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