"Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can."
- John Wesley
You can tell the end of our week is near. The team is starting to feel more of their aches and pains and although enthusiasm has not waned, energy levels are flagging a bit. I think almost everyone tried to catch a nap after lunch.
VBS is turning out to be a great hit with the kids and we have received a lot of compliments and positive feedback from their parents. Although some children have not attended VBS every day, we have 34 children of various ages registered and have averaged 26-29 kids attending the last 2 days. Today "God Loves Oceans" and activities included making and decorating crosses with sea shells and making and eating Gummy/Swedish fish in "oceans" of bright blue Jell-O, capped with whipped cream "waves". The whipped cream was especially a hit and there were plenty of calls for more all around when the "waves" mysteriously disappeared. Of course the whipped cream mustaches many of the children were sporting gave us a clue as to where the "waves" disappeared to!
With Dion's help, 3/4s of the primary school building has been painted and we're not sure we will get to finish with only one day left. In spite of a promising and cloudy sunrise, the clouds quickly disappeared and we enjoyed the warmest day so far during our stay here in Hopi. There was still a light breeze most of the morning but it made painting a bit more difficult and tiring. The VBS team is likewise feeling the heat and exhaustion that goes with it.
Remaining mindful of the team's dwindling energy levels, there was no real work planned for this afternoon so a few folks went back to the Hopi Cultural Center to visit the small museum there while a few others rode back out to KUYI to visit and say our goodbyes. Before we left, Richard asked us to record a "drop in" - the 4 of us reciting the obligatory message required by law where a radio station broadcasts its call sign and frequency and we also got to include a "shout out" to the kids attending VBS - Hopi VIM's 15 seconds of fame!
Rain came briefly to the Mesas in a few spot showers as we rode back and once we returned to HMS, we enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship, conversation and a delicious meal of Hopi tacos, provided by our friends, Garyth and his wife and mother-in-law. We met Garyth for the first time last year and it is always so good to reunite with friends when we return to Hopi. Garyth shared with us his Christian walk of faith and how he personally tries to incorporate his traditional Hopi and Tewa values with his love of Jesus Christ.
The Tewa people are distinct from Hopi people and came to the First Mesa area in the 1600s during the Pueblo Revolts. They fought alongside the Hopi and were welcomed for their support. Generally the Tewa live in one of the villages on First Mesa and have their own language but many Hopi now trace their ancestry to both Hopi and Tewa.
On our final day in Hopi, Norm, Dion and I along with Kuwon who volunteered to help us, managed to get within squeaking distance of finishing the painting of the primary building of the school. Norm and I had to quit at lunchtime in order to go pack and then help prepare for the final community dinner but Dion finished it shortly after. Thane, his wife Michelle, son Giovanni and Kristen, one of the teachers, left for a conference and recertification shortly after we arrived last Saturday so they will be surprised when they get back but we're sorry we won't get a chance to see them again and say goodbye before we leave.
The rest of the team wrapped up a week of VBS with "God Loves All of Us" and prepared the kids for the presentation for their parents and families at dinner tonight. It was obvious that we have made an impression based on the multitude of hugs and love all around. Jill was even presented with a beautiful hand written note from one little lady that moved the whole team to tears later.
Before we setup and prepared for dinner, we shared lunch with our friend, Rowena, who we met in 2010 at the Hopi Foundation. Rowena is Navajo (Din'eh) and although she no longer works at HF, she always tries to meet up with us in Hopi or in Flagstaff while we're here. It was great to see her again and discuss possibilities of extending part of our annual mission to White Cone, the Navajo community in which she lives. There is a small Senior Center there that could use volunteer help, perhaps even remotely by setting up a web site or Facebook page.
There was a great turnout at dinner, with parents and kids streaming in and sharing a delicious dinner cooked by Bill, of pasta salad, baked chicken, veggies and dip, with melon and brownies for dessert. Bill has done an incredible job keeping us well fed, planning meals and cooking up enough food to feed us and our various guests throughout the week. We had a wonderful time chatting with friends, new and old. Our oldest friends, Felicia, Wayne and 2 of their children, Gregory and Janice, came by to share dinner, laughter and love before we must head for home.
It's hard to believe our time here is almost over. We've experienced so much and have been so blessed every step of the way, that it is very hard to leave. But we will leave parts of our hearts behind in Hopi when we go.
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