Steve & Sherry DeFord Spring 2016
Sam & Janet Grammer March 2016
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last month, we shared with you about a Navajo Pastor, Albert, who we had visited in the hospital as he was dying. He was on pain medication for several weeks (months) and is no longer suffering pain. The Lord has taken him home. His funeral was this last week-end but we were unable to attend as we were both home sick with the “flu”/ “bug”/ “virus”/? What mixed emotions, as we rejoice yet weep with the family.
This last week, one of Janet’s piano students (a college student- who happens to be a grand-nephew of Albert) shared how he had only slept a couple of hours the night before as he had received news of the suicide of a young man he had gone to high school with. A couple days later, he called with questions about God’s view of suicide as another young man from his high school days, one who was raised in a Christian home, also committed suicide.
Also, this week-end, we received news of the death of a young 27 yr old woman that we have ministered to in the past and had made a profession of faith in Christ. A couple of years ago, she had left her family and fellowship with other Believers, to pursue a sinful life style. What a difference from the end of a life served for the Lord and one that focuses on personal desires. Death of others does cause the living to think about their own life and death. May we leave behind a legacy of following the Lord and encouraging others to do the same. Our very purpose for life is to glorify God.
Now that Easter and spring have arrived, our schedule usually gets busier. The printed materials for the Bible School classes have arrived and we expect to soon begin the studies. We also have some meetings scheduled in various Indian churches to celebrate special days and encourage the local Believers by studying God’s Word together. Please pray for God’s direction in all of our plans.
This coming summer, another trip to Thorne Bay, Alaska is being planned. We would appreciate your prayers each step of the way and that God would use the radio station to spread the Word of God. Pray also for wise use of the funds provided and for the future financial needs of building and running the station.
This short-term illness for us both has made us so thankful for the good health that God has given us over the years. Thank you for your prayers and gifts that allow us to continue to minister in this way.
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
Sam & Janet Grammer Feb 2016
February 2016
Dear Friends in Christ,
January ended with several deaths of elderly people that we knew. Some were believers and others left us uncertain as to their relationship with the Lord. Once again, we were aware of the difference it makes when you know the Lord as your Saviour, both in the one dying and in those left behind to mourn.
I Thes. 4:13 “…we sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” We have seen families rejoicing that their loved one is finished with the suffering and know that they will see them again in Heaven. What a gift to knowledge is to give to our family and friends.
We stood at the bedside of a Navajo believer who was on pain medication. His family shared with us that as he drifted in and out of the conversation around him, he would start preaching and sharing the gospel message. They said that he knew that some of the family were still “traditional” rather than Christian and even as he was dying, he was concerned about their relationship with Jesus Christ and wanted to see them accept God’s gift of salvation. What a testimony! Before we left, he asked Sam to give a short message and then Sam was able to speak personally to his nephew. Wish we could say that this man accepted Christ but he stated that he was still undecided. Pray for Albert as he spends his last few days on earth with his family. What a blessing it would be for him to see another loved one come to Christ even this late in his life.
Sam is still available for pulpit supply on the different reservations here in Arizona and this month we were able to fellowship with a Navajo congregation as the pastor had to be away. We always enjoy seeing friends that we have known for years and their children, now grown, carrying on the ministry.
We’ve also been busy this month with nursing home visits and hospital visits. The month started off with definite winter weather but it soon warmed up and was more like spring weather. This change in weather seems to affect the health of many and we’ve had various older ones that have been struggling as the virus went into pneumonia. We have been spared personally but have found ourselves at the hospital visiting a bit more than usual. It is not unusual for us to have freezes until the beginning of June, so we are hoping to get a bit more snow and the moisture it brings to our mountain desert before spring officially arrives.
We have also had several visitors in our home as folks come to Flagstaff to do business. Many have to drive by our home and stop by for a visit and ask about various struggles that they have to deal with in their lives. Pray that as we counsel and encourage others that we will stay true to God’s Word and not just give opinions or wisdom that is popularly accepted but contrary to truth. One of the blessings of the slower winter months, is the freedom that we have in our schedules for just spending time in the Word of God, renewing our minds.
Thank you once again for your prayers and gifts to help us stay in the ministry.
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
David & Becky DeFord January 2016
Dear Prayer Partners,
January 2016 we celebrate 39 years of ministry with the Native American folks. We are overwhelmed at the opportunities the Lord has extended to us as a family with three sons in earlier years of ministry. He continues to extend ministry opportunities to the two of us, although not as rigorous and numerous. We are grateful for all He provides for us and for the partnership many of you reading this have had with us. Some have been our partners for all the 39 years.
