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50 Blessings

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by Amanda Cooksey, EM Summer Staff on the Navajo Reservation
Amanda and the rest of the Summer Staff team on the Reservation have spent their summer facilitating and coordinating mission trips in Arizona and New Mexico, building relationships with the local people and ministries while helping create lasting change in the community.

I've been on the Rez' for about five weeks and I think something The Lord is definitely teaching me is to be thankful for the big blessings in life, but also all of the little ones. Even the small ridiculous things like finding my Chapstick in my pocket after days of chapped lips in this desert heat. So I decided to share all the things I am thankful for (I also collaborated with my Summer Staff teammates so we could have a big massive list).

1. Lysol wipes

2. The breezy mornings

3. Rainstorms

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4. Goofy children that make even stressful situations funny

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5. THE GALAXY THAT IS SO CLEARLY VISIBLE

6. When you can see the sun and the moon at the same time

7. Gas stations that sell cheap sunglasses

8. Quirky moments of cultures colliding that are just filled with laughter

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9. Learning how to dance like Navajo people

10. The billboard that says "wisdom teeth implants" because that makes sense...

11. Facebook

12. A shady tree at worksites to rest under (shout out to this tree!)

13. Elderly Navajo people that speak English

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14. When our community friends tell us they will miss us greatly when we leave

15. The llama I met at the mission center. I love you, llama.

16. Not having cell service or Wifi, allowing us to focus on loving the people we have met here

17. A SHOWER AT THE END OF THE WEEK

18. Drives in the van without a radio filled with conversation

19. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets that we see EVERYDAY and it doesn't ever cease to blow us away

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20. Worshipping with different cultures

21. Facetime-ing my family

22. Encouraging letters from my best friends

23. Sleeping bags

24. Every mission trip team that teaches us something new. We see The Lord in different ways through each.

25. Harry and Blanche

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26. "Tacky T-shirt Tuesday"

27. Megan is thankful for the World Cup because it allowed her to bond with the kids

28. COFFEEEEEEEEEEE (we aren't addicted we just really appreciate it)

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29. Random moments when we can spend time in the Word

30. Encouragement bags

31. Sour cream chips with which we have formed an emotional bond

32. Weeks that Bird, Kelsey, Megan, and I all serve together

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33. My co-leader Megan. When she gives me grace when I lose things or get lost or get stuck in the sand, and she helps me.

34. Small breaks when Megan and I get to just spend together either resting, reading the Bible, or just hanging out

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35. Dance parties cooking breakfast at 5am

36. Hugs from mission trip team members after a long day

37. Saying goodbye to teams we have only known for a few days and knowing we have made life friends

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38. REZ PUPPIES. They make us happy from a distance (or with all 5 in our arms).

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39. Community dinners

40. Random birthday parties that give reason to celebrate another day

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41. Moments spent in worship with the teams

42. Leaders meetings that are filled with funny stories and lots of joy

43. Chacos

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44. Having kids clean dishes or take out the trash without us asking

45. When community members come to the church just to hang out

46. The new playground

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47. When the community members help us cook

48. Climbing mountains

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49. Getting treated like family members by our sweet Navajo friends

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And the 50th things we are thankful for is the precious love of God, who provides all the rest of these great blessings.


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