All Things New
Three years ago — before my first trip to Shiprock, NM in 2016 —I asked our team leader “What is that ‘hole’ in the middle of Navajo Nation map?”
“It's the Hopi reservation” he answered. He then added that the Hopis are very closed off from the outside world, and mentioned that we'd probably send mission teams to other tribes before the Hopi, despite being in close proximity to the Navajo Nation — which we've been working with for over a decade at that point.
And yet, three short years later . . .
Here we are.
This Hopi team a.k.a. K-Team (a tribute to Kykotsmovi — The Capital of Hopi Reservation where we'll have our camp, locally known as “K-Town’) was not originally planned as one of our trip in 2019. Similar story to YahTaHey in 2018 — read the story here; as God has planned it, core members from YahTaHey team are now also in this K-Team, including myself.
It all began in October of 2018 . . .
One of our leader went to a women conference in Chinle, AZ (part of Navajo Nation) — a conference she wasn’t originally planned to attend. Now, our Native American Initiatives has been indirectly involved in supporting these conferences for several years, and some ladies from our initiative decided to go in support. Despite not planning to attend, this team leader going with some other ladies from our mission teams to this women conference.
In that conference, she met with a pastor from Hopi Reservation who was volunteering in that conference. In that short 5–10 minutes chat, our team leader told him what we’ve been doing for over a decade in various sites throughout the Navajo Nation. She didn’t think anything would come out of this — knowing how closed-off the Hopi Reservation was. That was our first encounter with Pastor A.
And turns out God has other plan. If you notice, this becoming a common theme in our mission, ha!
Apparently, Pastor A caught the vision, and a few weeks later he called our team leader exploring the possibilities for to host a Basketball/Sports and Arts/Crafts camp for the youth in the upcoming summer in the Hopi reservation.
At that time, we already had 4 teams getting ready to go to Sanostee, Dilkon, Fruitland and Huerfano in the Navajo Nation (all in New Mexico, except Dilkon, Arizona). And through the holiday season, one conversation after another it became apparent that God’s been opening door for us to send a team there in the summer of 2019. It wasn’t until January of 2019 we officially come through in sending a team to Kykotsmovi Village, Arizona in the Hopi Reservation.
Three core members from YahTaHey 2018 once again took up a leadership roles in this new team, and K-Team 2019 is officially formed in February, about 2 trainings in (out of 9), similar story to YahTaHey team the previous year.
- - -
The next few months, Pastor A had tremendously expanded the partnership from only his church, to a network of 8 churches throughout the Hopi Reservations. If Shiprock 2016 was the benchmark with 5 churches working together, this K-Town 2019 already surpassed that. It’s a remarkable feat if we consider that Shiprock in 2016 was a finished product of 5 years in the making, while this K-Town 2019 is a new beginning. Not just a new site, but also a new tribe, new reservation, new language, new culture, and many other new things.
Sometimes in mid April, we received a news that Pastor A has been hospitalized in Phoenix. Thanks to the network of 8 churches, we kept the plan ongoing while praying for Pastor A’s recovery. Sadly a month later he was declared terminal and doctors decided to cease all medical efforts to allow him to be home with his family. Only few weeks after we received the news of his deteriorating health condition, in the morning of June 4, Pastor A went home with the Lord.
While we’re all saddened by his passing — and not having the chance to meet him in person and work with him in flesh and blood — we’re beyond grateful for what he has done and the legacy he left behind.
We sympathize and mourn with his family and the congregation he left behind, and determined to do our best, whatever it takes to honor his legacy in this mission.
- - -
Not only we’re going to a new site in a new Reservation, new tribe, new language, culture and everything related to it, this year our missions office also switching to roll out new systems. From management (which is a welcome switch, since our old system was so 90’s) to financial management systems (which means some major adjustments for our admins).
“It's the Hopi reservation” he answered. He then added that the Hopis are very closed off from the outside world, and mentioned that we'd probably send mission teams to other tribes before the Hopi, despite being in close proximity to the Navajo Nation — which we've been working with for over a decade at that point.
And yet, three short years later . . .
Here we are.
This Hopi team a.k.a. K-Team (a tribute to Kykotsmovi — The Capital of Hopi Reservation where we'll have our camp, locally known as “K-Town’) was not originally planned as one of our trip in 2019. Similar story to YahTaHey in 2018 — read the story here; as God has planned it, core members from YahTaHey team are now also in this K-Team, including myself.
