Steve DeFord Sept/Oct 2021

Steve DeFord Sept/Oct 2021

Dear friends, family, and ministry supporters,
Thank you for your faithful support of Native American Indian
missions. Despite some COVID restrictions still in place on the
reservation, we have had a productive fall. We hosted an activity at our
home back in September. It was the first organized activity in many
months. We were encouraged to have all of our home-school families
out for a great time of fellowship and games.
Hualapai Baptist Church hosted our bi-annual missions conference in
September as well. Our congregation was blessed to have one of our
former missionaries, Joel Porcher, as our keynote speaker. The Porcher
family had ministered in Africa for a number of years and was greatly
used of the Lord there. Our conference took on an African theme as
both of our guest missionaries have been called to the continent as
well. As we “cast lots” the final night of the conference to determine
where God would have us take our next international trip the lot fell
on Israel! Normally, we would be planning this trip for 2022, but the
schedule looks as though February of 2023 will be more likely.

This school year will be Sherry’s last year to teach regularly in our co-
op. She has taught school for over 30 years! Not teaching next

academic year will enable her to travel with Steve and another couple
from our church on the Isreal trip. We’ve wanted to visit Isreal for as
long as we can remember, and now the Lord has granted that desire!
During the month of October, we were invited to present the ministry
among the American Indians at Campus Church in Pensacola, FL. We
flew to Charlotte, NC so Molly could spend the week with Jackie’s
family. We then drove on to Florida for an inspiring week with “He is
Worthy” as the theme. We received several inquiries regarding Native
work, and pray the Lord will send forth laborers into His harvest!
For God’s Glory,
Rev. Steven R. De Ford

Messick October 2021

OCTOBER 2021

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High..”

                                                                                                                                          Psalm 92:1

Dear Ones in Him,

Recently we have been blessed by visits from missionaries, friends and family.

*It was a joy to have Gordon & Ruby Garcia in our home and to share their ministry with our

 church.  They have faithfully served as missionaries on the Tohono O’otham Reservation for

 many years.

*Another special  event was having our grandson, Micah with us for a week while on his fall

 break from school.

*Marty & Logan Roembke and their four children are missionaries on the Menominee

 Reservation in Wisconsin. Since our church supports their ministry, they came to report on

 the work, and spent several days with us.

*It was good to have Tim and Kathy Shubert, from Muncie, IN. attend our services while on

 vacation in AZ.

The Lord has impressed on us that we are at the stage in our life where we need to sell our home and downsize, so we are busy getting it ready to put on the market.  Please pray with us that it will sell quickly, and for the Lord’s leading as to where we should relocate.  We would like to stay in the Rimrock area, but are trusting the Lord for His guidance.

You may remember in our March news letter that we asked you to pray for Bob, as his wife had just died from a drug overdose, leaving him with three children to raise alone.  Bob is Anglo, his wife and children , Native Americans. He has faithfully come to church with his children for over a year.  The grandmother is taking him to court to try to have the children taken away from him.  The trial date is November 29th.  Please pray that God’s will be done in this situation.

PRAISES:

*for the generous unexpected donation towards the modular replacement 

*for the good health and protection of our family, friends, and church family

*for God’s abundant provision of our daily needs

PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Bob – get back custody of his children

*Simon – Spiritual needs, alcohol addiction

*God’s leading and timing to supply a couple to take our place

*God’s provision of funds and for wisdom in the modular replacement

We are truly humbled by your faithfulness in prayer and support these many years. Wishing you a blessed thanksgiving.

In His love,

Gary & Bev Messick

Jones November 2021

Dear Family and Friends,
      We want to thank you all for your prayers and your sacrificial giving these last few months! 
During the month of August, we were able to move into our new building. It’s a blessing to know we have a permanent place to meet for services. I feel unworthy to Pastor this church. God has been so good to my family and I! I can’t thank God enough for counting me faithful in putting me into the ministry. 
During the month of August, we were able to see 9 visitors attend New Haven Baptist Church! We were also able to have our first activity in our new building! We hosted a Hawaiian BBQ and a great time was had by all!
On August 27th, we were able to have our first Teen Activity for New Haven Baptist Church! We all went bowling and fellowshipped together.

