Oberholser Journals

Birthday Party for Jesus

2012-01-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

During the Christmas Holiday Season we held a birthday party for Jesus and invited several friends from our neighborhood to join us. Seven children came and joined us. We served pizza, told the Christmas story using magnents, ate birthday cake, watched a Veggie Tale's movie. It was a great time with our friends. We look forward to hosting more opportunities to show the love of Christ to our neighbors!

Jason's Birthday Party

2011-12-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

Though his birthday is not actually today, tonight was the best time to celebrate his birthday dinner. Bekah decided to make his b-day dinner special by pretending we were at a resturant.

Butchering

2011-12-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

We had been planning to butcher a sheep & a goat with the Nakai Family to celebrate all the December birthdays for both of our families. However, with a pending funeral coming up on Friday; all of those plans were changed. We still butchered this morning, but instead of having a large birthday party, most of the meat is being used to make stew for the funeral. Please continue to pray for the Nakai Family to experience God's peace & power in their lives in the midst of such heartache.

Craig's favorite part is the head meat. Navajos prepare the head meat by first throwing the head into the fire for a few minutes to burn off the hair. Then they cook it in the oven. There's not much meat on the head of a sheep, but they do tell me it is very tasty and good!

Grilled onions and garlic add extra flavor to a mutton sandwich!

Geno grilling meat while Vernon Jr looks on.

Enjoying the rewards of butchering!

Mourning with Others

2011-12-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

A picture of Vernon taken over a year ago. His brother-in-law, Derry, is standing in the background.

How does one say goodbye to a friend they'll never see on this side of heaven again? And how does one comfort and grieve with a family who has already delt with so much loss this year? These are two major questions going through my mind right now. Sunday afternoon Dec 18th we lost another friend and a brother in the Lord. I've know Vernon for 3 years. While I know his siblings better than I knew him, he was still a good friend and someone I respected. Vernon wrestled with the demon of alcohol for most of his life. While he hasn't drank as much in recent years; the affects of alcohol still lingered and eventually destroyed his body. One thing I noticed about Vernon was that he loved to work outside. Whenever he was healthy enough to be outside, I would usually find him working under a pickup truck, tinkering with his tractor, or working on other projects. Though Vernon has had several broken marital relationships, his love for his seven children and his five grandkids ran deep. He may have struggled as a man to demonstrate his love; but it was clear he loved them. It was also obvious that his children deeply loved him in the way they gathered around him in the hospital room. Though Vernon often struggled to live a Christ-like life, we rest in the assurance that he had put his hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation.

Anytime when a close friend or family member passes there is much sadness. However, this is the fourth family member the Nakai family has lost within the past 10 months. Vernon's father Leroy passed in Feb at the age of 76 after fighting a several year battle with cancer. His nephew Irvin passed in Aug at the age of 33 due to liver failure. His uncle Larry passed in Nov at the age of 70 after suffering a fall and heart failure. And then there's Vernon here in Dec. As you can image this has been really difficult for the whole family to endure. It's been especially difficult for Stella who lost her father, her only son, and one of her brothers this year. I can't image what it would be like to loose a parent, a child, and a sibling back to back like this. This family deeply covets your prayers. We are grateful that many of the family members have placed their hope in the Lord Jesus. But I'm also learning that just because you're a believer doesn't mean that you don't feel emotions. Our emotions allow to us feel various shades of joy & sadness and anything in between have been given to us by God. We need to acknowledge our emotions and allow or bodys to really feel them. However at the same time we should not doubt or distrust the sovereignty of God. He has made it clear in His Word that He'll never leave or foresake us. He is extra near to the broken-hearted!

Rejoicing Together

2011-12-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Earlier today mourned with a family who just lost a loved-one today. This evening we rejoiced with several other families as we hosted a Christmas party at our house. Four different families came. We had fun eating food, sharing the Christmas story, fellowshipping, and watching football!

My beautiful wife!

Our friend Serildena, made this Christmas tree ornament at school and gave it to us as a gift. We're now proudly displaying it on our tree.

Bekah told the Christmas to the children with using magnetic figures and sticking them on the kitchen stove. Jason also read the Biblical account from Luke 2 to the whole group.

Baby Goats Everywhere!!

2011-12-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have an elderly friend, Jim, who lives about 4 miles from my house. He raises several hundred Boer goats as a hobby and to provide extra income in his retirement. The other week Jim fell and broke his leg and is unable to go outside and tend to his animals. So, myself and other neighbors have been going over and taking care of things. Jim had a bunch of his does bred about 5 months ago so they would start having babies around this time. Bad timing with a broken leg; but isn't that how life usually goes! Because of all the new babies coming, it's been important that things are checked several times a day.

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by his place and two does had already kidded with healthy twins. A third doe was trying to have triplets and needed assistance. Unfortunately two of her babies were still-born. The alive one seems like she might be okay!

Helping with Jim's goats has been fun for me! It brings back memories of all the years spent working on dairy farms. On the dairy farm we were constantly having fresh cows and newborn babies that needed care. Though I often went home feeling tired and very dirty, it was and always is a good feeling of satisfaction & accomplishment!

Our family has been in New Mexico for over three years now. Never could I have imagined how the Lord would have given me as many opportunities to use my passion & skills of agriculture in an area known more for its deserts & sage brush than crops and pastures filled with cows! What an awesome God we serve! Truly His thoughs are higher than our's and His ways not our's! The Lord may not always do what we expect him to do; He has a way doing the unexpected in our lives! When we step back and look at the big picture, often we're very amazed at how He weaved it all together!

Have we become a society of Entitlement?

2011-12-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

I recently watched a video clip depicting various parents giving not-so pleasant Christmas presents to their children, just to see the kids reactions. I must admit, at first the kids' reactions were funny & cute. Some of the undesirable gifts included: a rotten banana, half eaten sandwiches, boring books, tacky clothes, and the like. Soon the children's reactions became very disturbing to me. Several of the children threw major fits because they didn't receive what they thought they should receive; some even used profanity!

This clip got me to thinking, what have we turned Christmas into? The early Christians recognized Christmas as a time to celebrate our savior's birth and to show love to others in special ways. Today's society has turned it into a season of commercialism and greed. When you think about it, I guess most people are acting just as they should. The Bible declares that we've all been born with a sinful, fleshly nature. Meaning we were born with the built-in desire to look out for ourselves and fulfill our own desires first.

We've had to address this sense of entitlement in our own home. Our oldest daughter keeps talking about all the gifts she expects for Christmas. We've had to sit down with her and explain that it's okay to have a "Christmas wish list". Although, what's more important than the gift received is the love that motivates the giving of the gift. We are attempting to teach our girls that when a gift is given to them (no matter how small or great) they should be grateful to the person who gave that gift in love! Also we're trying to teach them that when they give a gift to someone else, the size is not important; it's the love they have towards that person that really matters!

God's free gift of salvation through Jesus is very important to mankind. Without it, no one would be right with God and we all would live an eternity without God. But just as equally important is the love behind the gift of salvation. God's love for us is so great and unmeasurable! He demonstrated His love for us by sending His son as a ransom for our sins; so that first & foremost God would be glorified and secondly so that we may live forever with Him. If you have never given God complete control of your life and trusted Christ as your savior, why not do it today?

