NN Jan 2023

LVM Outreach Department and team – Farmington, New Mexico … Nearly 200 people gathered to celebrate fellowship with one another at the La Vida Mission* (LVM) in Farmington, New Mexico, at their local Christmas tradition, the Annual Community Christmas Fiesta, December 13.

Located far from the city and without much entertainment or big stores, malls, or other places to visit, La Vida Mission attracts gatherings and events among the local community providing source of joyful experiences and merriment in the community, especially during special seasons such as Christmas.

The Community Christmas Fiesta was prompted by the joy of community gatherings and by their love and desire to continually serve their friends of the Navajo Nation and neighbors and share with them the love and gospel of Jesus.

The services offered during the Fiesta include a free flea market, door prizes, spinning wheel prize, and games. Food bags, snacks and refreshments, and a Christmas lunch were also provided.

For this flee market, the school gym was filled with all kinds of goodies from groceries and food goods to clothes, shoes, bedding, and various household items. There were even small appliances and furniture to the delight of attendees.

A Food Court is run at the event that served the people non-stop and the door prizes were something those in attendance looked forward to as well. Organizers of the event were grateful to have enough door prizes for everybody.

There was also a much-anticipated propane give away of which 135 attendees received propane refills. This giveaway is truly a blessing during this cold season.

This Community Christmas Fiesta was blessed by donations from churches within the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) through the efforts of Pastor Mike and Cathy Kissner of the RMC Community Services Department,** the Navajo PRIDE NAPI (Navajo Agricultural Product Industry), and Bimbo Bakeries USA. Organizers of the event also want to thank the families, friends, and even a La Vida staff member who donated financially to help with the event logistics.

Dr. Robert Gardner, the newly elected La Vida Mission board president, with his wife, Kimone, have made several trips from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, during their weekly clinic at the Mission and, on many other different occasions, to deliver support for the Fiesta. They not only led in the health spinning wheel prize corner but also brought and donated most of the door prizes.

The guests at La Vida Mission always ask organizers where they get all the people who come to the events because all they see is barren land and a few houses here and there when they drive to La Vida. You may not see them but they’re there, they’re here, and yes, they do exist, so La Vida Mission and its local Seventh-day Adventist congregation can continue to share the love of Jesus to them.

* Please note that LaVida Mission is not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) nor the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.

** The volunteer efforts of Mike and Kathy Kissner were not in their official capacity at RMC.

—LVM Outreach Department team and VJ Panganiban, La Vida Mission Church outreach director, and his wife, Beth. Photos supplied.

Eeheon Ryu – Highlands Ranch … On January 13, Mile High Academy Upper School students participated in Service Day. The now-annual event is in memory of Mya Pena, an MHA student who passed away in January of 2020. This year, Service Day was held on campus with plenty of serving opportunities for all. As written in the Gospel of Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Students, divided into four groups, rotated among the service opportunities provided. From cleaning school buses, to writing thoughtful cards, to packing homeless kits, to making snacks for friends and neighbors, students were able to use their God-given talents to share the love of Jesus.

Students collaborated on cleaning out the school buses as Coach Camacho helped right alongside. At another station, students worked together to make Puppy Chow snack mix. In groups of three or four, they made the sweet snack which they could give out to others as a show of gratitude and kindness. At the letter-writing stations, students wrote personal notes for any of the following purposes: letters to include in the homeless bags, caring notes to Mya’s family, condolence cards to a school that just lost one of its students, thoughtful letters to Mrs. Maxine Gerst, a beloved former MHA teacher, and notes to staff members at the school. Many touching and uplifting letters went out that day.

The highlight for most students was the homeless kit-building station, where socks, toothpaste, snacks, and other essentials filled a large zip-lock bag. Students went home with one bag that they can personally hand out to a person in need.

In the spirit of collaboration, first graders came with sweet cards for each upper school student and even sweeter donuts.

