Dear Co-laborers In Christ,
Recent Covid-19 deaths of our godly Tribal Vice-Chair D. Begay and former Cocopah pastor’s wife Faye remind us of Biblical Jonathan’s faithfulness to God in life and in death.
“Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided.” I Samuel 1:23
As with our mission founder’s homegoing this past April, both of these true Christian friends labored faithfully in our Lord’s own calling and in supporting us until His promotion to other labors.
Thanks for remembering the Begay, Ortega, and DeFord families’ enormous losses in your prayers for the Cocopah and our daily challenges. Each of our three reservations merges into a border town where one in five individuals recently tested positive for Covid-19. The broader Tribal crackdown that followed this outbreak opened new ministries for us after locking most Natives in their homes with
no more free meals, Wi-Fi, or physical outlets like church or school. You can easily imagine the gratitude of parents of homebound children for the weekly Bible activities, food packs, competitive Bible studies, awards, and DVDs of Bible stories and messages for all ages you enabled us to provide.
P.T.L. for blessing weekly live-streamed services and YouTube Bible stories, Ladies’ lessons, and teen studies by all of us with fruit here and in distant rehab programs. PRAY for professing Christians Lyetha, Desiree, Elena, and Kayla in Phoenix and Rhea and Roxanna here on the reservations. Each of these young women is fighting her way back to the Lord from substance abuse, mental illness, P.T.S.D., or recent family deaths. Dawn and Lydia pray and work with them individually through Bible studies or the internet.
The lockdown brought a further “blessing” in permitting reconnections with young men rarely on their reservations. PRAY Jaden, Corin, and Zane will follow their sisters, Maya and Kayla’s examples and return to the Lord. Mid-thirties Robert T., one of the earliest teens saved, promised to send or bring his two children to church as soon as the tribe opens.
Our tribe’s indefinite closure ruled out participating in the Bill Rice Ranch’s West Branch camps or the Apache Creek Indian one, but blessed us with time for overdue projects. Your sacrifices will live on in enabling us to repair our prophet’s chamber, gravel drive, and church van as well as to completely rebuild an essential utility trailer and resume serious work on recurrent church Quonset corrosion. P.T.L. early camp registration fees have already been applied to our 2021 West Branch enrollment!
Non-Covid related deaths of sixty plus year old Winnifred, Lloyd Jr. and George III, both in their mid-forties, illustrate the critical import of winning souls to the Lord at the earliest reasonable years. Winnifred had a Christian testimony at the Nazarene church where she raised a family, while both young men declined our Bible studies and died in prison or shortly thereafter. PRAY for the Thomas, Hayes, and Phillips’ losses and for true conversions through one on one work, our November Navajo revival, and Jacob and Lydia’s youth ministries. Jacob livestreams teen Bible studies between deputation meetings while Lydia works personally with youth here or via internet or text.
The greatly reduced electric bill and purr of our house A/C on 115-degree days are welcome reminders of the gratitude we owe Treasure Valley Baptist Church for this new system and each of you for the countless prayers and provisions for our daily needs and work.
Your prayers for the following blessings and challenges are a lifeline of God’s power we will never take for granted (Ephesians 6:18- 19)!
BLESSINGS:
- Broader spectrum of children and adults doing in person or on line Bible studies.
- Good relationship with the tribal chairwoman and excellent ones with individuals following the death of the vice chair.
- Jacob and Lydia’s help livestreaming services and setting up online Bible studies.
- Lorie and Salvador’s growth along with the receptibility of North reservation contacts. PETITIONS:
- 69-year-old Millie’s health and salvation, and the return of family to church.
- Safe reopening of distant Navajo and local Cocopah reservations before our November revival.
- Daren’s in hospital healing from MERSA
- Our family’s protection from local Covid 19 hot spots, Lydia’s PH and Cerebral Palsy, Jacob’s back problems, and Michael’s Sept. 25, 2020 cancer re-evaluation. Gratefully Yours In Christ,
Michael and Dawn Veldhuis