A Practical Life Lesson

2011-12-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted about my friend Anthony asking how a person could put God first in their life. Today I was able to answer that question with a practical lesson.

Anthony and I were discussing his new job and how he's going to spend his first paycheck. At first he seemed dead set on using it to purchase things he thought he needed. When I mentioned the idea of giving a portion of it to the Lord; he wanted to wait until his 2nd paycheck to start. However, as I talked to him about tithing and trusting God with our finances, a light bulb came on in his mind and he realized I was giving him a practical answer to his question he asked a few days earlier. He then decided that he would indeed give a portion of his first paycheck to the Lord and trust in Him to provide for his needs.

It is so exciting to work with people as they learn valuable life lessons and decide to apply them to life! I am glad Anthony has decided to trust God by giving a portion of his paycheck to the Lord's work. We are now trusting our heavenly father to supply all of Anthony's needs!

A Favorite Family Activity

2011-12-12T22:26:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite family activities is to go to Durango Colorado (about an hour drive from our home in NM) and see the historic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. http://www.durangotrain.com/ We've been blessed to be able to ride the train as a family twice. But most often when we go to Durango we try to find a spot along the tracks to watch the train leaving or returning to the station. The picture above was taken as we waited for the train to go past. The picture below was taked on our favorite trail in the city of Durango. This particular paved trail runs for several miles through the city, often parreling the river and the train tracks!

Several trains have already returned to the station for the day, but they're still waiting for one more to come in!

Our family waiting for the last train to come in for the day!

Overcomers Program

2011-12-12T21:32:00.001-07:00

This past fall, I (Jason) had the privilage of teaching a weekly class at the Overcomers Alcohol Rehab Program. I had such a wonderful time building relationships with each of the men. It was also exciting to walk along side these men as they took big steps in making positive life-changing decisions! I continue to be in contact with several of the guys and I'm encouraged by the journeys they are on.

In October we took the men to see the movie "Courageous"; afterwards we went out to eat at Golden Corral. As you can see from this picture, we enjoyed lots of laughs that evening!

I had a fat sheep that was ready to be butchered this fall. I brought it out towards the end of program; the men had fun butchering it together and then cooking the meat on an open fire for lunch. Sheep raising & butchering is a tradition that has been a part of Native Culture for many generations. Some of the younger generations have somewhat gotten away from these traditions because of living in more urban settings and not having elderly relatives to teach them these things. It was a joy & to provide them an opportunity to connect them with their past.

Sheep Butchering

2011-12-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago our family butchered an old sheep. Since the meat of older animals is often tough, we ground it up to use it as hamburger meat to cook with. Christy & Abby love pitching in and helping with whatever they can. Butchering days have also become science days as they love to learn about the anatomy of the animals, and how each body part functions. We are so blessed to be able to offer our children such practical life lessons! Our kids understand that food doesn't just magically appear in grocery stores, a nature process of birth, growth, death, and harvest must occur for food to be available for human consumption.

How to Put God First in Life

2011-12-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Anthony asked a very though provoking question, "What does it look like to put God first in life"? I love to hear questions like this because it shows that people are searching to know God's truth so they can walk in the right direction. I can see this with Anthony's life, though he's made some very bad decisions in his past. He's now committed his past, present, and future to Christ and is striving to walk in God's ways.

This question has also caused me to examine my own life to know what it means to "put God first". When you really get to the heart of the matter, I believe it looks differently for each individual. However basic principles still apply to all.

For me "putting God first" includes fixing my mind upon the ways of God from the beginning of the day and dwelling upon Him throughout the whole day long. This happens as we immerse ourselves in God's Word, as we pray to Him, and as we meditate upon Him. As we align our thoughts with God's thoughts, we will be able to hear Him speaking to us about how we should live!

Warrior at Heart Retreat

2011-12-09T07:31:00.004-07:00

This fall Jason had the privilage of joining 7 other men from Farmington and travel to Camp Redcloud in the beautiful Colorado mountains for a men's retreat. At the retreat we joined with other men, mostly from Grand Junction Colorado, there was a total of about 50 men there. This men's retreat is based on the book "Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge. About 4 or 5 times a year the men's ministry called Warrior Heart hosts this 4 day retreat! Just as the views of the surrounding mountains were breathtaking, so was the fellowship & food just as equally spectacular! A large portion of the retreat was spend gathering as a large group and learning God's design for Biblical manhood. There were also times of sharing from the men. Some of the stories & testimonies we heard were very challenging, sad, and yet encouraging! Another aspect of the retreat were the freetime activities that were offered in the afternoons; which included horse back riding, rock repelling, skeet shooting, and others. What amazed me most about the retreat was how the Lord wove every activity together to teach us valuable lessons; whether it was sitting down and learning from scripture, listening to other men share, or engaging in silly horseback games the Lord spoke to us all in special ways. The Lord especially taught me some valuable lessons about my self worth while playing a game of capture the flag on horseback! This awesome retreat is open to men of all ages. If you are desiring to experience more of who you are as a man created in God's image, I encourage you to join us. Even if you live far away; you're invited to come in for the weekend (or longer) to join us!

Attending from Farmington: Bobby, Larry,Vern, Brian, Ben, Rich, Greg, & Jason

Birthday Parties

2011-12-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

As a family we enjoy attending birthday parties and other celebrations when we're invited to them by our Navajo friends. This gives us a great opportunity to connect with people in a non-threatening way.

Livestock Auction Barn

2011-12-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

The local acution barn is one of Jason's favorite places to visit. Not only does he often buy & sell animals there; he loves to connect with other farmers there. The auction barn is a local gathering spot for area farmers.

A King and His 3 Princesses

2011-12-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Will this king get another princess in May or will he get a prince?? You'll just have to stay tuned!

Walks in the Neighborhood

2011-12-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

Bekah loves to take all three girls for walks through our neighborhood. The girls love going for their walks as well.

Daddy-Daughter Date Nights

2011-12-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Every so often I like to take my girls out on a daddy-daughter. One night I took Christy out for frozen yogurt. The next night when it was Abby's turn she wanted to go to the same place.

Summer Trip to Pennsylvania

2011-10-13T09:58:00.002-06:00

Visiting with Dan & Florina in Kanas City on our way east.

Jason spent part of a day with his brother, Kevin as he delievered a load of wheat to the grainery.

Our family enjoyed our visit to Roots Market in Lancaster County. The girls (above) enjoyed ice cream. Jason (below) enjoyed a huge soft pretzel!

Our family enjoyed several days at the Burns farm in Ridgway. Above Christy watches as Pete, Papa, and their help collect chickens for butchering. Below, Bekah and the girls enjoy a short rest on Papa's wood pile.

We celebrated Grant's and Jessie's birthday together since they were born two weeks apart. Thank you aunt Marla for making a wonderful cake!

Taking a short break at a State Park in Arkansas on our way west.

Albequerque Zoo!

Family time with Uncle Evan's family

Story time with Grandma!

Bekah & Jason just finishing a run with Papa.