One of the blessings of the last few months of 2015 have been filling the pulpit through the month of December for Pastor Yazzie. He needed a rest from the responsibilities of the church for a time. He is back in his pulpit now and doing much better after the rest. He has also added a Sunday afternoon service in addition to the regular morning worship and Sunday School classes.
We are looking forward to being with Messicks in February for their Sweetheart Banquet. It is always a blessing to be with Messicks and the church family there. We are also looking forward to visiting with the Sondergaard family. IBIMI’s newest missionary family the Lord has called to help Messicks in the Camp Verde area.
Please remember Kay Z., Brian J., Jim and Nancy M. in prayer. There are various needs in these individual lives as the Lord is fully aware. We need to be faithful in bringing these dear folks before the Lord.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who remembered us with calls, cards, letters, and gifts this Christmastime. We appreciate so much hearing from you. Many dear friends reminded us of their prayers for us in ministry needs. You are encouraging to us and we are grateful.
In His love and ours,
Dave and Becky DeFord
Veldhuis January 2016 Prayer Update
Dear Family and Friends In Christ,
Increasingly out of control and depraved national and world events point to our Lord’s soon return and stir us more than ever to labor to our fullest in His harvest.
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).
The earth may be filled with the violence of our reservations (Gen. 6:13), but our sovereign God will surely give the increase for faithfully sowing and watering His gospel seed.
Your prayers for ongoing ministries ‘midst reconstruction from last Fall’s breathtaking downburst and subsequent sandstorms were as appreciated and fruitful as your almost unbelievable gifts. BLESS the Lord and each of you for sufficient physical progress on our building, parking, and vehicles to know the great blessing of spiritual fruit through our Nov. 3-6, 2015 Native revival.
Alexis, Daren, Edward, Ezequiel, Ricky, Toni, and Valerie were touched enough by the revival to help with days of fruit picking and endless church ministries. Many other Cocopah and Quechan natives heard the gospel through Christmas and New Year’s services and the personal distribution of fruit bags or gifts and treats to almost every Cocopah home.
To God be the glory for significant spiritual inroads into the lives of Ashley, Karen, Lorie, Lydia S., Tillie, and Tyrus as well as for renewed contacts with Alyetha, Arturo, George, Laura, Sarah, Wanda, and the many others exposed to the Living Water over Christmas.
PRAY for these and the many who recently moved or disappeared into foster care and society at large. Chauncey, Darnell, Gabriel. Joe, Matthew, Ralph, Raul, and both Andrews are professing Christians we can rarely contact. James is growing in prison as are Shirley, Daren, and young people from the 50 mile North and West Reservation circuit.
Huge Godsends toward vehicle needs miraculously caught up repairs sufficiently to pick up all three reservations simultaneously. This brings in more children without increasing the “annoyance time” of their long rides with adults. How grateful we are for the Hastrichs’ age- tailored King’s Kids ministries to young people from all three reservations.
Lydia’s work with these and other children in Sunday School nurtures them further while opening heart windows to unimaginable needs. Personal conversations on the bus with literally abandoned, abused, or horribly neglected children have turned hopeless, atheistic, unloved, or suicidal thoughts in Cocopah as young as eight into renewed trust in our loving Savior.
PRAY His light will shine through our church/“orphanage” ministries and “pull brands” of all ages from the humanly hopeless fires of despair. (Jude 23) PLEAD for our Lord’s deliverance from the wake of death and destruction normally accompanying this month’s annual casino profit sharing checks. Pray for His convicting, saving power on our Jan. 30 church-wide Bible study/craft day and February/March revivals at Heritage and Maranatha Baptist churches.
Endless miles’ mission driving on remote unlined or mud-covered county roads make your prayers for strength and safety that much more critical and precious. These in turn stir us and give grace to pray for the scattered homes we pass and the unprovoked opposition or hatred we often encounter.
We began house and property repairs from September’s storm last month at the expense of heartfelt Thank Yous for your staggering Christmas gifts and kindnesses. We owe you more than gratitude for your additional prayers for each of these blessings and petitions:
BLESSINGS:
· Return of some Thomas, Twist, Hayes, and Stevens family members to church.
· James B.’s growth in prison.
· Edward, Eric, Toni, and Ricky’s adult Bible studies and help with physical work.
· Enormous special gifts for church building and vehicle repairs.
