Category: Uncategorized

Hi friends! I want to let you know about a new ministry we have started in our church here at Immanuel Mission. In the spring the elders requested that we start up a women’s discipleship program to help the young women in the church be fed specifically and intentionally. 

We currently have 7 pairs of women and young girls who have chosen to take part in a mentoring relationship. It’s such a joy and privilege to be a part of this and to witness how the Lord is causing growth in our church and in the individuals. I have watched these women with trembling knees choose to be obedient to the call to invest in the lives of other, younger believers. I saw the eagerness in these young girls as they thought about some woman reaching out to them specifically. In all things, growing often causes pain and this is no different, but it has been so worth it!

Please pray with us as this ministry blossoms and grows in the next few months. 

Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide each pairing. We have purposely not arranged what the mentoring consists of, choosing instead to let the Lord help each pair to decide where He wants the growth to occur. 

Pray for more interest in discipleship in the church. I feel like this is a pilot program and as more people see what is going on there will be more hunger for discipleship. (BTW…I praise the Lord that He sent me the exact numbers so that everything came out evenly!)

Thank you so much for your prayers!             Kelli Wilson

Years at Immanuel Mission; many have come and gone; some are rooted here; I will be rooted as I’m growing in Lord; nothing will push me out with the help of the Holy Spirit. Not discouragement, disappointment or any opposition. In the scripture it says,

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 

Over the years at the Mission I’ve been taught by some good believers and I am thankful for them. I’ve grown to love my people and they love me too (I think). I’m doing a few things here at Mission; my most enjoyable doing is a weekly Bible Study. This is a group Bible study; all in Navajo. We read the Navajo Bible, sing Navajo hymns, and we encourage each other in Navajo. 

My next enjoyable doing is during Christmas time I go out to the community with some gifts, sing Christmas carols and share the gospel. l love doing that each year. Immanuel Mission is different without John Bloom. In the community, everyone misses John.       

                                         Love and prayer, Lorena Herbert

We are the Bielecki Family, Kevin & Brie, with our 7 sons and baby Andrew due any day now! Our family is in our 8^th year sharing life here in Sweetwater, the Lord has given us many different opportunities to serve Him in such a variety of ways! As a family, we really enjoy and have seen our boys grow exponentially through the Open Shop mechanic ministry.

Tim (16) is a senior this year and grew much this summer through attending an intensive discipleship program, and is looking forward to possibly going to the Gap Year Program at Camp Elim next year. Zeke (15) is a sophomore, and very excited about learning drums and guitar. Micah (12) inspires many with his detailed drawings and also loves playing guitar and singing! Josiah (11) is an avid reader and has such a servant’s heart, he can’t wait to get better at guitar as well to play for church. Daniel (8) is enjoying learning piano from Ms. Susan this year and learning the blessings of serving others. Caleb (7) loves making people laugh and has bundles of energy to play with friends of all ages anytime!

As a family, we are excitedly anticipating the home birth of baby Andrew Nehemiah this month, he is already very loved by his many Navajo grandmas! Thank you for your support and encouragement of our family, we are daily amazed at God’s provision and how He works in our lives and the lives of our neighbors here as we see His hand at work!

Hello! My name is Rachel Faust, and this is my first year teaching 4^th & 5^th grade here at Immanuel Mission. I moved here from Western Washington State in August and have been gradually adjusting to the very different weather and climate, being far away from my family, and country life. Teaching has been exhausting (and overwhelming at times), but also very rewarding! I love watching my students learn new things and grow in their skills and capabilities. God has been teaching me to rely more on Him and less on other people, which has been such a blessing because drawing nearer to God in close relationship is truly the best thing in life!

News from the mission is easy because there is always something going on. My bus is full with 22 students. Some ride intermittently, but for the most part they look forward to school.

For the first eight weeks of classes the ‘Big Wash’ had a ‘wash out’ on average, every other week. Now there is a culvert! That may not sound very newsy, but it’s such a relief not having to back up the bus next to a muddy cliff. The students on the bus are great and we have lots of friendly fun during the ride.

Four teams worked this summer and one during fall classes. So we are still getting work done in the neighborhood. Kevin Bielecki is heading up the work projects, and many on the mission staff join in leadership roles making improvements on our campus and around the area. 

