Navajo - Norton Family Newsletter

Dear Friends in Christ,

God’s mission continues in Navajo, NM.

Earlier this month we were blessed with a visit from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, MA, the church where our family worship when we lived in Massachusetts 5 years ago. The Our Savior team came to Navajo last summer, as well, and many of the team members from that group returned this year.

Baby Moses Craft at VBS

As they did last year, the team from Our Savior led vacation Bible school. This year we were blessed to have 71 children total in attendance, including many new families who came and heard the Word of God. The team from Our Savior worked hard and was used by God in many ways, including: a day-long health fair, stargazing (one team member worked at the Smithsonian and brought a high-powered telescope), and a family craft night.

The Topsfield Team brought 15 puppets to Navajo

You can read more about their adventures in Navajo on their blog:  http://navajoteam2016oslc.blogspot.com

Also in July, we had a “talking circle” campfire. The purpose of the circle was to create a safe place where people could share their burdens with other members of the church. (The talking circle is a common Native American method of solving problems.) The people in our community carry so much trauma and pain, and this was an opportunity to lift some of the suffering by letting others in the community help carry it (Gal. 6:2).

Amid the heartbreaking stories they shared, one person said one of the few bright spots in her life is “coming to church”. Although life sometimes appears hopeless, we remain anchored in the only thing that doesn’t disappoint-­‐  Christ.

Finally, we received a gift of 50 backpacks with school supplies from the Iowa West District. We were able to gift them, not only to the children of our congregation, but to the students at the charter school in the community, as well!

In the fall, we are looking forward to starting our art program (finally!), as well as starting a confirmation class, and another team visit from Risen Savior Lutheran Church of Wichita, KS, as well as a team from Alaska, and our own LIM staff Rick McCafferty.

Thank you for your continued support in prayer.

In Christ’s Service,
Tim, Heidi, Philip & Leslie Norton

Please Thank God with us for:

• The hard work done by the team from Topsfield, MA, and the children and adults who heard the Good News.
• The chance to share burdens in our talking circle campfire.
• The families who have continued to worship with us since our Vacation Bible School.
• The gift of the backpacks from the Iowa West District.

Please intercede with us for:

• The art program and confirmation classes starting in September.
• The families who continue to be impacted by alcohol and trauma.