The long cold months of winter tend to be a challenging season for me. They feel so dark and gloomy and depressing. Baking is one of the things that brings the most joy to me in this season… apart from the ultimate comfort and joy of my relationship with Jesus and experiencing His incredible presence and peace. I’ve sometimes wondered why this is so. Baking has always been something I’ve genuinely enjoyed, but I think part of the reason baking feels so comforting to me in these winter months is because of all the memories I have of baking with my mom in the winter as a child. The winter baking memories that stick in my mind most are baking baskets full of bread, cookies, and mom’s homemade caramels and delivering them to all the neighbors each year, decorating gingerbread cookies as a family event, and enjoying homemade treats along with eggnog or hot chocolate during our nightly advent reading. There were evenings spent listening to Dad read aloud to us, while Mom scooped and baked batches of oatmeal cookies. Somehow, the characters in the stories Dad read always ended up “eating cookies” at random times throughout the pages, and of course, Dad had to pause for a bite or two of cookie whenever this happened. I’m grateful for these fond memories and grateful to still be able to enjoy baking in these winter months, and getting to share that joy of baking with students on occasion is extra special! —Rachel Faust
Kid’s Christmas 2025
Hello! Hi, I’m Natalie, Wife and mom to 6 beautiful children.
I am also taking care of all donations sent to Immanuel Mission for Christmas gifts for each student. This will be my second year doing this. I am so busy during this time, with the organizing, sorting, making each bag for each child, right along with racing here and there while this season is also basketball season for our 2 who are in high school. I also have my toddler with me.
It’s very exciting receiving all the gifts that are sent to Immanuel Mission. I pray for those who send as I go through and sort the gifts, then I praise the Lord for providing through you all. Thank you so much. You can see it on their faces that they are thought of and that they are loved by receiving such gifts. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Right now we do have an Amazon Christmas wish list that is on the Immanuel mission website. If you are called to, feel free and do some shopping. It’ll be sent right to the school and I’ll get them right out to the students in December.
Here is the link to the Amazon Kids Christmas 2025 Wishlist.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2MKRO3O55NVNM/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
2024-2025 Staff
The Lee family, Susan Price and Lorena Herbert were unable to make it to the staff picture, but the newest Skillen made it!
God has been with us for 100 years!
Then: Immanuel Mission is located on the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of Arizona. It began in 1924 when Clara Holcomb and her parents came to bring the Gospel to the Navajo people. After unhappy experiences with government boarding schools, parents asked the missionaries to teach their children. So in the late 40’s they began a small boarding school for primary students. In the 70’s the dorms burned down and the mission staff decided to purchase buses instead of boarding. In the 80’s a high school was added and there were times with up to 125 students. Due to a reduction in students and teachers, in 2018 we dropped the high school to once again focus on K-8th grade and a year later added a pre-K.
Now: I love to say that the school is a tool for evangelism. Our primary goal is to reach our neighbors with the message of salvation and new life in Christ. In addition to the school, we have other ministries such as a vibrant church, open shop, sewing class, Mom’s group, and home Bible studies. In the summer, church groups from all over the US come to do work projects and VBS in the community.
Needs: We have a pressing need for a bus mechanic/maintenance person. We will need a 5th/6th grade teacher and a Kindergarten teacher. Pray with us that the Lord who has provided for 100 years will continue to provide.
To paraphrase the Macedonian, “Come over to Arizona and help us!”
Anne Denny, Principal
dennyanne@gmail.com
God with the Kindergarten
Recently the mission invited a videographer to visit. As she questioned me about my experience as a teacher, my mind and heart were flooded with 11 years of memories—some which made me grin and others that brought me tears. Since the interview I have given more thought to the privilege of reaching children with the Gospel. The Lord has brought so many children into my life, I’ve lost count, although we were childless. Each child has reached my heart, and I loved them as if they were my own. Watching them grow up gave me such joy as a grandparent would enjoy.
Now into my 12th year in Kindergarten, the Lord continues to give me great joy in joining Him in His work among these young children. I also have been sensing the Lord’s nudging to prepare the way for a younger godly teacher who will carry on teaching with the same passion to reach children for Jesus Christ – to receive Him as their Savior and learn to walk in His ways. Truly the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Pray with us for the Lord to send such a servant to Immanuel Mission. And soon! This will be my last year teaching Kindergarten. I am thrilled with the opportunities the Lord has already given to spend time in ladies Bible study here at IM and continuing outreach with the precious message of the Gospel to the Navajo.