At the end of August, we had our monthly Cocopah Teen event, which was a bowling event. Eight teens attended. Most notably, we got an opportunity to minister to several of our girls, who opened up to us about physical and emotional abuse they had experienced on the ride home.  We listened, cried, and prayed with them. Please PRAY that God will give them a reason to keep living despite their trauma.
The month of September was quite eventful!
A lady named Fawn started attending the church and has since been faithfully coming. Please pray that she will soon understand salvation! On September 5th, God allowed a young man named Isaac to join us as an intern at New Haven! He has assisted us with song leading, Sunday School, and the Thursday night Kid’s Club as well as many projects around the church!
September 5th-9th, Bro. and Mrs. Kaunakaff, Missionaries to Russia, helped us construct a nursery area and beautiful Pastoral office!! They were such a blessing and help to us! We now have a safe area for toddlers to play while the kids’ class is being taught!
On September 11th, we were able to take the Teens from New Haven and (Cocopah) Bethel Baptist to a youth conference hosted by West Branch at Cornerstone Baptist Church of Phoenix.
Praise the Lord we had one Teen accept Christ as his personal savior that day! The group was encouraged in their walk with the Lord during the preaching and had a great time during competitions!
On September 24th, we were able to host a Kid’s Nacho Night at New Haven for K5-5th Grade. The kids ate nachos, watched a Veggie Tales movie about God’s love, and played games at the church. We had 8 children attend. 

October was both eventful and challenging. At the beginning of the month, one of the teens from New Haven (who had recently accepted Christ) asked if he could help with cleaning the church building. He has been doing this faithfully every chance he can get! Praise the Lord for Justin’s desire to grow in Christ!
October 3rd, we had our first Baptist Sunday! Two Teens were baptized and two parents visited!
On October 8th, we had our Cocopah Teen Activity. The Teens played Capture the Flag and enjoyed pizza and snacks. We had 7 Teens attend!
More recently, we had a team from West Valley Baptist Church in Woodland, CA come out and redo the Kid’s Room with drywall as well as helping us drywall the auditorium!! The group ran out of time, and we were unsure of how to complete the work. God miraculously brought a man named Joseph to our property who happens to be a skilled drywaller and painter! We are so thankful that God sent us skilled laborers! 
Towards the end of October, Pastor and Mrs. Veldhuis tested positive for COVID and on October 23rd, Lydia tested positive for COVID as well. Thankfully, Samuel and I remain asymptomatic. Pastor and Mrs. Veldhuis are steadily improving. We thank you all for your prayers for Lydia! Her oxygen has been a bit low but is stabilized. She has been able to get treatment at home and via her Dr. She was also able to get the Regen-Cov infusion. She is slowly and steadily improving. Please continue to pray for her!
Please continue to pray and consider helping us with financial support as we move forward
 reaching Native Americans for Christ. 
God Bless!

Prayer Requests:
Salvations: Mariella, Satori, Ayla, A.J., Denisia, Marley, Airus, Jerry,  Jalen, Felix, Phoenix, Evan, Richard and his younger brother, Darrell, Vaughn and his family, Izadiah, Mitchell, Miracle, Lilah,  Millie, Rosie, Jazmyn, Cheryl, Fawn, Damin and others.

Spiritual Growth: Molly, Loren, Tyler, Lilly, Roxanna, & Alex, Justice, Jazmyn, Mya, Kayla, Vincent, Ammon, Lance and Justin.

Health: Lydia, Samuel, & Bro. and Mrs. Veldhuis COVID.

Personal: Wisdom, strength, Samuel’s future, health, pray for the funds to come in for us to fix our church van air conditioner. And pray for us to reach our goal  of 100% support. 

Ministries: Visitation, Cocopah Teen Ministry, van ministry, children’s ministry and New Haven Baptist Church.

Thank you all again for your prayers and your sacrificial giving!
                        Sincerely In Christ,
            Jacob, Lydia, and Samuel Jones
        Missionaries to the Native Americans
                     Cell: (928) 315- 5057
                     Email: [email protected]
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
“But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto.”

