The “Mission Navajo” team returned last Saturday after an amazing and exhausting week on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. We joined three other youth groups (two from the Denver area!) for a week of “Kid’s Clubs” and service projects on the reservation. Our goal was simply to be a light for Christ in a very dark place, and this group of teenagers accomplished that in amazing ways. Hopefully we can get some of their stories on here soon, but I can share a few very briefly.
Our group was split into two teams for the week and paired with other church groups. Each team spent two days running a summer camp for dozens upon dozens of Navajo kids, ranging in age from 4-18 years old. These kids have a violent nature and vocabulary to make any mother blush. Loving them through all of their “rough edges” can be difficult, but our kids did an amazing job of it anyway. They gave piggy-back rides for hours on end, sought out shy kids to get to know them and led times of Christ-centered skits and worship. The other two days were spent sweating away the hours as we helped with “beautification projects” like house painting and landscaping.
In the process we met many wonderful people, and we hope to share their stories through the kids soon. …for more on the aftermath and tons of photos, click here!
