March 11, 2013

Lessons from Mission Life

The mission compound.

     The Torreon Navajo Mission is surrounded by barren landscape. It is a dry area; filled with sagebrush, tumbleweeds, cacti, and junipers. It is an impoverished land. However, it has it's own beauty. There is nowhere on earth that displays such clear blue skies. At night the stars are magnificently bright. The people there are much like the land. They are an empty people; filled with despair, dependence, and addiction. Yet, they also possess a beauty that is all their own. They are easygoing and generous. They have their problems and struggles just as any person does, yet they were created in God's image and each is special and unique.

     The mission has had many different services to offer the Navajo people. Currently the primary service is the school. It is a private school that provides training for kindergarten through 12th grade. Presently there are 41 students enrolled.  Another service is the church. There have been hundreds of funerals conducted in the mission church. Sometimes up to five burials are conducted a month. Most of which are directed by the staff. There has also been a handful of weddings coordinated there. In addition there is a shop where small services such as air and small auto jobs can be conducted. Another service is a visitation program that is conducted in the winter and sometimes in the summer. The staff will go to a home of a person that is sick, needs encouragement, or simply a person with which to talk. They also sell water; which is greatly needed. Many of the Navajos don't have running water in their homes, and the water at the mission is necessary for many people. One more service that is given is foster care. There has often been children staying on the mission compound when the parents couldn't care for them. Most of the time the parents are alcoholics and the children need a safe place to live and grow. The visits are sometimes less than a week, but are frequently for months at a time.

     The mission lifestyle is a hard way of living, and God's calling must be upon a person for him or her to be content in it. The lifestyle is lonely, and emotionally draining. However, it has many, many rewards that come with it. The lifestyle is isolated. To get to the closest city from the mission is an hour drive, and sometimes the staff doesn't get to town for months. Many of the staff there have family in many other parts of the county. While their family does make it down to the mission, the visits are rare and far in between. It is also draining to teach in the school and watch the children with the knowledge of the conditions in which many of them live. It is exhausting to teach until three and then go home and be interrupted constantly by people coming in for air, water, the use of the phone or simply a listening ear. In spite of all these hardships the staff labor on. They work because they know that God has called them to the lifestyle that they are living. They feel the conflict and pain but can also see the rewards of the work. The children are learning and are seeing Jesus Christ through the staff. The strife is great, but the rewards are greater
     The time at the mission was a growing time for my. Not only in my personal experience, but in my future career. I honed many skills that will help in my future teaching. I learned how to better communicate lessons to the children. I saw different teaching styles in the teachers. I learned to much to write in one paper. However, every skill I honed or learned will help me in the future. The time there strengthened my desire to become a teacher.

                                 

Paul Skiles teaching a high-school math class.         Sarah Skiles grading papers.

     Paul Skiles was born in New Mexico and grew up at the mission. His parents ran the mission for over 40 years. He has spent all of his life serving there. After his father retired from serving, Paul took over leading the mission staff. Sarah was born in Indiana and first came down when she was a young adult. She met Paul and they fell in love, and eventually married. They have served at the mission for years and know the people there very well. Paul is the principal at the school. He also teaches all high-school math classes as well as biology. He is also a college English teacher at the CNM campus in Albuquerque. He is the pastor of the church on the compound and has conducted many of the funerals. Sarah is the head of the learning center which consists of grades 3 through 12. She grades papers and makes sure each student finishes the required work.

     This couple has given their entire lives to the Navajo people. They illustrate that often a Christian must give up his or her life for the Lord's sake. In their case they didn't physically give up their lives. Yet, they have willingly sacrificed their time and dreams for God. They have served for years. They have taught, mentored, assisted, and loved the people. The lives of Paul and Sarah Skiles are exemplified by Romans 12:10-13, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." They have obeyed this verse perfectly and are excellent examples of how to serve God. They are following God's call on their lives. They have done much for the people and the Navajos are much better off because of what Paul and Sarah Skiles have given to them.

     I have learned much about service from Paul and Sarah Skiles. In the future I wish to grow to be more like them. They have shown me how to serve successfully, and I hope to achieve the heart for service they possess. Ignatius Loyola described service well, 

"Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest:

 To give and not to count the cost; 

To fight and not heed the wounds;

To toil and not to seek for rest;

To labor and not ask for any reward

Save that of knowing that we do Thy will.