Oberholser Cousins

2011-10-13T09:29:00.001-06:00

cousins playing with Grandma & Grandpa's train

Christy with cousin Heather (Kendra's daughter)

Tara & Edmund

All 9 Oberholser Cousins

Jessica & Grant (2 wks apart in age)

Tara & Abigail (4 months apart in age)

ATV Trip - July 2011

2011-10-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

Several scenic pictures from an ATV trip Jason went on with several other people from our church. Can you believe the mountains of Colorado still had snow the middle of July!

2011-10-12T21:34:00.001-06:00

In June our family enjoyed a 4 day camping trip to Colorado.

June 25th - Abby's 3rd Birthday

2011-10-12T20:53:00.002-06:00

Abby's birthday fell this year during our family camping trip to Colorado. We packed a homemade birthday cake and and birthday gifts along with all of our camping gear.

My New Favorite Song

2011-06-21T21:29:00.000-06:00

Below is a link to a song that I'm just loving. It speaks about how awesome God is and how much He really loves us. This song is sung by Peter Furller, form lead singer for the group Newsboys.

Peter Furller - Reach

Kid's Club June 21st

2011-06-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

We had another great kid's club meeting this afternoon. Although we didn't have as many children attend as we had been; we were greatful for the several adults who stayed and participated.

Each week Jason shares a Bible lesson with the children and we select a Bible verse for them to memorize. All children who say a verse from memory get to pick a prize from the prize bag. Here are the three verses we've assigned so far.

Today we began series of lessons discussing Genesis chapter 3 and the sinful nature that lives in all of us. As an illustration of these lessons we are having the kids paint flower pots, plant seeds in them, and then watch them grow each week. We want the children to learn that life is about planting seeds...if you plant seeds of the sinful nature; you will reap destruction and death. However if you plants seeds of the Spirit, you will reap everlasting life.

Neighborhood Children's Ministry

2011-06-15T22:44:00.001-06:00

Ever since we moved into our home we've had a desire to impact the lives of the children living in our neighborhood. Slowly we've been building relationships with several of the children as they stop by our house to play and look at our animals.

In early May while we were gone on a week long trip, some of the children caused mischief in our backyard. When we returned, we had to have a talk with the kids and their parents. We've come to realize that the children are not bad kids; they just need some guidance in life and adults to show them love.

In early June we began hosting a weekly "summer kids club" at our house. We invited all of the neighbor children whom we know. Each week there has been between 10 and 15 kids attending. kids club consists of Bible time, craft time, snacks and play time. It's exciting to watch them learn about God's word and memorize scripture.

Jason with several of the neighbor boys

Children waiting for "Bible time" to begin

Jason teaching a Bible lesson to the kids

One week the children learnt about all of God's creation and then they drew pictures of the things he made.

On June 14th a group of people from Chambersburg joined us in hosting a special "family night" for the kids and their families. Liz Brown and her group taught us how to make ice cream by tossing around ziplock bags of ice. They also did face painting and played other fun games with the kids.

Sam & Stan filling up ziplock bags with ice.

Tossing bags to make ice cream

Random Spring Pictures of the Girls

2011-06-15T22:26:00.000-06:00

Jessie

Camping with Daddy and our friend Craig

Camping trip with daddy & Craig

Jessie enjoying the grass

Recently the girls attended a birthday party that was held at the local fire department. The girls had so much fun looking at the fire trucks.

Making homemade ice cream.

Our yard & animals

2011-04-05T16:20:00.000-06:00

It's spring time here in New Mexico. Join us as we take a tour of our yard.

Peach tree in our front yard. We're just hoping that we don't get a killer frost that would destroy the fruit this year.

Jason extended our front yard a bit this year by planting oats in a new section. The goats oughta enjoy eating them when they come up.

Along with spring comes new birth. So far we've had 7 baby goats born this year. We sold two to our friends and are keeping the rest to raise. Each of the girls claimed a female baby as their own and have named them. Christy's is Nellie and Abby's is Dora. One of our goats gave birth to quads (four babies) However one was stillborn, the other 3 (all female) are doing fine!

Molly, one of our milk goats. We expect to average a gallon per day per goat. Right now we are milking 3 goats...We're getting a lot of milk!

We are raising broiler chickens (meat birds) again this year. These three pens here house about 50 chickens between them. We moved them in the yard each day so they have a fresh spot of grass to nibble at. We plan to butcher them all here in April, but divide it up in three weeks so we don't have to do them all at once. Anyone wanna come help?

Our sheep herd. We currently have two mammas and three babies. We plan on raising the two baby females for reproduction and raise the male baby to butcher.

Laying chickens. We have some older chickens that gave us a few eggs during the winter. But our new batch of chickens are finally laying eggs. We're getting between 15 and 18 eggs a day.

We only had one litter of bunnies born so far this spring. The white mamma pictured here had five babies. We'll be selling them soon to one of the local stores for them to sell them as pets.

Micheal W. Smith Concert

2011-04-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

March 27th we were honored to have Micheal W. Smith in concert in Farmington. We were one of the smart ones who bought tickets early; it sold out quickly. We really enjoyed a fun date night out without the girls.

Four Corners Ag Show

2011-04-05T15:55:00.000-06:00

Each year in March there's an Agricultural show in Cortez, Co. This year we took our friend Craig along. We enjoyed looking at the animals and other exhibits. The girls really enjoyed the tractors.

Christy's 4th Birthday

2011-04-05T15:26:00.000-06:00

Christy celebrated her 4th birthday on March 2nd. The day included a trip to Cortez with daddy to visit the livestock auction and play in the city park. Also in the evening we had a special family party for Christy. Mommy made a special watermelon cake!

Misc Pictures of the girls Jan-March 2011

2011-04-05T15:06:00.000-06:00

Christy & Abby painting while Jessie watches.

This what happens when young girls eat ice cream!

Our cowboy princess!

Three monkeys in a crib!

Tea party, all three girls got dressed up.

Christy & Abby love getting in their swimsuit and pretend they are swimming or riding in boats.

Valentine's party with neighbor friends.

Christy & Abby doing push-ups just like Daddy.

Our girls love hanging out with our friend, Craig.

Christmas 2010

2011-04-05T14:48:00.000-06:00

Jason' parent came to visit us at Christmas time. Some of the fun activities the girls enjoyed with Grandpa & Grandma included: feeding ducks @ the park and riding the train through the snow covered mountains of Colorado!

Christy & Abby made a snowman with Grandma!

Butchering Day

2010-12-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

Today we butchered the first goat that we raised from birth. We were actually going to do two, but the first one only weighed 50 pounds, so we decided to wait until the second one gains more weight or until we need more meat.

We wanted to butcher this one now to have goat meat for the holidays. Jason's parents will be arriving in a few days for Christmas. We thought it would be fun to share it with them. We do enjoy cooking some goat over the open fire. But the very best way to cook it is to slow cook it in the crockpot. Throw in some herbs, onions, potatoes, carrots...it makes a great meal!

Jason got too carried away with the knife and cut himself.

We grilled some meat and ate it for lunch, Bekah also made some yummy tortillas.

Our friends Daniel & Gerald also came over this morning. They helped with the butchering and voluntarily cleaned up around the backyard for us.

