Something I want to clear up as it may not have been clear enough in our earliest packets and communications, any checks sent on our behalf to the Northeast congregation in Albuquerque, NM should be made out to "Northeast church of Christ" and should say "Rice-Kayenta" in the memo line. I know this information doesn't apply to all of our blog readers, but it needed to be straightened out somehow. If you need to contact our sponsoring congregation or are preparing to send support for us,their address is:
Northeast church of Christ
11000 Paseo del Norte NE
Albuquerque, NM 87122
Second on the list of housekeeping items, consider this your official invitation to make comments on any and all blog posts. The comments don't have to be related to the postings themselves, if you wanted to ask a question or comment on some other topic feel free.
Lastly, Heidi and I are taking the advice of a good friend (who I will name this time, Robin Weier) and planning a night of Questions and Answers. I'm working on setting a date with our host and then the official invitation will be sent out. The idea is that we'll order pizza's, hangout for a little bit and then open it up for any and all questions you might have about all things Kayenta related. Have a question that you were afraid to ask during our presentation? Have you wondered, will you have to learn to speak Navajo? Will you get jobs out there? Will you live in a tee pee? You can ask anything, and I'll come ready to answer everything.
We'll also have a commitment form that you can fill out if you are interested in supporting our work on the Rez monthly.
If this event interests you at all, please let me know in some way (preferrably a written way) so that we can make sure we don't have too many people or too few pizza's.
May 11, 2010
May 10, 2010
Update on raising support
Hello Friends! We had a great weekend. Nick presented at our home congregation (Fishinger & Kenny Roads Church of Christ) about our future work in Kayenta. Lots of people at church had heard about our plans but didn't know many of the details. The elders allowed us the opportunity to present on Sunday morning during Bible class (combining all adult classes).
Nick gave a great presentation explaining the current situation in Kayenta and the hands on work we will be embarking on this summer. Nick is a great speaker and I am so proud of him when he speaks in front of the church.
Let me back up a couple months. In the middle of March, Nick made a trip to Albuquerque, NM to meet with the Northeast Church of Christ about being our sponsoring church. He made a presentation and delivered a sermon to the congregation there. He had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the people and was very encouraged by every one's excitement about the work on the reservation. Northeast agreed to be our sponsoring church. If you are not familiar with mission work, this means that all of our funding will go through the Northeast church and they will dispense our "paycheck." In addition, several individuals made donations to help us get our feet off the ground. The generosity and love that people expressed gave us a great start to our fundraising.
In April, we made a trip to the Ohio Valley to the 6th & Washington Church of Christ. Nick met with the elders and gave a presentation and sermon at their Sunday evening service. They have agreed to generously support us monthly and we received a lot of uplifting words of encouragement in our short time with them.
We have three other congregations we are making plans to visit and present. In June, we are visiting the Watterson Trail Church of Christ in Loiusville, KY. In July, we'll have a meeting and prepare a presentation for the Hendersonville Church of Christ in TN. Please continue to spread the word about our work and keep us in your prayers, because we have a long way to go in raising support.
Nick gave a great presentation explaining the current situation in Kayenta and the hands on work we will be embarking on this summer. Nick is a great speaker and I am so proud of him when he speaks in front of the church.
Let me back up a couple months. In the middle of March, Nick made a trip to Albuquerque, NM to meet with the Northeast Church of Christ about being our sponsoring church. He made a presentation and delivered a sermon to the congregation there. He had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the people and was very encouraged by every one's excitement about the work on the reservation. Northeast agreed to be our sponsoring church. If you are not familiar with mission work, this means that all of our funding will go through the Northeast church and they will dispense our "paycheck." In addition, several individuals made donations to help us get our feet off the ground. The generosity and love that people expressed gave us a great start to our fundraising.
In April, we made a trip to the Ohio Valley to the 6th & Washington Church of Christ. Nick met with the elders and gave a presentation and sermon at their Sunday evening service. They have agreed to generously support us monthly and we received a lot of uplifting words of encouragement in our short time with them.
We have three other congregations we are making plans to visit and present. In June, we are visiting the Watterson Trail Church of Christ in Loiusville, KY. In July, we'll have a meeting and prepare a presentation for the Hendersonville Church of Christ in TN. Please continue to spread the word about our work and keep us in your prayers, because we have a long way to go in raising support.
May 3, 2010
Heidi's point of view
Sometimes it's hard for people to see Nick and I both as full-time missionaries. There are obvious reasons for this, like men's and women's roles in the church. Then there's the fact that Nick has a degree in ministry while I have a business degree and have worked in the corporate world for a few years now. It seems as though many people refer to only Nick in the missionary setting and I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions already out there by describing what my role will be in the church. Also, I want people to know that this is a dream come true for me in several ways. I have been looking for a job where I can directly impact peoples' lives and after my mission trip to Kayenta in 2006, it has been my dream to become a full-time missionary.
So, what will I do? Our main goal is to build up adult leaders in the church and strong Christian members of the community. With that being said, my first focus will be to have Bible studies with the women of the church and the community. In addition to this, I have several ideas for ladies programs and classes. While setting up different programs and classes, the goal is always to teach other faithful women to do the same. For example, while I prepare for a class, I have another woman working beside me who will teach the class the next week. Our overall goal is always to teach the people how to be leaders in hopes that one day they don't need us.
I would also like to tackle some of the administrative pieces within the church. When looking at a small church just getting off the ground, it might seem insignificant. However, I believe that the more opportunities we can create for people to get involved, the stronger the church will become. I would like to teach a couple members how to create and sustain their own bulletin.
I am getting my Masters in Counseling and when you look at some of the cultural issues in Kayenta, I look at this as an internship for my career as a Counselor. I hope to become a mentor to women who feel hopeless in any area of their lives whether it is their spiritual life, home life, career, or social life. The Bible and the Church can certainly be an answer to a lot of womens' needs. Pray for me as I lead people to these answers.
The last role will of course be to support my husband in everything he does. He will be studying with a lot of men. But in addition, he will be working with the members to build a youth and family program. I will assist him in these activities. Together, we make a great team!
So, what will I do? Our main goal is to build up adult leaders in the church and strong Christian members of the community. With that being said, my first focus will be to have Bible studies with the women of the church and the community. In addition to this, I have several ideas for ladies programs and classes. While setting up different programs and classes, the goal is always to teach other faithful women to do the same. For example, while I prepare for a class, I have another woman working beside me who will teach the class the next week. Our overall goal is always to teach the people how to be leaders in hopes that one day they don't need us.
I would also like to tackle some of the administrative pieces within the church. When looking at a small church just getting off the ground, it might seem insignificant. However, I believe that the more opportunities we can create for people to get involved, the stronger the church will become. I would like to teach a couple members how to create and sustain their own bulletin.
I am getting my Masters in Counseling and when you look at some of the cultural issues in Kayenta, I look at this as an internship for my career as a Counselor. I hope to become a mentor to women who feel hopeless in any area of their lives whether it is their spiritual life, home life, career, or social life. The Bible and the Church can certainly be an answer to a lot of womens' needs. Pray for me as I lead people to these answers.
The last role will of course be to support my husband in everything he does. He will be studying with a lot of men. But in addition, he will be working with the members to build a youth and family program. I will assist him in these activities. Together, we make a great team!
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