PETITIONS:
· Lydia’s February 9, 2016 eye surgery after cancellation of her 12/29/15 date due to chronic bronchitis.
· Dawn’s evaluation of cardiac irregularities.
· Lori’s spiritual and physical needs and the best custody of her 4 children.
· Silas’ church ministries ‘midst full time work and university commitments.
· Salvation of Oriah, Phoenix, Caesar, Jasmine, Lena, Marcus, Rosie, Sage and other children.
· Summer Neighborhood Bible Time and camp preparations.
· Resurrection Sunday Plans.
· The Hastrichs, Dawn, Lydia, Silas, and Edward’s long battle with the flu.
Gratefully Yours In Christ,
Michael, Dawn, Lydia, and Silas Veldhuis
Sam & Janet Grammer Jan 2016
January 2016
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the holidays, we received many cards from you and many of them with personal notes. Due to the expense, we don’t send many cards other than within our family circle, so please don’t feel slighted if you didn’t get one from us. We do try to stay in touch with our monthly letters (e-mail when possible- to avoid postage) but enjoy the annual letters we receive during the holidays so that we can follow the events in various homes and churches. Thank you for each of them.
We also received several extra gifts during the holiday season and tried to acknowledge each one, for we are truly thankful for each one. We received a list of gifts from our office and after sending out thank yous, we discovered that the list was for the entire year and included some that were sent last January for last Christmas. If you got a “Thank You” and are trying to remember what you gave this year, it may be from last year. OOPS! J Thank you for including us in your giving this year.
Another treat during the holidays is phone calls and visits from people that we have had opportunity to minister to over the years. What an encouragement to see God still working in their lives and their growth as they submit to God’s Word!
The weather at this time of the year seems to affect our schedules as people are limited in getting around. You may have heard about the 31” of snow that fell in Flagstaff just a few weeks ago. (At our house, it was only 6-8 “ but in town, it was pretty deep.) It was beautiful, but glad that we didn’t have to travel much in it.
We enjoy this time and use it to catch up and do some “desk work”. Sam has been working on getting an outline for this coming summer’s Navajo Bible Conference here in Flagstaff. This year’s chosen subject was the book of Revelation, beginning with the Rapture of the Church. There are speakers in both Navajo and English and the outline allows both speakers to cover the same material for both groups. We only provide the outline and the speakers still have to study and prepare their own messages.
Classes for the Bible Institute are to begin soon for the spring semester, so studying is also being done for that ministry. We are thankful for each student that continued with the fall semester to completion. God’s Word is powerful and changes lives! We are anticipating another good semester.
Sam is also occupied with an on-line instruction in carpentry to aid in the building of the cabin to house the radio station in Thorne Bay, Alaska. Please continue to pray with us regarding workers and finances to get this project moving along. We do hope to go up this coming summer and make some progress on the building.
This month, we filled in for one of our missionaries that had to be away as his son underwent some serious surgery. We were sorry for the reason, but glad for the opportunity to be a help and serve the Lord with both the preaching and the music. We only had to travel about an hour, but the drop in altitude gave us a distinct drop in temperature which was a treat. (We all smile when we see people from down in the “valley” coming up the interstate and pull off so that they can sled, build snowmen and play in the snow along the highway. Altitude makes a difference!)
Thank you once again for your prayers and gifts to help us stay in the ministry.
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
Sam & Janet Grammer Dec 2015
December 2015
Dear Friends in Christ,
Once again we are back in Arizona. We had a nice visit with our family in North Carolina with 3 of our daughters and their families, as well as “face-time” with Sam and Amber’s family in Alaska. This is an annual event that we look forward to each year. We can only do this because of your generosity in giving toward our ministry. Thank you all so much!
This year we drove back east rather than fly. We are also thankful that we had no problems with our truck. If you remember, early this year, we had to drive back for the memorial service for Sam’s Mom and included some meetings with some new churches in hopes of increasing our support level. At that time we had some engine problems and some of you were again generous in helping us out by putting us up and giving us rides as we struggled to find and fix the problem. We are so glad that it was fixed. Our truck puts on MANY miles in our ministry and we are hoping for many more before it needs to be replaced. It’s nice to not be making truck payments each month! Yet it is important for us to have reliable transportation to continue our work for the Lord.
The Sunday before we left for N. Carolina, we were asked to come to the Hualapai (“wall-a-pie”) Baptist Church in western Arizona. We have served at various times in this church over the years with Bible School Extension Classes, conferences and special meetings. It was a joy to see many of the children that we knew still being faithful, even though for some their parents are no longer with them. Some are getting ready to send their own children off to Bible College!
