WEAVERS IN THE AREA

The picture here is of a rug that one might find at the local rug auction. The rugs are made here on the reservation. The weaver might sheer their own sheep, dye the wool and then weave the rug. The know how of how to weave is a tradition that is slowy fading away.

The rug auctions are held across the reservation, to help the weavers sell their art work. Some have designs that the weaver created and some have the traditional designs that one can find at local stores.


The young in the area are not learning the tradition of weaving due to many factors: school work, tv, ipods - you name it, there are many excuses one can find.

We are hoping to have at the A Way In The Wilderness building - local weavers to volunteer time to spend with teens and teach them how to weave. This would be a great way to share their talents and their faith, an perhaps become a adopted family member.

Find more information in regards to the Navajo rugs, here are some web sites you might try:

http://www.crownpointrugauction.com/ has a complete list of dates of the auctions
http://weavinginbeauty.com/navajo-rug-101/how-to-identify-navajo-textiles interesting info on the rugs
http://www.navajorugrepair.com/crownpoint.htm has information on the auction, what bargain the rugs are at the auction, compared to buying at a gallery - meet the weaver most times

The next auciton is on the 14th of August, for the month of Sept the date is the 11th. The dates have changes from the navajorugrepair article that stated the auctions were on the 3rd Friday, it is now held on the 2nd Friday.

If anyone is interested in coming out this way to go to a auction, let us know here. We would gladly share one of our different locations for donations for the mission work here.

THE THOMAS HOUSE BROKEN INTO...

Yesterday evening the theives were out. Santa & Tania had went to the Family Dollar to pick up a few necessites. Open the arrival home, the back door knob had been damaged and the door opened.

Yep, someone had entered an taken Tania's guitar. Again, last summer someone took a different guitar. The devil sure must not like her singing and playing for the Lord. Please pray for the return of her belongings and joy for her work here, as she is her to help the Navajo's, it can be a little of a let down trying to do work and feel tumbled like the sand piece in the wind.

A sheriff's report was filed and the young ladies are going to pawn shops to look for the guitar.

The Clothing Barn Opens

Santa & Tania now have The Clothing Barn open on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 9 am to 12 noon. They had a great turn out last week during VBS, parents came to look for school clothing for their children. Aunts, grandma's and other family members were excited to look at the clothing.

First Baptist Church brought clothing with them from TX. Today Santa & Tania will start the process of putting more clothing out and seperating winter and summer clothes. We are hoping from the distribution of the clothing, the local's will be open to future projects. We are praying to be able to start adult bible studies with the parents that coming by to center.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH - AZLE, TX

The weather here is hot and humid, unusal for the area here. Normally at this time of the year we are could be having monsoons. The one thing I have always loved for this area is the lack of humidity, the clear blue skys (how could anyone ever be depressed here, the sky is always blue?) and the breezes. Nope, there is hardly any air conditioners here, we only have a two week hot period.

This year is different. It is hot, sticky hot with the moisture. Let's turn on the air - wait there is none. Better get the fans blowing. The First Bapist Church, from TX has arrived to do their work here. Watch out, you might be wowed to come visit with them here.

They brought loves, lots of love. They are doing VBS this week, helping build at the campground and praying for the needs of those here. During the week, the missionaries will also be delivering food baskets to those in need.

The spiritual battle here is huge. Kudos to those who are battling it front line. I am from back east, we never talked about spiritual battles, or if they did I laughed. Please pray for those here and they work they are doing.

ARE YOU ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT?

ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT - BY KEITH GREEN

Do you see, do you see, all the people sinking down,
Don't you care, don't you care, are you gonna let them drown,
How can you be so numb, not to care if they come,
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done.
Oh Bless me Lord, bless me Lord, you know it's all I ever hear,
No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear,
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs,
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in, oh, can't you see it's such sin?
Cause He brings people to your door,
And you turn them away, as you smile and say,
God bless you, be at peace, and all Heaven just weeps,
Cause Jesus came to your door, you've left Him out on the streets.
Open up, open up, and give yourself away, .............................

This song can bring George to tears. There is seeds that are ready to harvest, yet so little people here to help harvest. Has God been calling your name? Answer him and say, “Here I am Lord, send me.” Thank you to everyone who has come to help. Don’t be Asleep in the Light, answer the call.

Without the harvesters the seed will blow in the wind scattered. The statistics for this area are staggering for families – poverty level, transportation is hard (78% of roads on the Navajo reservation are dirt), domestic violence, and grandparents raising grandchildren.

The hope here is little, the need here is unexplainable in words. How can they hear the word if no one is here to help teach the word?

We have partnered with Vision Ministries of America for over a year. Donations can be made at www.vmoa.info , one the web site, under Become a Partner, there is a PayPal link. Please mark that your donation is for the Navajo projects. Checks can also be sent to :

Vision Ministries Of America
461 Clayton Rd.
Azle TX 76020

We look forward to working with anyone who is interested in coming this way. As we get this ministry going it will take lots of prayer. Please pray about you can help.

FUTURE DREAMS - CENTER FOR CARE

Checkerboard is a term where there are private parcels of land on the reservation. In the 1950’s there was such a place where a trading post was on the reservation. Burch’s Trading Post as it was called is approximately 9 north of I-40 on highway 371 – N, a landmark. We were able to secure a lease to purchase this historical landmark.

Our two fold mission of the old trading post was to establish a post to give out clothes in the forum of “The Clothing Barn,” and to establish a meeting place in the old trading post. We are hoping to have meetings for women, teens, men and families. We will also be able to distribute non-perishable food baskets from this location.

We have a year from June 2009 to make a final decision on the purchase. Please pray on the ability for us to make the purchase. Donations can help us do this; please consider how you can help in this matter.

