Encourage One Another Inc. 2016 Newsletter

 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:11

Encouraging Natives & Missionaries

on the Navajo, Zuni, San Carlos & Fort Apache Reservations in Arizona and New Mexico

Sherry Hemsoth, Director

260-403-0557 Cell…Calls & Texting

Email:  Sherry.EncourageOneAnother@aol.com

Website:

www.eoaiCares.com

Encourage One Another, Inc. is a 501(c)(3). 

All donations are tax-deductible.

Checks can be made out to

EOAI and mailed to

P.O. Box 9281, Ft. Wayne, IN  46899

 

Sixth Edition, Issue 3                    January, 2016

Felicia, my San Carlos Apache friend, and I were able to meet up for lunch in Globe, AZ and chat for a few hours before Rick and I flew back to Indiana to greet our new grandson and celebrate Christmas with our family.  Felicia is doing well and will begin looking for a job as soon as she finishes up her schooling mid-January.  She is getting a business degree and wants to work in the closest city to the reservation.  She is planning on commuting with her mom when she gets a job.  It has been rewarding for me to walk through this college journey with her.  She is committed to making a better life for herself.  We talked about her walk with the Lord and I encouraged her to stay in the Word and allow God to lead her through the job search process.  Please pray for Felicia as God brings her to mind.  At age 29, along with a job, she needs to learn how to drive so that she will be able to be more independent and have some flexibility in where she can get a job. 

 

Rick and I arrived in Fort Wayne to a precious gift from the Lord…..a new Grandson.  Crosby Carl was born on December 2^nd to our oldest son and his wife, Travis and Holly.  Crosby weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz and has light brown hair.  He is so precious to us.  We enjoyed our time holding him and enjoyed the rest of Travis’ children as they shared about their new baby brother.  What a sweet welcome home!

Rick holds the new little man in our family, Crosby Carl.

What a gift from the Lord!

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.”  Psalms 127:3

 

Jared and Joey were able to get away from their jobs in Arizona for five days and celebrate the birth of our new little guy as well as Christmas with us.  What a blessing to have our family together!  This doesn’t happen very often so we soaked up every minute of it!  We packed a lot of family time into those five days, sharing many meals, outings and a time to show our love by exchanging gifts.  It was a sweet time to enjoy our family.   We also spent lots of time with our grandchildren; Ashton, Layla, Seeley and Sawyer.  We are so thankful for our family.  We take every opportunity that God gives us to enjoy them and give Thanks to Jesus for those opportunities.

 

Me, Layla, Seeley, Sawyer and Rick at the

History Museum’s Gingerbread Festival in Fort Wayne.

Me, Rick, Brittany, Jared and Joey at a Komet

Hockey game in Fort Wayne.  Not pictures were Travis, Grandma, Layla, Seeley, Ashton and Blake.

 

AD, the Navajo gentleman that Rick mentored through basketball clinics at the BIC in Bloomfield, New Mexico, has begun another season of coaching his high school girls basketball team.  He has been a blessing to Rick and me as we walk through life with him.  He is a Godly man, ministering through his coaching to the girls on the basketball team, who desperately need Godly men in their lives.  Too many children living on the reservation are living in single parent homes being parented by their mothers or grandmothers and are without a father or a role model in their lives.  A Godly man that invests in the children of the reservation is like Gold!  We are proud of AD!

 

AD and his basketball team beginning their season.

Please continue to pray for my missionary friend, Denise, who ministers in Farmington, New Mexico to the local Navajo community.  She suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and is not doing well, as the disease continues to progress.  I have known Denise, who is a single mom to her daughter, Mahalee, for over ten years and have watched the disease take its toll on her body and her mind.  She has a HUGE heart for the Navajo community as well as anyone that does not know Christ as their Savior.  She continues to minister to the local Navajo, Mexican and homeless community through her struggles with the disease, but it is very difficult in between hospitalizations.  She would appreciate your prayers.

 

Denise and Mahalee, who are very close,

pose for their Christmas card.

 

New life is always a celebration, on and off the reservation.  A good friend who lives in Winslow, Arizona, her boyfriend and their two year old son celebrated the birth of their daughter this month.  Ivy Lynn joined their family on December 14^th.  She is a sweety…I can’t wait to meet her!

Ethan and his new baby sister, Ivy Lynn.

 

Carla, her daughter and son-in law Nia and Mike, worked hard at distributing Christmas gifts on the San Carlos Reservation this month.  Wings of Faith has been such a blessing to EOAI by flying in donations of toys, clothing and food for us to distribute to those in need.  There are so many who have nothing, literally nothing.  Too many people are living with relatives, in tents down by the river or in someone’s backyard without shelter.  Those receiving these items are extremely blessed and thankful.  After receiving these blessings, Carla is able to share the Gospel with each person.  When a physical need is met, the mind is opened up to be able to hear and comprehend the Gospel.  I am so thankful for Carla and all that she does for her people. They are blessed to have her in their lives as am I!

 

I THANK GOD for EOAI’s Board of Directors.  The five ladies on the Board, Daisy, Margaret, Patty, Sue and Winona, are dedicated to serving their Savior through their role on the Board.  They always make themselves available to me for meetings, prayer or advice.  They work hard at encouraging Carla, her family and our Prayer Warriors, Harlan and Angel.  It is wonderful to have them work with me together as a team and encourage me in my role as Director of EOAI.  I believe EOAI is encouraging many because of their partnership with me.  I give all the Praise to God!

 

A Navajo friend of mine shared this picture of his family’s wood stove with me.  This is his family’s lifeline in the winter.  As you can see in the background, the walls are cement block and the floor is cement.  Imagine having to stoke this stove 24/7 to stay warm and then

having no insulation in your home to retain the heat.

 

Please remember your brothers and sisters in Christ living on the reservations this winter without running water or electricity.  It is already below freezing on the reservation with the low being 0 degrees and lots of wind and  snow.  Life is brutal for those living through those cold temperatures as they try to stay warm and hydrated. Obtaining water when everything is freezing is extremely difficult.  Some have wood stoves, but firewood is very difficult to obtain as well as expensive.  Trees are not plentiful on the reservation, so firewood is like gold.  I have already been informed of a woman who froze to death in a bed inside a home.  The home had no electricity so there was no heat.  If you can share the gift of a blanket or two or some financial assistance to those working hard at staying warm, your donation would be greatly appreciated.  Financial donations can be sent to:  P. O. Box 9281, Fort Wayne, IN  46899; blankets can be sent to:  Carla Kinney, P. O. Box 1171, San Carlos, AZ  85550.