Several years ago, I received a frog keychain from a friend and she told me that when I looked at the keychain to remember that FROG stood for Fully Rely On God. She challenged me to put that phrase into practice, but I clung to my stubborn ways thinking that I still had control over my life and that I could figure things out on my own. God knew that I would need some helping learning how to rely on him, so he put in my heart the urge to serve him on a short term mission trip. As I prayed about where God was leading me, I learned about PaLM and their trip to Little Blackspot Mountain, AZ.
After I had been accepted as a team member for the trip, little self-doubts crept into my head. What if I didn't get along with everyone? What if I couldn't relate to the Navajo kids? What if the teen girls (who I was co-teaching) just didn't want to talk to me at all? And most of all, was I ready to allow God to work through me and mold me into his willing servant?
It was really clear that I had no control over any part of this trip. I had never gone on a mission trip before, no teaching background (not even Sunday School), and no prior contact with any of the Navajos. God reminded me in Philippians 4:4-6 that he would grant me peace if I just prayed and trusted in him. He told me that he had already prepared my heart months in advance to be ready to serve him. He had prepared for me an awesome co-teacher who made the lesson and crafts go so smoothly. And most of all, he had given me a loving Christian team that worked well together and were there for the purpose of ministering to the Navajo community. All I had to do was listen, trust, and obey. And my time in AZ was filled with blessing after blessing.
I got to meet a whole different culture of God's people who loved being there with us. I saw God working through each team member and giving each of us patience with the kids and the energy and passion to just be with them. I watched as kids gave hugs out freely and were excited to be there for the VBS to learn more about Jesus. And my greatest source of joy, I finally saw my teen girls open up and treat us more like their friends than just strangers. On the day we left, I felt a sense of sadness overcome me because I had really grown to love the kids and team members and knew that I would miss my time in AZ. But my heart had listened to God and learned so much from this experience.
Even now when I'm standing in front of my door fumbling in my purse to find my keys that phrase pops into my head each time I see that frog. And finally, through Arizona, that's exactly what I learned- to fully rely on God.
To go out to Arizona for my eleventh summer for a new program was truly a blessing. The tutorial program was an academic program in which a team of us went out to Little Black Spot Mountain on the Navajo Reservation for three weeks to teach the Navajo kids about reading, writing, and math. There were eight of us all together including our family. My primary role on the team was to help Grace Lin teach the third, fourth and fifth graders.
Each day the program ran on a regular routine - just like school - and I think it was a great experience. Though it was very tiresome to work seven hours each day, I felt that the rewards (e.g. helping the kids learn, getting to know them better) more than made up for the fatigue I felt at the end of the day. The kids were wonderful, just as I knew they would be. I miss seeing their smiles and hearing them say the "darndest things".
The experiences with the team were amazing as well. Thanks to the small size of the team, I felt like we were all one big family. Now I know what it feels like to have an additional three older sisters, all of whom I grew close to throughout the three weeks.
For the first ten days, we had the entire Big House (the cozy home we stayed in on the compound) to ourselves. When the VBS team came out, I didn't want to give it up. We had spread ourselves out and had so many inside jokes that the VBS team accused us of being a cult with its own language. The tutorial team connected easily and had some awesome experiences that I know that I'll always remember. God truly blessed me with this great opportunity to do His work in a significantly different but refreshing way. I thank Him for the terrific turnout and for bringing the Navajos and other sisters-in-Christ into my life.
It's a very bold statement to claim that one actually knows the heart of God. However, there are opportunities when one does come close enough to catch a scent of God's heart that its very fragrance revives your soul and gives your Christian life a deeper meaning and purpose. Being in mission this summer with my family in Arizona was such an opportunity to take a breath and experience the joy of serving a gracious God. My daughter, Priscilla (11), my son, Ethan (9), my lovely wife, Mee Mei and I were able to join a wonderful team of 20 to serve at Dzit Da Zhini Bible Church at Little Black Spot Mountain on the Navajo Reservation, AZ. We had two teams, one team hosted a 3 week tutorial program while the other hosted a week long Vacation Bible School (VBS). My family and I were apart of the VBS team.
Upon embarking on this mission trip we had asked that God would reveal more of his heart to us and to help us serve him better as a family. We truly believe that God granted both of our requests. Learning about the Navajo people was such a blessing. They were very friendly and open as they welcomed us into their community. At first, it was difficult to understand why anyone would desire to live in a desert isolated from "civilization". But as we got to learn about their culture through and visiting the Navajo National Monument, we realized that the land they live on is considered sacred to them. It's on this land that their heritage, identity, and culture reside. Even though they are hours away from the next major city (Flagstaff), they remain in the desert to pass on the history of their families and the Navajo culture to the next generation. However, this decision does not come without its hardships. Being isolated, parents are required to travel long distances - even to other states - to find employment. This long commute takes its toll on the families. Eventually the role of caretaker for the children falls on the grandparents. Some struggle with low self-esteem and fall into drug and alcohol addiction. Children for the most part are bored because of the lack of community activities and recreation. It's in these surroundings that we were called to go and minister in the name of Christ.
Through the VBS, we found ways to draw the community together and share the gospel. Our VBS gave children the opportunity to play group games and to learn of God's love in a fun and loving environment. The parents who attended were able to share their lives and develop friendships with those of us on the VBS team and with others in the community. Our Arts and Craft time enabled people to display their creative skills. I was amazed to see one person, named Jonathan, paint a beautiful picture of a traditional Indian horn player (see picture). This showed me how artistic some of our Navajo friends are. The Bible Study opened up a dialogue on spiritual issues. It was a joy to see that among all the adults were some believers and I thank the Lord we can encourage them. One of the highlights of our week of VBS was the evening we held a Pot Luck dinner for approx. 80 people. Our purpose was affirmed when one person commented during the dinner, "We don't get together often like this even though every family knows each other. It's only through the VBS that we come together like this. We should have VBS more often." People were gathered together to eat, to laugh, to share and to fellowship. Isn't this a picture of Christ's Church? Even in a desert, a place of isolation and testing, the Lord can gather his people to praise His Name. We were only there for a short week and a half, but we saw the harvest at Little Black Spotted Mountain. We pray that the Lord will send more part-time and full-time workers into his field.
Serving together as a family on this trip, we saw each one of us grow in faith. Each one learned how to work together and contribute to the overall joy and success of the trip. Ethan took the first steps in learning how to teach Pre-K and work as a helper in the kitchen. Priscilla learned about being flexible and how to work with K-1 children. Mee Mei, using her gift in counseling, was quick to relate to the mothers and provide a listening ear. I used my NJ driving skills to plow through unpaved rocky roads to pick up and drop off the children and adults. Without street signs, it took awhile before I could memorize the landscape to find their homes but eventually I did before the week was up. We prayed together, played together and submitted to one another for the glory of God. We grew closer to one another because we learned how to rely on each other's strength. In the end, we all agreed that if the Lord were willing we hope to one day return to Little Back Spot Mountain and share God's love once again.