They had a special meal together between their SS time and service time, and a young girl asked if she could become a Christian. A special day and a good way to begin the Thanksgiving holiday!
We had to get a substitute teacher for the Bible School classes for the time we were away but back to teaching them once again. Please pray for the students to be consistent in their studies. This is more than another church service and requires them to put some time and effort into personal study and be ready for tests. Time spent studying God’s Word is never a waste of time and we are praying that it will result in spiritual growth that will be evident in their lives, their churches and in their community.
We know that many of you do pray for us, as you ask us about prayer requests that we have made and how God worked in answering them. We are also very aware that your giving is what pays our bills so that we can be free to serve and teach God’s Word. Thank you to each of you. You are truly partners in our service.
May this Christmas season find your homes with hearts full of gratitude and praise to our wonderful Heavenly Father! Because of His love for us, He became a man so that He could pay the death penalty and meet the need of all men, whether they appreciate it or accept it. The best Christmas gift ever!
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
The Steve De Ford family Nov 2015
Psalm 74:17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
Dear Indian Missions Supporters,
December already! Winter is nearly here. With it comes all the festivities of Christmas and the New Year. But before we close out a year that has already moved too quickly, we would like to fill you in on the details of the last couple of months.
The first three days of October many of the missionaries of the Independent Baptist Indian Mission met for our annual Mission Retreat. This year Brother Marshal Yazzie, Steve’s parents, and the dear folks at the Baptist Indian Chapel on the Gila River Reservation hosted the event. Pastor Paul Hiscock was our key note speaker. All in attendance were encouraged by the various Sermon-n-Song messages that Pastor Paul presented. We were also knit in heart with the Don Stephens family as we learned their son and our dear friend, Todd, was hospitalized. Our Lord eventually graduated Todd home to heaven. Our prayers remain with the Stephens family.
Toward the end of the month the Hualapai Baptist Church had our Mission’s Conference. Ministries among the Chinese, off the coast of the mainland, and among the Jews of New York City were presented. While Pastor Ed Hannahs of Iowa challenged our church with faith promise giving.
We were counting our blessings in November as Sherry and Josh were able to travel to California twice to visit our son, Micah. The first trip was with our high school Juniors and Seniors for college days. Then the family went back to visit for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The church celebrated another Harvest Dinner and hosted one of its most beloved missionaries to Natives, Sam Grammar, for our monthly “Super Sunday”. We have seen several guests in our services lately. And now eagerly await the coming Christmas activities.
The family also eagerly awaits “the boys” return for an all-too-brief visit.
Thank you for all your prayers, and may you count all your blessings too, at this wonderful time of year!
For God’s Glory,
The Steve De Ford family
Grammer’s November Letter
November 2015
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we stood with the family beside the body of a brother in Christ who had just left us and is now with the Lord, we were reminded of another death last month. Last month, the man’s salvation was uncertain and his mother was the only one who seemed to be certain of her relationship with Christ. There was sorrow in both cases, but with the Believers, there was also a calm peace. Their father knew he would be leaving them and had already planned his funeral. He wanted no long eulogy because he said those attending would already know all about him. Instead, he wanted them to come to know his Saviour. Though we will miss this brother, there is rejoicing mixed with the sorrow. We trust that those of you reading this letter, understand and have the confidence of eternal life because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.
Fall hunt time once again! The planned hunt in British Columbia didn’t work out this year, but our Colorado hunt was just completed this past week-end. This year, we had 2 Christian teens from Flagstaff that went along to help with the horses and setting up the camp. There were a total of 6 hunters (counting Sam) but only 2 elk were taken because of the rain and hail. The animals had more sense than to come out in that weather and just found a safe place to wait it out. The men decided to cut the hunt short a few days and spend time with their wives that were “camping out” in a motel in a nearby town. They all seemed to enjoy the Bible Studies in I Thessalonians and we’re thankful for the time together.
On the way home from the hunt camp, our truck broke down in Tuba City. We’re thankful that it was in a town and not on the deserted long miles between camp and home. We are also thankful that a local man from Tuba was able to fix the truck so that we were able to get home that night. This man recognized Sam and as they talked, he admitted that he needed to be more faithful in attending the Church there in Tuba City. Maybe that’s why the Lord’s plan was for this break-down? How comforting to know that God controls all the details of our life.
Please continue to pray for the classes of the Bible Institute each Monday night on the Navajo Reservation, and for the students.