The day ended with pick-up soccer games. Addie, a sophomore student, commented, “We chose soccer because it was Mya’s favorite sport. She would have loved this.” And though most students watched the games, some preferred to relax in the commons playing chess and other board games to end the day. 

—Eeheon Ryu is a freshman at Mile High Academy. Photos provided.

Kari Lange – Loveland, Colorado … Students at HMS Richards Adventist School celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16, by taking half the school day to serve others in their community.

Students in grades K-2 delivered about 50 handwritten border sheets with verses of encouragement in the nearby neighborhood. Those who came to the door were greeted with, “Happy MLK Day and Peace Begins with Me.” Each person they met was shocked to see 20 students at their door and so thankful and appreciative of their time. 

Some students in grades K-2 joined with grades 3-4 and drove to Berthoud to sing praise songs to downtown businesses and pass out more border sheets with Bible verses of peace and hope. The students received a huge round of applause at Cocina & Cantina Mexican Restaurant as their voices echoed through the restaurant singing, “You are My All in All.” The Kofe House was about to close, but they were happy to let them come in to sing. As the students left, a young man expressed how much he needed to hear the song the students sang. 

At RE/MAX, the owner sang every word of “Jesus Loves Me” with the students. The ladies at the salon just listened with great smiles. The pharmacists at Berthoud Drug were in awe and ever so thankful for the music. It was such a blessed day not only for the students, but for all the chaperones as well.

Students in grades 5-6 went to downtown Loveland to hold up signs of encouragement on street corners and pray with people passing by. They got positive honks, cheers, and many thank yous. Students Tryg Sorensen and Conner Jahn prayed with a homeless vet in a wheelchair. The man then talked to Roger Hagen, a chaperone, and said he would really like a hardcover KJV Bible. Roger has it ready to give to him when he sees him again. After the man spoke with them, student Chloe Lange approached him, not knowing he had already prayed with Tryg and Conner, and asked if she could pray with him. His prayer request was to find a dollar or two so he could get something to eat or drink. As soon as Chloe finished praying, to everyone’s amazement, a dollar bill came floating down from the sky and landed at his feet.

Students in grades 7-8 passed out free hot cocoa and handmade ornaments at a local King Soopers. Carey Jordan, the school’s teaching principal, commented, “So many people were surprised when we offered them our handmade snowflakes. They couldn’t believe that 7^th and 8^th graders were giving them a kind word of encouragement and a gift without expecting anything in return.”

Some people tried to donate money, but students turned it down knowing that this was a special day, a day to give to the community, not take from it. Some comments of those who came by their table were, “Wow! Thank you! True kindness like yours comes only from God,” and “If it wasn’t too awkward, I would give you a big hug,” as stated by an older lady with tears in her eyes to one of the students.

Here are some reflections by some of the 7^th and 8^th grade students:

“Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted everyone to know how special they are and that it is our Christian responsibility to help people know that. Today, we showed people the true purpose for MLK day in our words and actions.” – Elin Sorensen

“I realized that today we made the world a better place by showing kindness. We didn’t deliver a speech to thousands of people today, but we did bring a smile to their faces, which in turn makes the world a better place.” – Ben Nelson

“We chose to share kindness to everyone, even if they didn’t accept it … that is love.” – Grace Balbin

May we all share Jesus’ love, promise, and hope for His soon return. May we, every day, be a blessing to those around us and let them know that Jesus loves them.

—Kari Lange is the grades K-2 teacher and vice president of the HMS Richards Adventist School. Photos provided.

Brandon Westgate – Ward, Colorado … “Elevate” was the theme for this year’s Greater Summit teen prayer retreat at Glacier View Ranch, and the presence of God was truly felt. About 80 teens and sponsors attended the long weekend event January 13-16. Speaker for the event was Jessica Rios from Campion Academy who presented powerful and honest messages that truly resonated with the young people. Praise and worship was followed by a time of Bible study and conversations that solidified the challenging message that had been presented. 