A New Puppy!

2010-12-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

This past week our family got a new puppy. Jason is getting tired of the neighborhood animals roaming through our backyard and messing with our livestock. It's time to have a dog around to keep unwanted animals out. Also we thought it would be fun for the girls to have a puppy. Christy & Abby went along with Jason to pick out our new friend. He was going to let them pick it out, however they each wanted different puppies and wouldn't budge on which one they each liked. Finally Jason had to pick the one he liked as a tie breaker. Since Jason ended up picking Abby's favorite one, he left Christy name the puppy. Christy picked the name "Bobby", we all thought that was a good name for a boy puppy. Bobby is half Black Lab and Austrailian Shepherd. We think he will make a great pet for our family and a great protector of our animals.

Two Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

2010-12-07T08:39:00.001-07:00

Christy & Abby had fun jumping on their beds this morning. We were privilaged to catch it on video!

A New Normal

2010-12-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

I just heard a quote today that really caught my attention, "Alcholics don't drink to get drunk; they drink to feel normal." Meaning that the alcohol has gradually taken over their lives to the point of being drunk is normal for them. You could place the word 'alcohol' with any other word that represents an addiction in a person's life; ie...sex, money, food, entertainment, relationships, etc. As human beings we often run after things to satisfy us or make us feel normal, but ultimately those things when taken in excess lead to destruction.

Our prayer for all people (no matter of their addictions or life struggles) is to find their 'normal' in our Lord & saviour, Jesus Christ. Meaning, that as we dwell in the Lord's presence daily and are filled with his spirit; He will become our 'normal'!!

Thanksgiving Day

2010-12-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

This year we were honored to host several friends at our house for Thanksgiving Day lunch. We are very blessed by the Lord for good friends, food, and fellowship!

Before we ate our meal, we gathered around the piano to sing a hynm of praise & thanksgiving to the Lord.

Our Family Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

This year decided to begin a new family tradition by going to Colorado to select and cut our own Christmas Tree. We went along with our friends, Jay, Leann, & Becca Sheats. The Sheats knew where to go since they've gotten a tree from the mountains before. We helped the Sheats by hauling their tree in our truck along with ours since they have a little car. Our first stop in Colorado was at the US Forest Ranger's office to get an $8.00 permit for cutting a Christmas Tree. Then we went to the forest to find our tree. As we drove on the mountain road to our destination, the higher up in the mountain we went; the more snow we encountered. It was a fun day for all!

Click on the link below to view pictures from our Facbook album. You not to need to be a user of Facebook to view the album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072076&id=1242527957&l=27c0362ed6

Misc Photos

2010-12-05T12:54:00.001-07:00

Recently we uploaded pictures onto our FB account of Misc Photos that were on our cameras. Click on the link below to view photos. You can view the photos even if you don't have Facebook.

Misc Photos

Abby Singing

2010-11-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

New Friends

2010-10-19T21:24:00.001-06:00

Tino, Shirly, and their nephew Mathies live in our neighborhood. I (Jason) met them two weeks ago while out walking. They immediately expressed an interest in meeting with us for Bible Study. We've met with them three times now! Tonight they came to our house and joined us for supper. We're excited about this opportunity to build a friendship with this wonderful family!

Regga Concert in the Park

2010-10-19T21:18:00.000-06:00

Though there is a lot of spiritual darkness in and around the community we live, we are blessed to live in an area where the local churches often work together to proclaim Christ's name. This past Sunday after, there was a free concert in the park sponsored by several churches and businesses. The afternoon featured free hotdogs, chip, & sodas; shows by several local artists, and then a show by Christafaria, a nationally know Christian Regga group.

My buddy, Lee went along to the concert with me, he enjoys Regga music and had a great time!

Our friend Johnny B, was invited to sing one of his songs before the main group came out. It was so special to see him on stage singing God's word in the Navajo Language.

Ben helping Johnny to prepare for his song

Finally, the main attraction, Christafaria, a nationally known Christian Regga group, they put on a great show!

The trombone and trumpet players were awesome!

Leroy's Birthday Party

2010-10-19T20:46:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday we were invited to our friend, Leroy's 76th birthday party. It's nice to see how Leroy's children and grandchildren cherish and honor him. As you can see, he's a Steeler's fan. It's amazing how many Steeler fans there are out here.

They had great weather and a big turnout for his party, probably about 40 or 50 people. The Nakai Family are believers and enjoy singing everytime they get together to celebrate a birthday or hold a church service in their yard. Since we usually get invited their get-togethers, we are getting to know many of their friends and extended relatives as well!

Update on Gerald

2010-10-01T20:58:00.002-06:00

Some of you may be wondering how our friend Gerald is doing. Unfortunatly Gerald left the rehab program a week and half ago. Since he voluntarly checked himself in, he was free to leave whenever he wanted to. Although he can not come back to the program at least until Febury, if he desires. He is back on the streets, living his same old lifestyle again. He gave several reasons for leaving, but not of them seemed rational. We believe that Gerald is currently running from God and His authority.

Though Gerald seems to be hard-hearted and resistant to the truth about himself, we are not giving up. We will continue to take every opportunitiy the Lord gives us to speak into his life. We are grateful that he hasn't completely shut us out of his life. We continues to stop bye our house to see us.

Gerald in the Overcomers Program

2010-09-12T21:43:00.003-06:00

Our friend Gerald enrolled himself into the Overcomers Alcohol Rehab program about three weeks ago. While it has been intense and discouraging at times, Gerald is hanging it there. We are so proud of Gerald and the work he is doing to change his life around.

Pictured with Gerald are his two daughters and his father. His family visited him today, they all had a wonderful time together.

Men drumming during the Church worship service.

Baby Shower

2010-09-12T21:16:00.004-06:00

Several of our Navajo Friends surprised Bekah with a baby shower party. Bekah & the girls had a great time hanging out with friends whom they haven't seen for awhile.

Fustrating Encounter with a Salesman

2010-09-09T20:08:00.002-06:00

We just had a frustrating encounter with a salesperson. Bekah got a phone call the other day saying that since we filled out a water survey we won a $20 gift card to Chilies and a free water test...Should have known there was a catch to it. The guy showed up tonight to do a water test. In less than 5 minutes I realized this was more of a sales pitch than a free water test. The man did a great job doing several water tests that showed us how much "junk" was in our water. While he was talking, I was actually interested in what he had to say. He told us about a machine his company sells that would take care of the "junk" in our water. He about had me sold on the machine. But since he wouldn't give me the bottom line price until the end I knew there would be some catch...

...And the catch was that he tried to get us to commit to buying the machine tonight. I don't care how much money any salesman tries to say we will eventually save, there is no way I'm going to commit to spending $5000 tonight without having at least a few days to think about it. Needless to say, the salesman left without selling us anything; he didn't even leave us any literature so we could think about it. The man even left in quite a hurry...I kind of felt bad how it ended. But there's now way I was going to spend $$ tonight.

What I can't understand, if the company really cared about their customers and making the sale, they would give people ample information and time to process. Is anyone familar with Kirby Vaccum Company and their salespeople? This company works the same way. They must make a lot of money on impulse...Poor guy didn't make any tonight!

