TKA Navajo Nation Service Trip 2024

Today was a sad day as we all woke up early in preparation to leave the Navajo Nation reservation. We all woke up at 7 am to roll up our sleeping mats, pack our bags, and load the vans. It was the hardest morning as we had to leave all these great memories behind.  After a hardy breakfast, we hit the road and said goodbye to this lovely church we called home for the entirety of the week. We stopped at our favorite gas station in Tuba City to restock our inventory of snacks and drinks. Someone got an Arizona tea in Arizona! How funny.  On the way to lunch, some of us drank a little too much, and we had to take an emergency pee break.   After lunch, we headed to the airport. This drive really made us reflect on the week. We created so many relationships and bonded with people we never would have at school. This trip brought us closer, and the service we were able to accomplish was satisfying. We will all miss this trip, and the memories we made will stay with us forever.  Will Dennison:

On the last full day on the reservation, we started the morning off with a hearty breakfast. It was followed by a devotional reminding us to not tell simple stories, as they could be interpreted poorly by an outsider who has not experienced the connections and lessons learned by the people on this trip.  As we split up into our service groups, we were prompted that we must give it our all today, even though we were tired from the strenuous days behind us. As one group continued their construction of the outhouse for Ms. Kimberly, another traveled to her house to finish the outhouse hole and start construction of a dog house for her adorable dogs Dobby, Tiny, and her new puppy.    Some other groups stayed on the mesa to trim and paint the church, paint the downstairs food pantry, tidy up Pastor J.R.'s yard, and clean a Sunday school classroom. They left their projects looking amazing! Once completed, they moved to help another group mix and fill concrete for a new warehouse. This wa

Today was definitely one of the most intriguing days of the service trip. Bright and early, at 7:30 am, we all went to the dining hall to have breakfast. We had French Toast with syrup, cereal with milk, breakfast sausages, and yogurt! After breakfast, we headed back to the sanctuary to do a morning devotional on section 6 of the booklet. We discussed this in groups of 2-4 people over the reflection questions.  After the morning devotional, we packed our sack lunches (sandwiches) and got ready to head out to our six different work sites. Everyone went to their previous worksites as yesterday, except the group at Ms. Kimberley's home had to split up. Three students and Mr. Otsuka went to Ms. Kimberly's home to continue digging the outhouse hole. They started at 40 inches, then reached 49 inches! The rest of the group combined with Mrs. Hayward's group to load up Pastor JR's truck + trailer with rocks. The rocks were going to be used to lay a rock foundation for Ms. Kimbe

Today, we started our first day of service bright and early at 7:30 a.m. after watching a beautiful sunrise and eating a hearty breakfast. While preparing to split up into our assigned work groups, we were met with a light flurry outside, giving us time to meet and connect with Pastor J.R. After we listened to Pastor J.R.'s passionate personal testimony, we separated into six groups, ranging from organizing the food pantry to tearing down drywall to digging an outhouse for a member of the community. As one group headed out to dig several foundations for an outhouse and a new home for a struggling member of the Navajo people, one group activated their power tools to begin constructing a durable frame for the new outhouse. Certainly, all the groups went through their individual struggles in order to see fruitful outcomes. For the drywall team, while the mold at the top of the ceiling proved to be a challenge, especially with the undesirable smell, the revamping stage of the wall was

After waking up from our comfortable hotel beds, eating breakfast, and packing the cars, we set off on our 3-hour road trip up to the Navajo reservation.   As we drove through the mountains, we saw the result of the blizzard from the night before. The snow covered the trees and ground, making for an amazing scenic drive.  Once we arrived, we were greeted by Experience Mission's volunteers, the sweet dogs, and a cat named Catrick, who immediately stole everyone's heart.  We quickly got settled in the sanctuary and prepared our sleeping bags for the night. In the meantime, some prepared songs for worship while many played card games.  After lunch, we took a hike to an overlook above a beautiful canyon .  Upon completing our exciting but muddy hike, we gathered to eat dinner, which consisted of pasta, garlic bread, and salad. Afterward, Experience Mission briefed us on cultural sensitivity and to remember to value the people over our projects.  Many card games later, everyone went

Day 1: Sunday, March 24 Due to high winds and snow in the area from Munds Park to Flagstaff, the Navajo leadership team (in conjunction with advice from our partner, Experience Missions) decided it was best to stay tonight in Campe Verde, AZ.  As always, our student's safety is our first priority. We anticipate clear weather and roads tomorrow and plan to leave for the Navajo Nation after breakfast. Please pray this weather will pass tonight and the roads will be clear for us to continue our journey safely tomorrow. We will communicate with you once we have all arrived at our service location Thus, a new plan emerged for the evening! We attended church at the Verde Valley Church of Christ. This small congregation of about twelve people was so spirit-filled in their humble surroundings. They offered us comfort in a storm and the Word of God.  We heard a message about "False Prophets" and took part in communion and worship. They prayed for our safety.  It was a perfect

We depart on Sunday, March 24. Be at SAN JOSE AIRPORT at 5:00 AM. We fly Southwest Airlines  #0355 to Phoenix.  Because we have a group reservation, students will not be able to check in individually. Dr. Lui will check in our group online.  We return on Friday, March 29, at 8:55 p.m. to SAN JOSE AIRPORT, Southwest Airlines  #0942. The Navajo Nation Service Team 2024 is comprised of: 8 Adults: Kristine Lui and Dean Otsuka (Co-Leads), Robert Guerrero, Kriss Hayward, Annette Lane, Jo-Ann Maston, Claudia Sanborn, Steve Vermouth. 37 Students: 15 Female/22 Male, 9th Grade - 7, 10th Grade -16, 11th Grade - 9, 12th Grade - 5 Parents and Friends, please pray for the group's safety and team bonding and for God to work in and through us to share His light and love in the Navajo Nation! Navajo Nation Flag

Today we said goodbye to the people of Tse Ee Gai Church and Experience Mission and headed home! We took a few group photos and huddled together one last time to pray as one body. Thank you for all your prayers this week, and for following along with our journey. Please check out our Photo Album , and we hope you have a restful and happy Easter! He is risen!

Today was the final day of service–tomorrow our team will be traveling home to California. Please pray for safe travels as well as a continued reflection in each of our hearts on the purpose of service and living in community with one another.  Enjoy these reflections by students Reagan and Benjamin! Reagan: Today was the last day of work on the Navajo service trip. Well actually Diné (pronounced di-nay) service trip because that is their preferred name. The name Navajo was actually put on them by the Spaniards that took over this area, and they are all trying to change their name back to their ancestral name. The people of this area are some of the kindest most open people groups I have ever met. They welcomed my group with open arms, happy to teach us about their lives as well as hear about ours. I learned so much from this trip. From odd job type stuff, like how to drill-up drywall and how to mud and tape ceilings, to important principles of our faith. Today my team of dry-wallers s