Veldhuis November 2021

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

     Meaningful follow up of the glorious fruit of summer’s neighborhood Bible Time and distant weeks of camp ‘midst the challenges of desert weather and constant facility and vehicle repairs bespeak the untold value of your prayers and sacrifice for our ongoing native ministries.   

     We owe you too much gratitude, however, to presume on your enabling or fail to recognize your personal labor with us in our Lord’s eyes:   “… For the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit… ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30).   May this recounting of some of His blessings reward you as much as they have us!

     Where the conversions of 70-year-old Millie’s granddaughter and two of her three daughters had only hardened her in spirit worship and vocal opposition to the gospel, your prayers gave unction to our frequent pleas to trust in the Lord alone and brought her to saving faith in Christ this summer.  P.T.L. Millie is now growing in him and one of the most faithful adults despite severe arthritis!

     Mid-forties, Salvador and Lorie his wife grew much through weekly Bible studies and church attendance with their three children.  Affordable housing for them meant a residence in need of repairs, but the Lord also provided better income for them.  PRAY for their transportation and health needs as well as their teenage children’s legal and mental health needs.  Rightly rejoice that these enormous, combined pressures miraculously drove them to the Lord rather than to former substance abuse.

     The deaths of four 35- to 47-year-old men from substance abuse in September and October alone offer the strongest possible incentives to use every Biblical means to win young Cocopah to the Lord. The youngest man had professed faith as a teen; one had lived out of our contact; and the other two never accepted the earnest gospel invitations of our individual Bible studies or services. The Lord mercifully offered grace for grace in allowing us to assure saved children of their own eternal home after they had endured their loved one’s all-night hopeless wailing cremation ceremony.

     How thrilled we were by professions of faith or of assurance by Jaylon, Lilah, Lorenzo, Misty, and Violet through Neighborhood Bible Time. Largely saved juniors and teens loved and grew through Bill Rice’s west Branch Camp, while the Apache Creek Camp was cancelled because of flash flooding.

     The salvation and bit by bit maturation of young natives from universally broken and often abusive homes is a thrilling reality evidenced by their excitedly pulling family and friends to Bible clubs and church months or years after first coming.  This means driving without monitors to fill our largest bus on two reservations and still reach the third one by van.

     Between the Lord’s provisions for engine repairs by brother Nam and a bus yard for our body work we succeeded in keeping at least one bus usable through September’s 100 degree days.  North reservation Bible clubs took a break with the heat, NBT, and camps, but P.T.L. at least two of their families are now part of regular church pickups!

     Mid October brought a setback to in person ministries when all of us except Jacob and Samuel contracted Covid 19.  PRAY much for Dawn and Lydia’s full recovery as their respiratory diseases worsened, suppressing the full benefits of the normal treatment protocol and additional Regeneron infusion.  PRAY for the strength, wisdom, and resources while healing and resuming  all ministries to adequately prepare for our annual Native Revival looming , December 8-10 on our premises. 

     Our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your remembering the following:

      PRAISES

  • 70-year-old Millie’s salvation after decades of rejection
  • Salvador’s successful foot surgery and better job
  • Michael’s further improved September cancer evaluation
  • Fully paid enormous bus repairs
  • Blessed September 21st meeting presenting the Cocopah ministry at Highway Bible Church near Sacramento, CA  
  • Our emergency funds covered a new church A/C system when the entire system failed in 110+ degree weather
  • Michael and Rebekah W’s assistance through their own physical hardships

      PRAYER REQUESTS

  • Healing of saved teen girls severely traumatized and doubting God over unpunished incestuous family abuse
  • Millie’s severe arthritis
  • Each of our full Covid recovery
  • Personal and ministry Vehicle repairs
  • Ladies and Girls Tea Party November 20th
  • Eternal fruit through the December Native Revival and Christmas ministry opportunities.
  • Travel and housing help for preachers coming for the revival from 200-700 miles away

            Sincerely in Christ, Michael and Dawn Veldhuis

Grammer October 2021

Dear Friends in Christ,
Early this month, we spent 4 days on the Hopi Reservation, filling in for a missionary that had to be away.  No adults showed up but we had 3 teens for the teen night on Thurs. and 13 kids come to the “Kid’s Church” on Sunday afternoon.  During that time, Sam developed a bad cold which limited him as his voice became quite raspy.  He had to cancel his teaching at the Arizona School of the Bible the following day and then an opportunity to preach the next week.  Thankfully, he is much improved and back to teaching and preaching.  Thanks to all of you that pray for our health.

Also this month, we said “good-by” to 2 older ladies that we have ministered to in the past.  Mary was one of the students at Southwest School of Missions where Sam taught shortly after we moved to Arizona in 1972 (49 years ago!).  Basically, it was old age that moved her from this earthly life to her Home in Heaven.

This past week, Shirley also moved Home as a result of COVID.  She was a member of the Baptist Church in Tuba City and we got to know her while pastoring there for 6 years and 9 months. Because of COVID, her funeral will be “virtual” and Shirley wanted Sam to bring the message.  A recording was made of the message and will be broadcast once the funeral can be scheduled.  Pray that someone might respond to the message of salvation and come to Christ through this service.

What a blessing to her others tell how these women gave them the Gospel message and led them to Christ and then impacted their lives as they challenged them to live for our Lord.  As one daughter said, these were “See You Later” celebrations.

Sam has also been asked to help the Western Navajo Bible Fellowship with a Thanksgiving message that will be done via the phone lines, due to the COVID restrictions on the Navajo Reservation.  The Navajo Family Bible Conference was held this past summer in this way and is the same group of Believes that are planning the Thanksgiving service  using the same technology.  Please pray with us as preparations are made that Christ will be glorified and Believers encouraged.

We do appreciate you folks as you pray and give to keep us ministering to the American Indians.  Thank you for your part in our ministry.



II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer

Grammer September 2021

Dear Friends in Christ,

When we sent out last month’s letter, we didn’t have any pictures to share with you from the Alaska Radio Station Project in Thorne Bay.  Janet is the “family photographer” and since she wasn’t on this trip, we had to wait to get some pictures from others that were there and want to share a few of them with you.  Remember that you are a part of this ministry as you give and pray.  Thank you. 

Please do continue to pray with us that electric will be available to the property by the time we are able to get the station on the air.  The cost of fuel to run a generator will be an issue and will limit the hours that we will be able to broadcast.  We are also praying for the man that the Lord will lead to live there and keep the station running.  Won’t you be praying with us for wisdom to recognize the Lord’s leading in this area. 

In our last letter, we mentioned one of the ladies in the local nursing homes where Janet visits.  This past week, Merrie moved out of her body and is now with the Lord. Pray with us for the family as they adjust to this loss in their lives. Her daughter has referred to this as her Mom’s “see you later” service.   What a comfort to KNOW she is now in Heaven and not merely HOPE she is!

Now that Sam is back in Arizona, he is once again teaching at the Northern Arizona School of the Bible.  He is teaching both Bible Doctrine I and New Testament Survey.  He missed the first week of classes because of being in Alaska, but is glad to be teaching once again.  We have still not heard regarding the Dine Bible Institute on the Navajo Reservation.  The COVID problem seems to be more pronounced on the various Reservations and some of the churches are hesitant to be very active yet.  Pray with us for wisdom for each pastor as they lead their fellowship of Believers.

II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer

Messick August 2021

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” II Chronicles16:9a

Dear Ones In Christ,

The last two weekends in July, we were blessed to be able to attend retreats. The first was a Native American missionary & pastors retreat in Flagstaff, and the second was the annual retreat of our own mission board, IBIMI. We were encouraged and challenged by the great messages we heard, the wonderful fellowship, and fun activities that were planned. We came away refreshed and with our “batteries recharged!” 

Thank you for praying for Gary concerning his recent health issues. We are so thankful that his MRI came back clear, other than arthritis at the base of his neck. He is having fewer dizzy spells and headaches. Also, Bev’s double vision has been helped with prism lenses.

August 1st, Bev came down with all the symptoms of covid. After two trips to Urgent Care and later to her doctor, swab tests and a blood test all came back negative. All three doctors who saw her felt sure it was covid. It must have been just a nasty virus, as it took  over a month to get rid of the cough and regain her energy.