Introducing Jessica Joy!!

2010-08-15T20:59:00.003-06:00

The moment we've all been waiting for: Our little girl has finally arrived!!

Jessica Joy Oberholser

Born August 15th, 2010

Weighing 6lb 11oz; Measuring 20.5 inches

Block Party Follow-up

2010-08-14T13:14:00.000-06:00

Today our family took a walk through the neighborhood to see if we could connect with anybody we met from the block party we hosted this past week. We call upon three houses. The first house: no one was home. The second house: the lady we were looking for was not home, but her grandchildren were home and a man who didn't come to our party, but heard all about it and was glad we stopped to see him. The third house: Gabe and his two sons were home. We had a good conversation with them. Gabe asked us about church and seemed interested in meeting with us.

I'd say 2 out of 3 was not bad! We're glad we were able to do a little follow-up and continue to connect with our new friends!

Sausage, Eggs, & the Bible

2010-08-14T09:20:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I had a little bit of change of heart since last

night...This morning, Gerald and Freddie showed up with another friend hungry for breakfast. Since we had lots of leftovers I decided to invite them in and whip up a big breakfast of sausage, goat meat, eggs, potatoes, and toast. I started to cook the sausage & potatoes, while Bekah cooked the rest I sat down with them and taught them a Bible lesson. I know they didn't necessarily come to our house this morning for a Bible lesson, but I figure while they are in our house we should take every opportunity that we can. We talked this morning about who God is and why we can believe the Bible. They seemed to appreciate the Bible story and really enjoyed the food.

I've come to believe that Bekah and I have the right to choose when we offer food to them and when we say no. Hopefully we will always be guided by the Holy Spirit when we make these decisions. I'm also realizing that I need to be better prepared and more intentional about sharing Bible lessons with them when they come for food. We believe that this holistic ministry of filling their physical & spiritual hunger will be very effective in discipling them. Although at some point we are praying that they will stop always depending on us for physical food and learn to provide for themselves. They are very capable men who could work & earn an honest living if they really put their minds to it.

(Left to Right) Christy, Jason, Freddie, Ron, & Gerald

One other thought about our friends...Freddie especially likes it when we "say a prayer" for him, like the prayer will fix all his problems. I try to remind him that it's not the power of the prayer that changes things, it's the power of the one whom we pray to that has the power to change our lives.

It's easy to see that Freddie has been influenced by the Navajo religious traditions. In the Navajo way, a medicine man is the spiritual leader (kind of like a pastor or priest). Navajos generally only go to the medicine man when something needs fixing, ie..a relationship, someone's health, finances, etc. The medicine man will then do a ceremony and say a prayer to "fix" the problem. Many people will claim that the medicine is praying to the same God that Christians worship. But knowing enough of the Navajo religious ways, the medicine man is really praying to evil spirits and false gods.

Unfortunately when some Navajos become Christian they bring this same mentality of "praying to fix things" into their relationship with God our creator. While we believe that God desires to hear our requests and meet our needs, his purposes for us are so much great than that. He longs to have a deep & intimate relationship with each of us.

My awesome wife, Bekah, cooking eggs for us all! What a blessing it is to have our own chickens that produce eggs so we can supply eggs to anyone who's hungry.

Still learning when I should say "yes" and when to say "no"

2010-08-13T21:36:00.000-06:00

This evening my two friends, Gerald & Freddie stopped by the house. We invited them both in and shared some ice cream cake with them that our family was eating. Then they had the nerve to say that they were still hungry and asked for something more to eat. They began naming specific foods they were hungry for, like they expected us to provide them with what they wanted. It was at that moment that a little trigger inside of me went off. The dam broke inside of me, so I left them know exactly how I felt.

I told them how much I was getting tired of them treating me like a vending machine, thinking that they could stop by here anytime they were hungry and get what they wanted to eat. I then told them that they needed to stop being drunks, get their lives cleaned up, get a steady job; then they could buy whatever they wanted to eat when they were hungry. I was brutally honest, but loving with my response. Not only is it draining on my family when we constantly give to Gerald & Freddie, but it's also doing them a disfavor if I only give them hand-outs instead of a hand-up.

After I spoke honestly to them, Freddie pulled some money out of his pocket and decided to walk up the street to the resturant. After knowing he had money, I was really glad that I didn't give in to his request. What was he thinking to ask me for food when he had the money to go buy it himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning to spend that money on booze.

I hope people don't misunderstand me; I really have compassion for the street drunks who live in our neighborhood and really want to do whatever I can to show them love. However I also think of how the best parents do not always give their children what they want, but exactly what they need. Often I feel like a father to Gerald & Freddie and they are my sons...Wow that's a scary thought to think about, they are both older than me!

The more I spend time with people the more I realize I have a lot more to learn!!!! I'm learning that there's a fine line between when it's appropriate to say "yes" and when to say "no".

Oh Lord give us the grace and wisdom to know exactly what to do in each situation. Also change the hearts of men like Gerald & Freddie; help them to come to understand what real friendship and love is. May they experience your love & forgiveness in a powerful way! Amen

Neighborhood Block Party

2010-08-12T22:51:00.000-06:00

On August 11th we held a block party for our whole neighborhood. Our friends from the Revolution BIC Church did a great job in helping to plan the party and provide the food. This proved to be a great time of meeting our neighbors and sharing Christ's love with others.

We estimate that at least 75 people came!

We served hot dogs, chips, cookies, and homemade ice cream

A puppet show!

An inflatable bounce house to jump in

Add caption

House Painting Project

2010-08-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

This is what our house looked like several days agao before we started.

This is what it now looks like since we're done painting.

This awesome team came the whole way from the Revolution BIC Church in Salina Kansas to help us with the painting project.

Our family standing in front of the finished house

Steps of Painting

We were hoping to just add a coat of paint over top the existing paint. But after further investigation it was determined that we needed to strip off the old paint and start completely from scratch. Above is a picture of me striping off the old paint with a power washer. It took me four days to get the paint off the whole house!

The house stripped of paint, it's now ready for a coat of primmer.

Our friends quickly applied a coat of primmer to the house on Monday.

Even our girls enjoyed helping too!

Sam rolling on the paint over top the primmer.

Meadow painting the trim work.

Front view of our finished house.

Sheep Camp Bible Study

2010-08-12T21:34:00.002-06:00

Cows on the road and rough/bumpy roads...just a part of the adventures I've had this summer when visited friends.

Many Navajo Families have a long heritage of herding sheep. Though most of them have jobs in town and don't rely on sheep to make a living, many people still herd sheep. Our elderly friend Louis has a herd of sheep, every summer she takes them up in the mountains to graze. Her family has a plot of land with a cabin to stay in and corrals to keep the sheep in at night. The family doesn't like her being up there alone, so several of Louis' grandsons and nephews enjoy staying with her at the camp.

After visiting my friends at the camp several times, I got the idea to go up regularly and teach Bible stories to those at camp. For several weeks I went up twice a week. I often took some food for them and a Bible lesson to share. Last week they had bad storms in the mountains so they had to bring the sheep down, all the relatives went back to their seperate homes. I had hoped that I made an impact the few times I was able to share Bible stories, but I didn't really know for sure what kind of impact it was.