It all began in October of 2018 . . .
One of our leader went to a women conference in Chinle, AZ (part of Navajo Nation) — a conference she wasn’t originally planned to attend. Now, our Native American Initiatives has been indirectly involved in supporting these conferences for several years, and some ladies from our initiative decided to go in support. Despite not planning to attend, this team leader going with some other ladies from our mission teams to this women conference.
In that conference, she met with a pastor from Hopi Reservation who was volunteering in that conference. In that short 5–10 minutes chat, our team leader told him what we’ve been doing for over a decade in various sites throughout the Navajo Nation. She didn’t think anything would come out of this — knowing how closed-off the Hopi Reservation was. That was our first encounter with Pastor A.
And turns out God has other plan. If you notice, this becoming a common theme in our mission, ha!
You made a way, where there was no way . . .
. . . and I believe I'll see you do it again!
Apparently, Pastor A caught the vision, and a few weeks later he called our team leader exploring the possibilities for to host a Basketball/Sports and Arts/Crafts camp for the youth in the upcoming summer in the Hopi reservation.
At that time, we already had 4 teams getting ready to go to Sanostee, Dilkon, Fruitland and Huerfano in the Navajo Nation (all in New Mexico, except Dilkon, Arizona). And through the holiday season, one conversation after another it became apparent that God’s been opening door for us to send a team there in the summer of 2019. It wasn’t until January of 2019 we officially come through in sending a team to Kykotsmovi Village, Arizona in the Hopi Reservation.
Your promise still stands, great is your faithfulness . . .
. . . I'm still in Your hands, you've never failed me yet!
Three core members from YahTaHey 2018 once again took up a leadership roles in this new team, and K-Team 2019 is officially formed in February, about 2 trainings in (out of 9), similar story to YahTaHey team the previous year.
- - -
The next few months, Pastor A had tremendously expanded the partnership from only his church, to a network of 8 churches throughout the Hopi Reservations. If Shiprock 2016 was the benchmark with 5 churches working together, this K-Town 2019 already surpassed that. It’s a remarkable feat if we consider that Shiprock in 2016 was a finished product of 5 years in the making, while this K-Town 2019 is a new beginning. Not just a new site, but also a new tribe, new reservation, new language, new culture, and many other new things.
Sometimes in mid April, we received a news that Pastor A has been hospitalized in Phoenix. Thanks to the network of 8 churches, we kept the plan ongoing while praying for Pastor A’s recovery. Sadly a month later he was declared terminal and doctors decided to cease all medical efforts to allow him to be home with his family. Only few weeks after we received the news of his deteriorating health condition, in the morning of June 4, Pastor A went home with the Lord.
While we’re all saddened by his passing — and not having the chance to meet him in person and work with him in flesh and blood — we’re beyond grateful for what he has done and the legacy he left behind.
We sympathize and mourn with his family and the congregation he left behind, and determined to do our best, whatever it takes to honor his legacy in this mission.
- - -
Not only we’re going to a new site in a new Reservation, new tribe, new language, culture and everything related to it, this year our missions office also switching to roll out new systems. From management (which is a welcome switch, since our old system was so 90’s) to financial management systems (which means some major adjustments for our admins).
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 32:19 (NKJV)
New things aren’t always easy. Changes may be good, but it surely takes effort and time to adjust and work on those things. In the midst of these sad news, and struggles with all the new things, God’s been faithful. Many doors opened, road in the wilderness been made, and even rivers spring forth in the desert.
Well, that’s for now, more on these after we get back from K-Town.*
Stay tuned!
*Note: Despite being published months after we get back from this trip, this story was written a few days prior to our departure. Wanting to clean up the writing, added graphics and finishing up YahTaHey series first were the reasons I decided against publishing it before we depart. Looking back, I actually like how this story capture raw emotions just days prior to our departure.
Stay tuned!
*Note: Despite being published months after we get back from this trip, this story was written a few days prior to our departure. Wanting to clean up the writing, added graphics and finishing up YahTaHey series first were the reasons I decided against publishing it before we depart. Looking back, I actually like how this story capture raw emotions just days prior to our departure.
