Challenge - January 2008

The Newsletter of the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission, Rock Point, AZ

From the Board Chair

Dear Friends and Supporters of NELM,

What an exciting Fall-Winter season at the mission. As reported in the last newsletter the enrollment at the school was up and just as important, the student turnover has been low. The teaching staff is working hard at implementing the Core Knowledge Curriculum, focusing on improving reading ability. At its November meeting, the Board approved the 2008-2010 Strategic Plan and a Planned Giving program (to supplement the Donor Recognition and Development Plan initiated last spring). The budget for 2008 will be just over one million dollars. And most glorious of all was the joyful celebration of Christmas at the Mission.

More than 200 people attended the School's Christmas program. The House of Prayer church was filled to capacity with many people having to stand. This was followed by food and gifts for the community. Gifts for the students from churches all over the country had been passed out throughout the week as well. There were over 190 food boxes distributed to needy Rock Point families. The boxes contained a turkey, sacks of potatoes, flour, sugar, cans of vegetables, coffee and other staples. Members of the staff and community donated their muscle power to unload trucks, sort boxes, and help load them into cars and pickups. It was an amazing outreach activity in partnership with the Navajo people.

These numbers tell only part of the story. The celebration activities left adults and children with the memory and reminder that Christmas is God's gift to all people, and that people in and outside the community share that same gift with them. Thanks to God, to Dolores and the staff, and of course, thanks to all the churches and individuals who donated gifts and sent their love along with them.

We’re ready to charge into 2008 with renewed energy and a sense of direction for the ministry of the Mission. This will be our 55th year of partnership with the Navajo people of Rock Point. Please keep supporting us with your prayers and your donations of time, gifts, and money.

A Happy New Year to all of you from all of us,

Ron Augustson, Chair, Mission Board of Directors

The Executive's Corner

As you may have noticed, the Challenge has a new look for the New Year! Our focus in 2008 will be in providing many ‘new looks’ for the Mission - in the form of projects, services and buildings.

As I write this, we anxiously await (and pray) that proposals submitted last year for a Health Clinic and Food Bank to serve the community, will be awarded soon. In January, we received a Charitable Giving grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans that will assist us in developing new programs that will increase our overall revenue. We continue to work towards raising funds to build a new, desperately needed maintenance shed and bus garage, as well as completing the roofing and stucco projects that began last summer. We are also working on upgrading the technology at the Mission, so that students will learn all the essentials of computer use which is so critical to success today.

And now, as of this edition of the Challenge, we have redesigned and updated our web site, so you can keep track of all the new events and projects at the Mission as they unfold! Be sure to visit our new web site at www.nelm.org.

We know God is directing us as we expand and improve services at the Mission. We also know that your continued prayers and support are needed to complete this work. Please help us to continue to make a difference in the lives of the Navajo community here in Rock Point, Arizona!

Blessings for a Wonderful New Year!
Dolores Weis, Executive Director

NEW Navajo Lutheran Web Site is up and running!

As of the printing of this newsletter the Navajo Lutheran Mission web site has a new look! Check out the new design at www.nelm.org . The web site has been updated with current information, new photos, lots of links and a Support the Mission button that gives you ideas on how to help the Mission as we grow. Keep watching our site as information about new programs and events unfold.

Planned Giving - The Legacy Society

The Navajo Lutheran Mission is blessed by more than 2000 donors who contribute time, prayer and money in support of the Mission’s “mission of service” with the Navajo People. Our donors pray for us, tell the Mission’s story and contribute 90% of our revenue.

A consistent part of our revenue annually comes from donors who have planned ahead and have designated the Mission as a beneficiary of a portion of their estate. These planned gifts are given through wills, trusts, insurance, annuities and other giving instruments.

The Mission Board of Directors recently instituted a planned giving program to inform donors of how they can support the Mission through their end of life decisions. We call it The Legacy Society.

The Legacy Society will provide information about planned giving and access to Gift Planners who can assist you. They are trained professionals who work for the Lutheran Foundations of the ELCA and LCMS. Their services are free and confidential.

For more information about planned giving and The Legacy Society, contact the Rev. Ed Naylor at

Campbell's Soup Labels Bar Codes Only!

For years, the Mission has been blessed with people who participated in the Campbell’s soup label program. Over the past seven years, we have collected well over 6,000,000 labels - enough to provide us with 2 small vans, 2 large bus vans, and miscellaneous equipment and supplies for the Mission.

We want you to continue to support this program, however, as of January 2008, the Campbell’s company will only accept the bar code insignia that is on the label. These can be easily cut out and will be much easier to mail. Please check the Campbell's Labels for Education web site for step by step instructions.

In addition, you can now send in labels directly to Solheim Lutheran Home, where they will check labels, package and send them to the Campbell’s Soup Company.

The address is:

Solheim Lutheran Home
Campbell’s Soup Coordinator
2236 Merton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90041-1915

We are truly grateful to all of you who continue to send us those labels! It does make a difference! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call the Mission!

Arizona ACSTO Supporters

A big THANK-YOU to those Arizona residents who donated to the Navajo Mission School through the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (ACSTO). Because of your generosity, we are able to keep the school running and offer quality education to our students. If you live in Arizona, and would like more information on this organization, please call 480-820-0403 or go to www.acsto.com.

A Photo Gallery of School Activities

The Mission School has had a very busy fall! Along with all the studying, testing and learning, students had the opportunity to take part in lots of fun and educational events. Some of the fun events were:

• The Navajo Nation Fair, held in Window Rock
• Homecoming & Veterans Day Parades
• A Halloween Party
• Miss Rock Point Mission Pageant
• Christmas Tree Lighting and Opening Christmas Presents

The students also learned about health and wellness issues and all had flu shots and dental exams. Of the most educational events were the Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and Red Ribbon Day - a day to learn about the consequences of using drugs and alcohol.

At Christmas, all the students received Angel in a Tree gifts (and also a Shoe Tree) from dedicated churches throughout the country! Every child at the school received shoes, clothes and toys, thanks to all our gracious donors! The semester ended with a Christmas Play put on by the classes, and the traditional giving of quilts, toys, coats and food boxes to community residents.

The Miracle of Small Gifts

What if each person on our mailing list sent a small gift of $5.00 when they receive our newsletter? Think about it - we mail our mission newsletter to close to 22,000 people throughout the United States. Many people respond with generous gifts and letters that are truly appreciated and desperately needed. If each person sent a small gift, within a short time we would have $110,000 - funding that is necessary to expand the school, make critical upgrades, implement new programs and support the Medical Clinic being planned this summer.

This truly would be a Gift of Miracles for the Navajo Mission!

Winter in Rock Point, Arizona

The sun rises each morning from behind the Eastern Mesas and makes the landscape sparkle with the colors of a rainbow on the glistening snow.

Rock Point, in the Northeast corner of Arizona and near the borders of Utah and Colorado, sits at over 5,300 feet - high enough for the Mission to experience the realities of winter. Temperatures at night can be in the single digits, and when the winds come, it is even colder. During the day, it can reach 40 degrees or more, making it a crisp, refreshing winter day. God’s glorious creation is ever present as the red earth of the mesas peak through the white layer of snow and blend into the bright blue sky. Even in the solitude of the desert, God’s work is perfect!

Serving on the mission board in 2008: