This Issue (June, 2007)

La Vida Update

Mission activities take on a new rhythm in summer when boarding students leave for vacation. It’s not slower, but it is quieter. The schedule is juggled so a limited staff can cover office duties, attend camp meetings, plan Sabbath church services, host visitors, prepare for 2007-08 school year, take vacations, clean buildings etc.

After saying goodbye to Charity Garcia, Warren and Barbara Bredenkamp and David and Ann Katrine James, our summer staff dwindled down to nine people plus a student helper. Prayerfully consider our staff openings on page 3.

First item crossed off the summer project list was moving the office from a renovated house on the east end of campus to the cafeteria/dorm building on the west side of campus, close to the church. Mail boxes need a “house” at the new office site so we are still using the old office as a post office. An addition will be built outside the new office, hopefully before school begins.

Vacation Bible school, run by the Florida Pathfinders, was the outreach highlight of summer. Crafts, songs, games, lunch and many new ways to introduce our community children to Jesus highlighted the five-day effort. Pathfinders flew into Albuquerque and spent two days visiting Window Rock, Holbrook and Grand Canyon, Arizona.

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Memories of last month’s snow (above) were still fresh as we experienced an abundance of wildflowers (below) brought on by a wet winter.

Photos requested

If you own one of Barbara Starrett’s paintings and would be willing for it to be used in a book of her paintings, please send a clear photograph of it and state whether you wish your name used as owner or wish to remain anonymous.

Those contributing to this project wil be sent a free copy of the compilation.

To those who ordered or wish to order Barbara’s book, Circle of Light, it is getting closer to being available. Apologies for the unexpected delays. The book on CD will be ready soon.

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Emphasis on compost

Emphasis in the agriculture program this summer will be on making compost.

An engine overhaul on our small 25 hp tractor is nearly complete and it will soon be powering a hammermill to chop compost materials.

When we are ready to ammend the soil in our sodium reduction program, compost will be one of the main ingredients.

Since we don’t have finances to purchase the lime and other minerals needed, we are concentrating on what we can do, and that is make compost. Hopefully some of you will contribute toward our agriculture needs and we can have two new greenhouses before winter. Mark your donation agriculture fund.

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School given award

La Vida Mission School received the Crownpoint Area STAR Award, from Navajo Coordinated School Health, for successful implementation of programs before receiving any funding.

Bulletin Board

Positions to Fill:

• Administrator
• Cook
• Teacher
• Administrative Assistant
• Bible Worker
• Plant Services Director
• Boys’Dean(s) beginning in Aug.

La Vida Needs:

• School office shredder
• Farm tractor, 60+ hp with PTO

Special Thanks to:

• Our Heavenly Father for providing our needs
• Faithful donors who support LVM with prayers, financial and other donations.
• Student sponsors and their contri butions, prayers and letters
• Mark Duke of Apex & Robert E. Lee Moving and Storage for a spinning wheel and two sets of hand cards for Arts and Crafts Class students
• Karen Kennedy for a spinning wheel
• Jocelyn Fay of R&H Publishing Assn.for Sing for Joy & He Is Our Song song books
• George Rawlins, Rawlins Office Machines for printer ink cartridges
• M. Mehner for children’s clothing
• Ted, Sussie & Mindy Thompson for toys & clothing
• Debra Kearnes for four boxes of clothing
• Natalie Dodd for fabric, clothing, school supplies, bedding, and crafting items
• Elsie Williams for clothing, bedding, crocheted hats

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New Donors

Ruby Bechtel
Calvin & Ellen Ferguson
Barbara Huston
Sharon Isaac
Patricia & C. William Rouse

Before Outdoor School, La Vida Mission students, teachers and several staff joined in three miles of Walking Together for a Healthier Nation. They hiked from Whitehorse Lake Chapter area to Crownpoint Wellness Center. Middle & right are students Southern and Arick falling into step with an unknown participant to their left.

Box tops needed

La Vida Mission Elementary School no longer collects product labels but does take advantage of the Box Tops for Education program. Thank you for taking time to save and send your box tops.

In Memory of

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Sprouted wheat bread

Doctor Willis Dick wrote a note commenting about Bob and David’s sprouted wheat bread. He was interested in the recipe and we thought some of you would be, too.

