During a “blessing” to a matriarch who had suffered much death and discouragement in her life, the power of God was there. During a “blessing” to a young child with heart problems, the power of God was there. During the baptism by water and fire of many Dine’and their taking the holy sacrament, the power of God was there. For those saints who come humbly, seeking to serve their God in whatever way they can, the Lord always pours a blessing upon them.

If you are considering attending the Dine’ Reunion, you might consider the question Jesus asked in Matthew 11: “What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” I experience a stronger Spirit of God in the desert than I usually do at home. Perhaps this is because of the absence of distractions. Jesus chose to fast and pray in the wilderness. I think that choice was for the same reason.

This past Dine’ Reunion was the best in many ways. The saints came in greater unity than in past years. Everyone was prepared to work and to serve. The Dine’ had been working, sowing the seed, and sharing Jesus Christ in their life. The result was continued spiritual growth.

Pray for the Dine’. Pray that the Lord will send more workers for that part of his vineyard. Pray that those who might go there to sow seeds of discord will be frustrated by the power of God and prevented from so doing. Thank you for your prayers in upholding Lynda and me and also the work among these good people.

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The call had gone out once more for workers to go into His vineyard to “Feed His Sheep” called Dine’. Many traveled the familiar roads to Pinon, Arizona, having made this journey numerous times before.

The workers were few in numbers but dedicated to the task. We have become knit together in the common cause of taking the gospel of Christ, as found in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, to this remnant of the house of Israel. The spirit of unity prevailed through out the entire week. This year also brought forth much needed new faces. It was a blessing to see them take their places among us.

Our Heavenly Father was aware of our needs. There were those who did not feel they would be able to join us — yet a way was provided. Where there was sickness and exhaustion among us—someone was always there to lend a helping hand. Where there was fear and doubt—there was renewed confidence and a greater vision. God revealed His love to us. He led us to believe once more that He and He alone is in charge of this mission—and we were encouraged. As we try to explain the spirit of this Reunion, the word “family” keeps coming to mind. We felt a greater bond between all who attended the Dine’ Restoration Reunion, no matter what their skin color or cultural background. We
rejoiced as we saw faces among the Dine’ that we had not seen for several years. Doors were again being opened. We wept tears of joy.

The early morning priesthood prayer services were small in number yet mighty in spirit as the priesthood gathered together to pray for the needs of the Dine’ people and the needs of the camp. The priesthood were given guidance and council. They were warned to stop being “part-time” ministers. They were instructed that the endowment will not come to fruition until the priesthood have chosen to become “full-time” ministers for Christ.

We were made aware that Christ walked among us as we observed the activities of the Reunion. We saw the simplicity of Christ in the simple prayer of little Denelda as she prayed for her injured brother. We observed Christ working with four teenage boys as they attended to the needs of Navajo children and assisted with the duties of camp. We saw Christ working within the lives of the teachers as they pulled together to assist each other in times of need. We witnessed the love of Christ as we observed first-time campers grow in love and humility toward the Dine’. We beheld the power of Christ in Elder Anthony as he shared the gospel message with his people in a way that only Anthony could do. We felt Christ’s presence in the mighty faith of the Dine’ as they sought blessings. We observed blessings of administrations too numerous to count. We witnessed Christ’s rejoicing in the tears of a teacher as four Dine’ teenagers from her class stepped into the waters of baptism. Thirteen came to the waters of baptism, giving us the hope that this mission will indeed continue.

Please remember our Dine’ brothers and sisters in your prayers that they may have the discernment to recognize the evil forces around them. Pray that their Heavenly Father will reveal to them the power they have to defeat it.

The Reunion at Pinon was one of the best that we have attended. We were fewer in numbers, both Navajo and others, but it seemed those attending were really searching. We did not teach a class this year so we had more time to visit with the people there and they wanted to visit. They came to us and would start talking. We were more like family.

I felt directed to share a poem with Andrew who has had many problems in his life. He asked me how I received the poem and why I shared it with him. I explained that I felt the thoughts were put into my mind by the Holy Spirit. He asked that I share this at the evening campfire. He said he felt this poem was for many people and that they needed to know about the Spirit. Anthony shared a testimony of how a sack of rice given to them continued to be refilled as they shared it with others.

Monday I was feeling very tired, even having trouble walking over the rough grounds. I tried to help with a class and found it very difficult. I asked for administration so that I could hold the little ones. I was given that blessing and was able to get through that week and the next with strength to do many things.

As the cooks, Richard and I get to meet and talk to just about everybody at the Reunion. The Spirit was there in force this year. I saw so many smiling faces. There did not seem to be anyone upset with one another or with anything. The Lord blessed us so much. I never know how many people to expect at each meal. It seems that if I follow the Spirit, we always have plenty but never more than we can use as we did not have any waste.

I have been blessed to have the greatest help. Lois Reynolds and her daughter, Kathy, helped me everyday with every meal. As the nurses at the school in Pinon, they knew almost all of the kids. They also brought filtered water from their house so that I had good water to cook with and to use for making drinks. I feel so blessed to have the Reynolds’ family to help me. They work hard all year long giving of themselves for the work of the Lord.

For those of you who could not go to Reunion, you missed one of the greatest spiritual feasts that I have ever encountered. We took 200 T-shirts this year and there was not a single shirt left over. The good spirit in the tent that afternoon while we painted the shirts was overwhelming. The smiles and looks on the faces of children and adults alike, as they proudly wore their shirts with the words “Feed my Sheep” on the back, was heart warming. One gentleman wore the shirt that he painted last year on the day we painted shirts this year. He was just as proud of that shirt and had kept it in great shape all year long.