     This describes Paul and Sarah's life flawlessly. The quote also describes my thought during my service perfectly. I hope that my life will follow this quote. I hope in my old age I can say I followed this quote.

Jason Carpenter listens to a student            Sheena Carpenter teaches an elementary

    reciting scripture.                                                  math class.    

      

     Jason Carpenter came to New Mexico from Indiana to serve at the mission when he was a young man. He fell in love with the land and the Navajo people, and has served at the mission since. Sheena grew up in a typical Navajo home. She went to school at the mission and made the decision to follow Jesus Christ there. The mission made such an impact on her that she decided to volunteer there after she graduated. Jason and Sheena were married in the mission church and have served at the mission since. Currently they are caring for a young foster boy named David.

     Jason is both the assistant principal in the school, and a minister in the church. He has recently begun conducting funerals and also handles the mechanical things at the mission. He  repairs the mission vehicles; which include a school bus, two vans, a mini-van, a tractor, and a truck. He also teaches both the high-school boys' Bible class and their PE class. Sheena teaches 3rd through 6th grade math classes and all drama classes. She also assists Sarah in running the learning center. Another of her many responsibilities is teaching two PE classes.

     They are serving God in their prime. They show how God's will for us is often not glamorous or dramatic. They can say along with the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 10:33, "Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." They are not serving at the mission so that they can feel good, or gain riches and admiration. They are serving because they desire many to be saved. They are serving in one of the least well-know parts of the world. The land isn't beautiful or desirable. They aren't having adventures or meeting celebrities. They aren't becoming rich or famous, but they are serving God and saving souls and that is the best job that exists anywhere.

     Jason and Sheena Charpenter have shown me how to serve humbly and with the correct attitude. They have demonstrated to me what is truly important and how to be content with the job God gives to me.

Abbey Hawbaker practices counting with two of her

kindergarten students.

     2012 is Abbey Hawbaker's 8th year of service at the mission. In that time she has taught two kindergarten classes, directed countless Bible classes, held hundreds of Sunday school classes, driven thousands of miles collecting people for church services, kept two foster girls, taught several vacation Bible schools, hosted hundreds of visitors, swept up pounds of dirt, pulled hundreds of weeds, and did many, many other tasks. While many other girls her age have already been to college and have a job and a family Abbey has been serving her Lord at the mission.

     Her present predominant job is her kindergarten class, however, she also teaches a Bible class, runs a van for the routes on both Sunday and Wednesday, teaches a Sunday school, and does innumerable other menial task. She is a good example of how Christians must sometimes place their own dreams and wishes on hold so that they can fulfill God's pulling on their lives. Abbey has lived Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." She has given her time so that she can serve God. She doesn't have a husband, her own children, or a profitable job, but she does have children that love and admire her, a job that is changing lives for eternity, and the satisfaction that she is doing God's will for her. She has found what all desire, but few obtain.

     Abbey Hawbaker has taught me lessons about God's will. How His plan is better than my desires. How it is often important to let go of my wants in order to follow Him. I will remember these lessons for the rest of my life.

Grace Meyers teaching math to her second grade students.

     Grace Meyers is a relatively new addition to the mission team. This is only her second year of service. This year she is organizing the lower learning center. She copies Sarah, but on a smaller scale. While Sarah has thirty students Grace has ten. She grades papers, teaches all 1st and 2nd grade classes; including math and reading. She also teaches the high-school girls Bible class, and a Sunday school class. She drives the second route on Sundays and Wednesdays. She has many other duties that are too numerous to count.

     She is an example of how one need not go to a remote island or the depths of Africa to serve God. She is serving in the same country in which she was born. She has one sister within walking distance and another within an hours drive. Many think that to be a missionary one would need to leave one's home and country to serve. Grace contradicts this. She is following I Corinthians 7:17-24, "But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. ... Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. ... Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God" God wants us to serve where we are. Many times people see the need far away, yet can't see the need that is in their own backyard. Grace has seen the need and is working to meet it here in New Mexico.

     Grace has demonstrated how it is not mandatory to go to the deepest darkest jungles to serve God. I can serve God right in my back yard. The work will be just as difficult and challenging, and just as rewarding.

Deborah Hawbaker assists a student

with her English

     This is Deborah's first year in New Mexico. She is Abbey's sister and is following in her footsteps. This year she has the introductory jobs at the school. She aids in both the lower learning center and the learning center. She teaches both the youngest Bible class and their PE. She also has several janitorial jobs such as the trash and cleaning the vehicles. She is being tested and when she proves herself, she will be given larger responsibilities.

