Reported by Pastor John Britt

Over 100 Dakotas United Methodists traveled to New Mexico June 19-26. Eleven teams, including 79 high school youth and 24 adults, representing 12 churches, worked on a variety of projects. Photo: One work group  pauses from building an access ramp to pose for a fun group photo. Photo from Navajo Nations Trip facebook page.

The eleven teams, each with 2-3 adults and 7-8 youth, were comprised of a mix of the youth and adults from other churches. After breakfast each morning, buses brought the teams to job sites and picked up the team in the afternoon. At noon we shared in a devotional that was specific to our trip theme as we ate our sack lunches that we packed during our breakfast time. After working, the buses picked us up and we showered in shifts at the local high school.

Five of our teams worked with the Four Corners Native American Ministry center, a Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) site, four worked with the Navajo Chapter House, and two worked with the host church. Projects were determined by the needs within these organizations. Teams worked on a variety of projects:

• Team 1 spent their days at the local Methodist church weeding and cleaning the entire property, inside and out. They also built two steel roofs over two playground areas at the adjacent daycare. 

• Team 2 removed all the flooring from a house. They also scraped, primed, and painted the outside of the house. 

• Teams 3, 4, 5, and 10 spent their days at a park along the river clearing brush, making paths, and cleaning the weeds. 

• Team 6 helped one day at the Methodist church. They spent a day fixing a roof and doing some yard work at a resident's home. They also helped out in the garden and in other areas at the church we stayed at. 

• Team 7 built an accessibility ramp for a family and then helped at the host church getting ready for vacation bible school. 

• Team 8 repainted the inside of the local day care and then helped Team 1 finished the playground shelters. 

• Team 9 spent their time working on siding a house that has been in progress for ten years. 

• Team 11 worked at the riverside park one day and then spent the majority of their remaining time at the church, helping them get ready for vacation bible school and doing a variety of other projects.

The group also spent time in worship each evening. Each work team took turns leading worship, giving a short message. Each day a video was shared with all the pictures from the eleven work teams and, of course, lots of songs were sung.

On Wednesday night we had a cultural night with the host church serving us Navajo tacos. A code talker from World War II shared his experiences.  Local artists also brought in their wares for purchase.

Thursday afternoon the group visited Four Corners National Monument.  On Friday, we stopped at Mesa Verde National Park on our way home. Also on the journey back to the Dakotas the group stopped in Denver, and for fun, we went to Elitch Gardens. Photo: One group worked on an accessibility ramp for a family. Photo from Navajo Nation 2016 facebook page. 

Pastor John Britt, one of the trip organizers described the trip as meaningful and impactful. “We had so many moving and impactful moments,” he said.  “One of our youth engaged with a homeless man who came into the park they were working in, talked for a while, and then ended up giving him her lunch for the day.”

Britt also described these moments that touched both the Dakotas Methodists as well as those they were with in New Mexico.

The team that handed out food at the host church was moved by how grateful the local people were for all that was given them.

The homeowners we worked for were deeply appreciative of our efforts.  As a show of appreciation for all the work done, the daycare that two teams worked at all week cooked lunch for the Dakotas travelers the last day so they did not have to eat sack lunches. Photo: a youth group takes a break from the hot work to pose for the camera. Photo: Navajo Nation 2016 facebook page.

“For our youth and most of our adults, the trip has been a great experience and has opened eyes to the needs in our world,” said Britt.