HELP IS COMING TO THE AREA

God has blessed once again with Santa and Tania from Monclova, Mexico. These women travelled here on a bus, leaving home (MX) around 1:30am to travel to Houston, TX. In Houston, TX they were picked up by another missionary with a big heart, Allison Miller, who drove in from Baton Rouge, LA to drive Santa & Tania to Thoreau, NM. Everyone arrived safely here on July 4th, 2009.

Once everyone was here, they were able to organize the clothing barn. Thanks Allison, without you, the barn would still be a mess and Santa & Tania might still be in Houston. Allison had to return to Baton Rouge to get ready for the start of school (she is a teacher) and Santa & Tania will be here around the area till September.

Christmas In July

July is the month we start to try to obtain toys to give out at Christmas. Last year with the help of Howie and our families in Kentucky and Tennessee, we were able to give out 5 pick-up loads of unwrapped presents and one pick-up load of wrapped presents (thanks Jennifer and Collie for wrapping in a freezing house).

We are so thankful for the Crownpoint Navajo Police Department for their assistance in delivery of the toys. The school nurse’s mouse from Borrego Pass School (in Navajo that would be Dibe Yazhi Habitii’n O’lt’a) in Crownpoint, NM for assistance in last year’s “Santa the Rez Clause.” Pediatricians at Crownpoint IHS were also able to give presents out in their clinics. We even had enough wrapped toys for Christmas Eve in the ER.

Thank you the staff at Crownpoint for your support. We look forward to working with you this fall. We do need donations of toys, Santa elves’ to wrap, and money for the wrapping paper and tape.

Keshmish baa’ hozho – Merry Christmas

Life on the Eastern Navajo Reservation.......(Housing)

Housing in the area of Thoreau, NM – in re: to electricity and water
Thoreau, NM is on the edge of the reservation. Our community here is mixed with teachers, IHS workers (Indian Health Service) who travel to Crownpoint or Gallup to work, jewelers, and mixed occupations.

Driving down the roads around our small, unincorporated town, you will see – BJ’s Kountry Store (a gallon of milk – no-name $4.50), two gas stations (average gas price $2.64 at this time),a gas station that is closed which the locals call the unemployment office, a Blimpies, two laundry mats, two old car washes and our new Family Dollar. All mail is delivered to the post office, which has a 10 ft chain fence around it and is open only from 9 am – 5:30 pm, M-F, with a few hours on Sat.

Houses in the Area

One will see many type of housing in Thoreau. There are homes like in most of America. One could also see multiple homes on a lot, many in shambles. Some nobody would want their pets to live in. Many Navajo’s in this area live in single wide trailers, a few in hogans or in Navajo Nation housing (some Navajo’s call them the projects) area, usually around the chapter house (kind of a city hall).

Hogan – if main house, normally do not have electricity or water. The Hogan is usually made of wood logs and covered with earth. There are two main types: the original style called the forked pole Hogan, just described, and the more modern of the two, the stacked log Hogan. The forked pole style is said to be male, protecting its inhabitants like a father. The stacked log is said to be female and is said to care for her people like a mother. The female style Hogan is much more prevalent, coming into existence when the Navajo people started prospering and needed more room for bigger families.

(http://fourcorners.blogs.plymouth.edu/2009/05/21/the-hogan-the-traditional-navajo-home-by-chelsi-coulombe-and-mary-ann-mcgarry/)

Work on the Eastern Navajo Nation deep in the reservation is hard. Children help shear the sheep (holding feet or the head down), play basketball, ride bikes, throw rocks, ride horses and participate in native ceremonies. While my children may be watching Dora or Diego, children may not even have electricity or water.
The following are statistics taken from the 2000 Census –

Occupied Housing Units (selected characteristics)

Thoreau CDP NM: Number Percent
Lacking complete plumbing facilitiese 63 12.3%
Lacking complete kitchen facilities 39 7.6%
No telephone Service 117 22.93%

Crownpoint CDP NM:
Question 1 19 2.6%

Question 2 19 2.6%

Question 3 190 26.2%

Pueblo Pintado CDP NM:

Question 1 30 33.7%

Question 2 23 25.8%

Question 3 45 50.6%

Catching up on The Thomas House News

What has happened since you last heard from us

George Roberts (Thoreau NM), Benny & Mary Lynn Harry (Crownpoint NM) and Charlie Jones from TN converge onto Azle, TX at missionary Mike Helton’s ranch for a great TX bar-b-que and mountain logic about groups coming to assist in our quest to feed, clothe and share the love of Christ to the Navajo people, in April of this year.

Vision Ministries of America was able to furnish Benny Harry (a Navajo Tent Evangelist) with a new tent that could sit approx-imately 300 people. There was also about 27 barrels of clothes that was brought back with the NM gang. Almost half of the clothing barrels were given out the first week of being back at the reservation.

SUMMER CAMP NEWS

Building at the campground has become slow do to the lack of laborers and money (or donation of needed material) to have project on a schedule. Charlie and Brenda Jones were to have come at the beginning of July, but have had to post pone due medical concerns.

The bath house starts with two walls up and the foundation laid. As we have no plumbing or roofing material as of yet for the bath house washing must be put on hold. There is a bathtub that is being used for the pony and llama to drink from. If it comes to an emergency bath, they might share the tub.

God has blessed up with a great well and good water. The well went down 310 feet at a cost of $15,000. The water is good enough to be bottled. The water carrier that fits our truck holds 365 gallons and is standard for a lot of pickups. We can fill seven 55 gallon drums which is used by many here as a weeks water supply.

We have given out barrels for water but have not established a routine delivery of water due to lack of barrels, time and gas money. We do allow anyone who needs to fill containers to do so.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

We need someone to organize and run that project. So… if God is calling you to mission field…..I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink - Matthew 25:35