In His service, Susan Price
Scott Valentine—Bus Driver & Servant:
One hundred years is a long time if you’re a steel pipe. November 6th, 2024, while digging a hole underneath the old water tank, we had time to think about things. The broken pipe is not 100 years old, but it is crying. Snowing, and chilly outside. The school is getting a new roof! Wray Roofing all the way from Kansas. Damage from our hailstorm last summer is slowly being erased. Gas leak! Turns out a stove was just barely on. God protects us. Bus and vans are still bringing the students to school! We need another bus, a driver, a bus mechanic, maintenance and teaching staff. Still, we keep going. Everyone works hard. We make plans for Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for. Please continue praying for us all and this ministry.
Bible in 5th Grade
From Rachel Faust
Teaching Bible class this school year has been an absolute delight! After struggling with the dilemma of students simply memorizing facts to pass multiple choice tests and not really engaging with God’s Word or enjoying Bible class over my last couple years of teaching, this year has been so much better! My 5th graders have been doing a timeline project each quarter instead of traditional tests. We read and discuss a short passage each day in Bible class, and then they review it and engage with what’s happening in the passage, as they look for Bible verses and come up with ideas for illustrations to use on their timelines as we go along. This system has worked so well, and we’ve had many good impromptu discussions about things in Scripture as they’ve been working on their timelines. It’s been so neat to watch many of my students truly enjoy learning about God in Bible class this year!
Hello from the Van Essen family
We moved from Greenwood, Nebraska to Immanuel Mission in mid-July. I, Matt, am teaching grades 3 & 4 at Immanuel Mission School. My wife, Sarah, also spends considerable time in the classroom teaching 4th grade math and helping with reading groups. Our eight youngest children are also here with us and keep us quite busy. Our high school students, Linia (18), Nehemiah (16), and Miriam (15) are all homeschooling with Sarah as their main teacher. They are seldom bored as they participate in bus and van cleaning, work projects of all kinds, basketball, guitar, piano, bicycle repair, babysitting, and Navajo language learning. Jeremiah (13), Sammy (12), Joel (10), Micah (8), and Cassia (5) are all in classrooms at the school. Thank you for praying for us as we settle into life here at the mission and as we begin to meet people through Immanuel Navajo Chapel and the ministry of the school. It is a joy to be a part of what the Lord is doing here at Immanuel Mission.
God with the Jr High
“Miss Kelli, I have a question. Do you think everyone is born a sinner, even babies?” One of my favorite things about teaching at Immanuel Mission is that I get to preach the Gospel every day. Last week we were learning about the births of Jacob and Esau. No matter how many times we’ve studied the Gospel and memorized the verses, it still takes the convincing work of the Holy Spirit to cause the growth. What followed that question was a very lovely discussion in which my Jr High students were free to share what they know and to ask questions about things they weren’t sure about. We drew connections to what we had learned the week previous regarding the rapture and kids with believing parents and what it means to be “left behind”. Pray with me that the Holy Spirit will continue His work in these young minds and hearts and that they will continue to seek Him. —Kelli Wilson
Old Fashioned Navajo Christmas Update
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for praying for us and being a part of our celebration through gifts that you sent. God gave us a wonderful day with beautiful weather (though we did appreciate the outdoor fires that we put in the shade). We gave out 300 gift bags to adults and 75 gift bags to children and I think there might have been 50 who didn’t take a gift bag but did eat beans and hot dogs and visit with us.
Some highlights of the program were the school kids singing Go Tell it on the Mountain and Away in a Manger in Navajo, our two preachers both giving the Good News of salvation, and Danae Olson Schonberg (a direct descendant of the original Holcombs who began the work here in 1922) sharing a testimony of God’s faithfulness through the generations that was translated for the crowd.
A highlight of the day for me was visiting with so many former students and staff (Ruth Bloom even came back for the day!) who travelled to be here. I also met several who went to school here in the 1940s. One grandma said she was raised as a Christian but drifted away after she married a non-believer. She now wants to put her grandchild in our school so he will learn to sing about Jesus.
Another bonus story; Raefer said one man was so excited about the rollup he got that he wasn’t going to open it for a while, just enjoy it.
And a bonus picture; today our youngest teacher, Tamara, organized a crazy Christmas sweater day for all the teachers. Here are many of us at breakfast.
We get so much joy out of giving, especially when it is well received. I pray that all of us will receive well the gift of eternal life that God offers us through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus. Praise Him!
Anne Denny
for Immanuel Mission
Immanuel Mission 