Through God's faithful, faithful, faithful provision, Cody and I were able to join the Navajo Nation mission team. We traveled through California and Arizona to arrive in Navajo Mountain, Utah. A place populated with less people than the number that visit a local Starbucks on an average day. We were so so blessed to serve on such a trip.
Our team was made up of twenty junior highers and a great team of leaders. We learned so much and tried new goodies like ginger tea, Navajo tacos, and mutton, that my stomach proved to survive. God used the junior high kids in ways beyond my teeny expectations. I was blown away by their boldness and willingness to serve our Lord. It encouraged me to be more busy about God's work in my daily life.
Day 1: A van full of boys with Cody as the pilot and myself as the co-pilot, of course. It's not a van full of 13 year-olds unless Justin Beiber is nearly playing on repeat accompanied by singing loudly and dancing wildly. On a side note, I'm proud to say that some of my dance move creations were adopted in this Justin Beiber dance party. Those years of amatuer choreography as a kid, proved to pay off here. Moving on, we drove for nearly 9 hours and arrived safely at our campground in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. It was such a blessing to camp in such a beautiful place!
The Navajo people were so welcoming. It challenged me to be less self-centered and more loving to others. We talked, played with the kids, worshiped together, and ate together.
Day 4: The evening prior, we were informed we would be leading all of the church services - children, youth, and adults. We planned a few lessons and were beyond blessed to encourage them again in worship and God's Word. (personally, my favorite day). After an eventful church service (2 hours), we packed up our vans and trailer and trekked via caravan to this beautiful lookout accessible to only those who knew the off-road trail.