"Woke up in Utah this morning & literally felt the most refreshed ever. I woke up with a feeling that God has some significant plans for me (& the team) today and He definitely followed through. After two flights, a 4 hour drive, and much needed sleep in the cabin, we drove to the tent where the reservation and church is on Wednesday morning. The moment we got to the tent, we met the Georgia "Miller" family that's in charge of VBS & the most memorable thing about that family is their southern accent--talk about country! I immediately connected with a couple of them because of their outgoing spirits.
The kids would be dropped off over a coarse of an hour, so Paula, Issy, & I would teach them some dance moves to "Lord You Are Good" (Israel Houghton style baby!). Oh where to begin with Ms. Paula. She has spunk for an older woman & she can get down with the get-down. So all the kids arrived, we divided them into two groups, by age. Immediately, two girls, Alisia and Katelynn attached to me and more kids did as the day went on. We went into our Bible study and the kids surprised me. I was previously warned that these kids would be reserved and closed off but these kids immediately remembered my name and loved on me while allowing me to love on them. What a warm feeling that was.
There were kids all ages there so we divided them into groups. One group would be in the Bible study while the other is doing crafts. Lunch time was an experience too. Each child was given two sandwiches, chips, fruit snacks, and a drink. I quickly observed that the majority of the kids would eat one sandwich and a few of the chips, then fold up the bag to take the other sandwich and food home. I, later, found out that these kids have nothing, barely any food. This very well may be the only meal that they eat.
So we get to say our goodbyes and I was asked to drive some kids home. Imagine me, in a mini van. Talk about future soccer mom! Anyways, seeing these "homes" just completely blew my mind. Of course, it was about a 30 minute drive down a dirt road full of bumps but all around us was sand, rocks, stray dogs, prairie dogs, cows, and beautiful wild horses. I heard one kid mumble, "I don't want to go home." I later found out he lives with a stepfather indulging in incest with the family. Broke my heart.
The next few days of VBS were good. Our teams clicked well together. More kids came (a total of 55 by Friday, I believe) and they grew to be more & more open to me as well as open to learning about God. One boy, named Delaney, had been picked on by the other boys which immediately turned his behavior from controllable to aggressive with the other kids. Well, Friday, the last day of Bible study at VBS, Delaney sat next to me, did the motions to the songs (sitting down) & answered (mumbled) the questions correctly. I was astonished, to be honest. I asked him how he knew about these stories about Jesus and he said "My grandpa reads the Holy Bible to us and tells us stories about the cross. We have a Jesus movie too." WOW. Thank you God for helping me realize that investing our time in these kids is worth it, because even when they seem to not be listening, they are.
Something else I realized quickly is that the Navajos are a giving group of people. I can't begin to list the amount of bracelets, pictures, keychains, and necklaces I brought home. These people, who met me once or twice, put their time, money, and effort into something so precious just for me. God is good.
Friday morning, before we took the kids home, we offered them the gift of salvation. An awesome praise report for me would be at least one kid opening his/her heart to God and ask Him into his//her heart. but no, twelve kids gave their hearts to the "Almighty God"! And a teenager that next night. What a humbling experience to be a part of that process, in someway.
God loves me just like He loves little Delaney, Codi, Sandralyn, Savannah (a little miracle born from alcoholic parents), Cobe, Kayla, Katelynn/Alisia, major disciples of the world, and everyone else in the world. We are all heirs of His kingdom.
I got the chance to really bond with Katelynn and Alisia, granddaughters of Lilly Maryboy. Lilly blessed me too, by braiding my hair one night and I felt God lay on my heart to bless her with my favorite turquoise cross bracelet made my someone in my church. The entire week I selflessly gave away all of my bracelets and jewelry to the kids, but avoided giving this away, and now I knew why. So I gave it to her, and saw her face light up with joy. Katelynn & Alisia had a lot of fun with Brooke & I. All week, we would color, draw, listen to music together, be goofy, take pictures and videos, etc. They were a handful at first, but once we gained each other's respect, they were so loving towards me. They want me to send them a necklace with Jesus on it. I can't wait to receive a letter from them and reply. Alisia has already called me a few times & that warms my heart.
I'm so glad I went to Utah. It impacted me way more than I expected, that's for sure. It was an emotional journey for me and it humbled & broke my heart all at once. It made me appreciate all the things I take for granted that I'm truly blessed with. I will no longer let the small inconveniences hurt me anymore or even slightly affect me. I will forever hold the people in Utah in my heart forever.
Random things God laid on my heart:
*God sees every person, event, thing significant in His eyes, even if we don't.
*God's broken my heart with this trip but all I felt Him lay on my heart was to love on those who cross my path.
*God gives each of us gifts and I immediately saw mine with the kids and loving on them.
Memorable moments:
*Brooke and I were driving to pick up the kids on the "long road" which is 20 minutes long, and we got stuck in a huge pile of sand. hahaha, we had to get her dad to get it out. Hilarious.
*The outhouse? Failure.
*Loved roadtripping with my new second family, the Waldroups.
Psalm 40:8 "I desire to do Your will, Oh My God, Your law is within my heart."
Until next time,
J.King
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