Just last night I spoke with the mother of one of the boys who was up there at the camp. She shared how much he enjoyed when I came to visit with food and Bible stories. Great to know that seeds are being planted. We keep praying that our seeds will some day take root and produce fruit!

Discipleship

2010-06-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

Lately our team has been talking a lot about discipleship and what it means to walk in discipleship with an individual or couple. For Rebekah and I we're learning that discipleship often means teaching people things that we learned as children. We've observed that chaos often describes the Navajo family structure. Many children grow up without out a father figure, or a man who is not their biological father. Many Navajo children know what it feels like to be punished for doing wrong. But the discipline they receive does not often bring about life change, it's only meant as payment of wrong for the here and now. The Bible gives us a model of discipline that's design to chang our hearts. Many Navajo children grow up into adults not understanding the relationship between their actions/decisions and the consequences. Thus many Navajo adults make poor decisions in life because they were never taught true discipline and responsibility of choices.

This concept was brought into reality to me this morning as I counseled my friend Gerald. Gerald is a man who struggles with alcohol and wanders the streets a lot. Though he has children, he is not able to maintain a job and provide for his family. I've had the privilage to befriend him and spend a lot of time with him over the past year. We try to show compassion to him any change we get, but yet we try hard not to enable him, to keep supporting his destructive habits.

We often allow Gerald to sleep in our camper when he needs a place to stay. Last night he stayed overnight and he broke two rules that I clearly set for him. First he invited a friend to spend the night without checking with me first. He knew from the beginning that he's not allowed to have friends over without checking with me. Secondly, either him or his friend ate some food that we had stored in our camper. I clearly told him that we didn't want him eating the food in there, but if he got hungry he could come to the houe for food. It wasn't a big deal to me that a friend stayed the night or that he ate the food; however he broke our rules. The worst thing I can do for Gerald is to try to take away the conquences of his decisions. This morning when I confronted him about the rules he broke, he seemed very sorry, but yet didn't seem to get take full responsibility for his actions. I was very loving as I confronted him, but yet I sensed that he was hurt by the confrontation. Which leads me to thing that Gerald does not know what it means to be confronted in a loving way by someone who cares for him. He's only used to being yelled at for the sake of yelling. After our confrontation, Gerald left our house and we haven't seen him since. I know that Gerald will be back again someday, but yet I feel sad that I probably lost a friend for the day (Gerald was planning to go to church with us).

So what is discipleship? The Lord reminded me that what I did with Gerald this morning is discipleship. Discipleship doesn't start when a person becomes a follower of Christ. Disciple = learner. If that's the case, then we need to be making learners out of people to get them to the point where they can make an educated decision to accept Christ.

My challenge to fathers today: Love your children with unconditional love, but yet discipline with the goal of shaping their heart, not just because you are angry at them. Have a very happy father's day! Thank you fathers for how you have molded and shaped our lives. I am especially grateful today for my father, Konrad Oberholser. My dad is a hard working man who worked hard to provide for him family. His dedication to prayer and love of the scriptures are two things that I'll always remember about my father.

Thank you Dad!!

Bicycle Ride Through NAPI

2010-06-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago I, Jason went on a long bicycle ride through NAPI or Navajo Agricultural Products Industry. The Navajo Nation own about 70,000 or 80,000 acres of irrigated farm land. They grow alfalfa, corn, beans, pumpkins, potatoes, etc. Attached is a link to several pictures I took from my trip. Also attached is a link to NAPI's website if you wish to learn more about what they do.

Bike ride through NAPI

NAPI

The Girls Being Girls!

2010-06-18T21:52:00.000-06:00

Navajo Presentation

2010-06-12T13:33:00.009-06:00

Jason took a Navajo Language Class this past spring. For a final project he had to give a PowerPoint presentation in Navajo. He chose to talk about his family and animals. Below are the slides from his presentation.

Wed Night Bible Study

2010-06-12T13:22:00.002-06:00

We meet weekly with the Barret Family for Bible Study. One week as we were getting ready for study, our friends Gerald & Freddie showed up and want to join us. We had a wonderful evening of discussing the creation story and how God designed man to be.

Christy and Abby love Bible Study because they get to play with their friend Hailie.

Easter Morning Worship

2010-06-09T22:03:00.003-06:00

On Easter morning of this year the Freedom of Nations BIC Group met at Angel Peak (an outdoor recreational area) for worship, fellowship, and lunch. It was especially special to have several of Jason's relatives join us.

Blooming Tree

2010-06-09T18:45:00.002-06:00

The tree in our front yard was in full color mid-April, it was sure beautiful! We didn't know what kind of tree it was until last year when it produced one peach. Hence it must be a peach tree, we're hoping for a lot more peaches from it this year. Though it didn't produce near it's potential, at least it proved to us what kind of tree it was by its fruit.

Wow, I just realized that there's a spiritual lesson from our tree. Didn't Jesus say that we will know the tree by it's fruit. A fig tree doesn't produce thorns and a thorn bush does produce figs. Did you ever stop and think that a fruit tree doesn't need to do anything but to stay where it was planted and take advantage of the nutrients given to it by the soil around it.

If you are a follower of Christ, abide in Christ and the end result will be fruits of the spirit: gentleness, self control, love, peace, etc. Don't try to do a bunch of "works" for Christ today; that becomes legalism! Just abide in Christ each day, wherever the Lord has planted you. The end result will be beautiful fruit produced by you just by doing what God intended for you to do.

Mini Oberholser Reunion

2010-06-09T15:59:00.002-06:00

The first weekend of April, Jason's Aunt Evie, Uncle Chris, Uncle John, their spouses, and his cousin Erin were all in our area. We had a great time together that weekend. Below are a few pictures of what we did together!

The girls warmed up to Aunt Evie really quick. Can't ya tell that Evie enjoys reading books to children.

Aunt Evie, Uncle Chris, and Uncle Herb

We took our family guests to a local museum where they have hundreds and hundreds of animal mounts on display. How would you like to have a wall like this in your house?

As a family we also attended a local Pow Wow gathering. It was very educational for all of us to watch some of the performances.

Since it was Easter weekend, someone had the idea to paint eggs. The little kids and big kids had a blast!

A Piano

2010-06-08T21:57:00.002-06:00

In March we were blessed with the opportunity to purchase a piano, which we recently found out that it was made in 1912. I bet the piano could share a lot of history if it could talk!

Bekah is excited about the ministry opportunity to teach piano lessons. So far she has three students!

Christy's 3rd Birthday

2010-06-08T21:48:00.002-06:00

Christy Celebrated her 3rd birthday on March 2nd. Bekah made a special cake in the shape of a barn and decorated with a pig & sheep!

We had a small party. Abby and their friend Hailey had fun celebrating with Christy.

Gerald's Drawings

2010-06-08T21:24:00.002-06:00

Jason has befriended a fellow, named Gerald who struggles a lot with alcohol. He says that he wants to do what's right, but so far he's been unable to break the addictions in his life. Gerald has a very special talent for drawing. Here are a few of the things he's drawn. We are praying that as the Lord redeems his life that he'll give him an opportunity to use his talent for God's glory!

