Dear Friends in Christ
In the fall of 1972, we packed up our 3 girls (later God gave us 2 more daughters and a son) and left Maryland, where we were on staff at a Christian camp. We had a tent for a home on the road and were headed for Arizona to minister to the American Indian tribes. This is our 50th year of ministering here in the southwest and God has faithfully met all our needs-and more!
Our aim was to train the Believers in the different tribes to reach and minister to their own people.
1-They lived there and knew the people personally. Also, they weren’t strangers to the people in their own community. They are also able to live on the Reservation among them, as they are tribal members by birth.
2-Many of them knew their tribal languages. Our public education system has made English known to most but the elderly still have a primary language of their people. (There is also a push among the younger generations to learn their native language and not lose their tribal identity.)
3-They know the traditions and culture of their people. They would recognize whether a practice is merely an acceptable habit or if there is religious significance connected to it.
Learning about God’s Word has made some aware of their need for salvation and over the years, we have had opportunities to lead some to Christ personally. However, much of our ministry has been in local churches and among Christians.
This past month, a Navajo lady shared with us how the death of a cousin allowed her father to lead his sister (mother of the deceased) to Christ. We asked her father’s name, wondering if we knew him. We didn’t know him, but she then shared how her father was led to Christ by another Believer. This Believer was one of our Bible School students from years past and is now pastoring on the Reservation. What a blessing to see God is working still in lives and that He has seen fit to let us be a part of this work.
Please continue to pray with us as plans are even now in progress for the Easter teleconference with the Navajo Bible Conference.
Also pray with us for the upcoming classes of the Northern Arizona School of the Bible that are scheduled to begin in March.
Many of the Navajo churches are slow to reopen after this pandemic and we are hoping they will soon be able to once again begin the Dine Bible Institute on the Navajo Reservation. We have heard from some of the former students that are eager to be back in class. Pray with us for wisdom for the pastors to open the churches back up.
Pray: We have already been in contact with men that want to help again next summer in the construction of the radio station project in Thorne Bay, Alaska. We need to schedule their time in AK as they need to put in for vacation time at their jobs.
There is still no electric to the property and a diesel powered generator will cost around $6,000. Pray that electric will become available. It will eliminate this expense and will also allow us to broadcast through the night
as there is presently a restriction to running generators during the evening hrs to reduce the noise created by generators.
Thank you so much for your interest in our ministry and your participation by praying and giving financially.
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