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Show What? green and blue? the colors of spring? Have you ever looked through the new, bright green leaves of a cottonwood tree toward the sky and seen the bright blue beyond? We have chosen these colors to share with you our brilliant spring just now approaching full blossom. May we take a moment to tell you about a day in this glorious season? How we have looked forward to this time! The bright sun peeks over the bluffs earlier each morning and is over an hour old by the time we begin the daily Morning Prayer and Eucharist at seven. After the Holy Sacrifice is concluded we step out of the church into a vigorous day. While waiting for breakfast, we hear the birds singing and water gurgling from the hoses to freshen the garden, trees and flowers. After our meal and discussion, the school bell rings to summon pre-schoolers and the day's activities begin. The public school bus flashes in the sun, hammers resound, autos are off for check-up then prepared for trips to outstation visiting and classes, clinic patients begin to arrive and people come in to check for mail or request aid in a hundred ways. Tourists are beginning to find a morning stop here, too. Ground work and gardening is beginning and staff and worker "tans" deepen day by day. At noon the Angelus summons all to a moment of prayer followed by lunch prepared by Dickie. School children, eager but orderly, take their plates and stand for the blessing. All wait for the boys and girls to finish. Just after the thanksgiving, mail time is next and Bluff children are returned on this trip to town. Afternoon work resumes with breaks for Kool-Aid or Fizzies! Before we know it, the school bus returns to dis- FORM OF BEQUEST I hereby give, devise and bequeath (here state the amount of your legacy) - ----- ---. -_____ ___ ________ __ ___ _______________ unto Southwest Indian Mission, Incorporated, a corporation cr ated and existing under the laws of the State of New York with offices at Post Office address: Southwest Indian Mission, Little Portion Monastery, Mount Sinai, New York. Easter Yeggs! charge home-bound children. Once each week the county Bookmobile stops for an hom with cheery ~1r. Parry "at your service!" Is that the bell for Evensong so soon? The cool evenings come on announced by a varied sunset just before supper. Evening class follows. Our tutoring sessions have been praised by local public school teachers who believe our help in the evenings has been a definite assist to the children who take advantage of it (unfortunately, not yet all do). Right at this time of month the night brings a full moon-the bluffs are sotfly lighted to create a real wonderland against the night-blue sky. Then it is restful sleep and the new day comes soon. Bishop Maund at Home At St. Christopher's School Highlights since last newsletter include many visits, retreat for staff, some personal tragedies and some very wonderful announcements. Also we introduce a new column in the hope that you will get to know each one of us better. When Bishop John Maund of Basutoland, South Africa, was in Utah he espeCially asked to visit Retreat Scene St. Christopher's in the belief that this work was similar to his own. Elsewhere you will see why! His prayer and blesSing in Basuto fascinated our children at school. Just a few days ago we were host for a few hours to Father Kitagawa of New York. His blessing in Japanese took our little students further around the world and he left us with a cheery "Sayonara!" Father Gutmann and Father Page and Dr. Allen have also been recent visitors, all endeavoring to help us plan ahead for our needs. The staff retreat this year was conducted by Father Wayne in a lonely, windswept area just four miles from the Mission called Recapture Pocket. Our two prevailing thoughts were to realize how similar the country must have been where Our Lord spent forty days in retreat himself; and how close is God to His Creation in this starkly beautiful place. We talked a good deal about the Christian Person and the way many are apt to pOint out the failings of those who are presently in the Kingdom of God-more precisely, those who live at the Mission! And yet, some are just more naturally endowed with talents, patience and good qualities of person. Those to whom much is given, mon~ is expected! We are happy to report that a new ho~an has taken the place of Tom and Lena Shorty s burned out trailer which was pictured in the last newsletter. Tom stated a short time ago, "A hogan is better than a trailerl" Spring lambs and children play around the open door and life is full once again. Our good friends in Bluff, the Paul McPherson's, suffered a like tragedy two weeks ago when their trailer and all possessions were consumed by fire. Navajo friends stood by and comforted Mrs. McPherson, knowing full well the heartache which she suffered. The whole area stands by to assist in any way possible to start this part of their life anew. We pray for strength to them in this time of need. On April 26th our good Bishop Watson flew down from Salt Lake City to hold yearly Confirmation. We were able to greet him with two packed congregations, one at the Mission here and one at Aneth, incorporating all our area north of the San Juan River. Over 200 people heard his greetings and more than 30 were confirmed. All vehicles were pressed into service and Mr. Gene Foushee at the Recapture Motel Court in Bluff graCiously lent himself and "carry-all" for the day. Our thanks go to him and all staff who worked hard to make the precise schedules Confirmation Day necessary. The only mishaps of the day were the many people that could not be reached and three flat tires! "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" (Psalm CXXXVII). In our autumn newsletter we posed this question as we have since the foundipg of the Mission almost 21 years ago. The Lord's song must be sung. Below we devote several paragraphs of this spring greeting to show current ways that are being tried here at St. Christopher's Mission to the Navajo. When Donald Marshall came to serve here in October of last year, his musical talent became |