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This Issue (November, 2007)Positions to fill and special thanks. In memory of... La Vida UpdateIt is time to say "bye for now" to David and Cindy Boatwright. David has worked in many different capacities here at the mission, and Cindy has been our newsletter editor and PR contact. I, for one, will especially miss Cindy as I have worked with her in the office and found her always helpful and gracious. We pray that God will continue to bless and guide them until the day He comes to call us home. La Vida historyDon't you just love to read old stories? I enjoy reading articles from years ago and seeing what has changed and what is still the same. From the January 23, 1968 issue of the "Central Union Reaper", an article about Christmas at La Vida Mission begins: "In spite of the storm and snow, Santa found his way to La Vida Mission this year, on the eve of December 19, just in time to deliver a large load of gifts for the students before they were to return home for the holidays. The gifts were contributed by four groups in the Denver area -- Mile High Chaper Women's Auxillary of Alumni Association Loma Linda University School of Medicine; the staff of Porter Memorial Hospital; the Colorado Conference office staff; and Mile High Academy. It was a big occasion to those who have had so little in life, and the lovely gifts will provide many happy hours of entertainment in the winter evenings to come. The following day many parents and friends arrived to hear the program presented by the school children and to enjoy Christmas dinner before taking their children home. Food baskets were given to the families in attendance, and Christmas stockings and used toys distributed to the group. A good time was enjoyed by all." Union College Visits
Our campus was once again blessed by the students of Union College this year. They arrived Oct. 17 and left on the 20th. In that short time they accomplished a great deal. On the 18th they divided into two teams having one team dedicated to the school and the other to the hardest of manual labor. The next day they swapped duties and finished up by working with the BIA school at Lake Valley. The amount of work they accomplished was truly amazing. Our large storage area was organized and thoroughly cleaned and our green houses cleaned out and prepared for demolition. After over 20 years of service our green houses are rapidly coming apart. The students removed all the accumulation of debris and the passive solar heating units. These heating units consisted of 55 gallon drums filled with water. These were stacked two high and had to be punctured to drain. This turned into a particularly heavy, messy job which was done with enthusiasm and dispatch. In short order the crew from Union had the barrels stacked at one end of the green houses and the salvageable materials at the other. In between the big jobs, they stayed busy (helping to move a garage full of boxes from one end of the campus to the other, for example). All of us want to express our thanks to Dr. Joe Allison and the rest of the team for the food and other donations they brought with them, and for all their hard work. We hope they enjoyed their visit with us as much as we enjoyed having them! Upcoming EventsVeterans' Day - a special ceremony is planned for local veterans and our students on Friday, November 9. Thanksgiving - we have invited our students' families to a Thanksgiving lunch on November 21, as our students leave for the holiday. From the Director
Greetings, The new carpeting for the library is being scheduled for installation. This project got delayed several times, so it will be great to see it completed. We are also now on high speed internet in the office. This has had a great effect on the office staff. Our accountant had to wait as long as 24 hours to download his updates for his accounting program and now can accomplish the same update in an hour or so. We were visited by Union College from Nebraska and owe a great "THANK YOU" to that group. When they weren't in the school studying with the students, they went down to the green houses and cleaned out the ones which needed demolition. We have taken one house down already and are ready to start on the remaining. We will end up with two green houses which are in good shape. Our well house is now winterized and we are shifting our attention to other projects. We have a need for roofing for many of our houses. The winds here strip the asphalt shingles off our roofs as fast as we put them on and scatter them across the sage. We are hoping to do one house at a time with metal roofing. One thing I want to emphasize is the need for your continued support. The big gifts that occasionally come in are truly a blessing. However, it is the regular monthly donations which keep the doors open here at the mission. We are down in the donation department and just this month we sent out letters to every church in this conference. So please don't think your monthly donation goes unappreciated. You are the life blood of this work. Thank you for your continued support. Dan Dixon Planting SeedsEd Shutsch, our cook, was busy planning an agriculture class. He wanted to have the students plant seeds and nuture them over the winter months. But where would he get the seeds? Most stores have exhausted their seed inventory long before October; plus with the added expenses we have incurred over the past few months, there wasn't any extra money to spend on anything that was not an absolute necessity. So imagine his surprise when he Planting seeds received a call asking him to come to the office and see what had arrived in a box of donations. You guessed it, seeds! God had answered his prayer before he even asked, and we have many more reasons to praise our Lord who watches over us and supplies our needs.