     Deborah Hawbaker is an illustration of how even the youngest believers can follow God's will for their lives. She has just recently turned 19 and will finish an entire year of service before she is even 20. The stories of Naaman's handmaid and David are tales that demonstrated God's delights in using the young and inexperienced to do his bidding. Similarly Deborah is showing that God takes pleasure when a youthful and untrained person avails himself or herself to follow his will. Paul write in I Timothy 4:12, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." It is plain that God wants the youth to serve him. He will use anyone.

     I have learned from Deborah. I don't need to wait until I am older to serve God. God wants to use me now. I will serve Him in my youth so that I can serve Him even better in my later years.

    There have been hundreds of missions through time. This mission is simply one. There have been millions of missionaries. The mission staff are just a few. There have been millions of lives changed. In Torreon there are simply a handful. Yet, every life made better, every individual changed, every person saved for eternity makes the effort worth everything. Those lives are what makes it worth the struggle. Every tear, every pain, every grief is worth it for one life changed.

     I had a very fulfilling time at the mission. It is quite difficult to single out one experience that was the best. I played, read, and ate with the children. I hope I helped, encouraged, and strengthened the staff. Probably one of the best experiences was eating lunch with the children every day. I got to know each child better. I talked with the children and watched them. I learned much by getting down on their level. To sit down and "put my feet up" with them in the middle of the day was simply a privilege. 

     If there was one thing I regret it is not doing more. I worked hard, but I wish I could do more. I want to do more in the future, and then maybe I will be content with what I accomplished. Even though that is what I want I doubt I will be able to accomplish it. I feel that I could never do enough for both God and those people. I will help in the future. Who knows? Maybe in the future I will give my life to the mission. Just as the current staff are doing.

     In the present time there constantly seems to be fewer and fewer individuals that desire to fulfill God's calling. They would rather follow their own wishes and desires. The mission staff are living examples of people that desire to fulfill God's plan. They are teaching classes, running routes, conducting funerals, preaching sermons, loving children, helping, serving, mentoring, and saving souls. Someday I hope to come along side of them and serve with them.

      They have lessons to teach the world. Christians need to follow Christ's words in Matthew 16,  "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.' " The mission staff is doing this. We Christian need to do the same. We must lay down your lives for God's sake. The staff will receive their reward. If we do likewise we too will hear God say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord."

 The Young Believers

The above children are the five young believers in the mission school.  

     Erica is a second generation student. Her father went to the school. Her father became a believer during his time in the school, and is currently a treasurer in our church, and is working as a propane deliverer and is the volunteer fire chief in the community. Her mother came to the mission to volunteer there. They married and both served together at the mission for several years during which Erica was born. Erica was baptized last summer and is growing stronger in her Christian faith. 

     Ashanti has been a Christian for just under a year. She was baptized this summer. She comes to from a broken home. Her parents live in the same house but aren't married and both drink extensively. They have four children together of whom Ashanti is the oldest. At 11 years old she has the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. Her mother has begun coming to church regularly and hopefully her daughter will show the light of Jesus to her. Ashanti has shown a great determination to stick with her faith. She has shown great faith already.

     Shawna is a recent addition to the Torreon community. Her family moved down here from Iowa just this summer. Shortly after relocating she expressed a desire to be saved, and was baptized along with the other three this summer. Her father was a staff member several years ago. After volunteering here he went back to Iowa. He married and had three children. After the third was born his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Several months later Shawna's mother died. Later Shawna's father remarried and recently has added two more children to their family. Shawna is growing in her Christian faith and is maturing into a godly woman.

     Kenneth became a Christian at the same time as Ashanti and was baptized along with her. He is also a second generation student. His father went to the mission when he was young. His parents are not believers and he can be found attending church alone. He has three younger siblings and is frequently caring for them. I am personally his Christian mentor. I have been given the responsibility of guiding him in his faith. I have been working with him and have seen him grow. He has the potential to be a great light in one of the darkest areas of the community.

     Elijah became a Christian along with Kenneth and Ashanti and was baptized with the others. He is adopted. He lives with his adopted mother. His sister is a current staff member. He is a very outgoing person and one of the most popular boys in the school. He will need a lot of guidance and mentoring in his Christian faith. However, he has shown get promise in becoming a great pillar of the community.

