Ya'at'eeh!

Hello, in Navajo! I've returned from an amazing week in Utah. I've been home for almost two days, but I don't remember much of them. I guess that is what happens when you spend seven nights sleeping on the floor with teenagers. I do remember Daddy and KK meeting me at the church. KK came running to me with her arms outstretched and her pony-less hair flowing in the breeze. (Her hair grew while I was away!!!) I have never seen anything more beautiful than her running towards me with Daddy close behind! : )

So what did I do last week? I chaperoned a group of 30 high school students on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation. I was also a small group leader for four amazing young ladies throughout the week. While the mission trip was coordinated by the company I used to work for, and I used to go on these mission trips as a staff member, this time I was there purely on a volunteer basis as a youth group chaperone. I loved it, and actually prefer it to being on the staff! Here are pictures of the youth group I went with and of my small group: (We took the group to Elitch Gardens on our way to camp)

Here are "my" girls, Jodi, Kelsey, Kaitlyn and Challys. (Ugh, I look so old!!!) Once we arrived at camp, I was teamed up with five young people from different youth groups (there were a total of 400 people at the camp) and we were assigned a work project for the week. My work crew consisted of three 16 year old boys, and two young women - 18 and 25. We re-roofed, stucco-patched, and primed and painted a house for an elderly Navajo woman named Lucy. Here are some photos of my work crew and the people we served: Jeremy, Mike, Virgil (hidden, Lucy's son), Lucy, Nick, Me, Sarah (in front), and Elise
Back: Mike, Elise, Virgil (son), Roy (son-in-law), Nick.
Front: Me, Sarah, Jeremy.

The last picture was taken on Thursday after Roy had talked to us about the Navajo culture and showed us some of his prayer fans made of Eagle and Hawk feathers. This was a huge milestone, as the week didn't start out all that great. There is an obvious mistrust of outsiders, and an almost-as-obvious undertone of dislike and contempt. When we arrived, we were met by Roy who told us we couldn't go into the house, and that we could use the outhouse "over there" with a wave of the hand. That was pretty much it. After a couple of days of watching us work in the 100+ degree heat, the family started to see that we were really there to work. They came around us more, teased the boys about missing their girlfriends, and invited us into the house to see pictures of the family and to meet Lucy. One day, the two sons were going to take their mother into town for lunch but she changed her mind because it was too hot. They still wanted to go, and they asked if I would look after their mother while they were gone. This was a HUGE honor and I was happy to do it. I brought her lunch, and she slowly said "thank you" to me in English. These were the only words she said to me all week and yet they filled my heart completely because I knew it wasn't easy for her. Here are some pictures of the work we did:
Front Before:
Front After:
Back Before:
Back After:
Side Before:

Side After:
The roof was completed almost exclusively by the three 16 year old boys. We had help on the first day from our local support team who got the shingles on the roof using a hydraulic lift (Thank GOD!! Those suckers are heavy!) Other than that, they only stopped by once a day to make sure we were doing things right. I was so proud of how hard these boys worked! The girls...well...they made sure the dogs were pet and the sheep were watered and they played with the granddaughters when it wasn't too hot for them to be outside. Once the roof was done the boys slowed down quite a bit too - but they worked hard on the roof and that was awesome. I must say that I was most impressed by Mike - he worked hard the entire week (he's Japanese, not Native American, just in case you were wondering. Everyone kept asking which tribe he was from and he thought that was hysterical even though he truly does look Native American.) Here is the proud threesome after they got the last nail into the roof. When we completed the work on Friday I went to say goodbye to Roy, the son-in-law who had greeted us on Monday. He reached out to shake my hand and then surprised me by pulling me in for a long hug. I almost lost it and I knew that all of the work had been worth it. On Friday night, we were honored once again by the entire family (minus Roy) coming to our last program at the school we were staying at. It was kind of loud, so Lucy didn't have much fun, but I was really proud to be sitting with this amazing family who allowed us to be with them for a week. Our crew with Lucy's family members from right: Colonel (son), Alberta (daughter), Jacinda and Naomi (granddaughters), Virgil (son), and Lucy.

Finally, meet Sophie. Sophie is...I mean was...a Rez dog (puppy) who found her way into our sleeping room - along with her 32 ticks, fleas, and no-doubt worms - and ended up smuggled in the back seat of my car on the way home after our main leader told the kids she could NOT come home with us. Sneaky girls. The mom of one of our youth group members is a vet and she got the honors of bringing Sophie home. She sure is cute, but I'm glad she's not mine!

It was an amazing week! KK had a great time with Daddy, Grandma, and other friends and family - so hopefully they'll let me go to camp again next summer! : )