Please continue praying because in between all the work the good news gets squeezed in there. Pray the efforts bring results.                                                                            Scott Valentine

Hello everyone, my name is Roger Hosteen Jr, my wife is Tiffany Hosteen, and our only boy is Ephraim Hosteen (EJ). We have been serving the Lord here at Immanuel Mission since 2017.

My wife and I are alumni of Immanuel Mission School. My father and father-in-law went here back in the 50’s and 60’s. Even my wife’s grandfather was here in the 20’s and 30’s. Now our boy, a 3rd grader is going here as well. As you can see generations have gone through here, and God has been faithful in keeping this school going! We wanted to come back and give, not only our support but our gifts that God has given us.

In 2021 I came on full time to teach in the school, auto shop last year and guitar class this year. I am also one of the elders of the church for the community. Both my wife and I are EPIC leaders (youth leaders) and Sunday school teachers. My wife has a heart to serve where the school needs her. This year she has taken on being the pre-K teacher. She feels this is where the Lord has led her.

We are happy to be serving here on the mission and pray to continue to be here (Lord willing). 1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

We are thrilled to be having in-person school this year.  We currently have 47 students in pre-K through 8th grade. The echoes of laughter and shrieks on the playground and greetings and footsteps in the halls harmonize with the voices of teachers sharing Truth and students quoting Scripture. We daily participate in singing songs to the Lord. Please pray for our new teachers that bring a young energy but are also learning as they go. If you want to see short videos and pictures of our students, go to Immanuel Mission School Facebook page. Oh, I am also enjoying chasing the kids during recess with my new hip.  Thanks for your prayers. Anne Denny

Hello there! We are the Lee family: Nate, Dedra, Peyten(12), Hunter(10) Aiden(6) and Tavis(2). Our family has been serving here at Immanuel Mission Chapel and School for the last five years with Kids Sunday School and Art class, running the small thrift store (Dedra) and Computer/IT (Nate). I (Dedra) am a former student and graduate from here. It’s always been a dream of mine to come back and help the church and school.  God gave me and my family the opportunity back in 2018. We have been so blessed by the multiple works we have been a part of here in Sweetwater and Immanuel Mission. We have been learning to rely on God more and more to supply our needs, especially during this time of the pandemic. We thank you for your support and prayers of Immanuel Mission church, school, staff and students.  Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is Faithful.

Editor’s note: Please consider ”adopting” a Navajo family or worker. We would like them to be connected and have the same prayer support that those of us who were sent from around the US enjoy and appreciate.  AD

Hi everyone, my name is Tamara Clyde. I’m the teacher’s aid for the Kindergarten class of seven students. I was a former student at Immanuel Mission. My mom (Brenda Johnson) is the librarian, and my brother (Thomuel Clyde) is the bus mechanic. 

Tamara with one of her students. Thomuel with a bus he maintains.

Sometimes in our lives the Lord asks us to wait on Him, actually more times than we would probably prefer. At least that has been the case for us. However there are also times when the Lord says loud and clear, “GO!”

We would like to reintroduce ourselves, my name is Liz Skillen and I followed the Lord’s calling to Immanuel Mission in fall of 2009. I served as a single woman on the mission for four years until Ryan and I got married in 2013. We stayed at Immanuel Mission and served the Lord together, our oldest daughter was born, then the Lord called us to be used in my home state of Missouri in 2015.

We have had many years of thinking about the mission and praying for them daily. We had been trying to come out for a visit but the Lord always seemed to close doors or ask us to wait.

At the end of September 2021 we really felt the Lord calling us to visit the mission. We came and it seemed like God was just undeniably getting our attention that He wanted us to come back. Of course as typical humans, we felt like we had to overthink all the details. How would we sell our house? Ryan is a Physical Therapist who loves ministering to others on the job, how would he do that out here? What about our 3 daughters and their friends and family? In typical God fashion, He took care of every detail so quickly and clearly that we could not sit back any longer. Our house had a contract after one day on the market. Ryan was offered a PT position at the Indian Health hospital. Our daughters fell so much in love with the reservation that they were excited to move forward and follow the Lord.

So here we are. We moved at the very end of November. Our 3 daughters are attending classes at the school and are growing daily. I am working one-on-one with students in the special–ed program. We are excited for all the opportunities the Lord continues to present to share His love and minister to others. Thank you for your prayers, support, and love for the mission and those serving. The Lord is so good. His timing is perfect and I thank Him daily that when He says “Go” we can trust Him.