     One Sunday a staff member approached me and asked if I would like to help with a discipleship class for these students. It would be a class where they would be strengthened, encouraged, and built up. They would be able to learn, ask questions, and laugh. We have the class once a month and have had two so far. I would like the class to be a time of growth for the students. They need help and the staff and I are giving them that.
     Erica. Ashanti. Shawna. Kenneth. Elijah. They are the beaming lights of the school. They are growing into godly men and women, and hopefully will continue on the path they are walking.

The Reward of Helping

     The above collage consist of the pictures the staff graciously took of me while I practiced reading with the children. Working with the children gives me the opportunity to watch them improve their skills. Seeing them gain proficiency in academics is truly rewarding. These children will be adults in just a few years and will need the skills they learn in the mission school. They will be parents and leaders.  Perhaps they will become doctors or politicians. Wherever God places them they will need the abilities they mastered at the mission school. It is a privilege to help them along their journey.

     I also tutored in math, science, english, spelling, writing, and history. The mission school has a rewards system that was in progress the two weeks I was there. The students have four to six workbooks. Each of which needs to be completed within three weeks. The third week the rewards of finishing begin to be reaped. On Monday if a child has finished the necessary requirements a ribbon is place over their desk. The ribbon shows who is finished and who still needs to work. Starting on Wednesday the children without ribbons aren't allowed to go to break or participate in extracurricular activities. On Friday the children with ribbons are given a special dessert for lunch. Part of the tutoring task involved helping the students without ribbons achieve the goal. It was a pleasure to watch the children receive their ribbons. Sarah (a supervisor in the school, of whom I will discuss later) mentioned to me that there were more ribbons in the school that week than she had seen in a long time. I had the privilege to help several students achieve that goal. Many of the students at the mission are academically challenged or are distracted incredibly easily. They simply need an extra push to be able to achieve their goals. Often the mission staff are incredibly busy and can't set aside the time needed to give those students that extra push. It does take work, but the work was worth it. I felt fulfilled during my time there. It was nice to eat with the children on Friday and watch them eat their treat. (This time it was apple pie with vanilla ice-cream.) 

 

Balance of Teacher and Friend

     After school on Wednesdays at the mission the staff are encouraged to keep groups of children for games and supper. These are the boys I kept. Interacting with them brought the issue that all teachers eventually deal with. This issue is a topic that in recent years has become one of the most discussed issues in the educational circles. 

     Some contend that many students have a hard enough time at home. They don't need more strict models in their lives. They claim that teachers should be buddies with their students, go easy on them and try to make their school life as fun and loving as possible.

Others assert that in the present times children are not getting the authority they need to thrive. They admit that children should be loved and not abused. Yet they contend

                                            that if authority figures aren't commanding, then children will see no need to obey them                                                                                           and in the end possess little if any respect for authority. Teachers should not be friends

                                            with their students. They should be mentors and leaders.

                                                   My time at the mission helped me to formulate my opinion about the issue. First

                                            of all I strongly feel that the family is falling apart. Children are not receiving the

                                            authority they need to thrive. A child craves rules. Though they often rebel against the                          

                                           rules, children that live in a structured environment are much more successful 

                                           than those that don't. Because children are not receiving the control they need at

                                           home teachers must help to counteract that. They must be leaders and trainers first

                                           and for most. 

     On the other hand the teachers job is to prepare the students for life. One way to do this is to participate in nonacademic areas.  To do this a teacher must know the students on a personal level. There is a balance that every successful teacher must find. A balance between teacher and friend. I was not friends with the students during school, however after school I could interact with them. I could get down on their level and get to know them better. Not as students, but a people in their own right. Tracy is always happy. Even when complaining, he has a smile on his face. Daylon is very smart and witty. He excels in school and has a great sense of humor. Dakota is the cool dude. He is quite athletic, and always trying to impress his friends. Abram is the leader of the pack. He likes to be different, and isn't afraid to state his opinion.

Balance of Teacher and Friend Part 2

     The River of Lights is an event in the Albuquerque area that is fun to go to every December. A bio park sets up Christmas lights and people can stroll through them. Jason and Sheena were taking the high school students and asked if I would like to come. While I was there my mind wandered towards the problem I was thinking of earlier. The balance of teacher and friend. Walking with the teens I thought about how to be friendly while maintaining the leader atmosphere. Being friendly and being a friend are two very different things.

