What up y'all? We be kickin' it here in Bluff, and having a grand old time. Today was our first day of Vacation Bible School (AKA VBS), and had a great turnout of 38 children from around the Navajo community. We woke up bright and early to the oh so delicious scent of toaster waffles….oven baked… with a side of syrup and berries of straw. Followed by steamy showers, we were fresh and ready to take on the kids. Group 1 (Charlie Craft, Kelsi, Sidney, and Jamie Bando) lead the CAST in a pretty spectacular presentation of stories of endurance, tying together the bible story of 'Paul and Silas Go to Jail' and the accounts of Pittsburg Steeler Rocky Bleier. Afterwards with endurance pumping through our veins, we set up an epic game of kickball on the mission. However Jamie Bando had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS vs VBS much...). The kids remembered a lot of us returnees, and the nicknames continue (Logan=Avatar Guy). William and crew made a heaping load of mac and cheese, accompanied with peas and cookies. Well at least the kids liked it. They latched on pretty quickly, and we're excited to spend the next week with these kids. After VBS and drop offs, two groups ventured on some hikes into the canyons. Kelsi in particular had a great time. Mid-cliff, while scaling a boulder, her soles of her shoes literally melted from heat and she walked out of them... no joke. With no other choice, we had to catch Kelsi and piggyback ride her back to civilization. Andrew dashed back to the mission to retrieve a car and pick us (a few hitchhikers) off the side of the road. We then made a trip to the K&C market at the Sinclair station to pick up the necessities of life (ring pops, corn dogs, and bawls energy drink). Jamie purchased 12 bags of sunflower seeds... we think he's trying to repopulate the earth with them... Back at the mission we spent over an hour in a spitting contest—making sure to occasionally hit our neighbor with the accidental shell... or lugie... thanks Sidney. Oh it was also taco night. Dudes, let me just say, this Mexican night did not include the hairs and after effects like Antonio's Taqueria had. Post-dinner we had a group hike up the nearby canyon. We had the occasional stops for Mae and Will's EXTREME mountain climbing moments... let's just say our hearts skipped a few beats. Atop the mesas we witnessed two lightening storms to the north and south of us, with us stuck in the middle. With a speedy descent, we made it back to the community center to watch the spectacle from safe grounds. With another spitting contest, and a game of basketball we watched the storm roll in. We retreated inside when the winds picked up, and all waited for Jenna in the living room while she took a shower during evening prayer. Our group (group #1) ended the night with a few words to help us recall and pray for others. Good night.

Sincerely,
Kelsi
Jamie
Charlie
Sidney