Paul & Naomi’s family (our Youth Pastor & wife) are just getting over the covid, and there has been a spike on our reservation.

Also in August, it was a blessing to have Evangelist Glenn Stevenson share God’s Word at our morning and evening services. We appreciate so much Brother Mike Smith filling the pulpit when Gary & Paul were under the weather.

Our church family remains faithful, and it is always encouraging to see new faces, as well. A father and his adult son and daughter are now attending services regularly, and two couples have come to church recently after being invited by some our church folk. We’re praying they will have the desire to be consistently under the teaching of God’s Word.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Bob – single-parenting 

*Simon – Spiritual needs, alcohol addiction

*Comfort for the families in the tragic deaths, just three weeks apart, of three young

men on our reservation

*God’s leading and timing to supply a couple to take our place 

*God’s provision of funds and for wisdom in the modular replacement

Thank you for your continued prayers for us and Living Waters Baptist Church. Your prayers and support mean more to us than you can know. God bless and keep you in His loving care.

In His service,

Gary & Bev Messick

Grammer August 2021

August 2021
Dear Friends in Christ,

This is the last day of August so by the time you get this letter, it will be the month of September!  Sorry for being so late this month, but August has been a busy time.

As we mentioned in our last letter, Sam made 2 trips to Thorne Bay, Alaska this summer.  The first trip was in preparation for the volunteer work crew coming from N. Carolina.  After a few days at home and celebrating our 53rd anniversary, it was back to Thorne Bay and some serious building. 

The group from NC consisted of 7 men that accomplished much.  An addition was put up that will house all the rooms needing plumbing (kitchen, bathroom and laundry).  The 4 walls were put up and metal roofing put on so it is closed in for the winter.  Please continue to pray with us for electric to the property so that we won’t have to rely on generator power.

Janet is still able to get into the nursing homes for visitation but new restrictions have been put in place as the COVID cases have been increasing in our area.  Please pray for these ladies that don’t understand all that is going on in our present society and feel forgotten and abandoned. These are their last days but since God hasn’t taken them home yet, He must still have plans to use them.  The goal is to encourage them to continue to spend time in God’s Word and to be a witness to other residents and workers.  We are limited in contact to only those we personally know and only by appointment and for a set time period.  But the residents can interact and share the Word of God and need for salvation to others living with them. Pray specifically for Rosie and Merrie who have faithfully served the Lord for years and are now struggling with these old bodies.

The Northern Arizona School of the Bible began this week through Nov. 22.  This year, Sam is privileged to be teaching Bible Doctrine I & NT Survey. We have yet to hear about the Dine Bible Institute and when they will be able to begin to gather again on the Navajo Reservation.  Thank you for your prayers.  Your financial support helps pay our bills so that we can continue to serve in this way.  You are so appreciated.  Thank you.

We received many cards from many of you for our anniversary, as well as Janet’s birthday a week later.  Thank you for remembering us in this way. It was encouraging.  (Note- We can surmise what church you attend from your address, but would like to have more than your first name to identify you and sometimes there is no name in the address and only a first name when you sign it.  Thanks)

II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer

Steve DeFord August 2021

July:August 2021

Dear Prayer Partners,
Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support of the Lord’s work among the American Indians.

The busy summer activities are drawing to close now, but we were truly blessed during the months of July and August. Missionary candidate Josh Zacharias to Australia helped Steve with projects around the house and church including painting the church sign with a fresh coat of linseed oil the week of July Forth.

Our annual IBIMI missionary retreat was in Scottsdale, AZ the last weekend of July. Advisory board member, Dr. Tim Zacharias (no relation to Josh) was our guest speaker. All of our Arizona based missionaries were able to attend at least part of the retreat and everyone was encouraged through the teaching ministry of Dr. Z. Please, continue to pray with us that more people would answer the call to Native missions. We are thankful that one new family has made application to IBIMI.