      A teacher needs to be friendly. If he is not, the classroom will be much more restricting and the student won't be able to learn at their fullest capacity. By doing simple acts such as learning the students' names, history, and aptitudes the teacher will be able to create an environment in which students can be taught affectively. It is important to know the students. All students are different and one lesson won't be successful for all of them. It is also important to know what the students are adept at doing. For example, if a student is talented at speaking the teacher should use that for the best of the student. Give the student extra work that involves speaking and maybe a little less work on writing if that is the students weakness. A teacher would be able to learn all of these useful tidbits simply by being friendly with the students

    Although being friendly is important it should not be taken to the extreme. If a teacher is excessively friendly the classroom will look more like a party. There will be little order and no actual learning. Order is necessary. A friend isn't able to create learning. Many toddlers play school. If one were to watch several children playing school, it would quickly become evident that there is little, if any, learning and no order. A friend rarely teaches a friend. A classroom would be the same way. If the students think of the teacher as only a friend there no need to listen or obey that teacher. Friends are on the same level. If a student sees himself on the same level as the teacher, the authority flies out the door. A friend has no authority.
   
     Teachers need to be friendly. They do not need to be friends. A teacher needs to see the students as valuable members of society. A student needs to see authority in the teacher. If there is an extreme in either area the classroom won't function correctly.

My Mission to Children

       Jesus loves the little children

       All the little children of the world

      Red and yellow, black and white

    All are precious in His sight.

     Introduction:     I am writing this blog as a requirement for a current class. I will be volunteering at the Torreon Mission and will be placing posts here.

     I will be tutoring students in Spelling, Science, Math, and English. For a lot of the students there, English is their second language and they need special help in it. I will be helping third to sixth grade students practice reading. I will be organizing after school activities for a small group of students once a week. I will also fulfill any needs that might arise during my time there, such as supervising on field trips and presiding over the class room in the absence of the regular supervisor. 

     The Torreon Navajo Mission's vision is to save the souls of the Navajo people by teaching, serving, and ministering to them. A majority of the Navajo people live in poverty, and most of the children are living in broken homes. The school's mission statement is contained in the verse Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

     Parents, and especially fathers, in our current world are not fulfilling their God given responsibilities. They are not being the examples, mentors, and leaders God calls them to be. In recent studies it has been proven that the average working parent spends 30 seconds a week of face to face time. 25% percent of American children are growing up in homes headed by a single mother. These children are lacking a male role model. It is a proven fact that children without a male role have lower grades, higher rates of drugs, alcohol, and suicides, and more behavior and emotional problems. I hope to help change this. I want to be an example to many children.

Touching Notes

     After a Wednesday of assisting in the school I was playing games with a couple of the boys that were in the 2nd grade. After a couple hours that consisted of several activities, such as Jenga, rollerblading, and a hike, I was preparing a supper for the boys before church that night. The boys were playing out in the assembly room when one of them came and asked me if they could have a piece of paper and some pencils. I automatically thought they wanted to draw a picture. Anyway I got them the paper and pencils and went back to work on supper. After a couple of minutes these slid under the door.

     The top note is from a boy that has had many demonic influences on his life. He is growing up in a home that is tearing apart at the seems. Yet this young boy still has the mission and the staff as positive influences. The staff, and the Lord they serve, have helped him not let the evil overcome him. This young student is known for the humor he bestows on others. (Often without even trying to.) He is also known to love the song "Jesus Loves Me." His life has been touched dramatically by the mission. Hopefully in the future he will come to know Jesus as his personal Savior. God willing, the evil around him will not overcome him. The staff have had a tremendous influence on this young boy. God is touching his life.

     The second note is from a boy with over six siblings, four of which go to the school at the mission. This boy lives in a very dark area of Torreon. His family is associated with a cult that often tries to connect with the spirit world. Yet he is coming to a Christian school and is watching the lives of committed Christians as they interact with his people. Recently he has begun to come to church quite regularly. He is learning right from wrong. The staff have been a great example for him. He is growing. God is touching his life.

     These are only two of the many many examples of lives that have been touched by the mission. When I got these notes I realized that the torch has been passed. There is a new generation of Navajos to serve and there is a new generation of staff to undertake that service. In the future I hope to influence the next generation of Navajos.