Our Goat Herd

2010-05-31T21:08:00.002-06:00

Our goat herd has been very productive for us this spring. We had a bunch of little babies born, several of our goats had either one or two babies each. Two of our goats even had triplets. We sold a few of the babies, but most of them we're raising for meat and for reproduction. We have three in milk right now. Between the three, we get about 2 gallons of milk a day. With the surplus of milk we make a lot of homemade ice cream and cheese. So far we've mastered how to make cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Someday we hope to learn how to make the hard cheeses. Anybody hungry for dairy products? Stop by and we'll treat ya right!

Utah Trip

2010-05-31T20:36:00.004-06:00

In mid-Feb our family took a brief trip to Utah. While there we enjoyed visiting several beautiful parks and enjoyed checking out a man-made structure called Hole in the Wall. The Hole in the Wall is basically a house that was made by carving into the side of a big rock. It was amazing to see. The girls enjoying seeing the petting zoo!

Random pics just found hiding on our camera

2010-02-12T19:50:00.003-07:00

Caugh ya redhanded!!!

Picnic outing and bike ride pictures from last summer.

Break time!!

Deer in the park.

Christmas Afternoon

2009-12-26T11:27:00.005-07:00

Though we spent Christmas morning home alone, we were invited to join our friends, the Nakai family for an afternoon Christmas gathering! The gathering was held at their sister, Stella's house. Nakai family has adopted us as apart of the family. Anytime they have a gathering they invite us to join in! We like to tell people they are one of the main reasons why we had such a successful first year in New Mexico! Their friendship gave us encouragement when we felt homesick.

Stella and her husband, Ervin live in a place called Red Valley. By the red sand peaking out through the snow, one can see how it got its name! They had several inches of snow at Red Valley even though we have no snow at our home in Kirtland. We think the elevation is higher out there, thus making it a little colder.

Stella & Ervin's cows & horse

We passed by the Shiprock on our way to Red Valley. This big rock got its name because it once looked like a ship. Although over time it's begun to erode and change shape.

Craig

Leroy

Christmas Morning!

2009-12-26T11:16:00.002-07:00

Christmas morning started with Daddy making egg omlets for everyone for breakfast. After breakfast we connected with Grandma & Grandpa O through SKYPE. We shared the Christmas story with them and then we opened the rest of our gifts as they watched us. It was a unique way to share Christmas with the Grandparents.

We weren't able to SKYPE with Papa & Nana Burns, but we did call them to wish them Merry Christmas!

Abby loved her eggs so much that she got them everywhere! What do you think, should we save this picture as blackmale for the future?

Both girls received new slippers!

Mommy & Daddy bought Christy & Abby a kid-size table and chair. They love sitting at the table and playing with their new toys. Another favorite toy is the kitchen set they received from Papa & Nana!

Christmas Eve Gifts

2009-12-26T10:51:00.002-07:00

We allowed the girls to open a few gifts from family members & friends on Christmas eve.

Thank you "Aunte" Melissa for the aprons. Now the girls can keep their clothes clean as they help mommy in the kitchen!

Christmas Eve Stocking Stuffers

2009-12-26T10:45:00.003-07:00

On Christmas Eve our family had a relaxing time staying home together. Mommy made a wonderful meal of finger food for supper then we opened up a few gifts. We started first with what was put in our stockings. We put little gifts such as toy animals & food in each other's Christmas Stockings.

Christmas at the Navajo BIC Mission

2009-12-26T10:21:00.004-07:00

The Navajo BIC Mission held their annual Christmas celebration on December 19th. The evening was full of lots of food, fellowship, and singing. Many Navajo families from the community came out, several friends of the mission from town came as well. There was also a YWAM outreach team there that were spending several weeks ministering at the mission.

Although we had lots of fun, it still was not the same without Diane Bristow, the mission director's wife. Many of you may know, Diane has been in the hospital for six months recovering from illnesses. Though her progress has been very slow, she has been showing great improvement over the past several weeks.

To round out the evening they pulled out the large drum. Jason even tried his hand at drumming along for a song or two! Two of the men at the drum recently graduated from the Overcomer's Program. It was encouraging to see these two men there and to observe that they are still pursuing what is right and Godly!

2009 Team Retreat

2009-12-25T19:20:00.005-07:00

Our Church Planting Team got together for our annual retreat mid December in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The main focus of our retreat this year was learning about each other's strengths. As a team we're learning that we often call a weakness what God has designed to be a strength. Though we are members of the same body we each represent different body parts. Each part operates differently and has a different way of doing things. If the body is to function properly it is important to know each member's strengths and encourage each member to lead from their strengths. As a church planting team we're learning that this is the key to being effective in leading people to know God's story and to worship from their hearts. So often in team settings there may be one or two persons that don't exhibit the same strengths as the rest of the team; that person or persons are often forced to squelch their strengths in order to keep harmony in the team. Oh Lord forgive us for such nearsightedness! Help us to appreciate each other's differences as strengths and help each person to utilize their strengths to benefit the whole team!

In between our sessions we had time to take the kids outside to play in the snow. Even some of the adults had fun in the two feet of snow!!

A belated post from our trip across country

2009-12-25T18:54:00.003-07:00

Our last speaking engagement for our home ministry trip was at Bethany BIC in Thomas, Oklahoma. We had a great time meeting the wonderful people of Bethany and learning about the history of the BIC in Oklahoma. It was exciting to meet fellow brothers & sisters in Christ who are serious about serving Him in various ways.

We were privlaged to spend a night with Vernon & Grace Frymire. We throughly enjoyed our fellowship and learning about their family!

While in Oklahoma, we checked out another state park; Red Rock State Park.

December 22 Birthdays

2009-12-25T18:38:00.003-07:00

Jason & his buddy, Craig both celebrated their birthday on December 22nd. In honor of their birthdays we had a joint birthday party with his family, our family and some friends.

Bekah made a wonderful cake!

We are so thankful for the friendship that we share with the entire Nakai family!

Random Photos

2009-12-25T18:13:00.002-07:00

Mommy's little helpers doing the dishes!

The girls love lights

Setting up the tree

Drive Through Arkansas

2009-12-22T22:48:00.002-07:00

We visted two state parks in Arkansas. The one park, Mt Nebo was located on top of a mountain where we could see for miles around on all four sides!

Our drive through Tennessee

2009-12-22T22:37:00.002-07:00

While in TN, on our way back to New Mexico we visited a beautiful state park. The park had several beautiful waterfalls such as this one!

Little and big girls enjoyed the swings!

This is what happens when we feed Abby chocolate in the car.

Oberholser Family Pictures

2009-12-22T22:26:00.002-07:00

When we were back east we had the opportunity to be be with our families and have several family photos taken.

Goldie & Konrad (Mom & Dad)

Jason's older brother Kevin, Marla, Lucas, Nolan, & Tara

Jason, Bekah, Christy, & Abby

Jason's younger sister, Eric, & Edmund

Is seeing a medicine man wrong?

