November 24, 2008

2009 General information

Spring weather in southeastern Utah is quite variable; we even have a rainy week once in a while. It’s most likely to be warmish during the day (60–70 deg F) and cold at night. Dress for outdoor activity. You won’t need to dress up for church.

Bluff has basically two restaurants (though we will supply all meals) and a small convenience store with an ATM. The nearest medical care is in Blanding, 25 miles north.

Because Bluff is down in a red-rock valley, cell phones don’t work in town, even when roaming service is available. There are no phones in the rooms at the Recapture Lodge or at the Far Out Expeditions bunkhouse, but there is a pay phone at the Recapture. In a pinch, others can reach you by phone (see below), but it's not something to do often. Better to think of yourself as out of reach, and concentrate on the mission work.

What to bring
Essential:

  • Sunscreen, sunglasses, sun hat
  • Prescription medications, first-aid materials, aspirin, etc.
  • Water bottles for hiking (absolute minimum of 1 liter per person, including each child)
  • Good hiking boots/shoes
  • Rugged clothes
  • Warm sweater or coat
  • Poncho or other rain gear
  • Backpack
  • Bible
  • Curriculum, timing sheet, map of Bluff, etc., from this meeting
  • Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hair dryer, kleenex, etc.
  • Money for at least three meals, one going and two coming back
  • Sack lunch for trip down
You may want:
  • Reading material
  • Writing materials
  • Camera and lots of film
  • Bathing suit (there's no pool, but the Recapture Lodge has a hot tub)
  • Extra cash to buy crafts made by parishioners of St. Christopher and St. John the Baptizer
Emergency phone numbers
  • Fr. Dick Snyder 435-672-2296
  • Recapture Lodge 435-672-2281
  • Far Out Expeditions 435-672-2294 (owners of the bunkhouse; they live next door)
Call Carol & Charley 303-443-0251 if you have questions.

Schedule for mission week

March 21–28, 2009

Friday, March 20
5:00–7:30 p.m. If you have time, meet at St. Aidan’s to pack food and program materials. There's a pickup and trailer to load, and they'll be full when we're done.

Saturday, March 21
8:30 a.m. Meet at the church parking lot for exchanging passengers and final loading. The drive takes 8-9 hours. If the weather is good, we’ll rendezvous at the park in Rifle (exit 90). Bring a sack lunch and money for dinner.
If you plan to leave your car at St. Aidan’s while you’re in Utah, please give a description of your car and the license plate number to Amanda Nuku in the church office (303-443-2503) by March 18. Normally we do parking enforcement during the week, and you wouldn't want to get tangled in that.

Sunday, March 22
  • 6:30–8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the bunkhouse; serve yourself, wash your own dishes
  • 9:00 a.m. -- Attend church at St. Christopher’s Mission. Volunteers who wish may also attend the bilingual service at St. John the Baptizer.
  • After church -- Unload food and teaching supplies in Bluff and Montezuma Creek. Make your own lunch at the bunkhouse or eat at the Twin Rocks Trading Post in Bluff (~$10). Teaching staff will letter VBS T-shirts for Thursday. Drivers and other staff will practice routes and inform families what time we’ll be picking up kids.
  • Safeguarding God's Children class for all volunteers who have not yet taken it.
  • Dinner Picnic dinner, perhaps; location TBD

Monday-Friday, March 23–27
  • 6:30–8:15 a.m. Breakfast at the bunkhouse; serve yourself, wash your own dishes
  • 8:30 Morning prayer at bunkhouse
  • 9:00 Make sack lunch, prepare for hike
  • 9:30–2:30 Hike, sightseeing, or free time. A group excursion is planned for each day.
Montezuma Creek staff
Bluff staff
  • 2:30-3:00 Montezuma Creek staff leave for MC (earlier on Monday to have time set up)
  • 3:30-4:45 Montezuma Creek Christian ed program
  • 4:45-5:15 Dinner at Montezuma Creek
  • 5:15 Montezuma Creek drivers take kids home; other staff clean up and set up for following day; all staff are welcome to come to Bluff for community dinner
  • 3:30 Bluff teachers meet at mission to set up for evening program
  • 4:30 Bluff route drivers leave to pick up kids
  • 6:00–6:30 Dinner at mission. Volunteers organize games for kids as needed.
  • 6:30–8:00 Bluff Christian ed classes
  • 8:00 Bluff drivers take kids home; other staff clean up
  • 9:00-10:00 Unwind at the bunkhouse (optional). We may be joined by local artists and friends.

Friday only
  • 8:00-10:00pm Pack the truck and cars for home. Clean up St. John's and St. Christopher. Please plan to stay until we're done (usually ~2 hours) unless you have to go take care of your children.

Saturday, March 28
6:30-8:00 Breakfast at the bunkhouse
8:15 till done Final cleanup at mission and bunkhouse, pack for home. Please don’t leave till you’ve checked in with Julia or Carol; we want to get home as much as you do.

BVSD and CU classes resume Monday March 30.

Navajoland information meeting, mid-late Feb 09

Agenda

Opening prayer and welcome

Part I: General information

1. The people we serve
Slide show
Cultural sensitivity training
2. Logistics
Traveling to, from, and around Utah
Food and accommodations in Bluff

Part II: This year’s program

1. Daily schedule and hikes

2. Curriculum
This year’s theme is ... in development
Many of the kids have no experience with Christian concepts
Each teacher can approach the material in a way they think will work best,
e.g., choose an activity from another age group instead of the one listed for
their class, etc.
Note curriculum timing sheet at end.
Please bring this copy to Utah!

3. Types of work assignments available
"Teachers" means experienced volunteers only, "assistants" means all
others who work in the classes
"Floaters" are like parapros in school: move from class to class

Part III: Needs before we go

1. Additional volunteer needs
Extra jobs
Packers for Friday, March 20

2. Paperwork
Cost: $350 (motel accommodations), $250 (bunkhouse), $50 per child. Let Carol know ASAP if you need a scholarship.
Liability release (one per human please)

Kitchen staff may leave at this point in the meeting.

Part IV: Craft-making tryouts

[To be determined]

February 27, 2006

Working with the Navajos

Kids:
  • Don’t assign kids to work together; let them choose.
  • Don’t do any activities that require them to give personal information about their family situation, parents, brothers and sisters, etc.
  • Let kids self-select which class to be in, even if they’re grossly over the supposed age limits.
  • Some kids can’t do even the simplest crafts. Watch out for them and have a grownup work with them one on one.
  • Don’t ask the kids to “perform” solo. For example, don’t have each one read a Bible verse in rotation around the table but have them all read the passage together.
  • With literacy activities, always offer simpler alternatives, such as writing 1-2 words rather than complete sentences.
  • Kids who get up and wander around the room should be brought back, but if they try to leave the building, tell them they won’t be welcome to come back the next day. Make sure you have their name, and pass the information to the driver who brought them.
Adults:
  • It is not impolite to sit silently with a Navajo.
  • Talk slower and say less. Wait longer for a response.
  • Interrupting is considered very rude.
  • There are no equivalent words for “please” or “thank you” in Navajo. Courtesies of this sort are not traditional cultural values.
  • Navajos are not touchy-feely. Let them initiate hand-shaking, hugs. etc.
  • Don’t ask personal questions in your initial conversations (e.g., about their family or clan).
  • Generally speaking, don’t pump them for information on their culture.
  • Don’t ask people what they do for a living.
  • Be humble! If you think of a brilliant solution for some problem down there, you can be sure they’ve already thought of it themselves.
Always remember: We are there to serve them.