This week in Toko’i, New Mexico, the mission trip team from Luke Airforce Base near Phoenix, Arizona is awesome! For every person on the team, this is the first short term mission trip they have ever been on! They have been working so hard and have made not only some really beautiful improvements on several homes, but also some very meaningful relationships during their time here.

One woman we’ve spent a lot of time with during this week is Etta George. Etta was originally the founder of the church we are working with, Victory Life Christian Fellowship. We came to her house this week to finish some siding and paint the trim around the house. She immediately made us feel welcome on the first day, ushering us into her home and sharing with us each day more little bits and pieces about her life.

Behind her house there is a large outdoor stage area  and she told us that each year the area is packed out for a camp meeting revival that she has hosted for many years. We were amazed as we heard her stories and saw how many lives she has touched in her lifetime. What a woman! When we stood in her kitchen after Chris replaced her old washing machine with a new cabinet she wanted, she cried and thanked us for the work we had done. She also made fry bread two different days to thank us, and gave us watermelon as well!

The kids all talked about how awesome it was to see that Etta was so grateful and sweet. What a woman to learn from! This youth mission trip team certainly has had an incredible first mission experience!

-Navajo Nation staff

*Note: 2010 mission trips will be posted soon! Check out www.ExperienceMission.org to find out the new communities that we will be working with next summer.