Dennehotso Arizona Mission Trip 9/26-10/4

I was so blessed to be able to take part in a short term (1 week) mission trip with a group from our church. We were going to the Navajo Reservation in upstate Arizona to do some repair work on the Sunday School classrooms at the local church. We would be putting down snap together hardwood floors, painting, and a little ceramic tile work.

The group met at 5 am Sat morning and flew out of Richmond on the way to Dallas and then on to Phoenix, Az. It was then a 6 hour drive north to Dennehotso. We met the local Missionaries, RW and Reba Sanders, at the Sam's Club in Flagstaff and purchased our groceries for the week. By the time we arrived at the church, unpacked our gear and groceries, settled in and got in bed, we had been up 24 hours. It was a long day. But we were glad to be there and we were glad the next day was Sunday and we could recuperate a little before we started work on Monday.

Sunday started with a great church service followed by a sight seeing tour of the Navajo National Monument. The Monument had beautiful views and ruins of the ancient Anahatu people. We spent most of the day meeting our new local friends and getting to know each other. We learned that the drought over the last few years had really hurt the local people. Since most of the people were farmers or raised livestock, the drought had driven a lot of folks to search for work outside the Reservation. The folks that still lived there had to deal with very high alcohol and drug abuse rates. There as a lot of work for the church to do and it was the goal of the church to become the center of the community.

Mon, Tues, and Wed were pretty similar. After breakfast we worked on the flooring, painting, etc. most of the day. Roy Armstrong did a great job leading the trip. He told us what needed to be done, let us take ownership of a few tasks, and let us work. On Tues and Wed the sand was blowing pretty hard.

One of the things that kept me going on the trip was the note that Kath had written me for each and every day. As great as it was to talk to her everyday, there was something special about a handwritten note that touched my heart.

Thursday we worked until lunch and then a took a trip to Monument Valley. It was amazing.

Friday we finished our work just after lunch and got ready for the celebration. The locals we making dinner for us to celebrate what God has accomplished while we were here. They served us Navajo Tacos (very, very good) and then we sang and Pastor Gill played the wooden flute for us.

Saturday was our day to leave. A sad time to leave new friends, but an exciting time because we were going to the Grand Canyon. It was incredible. After the Grand Canyon, our next stop was Sedona and then on to Phoenix for our flight the next day.

Sunday was basically the previous Saturday flight travel, in reverse and home to see Kathleen. The trip was so much more than I could have dreamed of. Seeing the incredible landcape and meeting the incredilbe people who live there. Spending time and working with people who love and trust in God. I learned so much. It is incredible what God can accomplish when people are willing to get out of their comfort zone and put in a little elbow grease.