Rinse a pint of dry wheat berries and put to soak in a quart container filled to the top with clean water. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of three days. Seven days is better.

After soaking, check that wheat kernels are moistened through and through by chewing one or two kernels. There should be no crunch at all. Do not pour off the water. Measure one cup of the soaked wheat (with water) and place in a blender. Add one tablespoon of honey and blend, working up the speed gradually to high, adding only just enough water to keep the blender from bogging down. When the wheat is thoroughly liquefied, pour into a bowl and do the same with the rest of the wheat.

Let stand in a warm place until the whole mixture is warm to the touch. Add 3 tablespoons of yeast, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup of vital gluten flour, 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup of potato flakes and whip with a large spoon or electric mixer for about five minutes or until your arm gives out. Put the sponge back in its warm place until the yeast makes it all bubbly.

After the sponge has risen, sprinkle 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt on top and 1/2 cup of freshly ground whole wheat flour and begin mixing with a spoon, gradually adding whole wheat flour until a dough is formed. Turn onto a floured surface and begin kneeding, gradually adding little bits of flour each time the dough sticks to your hands.

The tendency is to rush this phase because it is a lot of work. If you have an electric mixer, mix fast and add flour slowly until the dough come clean from the sides of the bowl, then mix a little longer.

If you are kneeding by hand, follow the same procedure and kneed more than you think is necessary and add flour more slowly than you think you need to. This ensures that the gluten is worked up sufficiently so that you have a light loaf in spite of the whole grain. It also ensures that the moisture in the dough is completely dispersed through the flour so that you don’t have dry bread.

Let the dough rise (back in that warm spot) until twice its size, then punch it down and form three loaves. Let the loaves rise double in size and put in a 400 degree oven for about forty-five minutes. The honey will darken the crust so don’t let that beguile you into taking the bread out before it is fully baked. It will be hard to resist the urge to cut off a crust to test it with butter before it cools.

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Deidra and Jamie listen carefully as Charity Garcia unfolds a Bible story on the shores of Blue Water Lake during Outdoor School/ Wilderness Way Sabbath services. La Vida Mission church members and friends joined the students for a Sabbath at the lake.

Arickis and Jake served at Lake Valley Senior Center when LVM 5-7th gradeers brought literature and read to elderly visitors at the facility.

Sponsorship update

Dear Sponsors, The last two months of school seem to be the busiest. We have field trips, Wilderness Way, tests, and an art fair and book sale. That’s just for the kids. There are also meetings and reports from teachers due.

I hope to have the kids write an end-of-the-year letter to their sponsors, but I hope you won’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t happen. For now, here’s an update on several students.

Kindergartner, Roedino, has grown three inches since school started. Oddly, his clothes still fit. He needed new shoes though, and his sponsor came through and he got a new pair before he went home. The ones he received from the Tribal Clothing Program fell apart in a month. Not like when I received Tribal Clothing when I was in 6th grade. I got brown loafers, I hated them, but had to wear them for two years. They wouldn’t wear out!

This month we visited the Farmington Animal Shelter. They had a full house. One dog had a litter of puppies and three cats had kittens. We learned that the shelter really needs shredded paper. If anyone can donate a paper shredder to the school, it’s an easy way our kids can contribute to the animal shelter. We have plenty of scrap paper to shred. We did take the animals some toys and blankets. One thing I discovered -- I’m puppies, Roedino is kittens.

Jerdino received a Christmas gift certificate. It was meant for a coat, but since he received a coat from the Tribal Clothing Program, I held onto it. He finally spent it on camping gear, which he used during Wilderness Way. He was supposed to send a thank you, but in case he didn’t, thank you to his sponsors.

I’m very pleased that most of the students received letters between holidays from their sponsors. I tried to keep tabs and get students to write back, and to write thank you’s. I know I missed some and hope that this will not deter anyone from sponsoring next year. This year’s sponsors will receive a form and a SASE, so we know how many sponsors we can begin the year with. The minimal cost of a room/board and education per child is $100 per month, and if the average sponsor sends $20 a month, we hope to have five sponsors per child next year.

Thank you for all your support for the kids.

Norla Chee

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