This Issue

The Perfect Gift

La Vida Mission staff and students gather by school bell to wish you a happy and blessed New Year. Top Row L-R: Glori Williams, Warren Bredenkamp, Kudy and Loberta Jim, Southern Yazzie, Jerdino Arthur, Jamie Benally, Diondra Todachinnie, Roedino Arthur, Norla Chee, David and Cindy Boatwright, Waheem Platero, Danny Williams, Bob Blair, Betty Smith. Bottom Row L-R: Brannon Jones, Jensen Benally, Nick Padilla, Lane Plummer, Arickis Yazzie and Casey. (Inset Ken Baxter and Charity Garcia. Students not pictured are Nathan and Jacob Pioche and Deidra Todachinnie; staff members not pictured are Ken Baxter, Barbara Bredenkamp, Charity Garcia, and Jerome & Marianita Shorty.

Did you ever seek the perfect gift for a loved one at Christmas, for a birthday, or for another special occasion? It’s incredibly difficult to please everyone, but we try.

We search malls, the internet, catalogs, and advertisements to suggest to us such a gift. If we consider each person in our lives and what they really need, it cannot be packaged up and tied with a bow.

Such things as peace, hope, joy, comfort, or healing from sickness are out of our power to bestow in a package. As Christians we know that, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17) and only He can supply them.

If someone asked you what you would like to receive in 2007, what would you say? Can you receive it from another person?

At La Vida we are blessed with faithful donors and student sponsors who meet our operating expenses and students’ physical needs. Board members take time to look for additional staff and raise donations, enabling the Mission to operate. Staff members work many hours to teach and minister to students and the community at large.

The checks, bedding, clothing, school supplies, toys, food, letters and especially the prayers are most gratefully received and appreciated by everybody at La Vida.

While all of this help is important we realize that the Perfect Gift has already been given to us. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:15

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Mission Update

We eagerly await the January 2007 arrival of new staff members to fill positions of boys’ and girls’ house parents and clinic nurse practitioner. When our answers to prayer arrive and are settled, they will be introduced to you in Navajo News.

Loma Linda dental students served students, staff and Navajo community December 19–21 and will be here again March 19, 20 and 21.

ASI (Adventist-Layman’s Services and Industies) Update will promote La Vida Mission in an upcoming winter issue. We are grateful for their support and encouragement.

Students have had two ten-day cycles back to back since the end of Thanksgiving break on November 27. During weekend stays they have completed Pathfinder honors, done holiday crafts and prepared food baskets for community families. Each Sabbath at the Mission includes a nature hike, lead by Bob Blair, following church services and community potluck.

A snow fall and an extreme cold spell at the Mission caused several power outages on campus last month. During these times we praise the Lord for warm houses,wood stoves, kerosene lamps and the generator.

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Change in Navajo News production

Because Ben Franklin Press in Tempe, Arizona, and One Stop Mail in Phoenix, Arizona, will now print and mail Navajo News, and because La Vida Mission staff is taking a much needed break during Christmas vacation, there may be a one month gap in newsletter production. Going to a printer and mailer in Arizona is more cost and time effective. We are grateful to Barbara Willis, the development director of Holbrook Indian School in Arizona, for introducing us to the reasonably-priced, technologically-updated production used by Holbrook. Since Ben Franklin Press is aware that our budget (as Holbrook’s) depends on donors who depend on Navajo News to keep them up to date on the Mission’s projects and progress, they are very careful to get the newsletter out in a timely manner.

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Pathfinders involved in community outreach

Adventurer Jamie arranges one of many Christmas baskets full of food, personal hygiene items, and decorations to go to community families.

Adventurer Jerdino clears snowoff the cafeteria stairs for those preparing holiday baskets.

Waheem Platero and Caleb Pioche play with garlands to be put into a food basket.

Warren Bredenkamp, Charity Garcia and Lane Plummer, load La Vida van with items to distribute.

Ara and his mother, Stella, appreciate the clothes, toys, household and food items delivered by Pathfinders. Stella takes in foster children and has as many as six children at a time in her home.

Pathfinders Arickis, Lane, Brannon, Jake, Nick and Diondra at Stella’s home.