Sherry began what we plan to be her last year of teaching in mid- August. She has the same three students she had last year who are now in K5, first, and third grade. Including the time she spent teaching our own children, Sherry has been teaching over 30 years! A highlight of the past two months was a baptismal service August 22. A family in our church has been raising their children and fostering three others. Mom has lead two of them to Christ while Steve and Sherry each lead another to the Lord. Seeing all four baptized in the horse trough was a thrill for us all!

We are formulating plans for an extended road trip next fall to report to supporting churches, attend our annual IBIMI retreat, and raise additional needed support. However, in order to make the trip we need dependable transportation. We are looking to purchase a Honda Pilot or similar vehicle to pull a Winnebago Micro Mini or similar camper. We estimate the total cost for a reliable used outfit to be in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $40,000. If you would like to contribute to this need please send your gift to the finance office at: 2406 Main St., Keokuk, IA 52632 designated to the DeFord transportation fund.

For God’s Glory,
The Steve De Ford family

Grammer July 2021

Dear Friends in Christ,
Last month, we told you about the wild fires in our area that put us in the national news. After 2 very dry winters with little snowfall and then the lack of our annual rainy season last summer, we were in a record drought.  Well, this summer, our monsoon season arrived and the charts show that we are getting an above average rainy monsoon season this summer!  The wildfires left little foliage to hold back the water from the mountains and now we are dealing with flash floods in Flagstaff and our governor has declared our city to be in a state of emergency. And once again we are in the national news!  Some of you have contacted us to see how we are doing.  Thank you for your prayers and concern.  However, our home is outside the city limits and the flooding is not affecting us personally, though we do know people that are in the flood zone and dealing with the cleanup and wondering if it will hit them again.
This past week, the Navajo Family Bible Camp/Conference was once again held on the telephone rather than in person.  The first 3 nights, Sam taught the sessions in English and on the last 3 nights 3 Navajo pastors taught the same lessons in the Navajo language.   The theme this year was on “The Resurrection” :
* 1-Christ’s resurrection
*2- the first resurrection (of Believer s) 
*3- the second resurrection (all the dead).   
We do know of at least one that made a profession of faith in Christ for salvation!  Again-thank you for your prayers!
This summer, Sam will be making 2 trips to Thorne Bay, AK for the radio station project. The first trip will be focused on getting building materials and supplies at the site so that when the work crew from NC come in mid-August, they will be able to get right at it and hopefully make good progress.  There are 4 men that will be helping on the first trip.  Please pray for them:
Will went with  last year’s work team as a high school Sr.  In August, he will be a freshman at Crown College in Tenn.- enrolled in the ministerial program.
Zachary has also worked with Sam before for a couple of years during his hunt camps and was a good worker and great help.  Zach grew up in S Dakota in a missionary family that ministered to the Sioux people.  He was married this past spring, yet still willing to help us with the work this year.  (We are thankful for a Christian wife that is willing to be away from her new husband so that he can serve our Lord.  Thank you Melissa.)
Brett is a retired school teacher from the Navajo Reservation and now, he and his wife are on staff at Tri-City Baptist Church & Academy down in the Phoenix area.
John Paul is a graduate of Crown College and taking post-graduate studies for his degree. He and his wife just had their first child this summer and are considering working in Alaska among the Indian people there. (Once again, we are thankful for his young wife with a new baby willing to be separated from her husband so he can serve! Thank you.)  Sam is planning to take John Paul to some of the Indian communities in that part of Alaska to help them understand if this is truly where God wants them to minister.
We don’t personally know each of the work team from the Antioch Baptist Church in NC but pray with us also for them as they come to help next month, as well as for their families that will be waiting back home.   
There are many small Indian communities located around Thorne Bay and they tend to be isolated by choice.  A Christian radio station is a great method of proclaiming the Gospel message to folks who resist interaction with strangers.  We are eager to see the station in operation and broadcasting the message of salvation.  The project has been slow, but we are encouraged as we see progress each summer; knowing that God’s timing is always the best.
Please continue to pray for 
*Safety for the men (both in travel and during the building) 
*The need for electric to be brought to the property
* Good progress on the construction so we can soon be broadcasting
Thank you for your part in our ministry, both here in AZ as well as in AK.  We need your prayers and are so thankful for your financial support that allows us to serve here.
II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,
Sam & Janet Grammer

DeFord May/June 2021

May:June 2021

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go….

