christian school where you can tell them the truth and not have to worry about being politically correct. You can call sin “sin” and you can tell people about God’s solution for it instead of using the world’s tools to mask or hide or explain away problems. I love kids and I love the Lord and I love that He lets me do what I love for Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Immanuel Mission is a great place to live. My neighbors love the Lord and love me. We are working for the same goals of godliness and love for each other. Obviously we have struggles and things to work out, but underneath everything we all want God’s best for each other. I walk to work, I walk to church, I walk to my friend’s house, to the gym, to meetings, etc. Even though groceries are 90 miles away, I know I spend less time in a car on a weekly basis than people who live in town. I don’t pay rent, I often get free clothes, I eat two meals a day that someone else pays for and cooks, my house is maintained by others that are eager to help me, and my neighbor always has a cup of coffee or sugar or whatever I forgot to get in town; or will pick it up for me when they go in the next day or two. I am safe in a gated community and surrounded by people who pray. I wish our phones worked better and I wish Kansas with my family was as close as Farmington, but I am content with the family God has given me here. As I love to say, “God is good, all the time.”

Anne Denny

When I started working here as a teacher I thought I was going to teach for just one year. But, after a year went by I decided to teach again. I knew this would allow me to enjoy getting more acquainted with the Mission School and Community. I can’t believe it is my fourth year teaching here. This year I am teaching the 3rd grade only, which is great. I have a wonderful group of nine students eager to learn. There are seven boys and two cute little girls. The boys are very talkative and all my students have talents that show in class.

It’s great being around young scholars as they remind me of my self when I was young. When I was a little girl my parents taught me lots of things at home in our own language. Some of the things my parents taught me were: names of the month, days of the week, four seasons, four cardinal directions, and most importantly, my Diné clan and how I am related to others who have the same clan group as mine. My parents used to tell me about Diné history like the Diné Long Walk that occurred in the 1860’s. This year I thought about teaching some of the things I learned when I was young. So, at the beginning of the school year I asked my students if they were interested in learning about some of the things I had learned when I was their age, and they all said “yes.” They especially liked that we would learn about the different clan groups and how they are related to each other by clan. After school started we learned about clans and kinship, and found out that in some form of relationship by clan we have sisters, brothers, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. in one classroom! As a class we found joy and comfort in knowing that there are kin members we learn lessons with, eat and recreate with at school.

It’s a wonderful feeling to know my class and that wherever I go I will find a relative. It’s very unique. Now I know I have lots of relatives living in the Sweetwater Community. Now I really feel like I am at home. It makes me feel great and joyous to be here at the Mission School, and I can feel the Spirit of God.

Esther Yazzie

We currently have 86 students enrolled for the 08/09 school year. There are 6 seniors and 10 new kindergarteners. We have 54 elementary, 8 junior high, and 24 high school students. We have 17 school staff members with 3 new teachers (see their articles elsewhere in this newsletter). Gerald Harvey is the new school cook. Lula Tom has switched to full time bus driver. Our retention rate is 92% which is very high for mission schools. Students like to come to school here for a variety of reasons, but, of course, we believe that God has them here to hear about Him. Please pray for our new staff, for safety, and that souls will be saved. We see signs of good things in the upper grades with several of the seniors being bolder for Christ. We are fervently praying for revival in the school. Please pray with us.

John Bloom

Immanuel has been bussing students to school and home again for 29 years since the dorms burned down in 1979. We have always used gas busses. Our yearly gas bill is around $20,000. Gas busses are getting hard to find because since about 1995 the industry has only manufactured diesel busses. So last year we made the decision to go diesel. We bought two diesel busses on eBay for around $1,500 each which was a huge savings over previous purchases. We have been pleasantly surprised that even though the price of diesel is higher we are saving lots of money because the diesel busses get better gas mileage than the regular gas busses and they take less maintenance. We believe that the diesel busses will pay for themselves in the first year. So, we would like to purchase two more. They come up fairly regularly on eBay but we do not currently have funds for bidding on one. If you would like to contribute to this project indicate your gift is for the “new bus fund”.

John Bloom