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Christmas in a new light

By Glori Williams

(L-R) Arickis and Jacob carry cross duringChristmas play practice.

We began planning science lessons, brainstorming ideas for Outdoor School and ended up writing a rough outline of the Christmas Play.

How did planning science lessons and Outdoor School end up as a Christmas play outline? Our Science curriculum provides wonderful opportunities to integrate faith and learning, pointing students to God’s second book, Nature, showing students the real reasons for studying science.

We thought of how Jesus taught His disciples lessons from daily life experiences and natural objects, so that they would always remember these lessons while simply living life. How can we provide our students with the same kind of learning experience? How can we present Jesus to them so that they will listen to His teachings, and live by them? They must have a reason, a good reason…maybe a “reason for the season”? Then it “clicked”. The reason for the season is that God sent His Son, the greatest teacher the world has ever known, to be a living sacrifice for the salvation of all who will learn from Him.

“Learn from Me…for I am meek and lowly”, Jesus said, and we remember how He condescended to leave the King’s throne and become a man, in the fallen state, from the very first life stage, a baby. Not a baby pampered in luxury, but a baby boy born in a stable and cradled in a manger.

What does this mean to us? What does this mean to our students? Just a baby like any other baby? Lots of food, gifts, snow and decorations on Christmas day? Why a baby?

Every student was excited and pleased as they opened gifts from their sponsors at a Christmas party following play practice

We knew that if Christmas was to mean anything different to our students and if they were to have a lifechanging experience, we must present the truth about this baby, the whole story.

What was the significance of a baby laid in a manger? After all, haven’t many babies been born in the lowest conditions all through the history of this world? If they don’t know the whole story of what happened before and after this baby was born, it will never mean anything else to them than a baby in a manger as a Christmas decoration.

And so the idea for the LVM School Christmas Program was born: the history of redemption, the great controversy.

The play is divided in seven scenes that depict the story of our salvation from the war in heaven to the resurrection of Jesus. Staff and students take the roles of God the Father and the Son, Lucifer and the angels in heaven, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, Joseph and Mary in the inn, and Boy Jesus in the woodshop, the Man Jesus at the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, where all exclaim in a final majestic “He is alive!”

There is music, dialogue, narration, costumes, and a stage set according to the scene being represented, all illuminated by a set of lights that one continued from page 3 of our students discovered at just the right time in the chapel.

We planned, rehearsed, prepared and looked forward to the moment when we would be able to share with parents, friends and community members the whole truth we discovered, the real story behind the manger, and how the baby in it is truly the “reason for the season”.

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Flu bug postpones skit

Jamie, Danny Williams, Kudy, Loberta and Diedra practice for Thanksgiving skit put on by the lower grades.

Danny Williams’ first to third grade classes presented a Thanksgiving skit for all willing to attend on prayer meeting Tuesday—but it had to be done following Thanksgiving break. Illness among students and staff made it necessary to close school and send boys and girls home early to allow everyone to heal for next school session.

Nathan Pioche (center) raps his judge’s gavel in favor of the turkeys during a make-believe court session. Jerdino (left) and Waheem assent to the decision.

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In Memory of

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Bulletin Board

Positions to Fill:

• Boys’ dean(s) starting Aug. of 2007
• Cook
• Secretary/Receptionist
• Bible Worker
• Maintenance Director

La Vida Needs:

• Pathfinder/Adventurer uniforms
• Water coolers w/removable, refillable bottle for student homes
• Digital projector for school

Special Thanks to:

• Our Heavenly Father for provding our needs.
• ASI for large donation to improve our water system
• Boys’ and girls’ houseparents
• Student sponsors and their contributions, prayers and letters.
• Polly Vicars for ladies clothing
• Ted, Sussie and Mindy Thompson for school supplies, clothes and iron
• Beverly Reed for teddy bears, clothing and bedding
• Elsie Williams for large box of stuffed animals
• Sandy Davis for clothing.
• Mr. & Mrs. John L. Stewart for fleece blankets with sewn-in stuffed animals
• Dr. William Swart for box of men’s sweaters

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