We also enjoyed a host of activities including snow tubing, winter hiking, swimming, table games, dodgeball, and Bible studies. Jade Teal, RMC assistant youth director, led a blanket-making project for a local children’s hospital. The blankets made during Greater Summit will go to children in need of a blanket. 

The weather was cool at times, but the fellowship was warm and nurturing. Sponsors and participants alike were so thankful they took the time to attend this event. Many of the participants were already talking about coming back next year! We are grateful for the support of the faithful people in the Rocky Mountain Conference that allows our youth department to offer events like Greater Summit. With your generosity, prayers, and support of ministry efforts like Elevate, and by God’s grace, we will see the fruit of our efforts both here and in the kingdom of Heaven. Thank you for partnering with us in ministry in the RMC!

—Brandon Westgate is the RMC youth director. Photos by Brandon Westgate and Rajmund Dabrowski.

Fred Hardinge – Montrose, Colorado … January 15 witnessed the start of a health outreach at the Montrose Adventist Church. More than 35 people attended the first night, learning how to prepare delicious meatless meals, sampling each demonstrated dish, and being shown how easy it is for vegetarians to get protein and needed nutrients for wholesome living.

The next day, one community member who attended the event posted on her Facebook page, “I thought this sounded like a fun, free vegetarian cooking class held at our friends’ church! And it was! The food was delicious, the people were friendly, and they gave us the recipes for everything that was made! There are three more classes on upcoming Sundays. If anyone is interested in a fun evening activity, you can sign up for free with the link in the comments and I’ll see you there!”

All demonstrations, samples, and education were provided by local church members. This follows three months of praying together, training, and organization led by local church member and health ministries leader, Fred Hardinge, DrPH, RD. God richly blessed these efforts by developing a team of more than 12 people who have enthusiastically volunteered to fulfill the many roles necessary to put on a program like this. “While cooking schools are always a lot of work, many hands make it fun and enjoyable,” said Hardinge.

Three more sessions will follow during the next three Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Soups, salads, and sandwiches will be the focus of the next class, along with better breakfasts; and finally, sweet treats. A long-time church member remarked, “It was good for ‘us’ also. I learned things I didn’t know before!”

Hardinge concluded, “We praise the Lord for these blessings, and trust our humble efforts will bring honor and glory to God.”

–Fred Hardinge is Montrose church health ministries leader. Photo supplied.

Christina Hernández – Denver, Colorado … Over Christmas break, the Denver Hispanic (Pecos) Church and Mile High Academy (MHA) partnered in a clothing drive. Since December 9, more than 2,000 refugees have arrived in the city of Denver, among them several Adventist families. The church has had an increase of visitors who have expressed a dire need for winter clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, personal hygiene items, and even household items.

It was when word came to MHA that Denver Park Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, La Nueva Esperanza Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the community all responded immediately by bringing bags and bags of items that would benefit the recent refugees.  A team of community members from MHA and the ministry team from Pecos church joined forces to sort and separate these items in MHA’s cafeteria. The church community outreach team then transported the items to the Pecos church to be made available for those in need.

On Wednesday, December 28, the need was such that items were delivered personally to several Adventist families who had just arrived with this surge. On Sabbath, December 31, the church opened its doors, shared lunch, and distributed dozens of bags to several families and individuals. As the city scrambles to house and feed several thousand, Pecos and MHA continue to partner as they serve those in great need.

Pecos continues to open its doors on Wednesday nights for prayer service from 6-8 p.m. and Sabbath after-church service as an opportunity to minister, not only physically but also spiritually. A big need still exists for men’s winter clothing, men’s snow boots, men’s tennis shoes, men’s work boots, women’s snow boots, women’s tennis shoes, male and female personal hygiene products, and backpacks.

If you would like to support the drive or have any questions, please reach out to [email protected] or [email protected]

— Text and photos are by Christina Hernández, MHA Middle School teacher and Education director/praise music director at Denver Hispanic Pecos Church.