Dear Prayer Partners,

I mentioned in our last letter that we met with Pastor Eddie Gooden and Brother Durk Lynch here at Wingate Baptist Church. Our purpose for this meeting was to address our summer VBS and mission teams that will be coming out to help. At this time we only have two teams scheduled for June, two teams in July and two for August.

Recently we have had some to cancel out so they can work closer at home or other areas. We understand the high fuel costs and other issues are causing a decrease in team size and number of teams coming out to Fort Wingate.

For those that are still planning to come here or to South Dakota, we appreciate your sacrifice to support kingdom work and to be a part of GodĒs work here. At this time we have one team that will be conducting a VBS program in June and one in July here at Wingate.

We also have two teams that will be doing construction work at Fort Wingate. We regret that we still do not have the use permit at this time for the ranch. I know many of you have been waiting for us to have this permit in hand before making your decision to come out. Believe me, this has been very trying and difficult for us to plan any work at the ranch. Many of you have been very eager to help for which we are very grateful, but we are at the mercy of the Navajo Nation and BIA. Unfortunately, we have little persuasive power over them. However, we believe we will have our use permit in May, so we are proceeding to line up work teams with an alternative back up plan in the event this changes or is delayed past that date. We are in communic ation with the Navajo Nation lawyer on a regular basis and last week Ms. Dotson was to contact the BIA for a progress report on the use permit. We ask for your prayers, that we will have our use permit as promised by May. In addition, we ask you pray for the teams as they make plans to come out for God to direct their paths according to His purposes and plans. As soon as we have our use permit for the ranch, we will let you know. We will also let you know how you can help. We will not push anyone to get involved; we will make you aware of the needs, and let God do the rest.

Currently, we are making preparations for the teams that will be out in June, so that when they arrive everything is in place for work to begin. We are doing our best to coordinate but we still have some unknowns and variable conditions to work around, so please accept that you may have to be flexible. We have found that if a door closes in one area, God opens a door in some other area. We just need to be patient and seek where God would have us go next.

For example, last year, we had an team show up at Iyanbito to do VBS work with Harry Natoni, which we had no knowledge of. That same week we had a team than had planned to come out and help us with a VBS at Wingate and Iyanbito. This was awkward for us when we found a team already at Iyanbito picking up children for a VBS. Regardless, we must consider that we all have the same heart of ministry to our Navajo children, so we need to work in harmony and unison for the sake of our children and families. We have worked hard to prevent this from happening again without our knowledge. We can say that one of our best weeks last year was joining with another group that was here working through a sister church. So again, please be somewhat flexible as we institute pla n B.

Also, please let us know if you have any change in your plan of activities that we may need to make adjustments, or if you have a drastic increase or decrease in your team size. Those of you that have children under age 18 and their parent or parents are not with them: please have a consent form from the parents giving permission for medical treatment, and an medical insurance card if they have one. Fortunately, we have not had serious problems before but we have had several children needing minor medical care while here.

We have been so focused on the Wingate Youth Ranch that we have not kept up with the needs of our friends at Pine Ridge and White River, SD. We know their needs are great, so please consider how God would have you involved in His work there. Missions is a work that will fill a void in your life that you will cherish for eternity. Please pray about this matter of kingdom work and where God will place you in it.

When the youth ranch is opened we will need a remarkable team of personnel ministering to children, teens, and adults. They will have to be tender loving, soft hearted people with a very thick skin. Many people that come to minister out here have very thin skin and soon they develop a hard heart toward the very people they once came so far to minister to. They let fiery darts penetrate their thin skin and into their heart, instead of wearing the breastplate of righteousness and taking up their shield of faith (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Our Navajo adults were once abused as children and they have many serious problems, just like their children today. They need help and not more hurt. Most are very sensitive, and it takes a person of genuine love with a tender heart to open their heart to a life of Christ.

With tears streaming down my face, I have been on my knees on a dirty floor praying with these men over their lost conditions. Some have accepted Christ and chose to follow His path, some have rejected, but I still keep going back in hopes that they will understand someday how much Christ cares for them and how much I care.

Please continue to pray for our Navajo people, and the work God is doing here and in South Dakota. Be attentive to the Spirit of God as He is directing your steps, for He wants your treasures and joy to be in heaven, not in earthly things of wood, hay and stubble that is here today and gone tomorrow.

We love you all and your support of GodĒs work here is a treasure in heaven. We thank you and may God bless you beyond all expectations.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said: 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

To God Be the Glory,
Jack and Jill Foster, Co-Founders
Native American Indigenous Ministry
P.O. Box 265
Fort Wingate, NM 87316