After a fantastic weekend of camp meeting I was exhausted, but ready to start a new week of service. As the teams rolled in from California and New York, I realized that God was going to wonderful things this week. For these two teams we had one gigantic project for them to tackle. We set up 20 or so team members working on Grandma Suzy’s roof and the exterior of her house. Suzy had been having trouble with her roof for some time and has been asking her family for help for years, however no one had helped her. To keep the rain from coming in the house she had been nailing tarp to her roof to patch holes.

This was incredibly dangerous for a woman of her age to be doing this and thanks to the grace of God she never hurt herself. The team completely tore the existing roof off and replaced everything to protect her house from the weather. This was an enormous task, but by the end of the week we had the entire roof replaced and had painted the outside of her house to create an almost entirely different looking house. For me the best part about this week was seeing how much time the team spent with Grandma Suzy. The team sat down and talked with her and took interest in what she was doing with her life, and by the end of the week a lot of special bonds were formed that would leave a lasting impact.

This really reminded me what mission work is all about. It is not about the physical side that we accomplish with our hands, but the emotional and social side that we touch with our hearts that truly impact the people of this world. When all is said and done the roof will get damaged again some day and need replacing, but Suzy will always remember the people from California and New York that took time out of their lives to come help her and be her friend. That is what mission work is about and truly inspired me to take that lifestyle to heart.

-Chris

 After a long break of no teams it is good to be back in to the swing of things. From the get go I was impressed with this new team from Texas. As soon as they got out of their vehicles they were ready to work, and we were ready to give them work.

This week starts a camp meeting where many of the local Navajo meet at the church here and have full day services…and there is a lot to do to prepare for this. So immediately we put them to work on putting up the tent, and the team, without any complaints, went straight into service mode with no down time from their drive. I thought this was incredible.

To continue their service we sent part of the team to Grandma Helen’s place. Grandma Helen is a patriarch of one of the Navajo clans and has been in and out of the hospital for the past few years. She really has been through a lot in her life and is so grateful for the little things that she has that some of her stories really broke my heart. To help her out a little bit the team patched up her roof, painted the interior and exterior of her hogon (or house), and filled in the cracks of her house with silicon to prevent the wind from getting in. It wasn’t much, but every day Hellen would be so excited to show her gratitude and try to repay us by any means possible.

Every day it seemed that she had something new for us. From frybread to bologna we were constantly getting gifts and it was truly humbling. This woman who had little would give us everything she had. It reminded me a lot of what I should be as a Christian, completely giving no matter what I have.

-Chris

We had a three week break in between teams, and I felt it was my responsibility to go out and appreciate God’s creations in Arizona. To do this right my cousin flew out from Indiana and took me on quite a memorable adventure. We hiked through the Grand Canyon, took a flight over and around the canyon, and rafted down the Colorado River. It was just the exciting escape I needed to rest for the remaining teams to come. I write this not to brag about my vacation, but to write about what God did in my life through this excursion.

Before going on this trip with my cousin, I was feeling pretty beat down. I was so exhausted from the work aspect of it all, I was missing my family pretty badly, and feeling just incredible low point in my life. I needed something in my life to rejuvenate me. I felt as if I had been running a marathon and did not feel as if I could go any further. Then out of nowhere God provided me with this excursion with my cousin that just completely rejuvenated my soul. This served as a reminder that God knows how to provide for your needs, and just when you need it He will give you a drink of cool refreshing water. I just need to remember that if I rely on Him, He will provide for me.

-Chris