As we celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day we were reminded of our responsibilities as parents to train up the next generation for Christ.

PCC Graduation

Dear prayer and ministry partners,

Thank you for your continued enabling of this ministry. The state and reservation have continued to open up over the last two months. A recent increase in COVID cases has us concerned that this current situation may

not last long. Please pray for us and for those recovering from Covid! We were thankful to celebrate both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in person. We don’t take these times of worship together for granted any more! In addition to recognizing and challenging our moms, we also had one of our new families come to dedicate themselves to raising their children for Christ on Mother’s Day. Attendance was down somewhat on Father’s Day, however, the five fathers in attendance were also commended and challenged to maintain their testimonies for Jesus.

Our youngest son, Josh, graduated from college in Mid-May, and has taken a position in Austin, TX. We’re eager to see how the Lord uses him and his new graphic design degree for His glory. We are thankful everything worked out for us to attend the commencement exercise. As it turned out, another one of our IBIMI missionaries graduated with a Master of Ministry degree at the same time, so we were able to watch Brian Shannon march too.Sherry began hosting a new ladies’ Disciples of the Word course (via video by April Goetsch) on Wednesday mornings with three other ladies. They are learning how to study the Bible doing their own research. It is challenging, but they are learning skills they will use a lifetime!

June is camp month for us. Our juniors went the last full week of the month and our teens are in camp as I write this letter. The young people love camp and we are thankful for the ministry West Branch has in our children’s lives. My dad used to say, “We can accomplish more in a week of camp than in a year of Sunday school.”

May we all continue to train up our children in the way they should go.

For God’s Glory,
The Steve De Ford family

Grammer June 2021

Dear Friends in Christ,
Some of you that keep up with the news, have read about the forest fires in Arizona and have contacted us to ask about our safety.  There is a fire southwest of Flagstaff that has several communities on standby for evacuation.  However, our home is about 5 miles northeast of town and we are in no danger at present.  We do know folks on the other side of town that are unsure of what will happen –so thank you for the prayers.

June is typically a dry, hot month that makes us all eager for the monsoon season that usually begins in July.  This year, we are breaking the heat record set in the 1920’s.  We are also facing a severe drought as last year’s monsoon season gave us little rain and the last 2 winters had little snow and were very dry.  All of this has added to the fire danger and the forests have been closed as a result.  It is common to have fire restrictions this time of the year, but there is access to the forests-but not this year. 

The state has removed the mask mandate and our city has followed suit. Once again, Janet is able to visit in the nursing home, though a mask is required.  The resident that she visits with is feeling the loss of fellowship with other Believers yet her family is still uneasy about removing her from the home to go to church.  Pray that she is able to encourage this Christian sister during this difficult time.

The reservations have their own governments and some of them are still restrictive.  We are seeing some of the churches on the various reservations that are once again starting to have Sunday services.  Many of the churches on the Navajo Reservation still feel restricted in meeting together publicly .

The Western Navajo Family Bible Conference has decided to once again hold teleconference sessions rather than meet in person.  This worked out quite well last year so they will follow the same program this year.  Sam will be teaching 3 nights in English and then there will be a Navajo pastor teaching for 3 nights.  The topic this year is Biblical Resurrection.  Please pray with us as he prepares and ministers in this way.

We are still making preparations for this summer’s work in Thorne Bay, AK on the radio station project.  Orders for building supplies are being made over the phone and will hopefully be available and ready for the work teams coming in late July and August. 

Pray with us for:  (1) the construction, (2) safety of the workers both in travel and on site, (3) the need for the electric company to put in power lines, (4) that even now, God would be preparing the man God would have run the station, and (5) that we can soon be on the air reaching out with the message of salvation to those who live in the Thorne Bay area.  (Once again, this paragraph is a repeat from past months, but still true for this coming month.  We really do need your prayers with us in this outreach.)

Thank you to each of you that have helped us financially this past month and especially for those who have been faithful in praying for us.  You are an important part of our ministry.

II Cor. 2:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”
In Christ,

Sam & Janet Grammer