New Mexico Work and Witness Team

A group photo, taken on the edge of a cliff at Pastor Jonny's house. It is a considerable honor to be invited to a Navajo's house.

• Repair and improve weatherproofing at front of sanctuary

• Remove old propane stove / oven from the fellowship hall kitchen.

• Remove wallpaper border at the top of the wall in the fellowship hall.
  

• Install new propane stove / oven in the fellowship hall kitchen, in a different location from the old one.

• Move the propane line to accomodate the new stove / oven.
  
  The new propane line is being installed on the back of the church to accomodate the new stove / oven. The person doing the installing is Merlin, who is from Minnesota. He was the only person on the team not from Oregon.

• Install a new range hood over the new stove.
  
  The new stove / oven and the range hood.

• Replace kitchen window.

• Wash playground equipment, wood fence posts, portch, and other wooden parts of the church exterior.
  
  Washing the playground equipment. This playground had been constructed by a previous work party.

• After allowing to dry, coat these wooden parts of the church and playground with weatherproofing.
  
  Waterproofing the playground.

• Clean out old mobile home that was on the church property. This will be moved to a new location and used as storage.

• Clean out one of the storage buildings on the church property.
  
  The pile of trash speaks for itself - and the work is still progressing as this photo was taken.

• Move books and book cases into a room that will become the church library.

• Repaint the room that was the church library so that it can become the church nursery.
  
  Painting the new church nursery room into a treehouse theme. The work is being done by the light of a work light because the power to the building has been turned off, so that other team members can replace a number of electrical items in the fellowship hall at the same time.

• Patch holes in the wall of the church fellowship hall.
  

• Repaint the church fellowship hall, kitchen, and two hallways (ceiling and walls) and the ceilings in the bathrooms.

• Install a new rubber baseboard around the bottom of the walls in the fellowship hall, kitchen, and hallways that had been repainted.
  

• Clean out accumulated dirt in the light fixtures.

• Fix a problem with one of the doors on the fellowship hall, which wasn't closing properly.

• Install new electrical receptacles and light switches. The old receptacles had become loose with age and some could no longer hold electrical cords plugged into them. Some of the old light switches needed to be replaced also.
  
  Dawn, from the Salem Evangelical Church, replaces a light switch.

• Mop and wax floors in fellowship hall,hallways and kitchen.

A view of the finished fellowship hall.

It so happens that the church is fairly close to some very spectacular scenic features, including a large natural arch and many interesting rock formations. On Sunday, we spent an entire afternoon (after the church service was over) exploring these areas. Navajo people from the church accompanied us on this trip, and it was a wonderful time of getting to know them a little better.

This impressive natural arch was one of the landscape features we visited with people from the church. This is located south of Grants at El Malpais National Monument.

The road to Acoma Pueblo.

Pastor Johnny's Story:

"Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test," says the Lord of hosts, "and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down an overflowing blessing."
- Malachi 3:10

Jesus said "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands..." - Mak 10:29-30

Going on these missions service projects isn't just a matter of serving others and acting as God's hands and feet for other believers. While that facet of these trips is a blessing, if the work team servant has an open heart and mind, they wind up being just as blessed or more so by God and those people who are being served. One of the blessings on this trip was hearing how God had worked in the life of Pastor Jonny, and called him out of the darkness, literally.

Pastor Johnny was originally a Navajo worker in the uranium mining complex that was part of the reservation. He was one of the few that did not get sick from this perpetual dark and dirty work deep in the ground. The mines were closed several years ago, and the facility was so toxic with radioactive dust that the entire complex, including office buildings, computers and other office equipment and furnishings, vehicles, and any other part of the uranium processing was simply buried in a deep pit, covered with earth, and surrounded with a very large fence.

Along with the radiation dangers, Johnny told us many stories of mine cave-ins and other hazards that God saved him from during this time.

Johnny had the opportunity to go to work for the mines in Arizona, but felt God calling him to stay in that area of New Mexico instead. He took the step of faith and obedience to stay put, despite concerns about not having employment in that location any more.

Although not originally trained to be a pastor, it became clear to the Evangelical Church Missions people that Johnny had a particular calling to serve in the church, and that is where he continues to serve to this day.