New DonorsRuth & Roger Balmer Celebrating LifeWednesday was a special day as all students and some of our staff joined the Red Ribbon Drug-Free Walk sponsored by neighboring Lake Valley Navajo School. Groups from the community also participated in this 1 mile walk. That evening we all had a treat: a special dessert at dinner time and a movie night with a "Veggie Tales" movie and popcorn. The children brought the big "pile up" pillows from the library and everyone had a great time. Thanks to a generous mom, the students also enjoyed a home-leave treat, which they received after reciting a memory verse. A note to sponsorsChristmas gifts need to be received by December 14. They may be wrapped if clearly labeled with child's name. Don't forget the Scholastic Book program. For as little as one dollar a child can order a book from Scholastic once a month. If you don't need a tax receipt just write the check to Scholastic with child's name at the bottom. Thanks to all of you. Bulletin BoardPositions to Fill:
La Vida Needs:Short-term volunteers to:
Special Thanks to:
New DonorsLoyda Gurule Student Sponsor News
Ya'at'e'e'h, We are finally into the holiday season. I am so ready for it! La Vida Mission hasn't had a holiday since Labor Day weekend. With me teaching Middle School during the week, and running Dorcas on Sunday, I am so looking forward to the extra sleep, and maybe get some sewing in. My kids (students) are ready for a holiday, as well. I have really pushed them in writing in the content areas, and their brains just aren't used to using those particular muscles. Jensen surprised me recently with some very creative ideas for changing a story's plot. Previously he hadn't shown any aptitude for writing. The whole class gets excited when we discover a new talent one has. The challenging aspect of teaching Middle School is remembering these boys and girls are still children, although they're the size of adults. I try to give my students more leeway in their recess play. Recently they became involved in building their own "Tower of Babel" with tires. To make P.E. fun, we rode bikes last quarter. This quarter we are doing weight training. Next quarter Mr. Ken has agreed to help us with archery.
This week, hopscotch is popular. I found a new hopscotch in an old "Highlights for Children" magazine. It's from France, in the form of a large nautilus. The older children are finding it challenging. I will be asking the teachers to help their students write their Christmas letters/lists this week. Personally I don't like encouraging the kids to ask so forthright for gifts, but last year's experience as sponsor coordinator told me that sponsors are more comfortable with this method. I encourage sponsers to send Christmas gifts as soon as possible. I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but with the holidays, the sooner we receive the gifts, the better chance the children will receive them before they go home for Winter Break. If you have any questions just call, write or e-mail me. Feel free to tell the kids what you would like from them for Christmas, such as A's, picutres, letters, prayers, etc. Every year a few students move away or transfer to another school. Any sponsors affected by dropped enrollments will receive letters from me, along with pictures and fact sheets of another child to sponsor. I hope you will find it in your heart to continue with your sponsorship, and sponsor another child. Please let me know if you change your mind, however. As fall comes to visit with cool nights, warm days and a brilliant blue sky, it is time to purchase sweatshirts for our students. Soon they will be cozy and warm with new navy blue sweatshirts thanks to the generosity of our donors. Thank you all for every gift that helps us provide for their needs. My prayers are for your well health this holiday season.
God Bless,
In Memory of
Keeping WarmSeptember's Loma Linda University School of Dentistry Dental Clinic once again blessed the Mission as well as the dental students during their threeday ministry. The School of Dentistry has conducted outreach programs at La Vida since 1980 and Dr. Reggie Padgett has worked with the them for the last four years. Loma Linda University's publication, Service Is Our Calling, reports "In September, 1992, a four-day clinic provided free professional dental care for all 79 students at La Vida Mission School. Eleven student dentists, under the supervision of Dr. J. B. Jablonski, provided numerous dental services for the elementary school children, including examinations, Xrays, fillings, extractions, sealants, and tooth cleanings. "At that time the Mission's two dental operatories were augmented by four makeshift but functional dental chairs that were nothing more than modified chaise lounges." However, each station was equipped with lights, air, water, suction, and modern dental equipment." |
La Vida Missions, Inc. is an independent Seventh-day Adventist Mission to the Navajo. It operates a boarding elementary school for Navajo children (K–8th grade), clinic, water/mail/clothing services and an evangelism outreach for the Navajo community. The mission is located off Highway 371, 55 miles north of I-40 on Exit #53, or 50 miles south of Farmington, New Mexico.
Mission Administrator Federal Tax Exemption © 2007 La Vida Missions, Inc.
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