We are planning to travel to North Carolina again this year for Thanksgiving with our family. Please pray for safety as the family travels to spend time together. We don’t plan on sending out a letter during the month of November because of being away from home but will try to get another letter out early in December. We do appreciate your prayers and giving that allows us to remain serving the Lord here in Arizona. Thank you.
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
Veldhuis Fall 2015 Prayer Letter
Veldhuis Fall 2015 Prayer Letter
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,(and we beheld His glory: the glory of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth…And of His fullness have all we received and grace for grace. John 1:14-16
Our Lord’s miraculous protection and sustenance through the last several months’ seemingly uninterrupted challenges speak as much to His all-sufficient unmerited favor as they do to the vital role of your prayers in His Native work.
May a few highlights of the fruit of your sacrificial support of every sort do what words fail to do and reward you as you have us. THANK YOU for making the promise of Deuteronomy 33:25 a living reality to us”…as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
PTL for rewarding Lydia’s months of respiratory therapy and almost zero salt intake with a safe heart cath, June 2. Slightly improved atrial pressure cleared her of cardiac contributions to her worsening shortness of breath. The pulmonary hypertension itself made helping at summer camps at over 2,000 feet elevation too risky, but confirmed her calling to Sunday School, Bible Time, and school teaching at our 200 ft level. PRAY for her strength keeping up with Bible club and school children as well as for her Nov. 20, 2015 evaluation of worsening nonparallel eye tracking. Visual problems jeopardize her driving.
BLESS our Lord for three young people and three adult professions of faith through Neighborhood Bible Time’s hundreds of miles’ daily driving, June 28-July 3! PRAY for Benicio, Eric, Joe, Lilly, Tyler, and others’ growth. Jessica moved to an unknown address far away and even locals are very difficult to find.
Benicio, Darnell, Eric, Edward, and Tyrus got a huge spiritual boost through Apache Creek Camp’s Native week, July 27-August 1. PRAY the week’s concentrated Bible teaching 500 miles away from reservation temptations will help deliver them from the apathy, drugs, immorality, or open opposition deeply entangling some of them in sin.
Individual Bible studies, Biblical rehab, and counseling are additional tools in discipling new believers. THANK the Lord for James B. and Raoul O’s conversions and victories in state prisons as well as Jessica H, Ricky, and Toni’s growth after rehab.
PRAY for similar repentance, conversions, or growth for Arturo, Ashley, Belinda, Daren, Delsie, Karen, Kelsey, Laura, Millie, Valerye, both Sarahs, and Victor through our Nov. 2-6 camp meeting with Native preachers.
P.T.L. for the phenomenal gifts and prayers that met immediate family needs and enabled us to complete thousands of dollars’ of church building and house repairs from a September 8th micro burst
just in time for our camp meeting! Ask the Lord for safety and His messages for evangelists travelling up to 500 miles each way.
To God be the glory for the immediate help responsible for my rescue from a near fatal heart attack working late in 106 degree weather, Sept. 26. How grateful we are for the prayers, angioplasty, stents, cardiac therapy, and exercises through which I quickly resumed all mission work (“at a slightly reduced pace”) with no heart damage.
The Hastrichs’ help preaching and carrying out visitation and other ministries undoubtedly contributed to Dawn’s improved overall health. Lydia’s substitute teaching and Silas’s full time university and work make us that much more grateful for the Hastrich’s help and your prayers for Dawn’s underlying vasculitis and diabetes.
Your prayers and oft- unrecognized sacrifices for the following blessings and requests are equally important and are appreciated far more than our rare letters suggest.
PRAISES:
· The return of Tyrus, Tyler, Lilly, and Lilah to their mother Lorie and aunt, Roxanna.
· Good September 12th youth conference in Phoenix with Bill Rice’s West Branch.
· Excellent follow-up through the Hastrich’s King’s Kids Club.
· Refreshing Pastor’s School at our sending church in Meridian, ID, Aug. 11-14.
· Blessed missions’ meetings in Oregon and Washington State, Aug.23-26 ‘15.
· Strength through our mission’s annual conference, Oct. 1-3.
· Travel expenses for our camp meeting evangelists and help from Arizona supporting churches.
PETITIONS:
· Fourteen year old Tyrus’ growth and deliverance from bitterness over his mother’s addictions.
· Ricky and Toni’s marital struggles in the face of huge mental and physical needs.
· Lydia’s teacher certification, full time job, and eye care.
· Silas’ overwhelming load and university expenses.
· Edward’s return to the Lord and health and disability needs.
