Navajo Lutheran Mission News: Special Giving Thanks Edition

In this update from the Navajo Lutheran Mission, we hear from Executive Director Patterson Yazzie, Curriculum and Special Services Coordinator Molly Gary, and Development Director Deacon Kate Adelman.

A Message From Our New Executive Director

Fall marks a new year among the Navajo people and in Rock Point, AZ where your Navajo Lutheran Mission has faithfully served for nearly 70 years. Historically, families would have completed their harvests and celebrating their yields. Here at the Navajo Lutheran Mission, we too are celebrating our continued blessings and high yields to the community through our partnerships.

Our new well was drilled to provide water to more than 60% of all homes that do not have running water. Since Fall 2021, over one-half million gallons of water were distributed to almost 200 households. We are working with the Navajo Nation to receive final certifications to start dispensing the water as drinking water.

The House of Prayer offers Hozho Café to help address the high numbers of food insecurity in many of our families. Since the beginning of Covid-19, Hozho Café has served an average of 80 hot lunches per day to local people who benefitted from a healthy meal. Remarkably, Hozho Café has served over 66,000 meals since the beginning of Covid-19.

In a transformational community effort to reduce food insecurity, our food bank in partnership with St. Mary’s distributed over 300,000 pounds of food in 2021 to almost 2,000 families. The food bank is open three days per week and it continues to serve families in a 60-mile radius. 

On July 1st, the NELM board of directors appointed me as the first American Indian and first Navajo person as Executive Director. My role is to build on past leaderships, become a partner with our local government, and redefine our organization that will reflect who we are today serving current community needs.

We too celebrate our high yield harvest this year. We have thirty-nine students attending Kindergarten to third grade. Our staff members are dedicated in their service to the Navajo community. We are able to do this because of you, the donors and congregations who walk with us as we journey together in making positive changes in our community. We are grateful that you took time to pray with us and financially support our efforts.

— Patterson Yazzie
Executive Director

Students, Teachers, Families, And Donors

Our students are growing day-by-day. We lost a lot of learning during Covid-19 but every day that we are back in school we gain ground. Navajo Mission Preparatory School has so much to be grateful for. Right now, we are having our best school year in many years. Our teaching staff are all very well qualified, and thanks to substantial federal funding we have more technology and curriculum offerings than ever. Also, our cafeteria and classrooms have been updated providing a safe and inspiring environment for our students to grow and learn.

We are especially thankful for our students and families. Family support plays a significant role in a child’s ability to learn. Our families show up for their students time after time. From 100% participation in parent-teachers conferences to helping to plan school-wide events — our families support their students.

Lastly, we are so immensely grateful for all who contribute to ACSTO for tax-credited student scholarships. Your contributions make our school possible, so on behalf of our precious students and teachers, we deeply thank you for your prayers and continued generosity.

— Molly Gary
Curriculum and Special Services Coordinator

Rock Point Mission Growing, Loving, & Evolving

Dear faithful friends and family,

As we move toward the Mission’s 70th anniversary in 2023, we are well-aware of the effort and love that has brought us to this celebration. Missions, ministries among the Navajo people, and nonprofit organizations have come and gone but Navajo Lutheran Mission is stronger than ever.

Perhaps that is because the nature of our work is bigger than us. We believe that God can dream bigger dreams than we can dream for ourselves. As a staff, we know the people we love and the projects we engage in continue to shape community growth and well-being. Gratitude for this opportunity is an ever-present gift that keeps on energizing every possibility that comes our way.

It’s an exciting time to be involved. Patterson Yazzie, Executive Director, has proposed a challenging and visionary plan that includes restructuring for marketing and development, extended benefits and training for staff members, expanded programing for our school children and their parents, developing local pastoral leadership, increased water distribution opportunities, new partnerships with local government and the Navajo Nation, a balanced budget, and so much more.

Before the end of 2022, you will receive lots of new information, a variety of options for your involvement, and the invitation to walk with us on this extraordinary journey. At no time in the Mission’s 70 years have we been better equipped or more ready to become what those early founders visioned.

Reflecting on my own path, I know that too often I have left my love unspoken. I have viewed the mountain as too high or my resources as too small. Initially, it seemed ridiculous to think that the Mission could somehow change the ‘love factor’ in this small community. Now it seems even more ridiculous to think that love can’t overcome the lingering divisions and difficulties that have marked the past.

Together, each small gesture we make leads to liberation. In a world where power has become more important than love, we seek to pass the love of Christ through faithfulness, forgiveness, and unconditional love, creating concrete bonds of relationship and unity. The bravest thing we can do is step out and do something for love’s sake – no other reason.

As you consider your year-end contribution, we pray that you, too, will dream big. We give thanks for each of you. Through the abundance of love, we know God will do more than we can ask or imagine.

 This is
the pressing question
of every age:
What is it that we cannot see?
For life is hiddenness,
as is God,
and we have been given
the gift of searching.
Drew Jackson

  — Kate Adelman
Development Director and Pastor