· True conversions and/ or growth of uncommitted Alvanez, Barley, Hayes, Jim. Miller, Phillips, Serrano, Stevens, Thomas, and Twist family members through our camp meeting and December ministries.
· Each of our strength and health.
Your Co-laborers in Christ,
Michael, Dawn, Lydia, and Silas Veldhuis
Sam & Janet Grammer October 2015
October 2015
Dear Friends in Christ,
The first class of the Bible Institute was started this month. The pastor who was organizing this was healing from surgery on a detached retina, so we started a couple of weeks later than we had hoped, but definitely in God’s timing. The first class had 11 students with a few more that are registered and we hope will join as the program progresses. Each class is a total of 15 weeks, once a week. Sam is teaching the class of Doctrine of Theology. Please pray for the students to be faithful in attendance and study.
We do have a substitute teacher for these classes for when Sam will be unavailable. Marlin G. was saved during our years of ministry in Tuba City and a student of the men’s Bible Classes taught there. He then went on to attend and graduate from the Indian Bible College in Flagstaff. It is an encouragement to see the next generation preparing to keep the ministry of God’s Word going.
As many of you know, fall time is hunting time for us. Sam will be traveling to British Columbia to hunt with a group from the Tahltan (“tall-tan”) tribe in hopes of getting a stone sheep. He will be home for a couple of days and then be packing up for our fall hunt camp. This year we have 5 hunters from one family coming; father, 2 sons and 2 sons-in-law. Pray for safety in travel and during the hunt, good weather (early snows are not uncommon) and especially for the evening Bible studies. We are going to be studying the book of I Thessalonians this year.
Some have asked how Janet’s foot is doing. She is making good progress but is impatient that the healing isn’t complete, though she has been told that it will take 6 months to a year for complete return to “normal”. There is still a slight limp, but she is walking without assistance. Thank you for your prayers in this matter.
Thank you for your help this past month, both in your giving and for your prayers.
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
Sam & Janet Grammer Sept 2015
September 2015
Dear Friends in Christ,
God plans our schedule for us and often we travel on week-ends to minister in different Churches on the Navajo Reservation. For a few weeks, we found ourselves in Flagstaff and asked the Lord to provide opportunities to give out His Word. Recently, a Navajo lady brought her mom to Flagstaff to see a family member that had been air-lifted to our local hospital overnight with a stroke. They stopped for supper and we had time to visit and tell the older woman how salvation was freely offered her through faith in Christ. Much was interpreted by her daughter who has been praying for the salvation of her parents and this stroke has intensified her concern. The message was given, but as the younger lady said, “She doesn’t seem to understand the concept of her need yet.” We are still praying for her salvation. We were reminded that God does hear our prayers and He will answer, though not always as we expect Him to. God brought the opportunity to give out His Word right here at our kitchen table.
Col 4:3 “Praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance. That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
We live in a city where folks from the Reservation often come for business, hospital visits, shopping, etc. and we never know when we will have surprise guests. One day this past month, we had 17 show up for a meal (total of 19 at the table) . They weren’t being rude. Saw them in town and invited them and then hurried home to see what we could feed them! We all laughed because this same family surprised us when we were living in Colorado almost 30 years ago, and we put them up overnight. Thankfully, we had a gym at the Bible School where we were working, so plenty of room for them to spread out sleeping bags. That time there were a total of 27 that joined our family of 8. At times like these, you just remember that God is in control and will provide what is needed, then you enjoy the time and the memories it will make. If they wait another 30 years, it may well be in glory with our Lord! Thank you to those of you who opened their homes to our family of 8-sometimes without much notice.
Please continue to pray as we wait to hear more information regarding the Bible Institute program that Pastor Billy wants to begin in Navajo churches. We are excited about this possibility and praying that it will come about.
At present, Janet has 7 piano students. 6 of them are Navajos that attend churches in need of piano players and we are training with that in mind. Most of them are already playing specials and offertories in the home church and hopefully, by the end of the year, we will have some of them ready to play for congregational singing as well. The 7th student is a neighbor girl (10 yrs ?) from a Mormon family, so the teaching is not geared to how to use your music to serve God. Please pray that this may be a door to talk to both the student and Mom about God. Pray for the right words to say at the right time and to be ready to recognize whenever the Holy Spirit opens the door with this young life.
Thank you to each of you for your gifts that you send so faithfully, but especially for your prayers. We know that many of you keep a list of our requests and pray with and for us throughout the month.
Thank you.
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”