2009-12-17T21:54:00.002-07:00

This is a question that us and our friends often wrestle with. In Navajo culture a medicine man is a spiritual leader. Navajo families will call upon a medicine man to perform a ceremony or to say a prayer when something is wrong and needs to be fixed (illness, financial problems, relationship problems, etc). In these ceremonies & prayers he is not calling on the Lord God of the Bible, but rather evil spirits. Often the focus is on getting a problem fixed rather than striving to have a relationship with the one being prayed to. As we know from what the Bible teaches, God loves to answer His people when they call upon Him in prayer, but more importantly He longs to commune with us through prayer!

I share this because just today I overheard one of my co-workers say that her family is having a medicine man pray over themselves tomorrow. This shocked me because her family are church goers and claim to be Christians. But in a way this doesn't surprise me too much. We've observed that things like visiting a medicine man are so ingrained in the culture that even some Christian believers see nothing wrong with it.

But as stated above, we believe it is not appropriate for believers to engage in such practices. Please pray for my co-worker "A" and her family. Pray that the many families like hers who seem to have one foot on either side of the fence would find true freedom in Christ and will not be drawn to visiting the medicine man!

Burns Family Visit

2009-11-26T06:28:00.003-07:00

We spent about a week visiting with the Burns Family (Bekah's family) in Northwestern PA.

One of the highlights of this visit was an open house that Bekah hosted at their home. It was a great opportunity to visit with many family friends whom we haven't seen in several years!

Christmas on Halloween!!

2009-11-26T06:07:00.004-07:00

The best time for the Oberholser family to get together while we were home was on Halloween. We celebrated Christmas that day by eating a special meal together and exchanging gifts!

Christy got many new dresses.

Edmund & Tara playing with their new toys.

Nolan & his new hat; Lucas & his new coat!

Christy & cousin Nolan

Kevin, Marla, & Tara

Lucas with Eric & Edmund

Grandpa & Edmund

Tara & Abby

Family & Friend Visits

2009-11-26T05:45:00.004-07:00

Bekah's best friend, Melissa spent several days visiting.

Too Cute!!!

A visit with Avery Musser, a distant relative of our family. Avery is 95 and now lives in a retirement village; he still has a passion for serving the Lord and praying! Avery has spent many years in the ministry as a pastor. What a privilage it is to receive the torch from great saints such as Avery. Oh Lord, may we be found faithful at running the race well!

A visit with Jason's Great Aunt Jane. She is always such a blessing & encouragement each time we visit with her!

Jason, with three of his cousins. We often discuss how the older we get, the more a like we look. There's even 2 or 3 more cousins not pictured that could be thrown into that catagory as well. It must be the Oberholser traits that runs through our blood!!

Jason's aunt Myrtle & Uncle Loren.

Sights of PA

2009-11-26T05:24:00.004-07:00

This is an interesting sight I saw in Lebanon, PA. I wonder if this community had so much trouble with people missing the STOP sign that they had to put two signs.

One of our favorite places in PA is Caledonia State Park, about 3 miles from where we are staying with my parents. We've enjoyed several trips to the park for walks & hikes. The leaves were very colorful when we first arrived, now most of the trees are bare.

Our Journey East

2009-11-25T12:53:00.004-07:00

We began our journey east on Oct 9th, 5am. Our first stop was in Colorado Springs where we spent the night with some friends. While in CO, we visited the training center where our family lived for five weeks last year. We also went to the Garden of the God's. It's a park located just outside of the City of Colorado Springs. It's such a beautiful place to hike and see God's handy work on display!

The next stop on our journey was Salina, Kansas where we spoke at the Revolution and Crossroads BIC Congregations. Had a great time meeting with our brothers and sisters there!

We love how the Crossroads congregation has flags from various countries hanging from their rafters. Some within the BIC donomination believe that if a church displays an American flag in church - it show favortism of nation above God. We believe a display as such below is one way to display country flags, but yet honor Christ as Lord & master of all countries, including our own hearts!

From Salina we spoke at the Abeline Church in Abeline, Kansas. Marion Book is in his 90's and still has a strong passion for serving Christ and reaching the lost. O Lord, may we have this same passion as we grow older!

Below is a picture of the Zion BIC Church, just outside of Abeline a few miles. We did not speak at this church, but we did stop in for a brief visit with the pastor, Bob Baity.

Crossing over the Mississippi River!

In Southwestern Ohio we spent a night with new-found friends, Lamar & Janet. They operate a bulk food & spice store from their house.

Ahhhh...Isn't this a cute picture of Christy sleeping with her dolly!

Our first stop in Pennsylvaina was at a Jason's sister's house for a few minutes (Eric & Kendra Barnett) The girls finally got to meet their cousin Edmond.

Our first night in PA was spent at Bekah's parent's farm, Heritage Farms. We woke up with a little snow on the ground

Checking out Uncle Pete's new house.

.....Finally, we made it to Jason's parent's house on Oct 16th. This will be our home off & on for six weeks. This is the view from his parent's backyard.

Rainbows & Goats

2009-11-25T12:43:00.002-07:00

Two days before we left New Mexico for our road trip, this was the view from our front yard. It had just finished raining in the morning and the sun was attempting to shine! Thank You Lord for your gentle reminders through rainbows!!

Below are pictures of our goats getting settled into their new home for 8 weeks. Thank you Ben for helping to care for our critters! We miss our animals, can't wait to get back home again!

Team Meeting

2009-11-25T12:26:00.002-07:00

Okay, so it's almost the end of November and we're just now getting around to posting events from October. Well, I guess our excuss is that we've been the road in Home Ministry for the past several weeks.

In October, just two days before we left for our journey, we had a get-together with our team mates. It's always a wonderful time when we meet with them!

The Heart of a Missionary Wife and Mom

2009-10-23T10:04:00.002-06:00

Rebekah writing: I finally found the time to ask Jason to show me just how to post on our blog. So I hope to begin writing some posts too, so any readers will have my input as well as my husband's. Being a wife, mommy and missionary all at once isn't easy, but it sure is a life filled with adventure! Recently I've been reflecting on how frightening it is that our calling is to work with people and not with things or products. If my only job was to decorate cakes, for example, then anytime I made a mistake I could easily repair it or even start over from scratch. But when we're investing in the lives of people, everything we do and say will last for eternity - if we make mistakes we can't just give up and start over with a different person. But it's comforting to remember that the work that's happening in people's lives is really God's work, not ours. He is working on His masterpieces, and He gives us the privilege of joining in His work. Following is a poem I wrote that reflects my heart.

God is composing a song,
as I beside Him stand.
Sweet melodies, rich harmonies,
He plays with tender hand.
A song designed to worship God,
reveal His glory and
His tender love, forgiving heart;
this song both sweet and grand.
I play the notes as He directs,
I tremble at the keys.
"This music is Your masterpiece -
don't let me fail, Lord, please!"

God is painting a picture
vibrant, intricate, bright.
His hand is firm, His brush precise;
I watch in awed delight.
The painting will reveal to men
the God of peace and war.
This glimpse of Him - His holiness -
will convict, inspire, restore.
He gives the brush to me to help,
"Just what I show you, do."
"But, Lord, this lovely picture I'm
afraid I'll ruin for You!"

God is designing pottery,
with a wheel He shapes the clay -
a bowl both delicate and strong,
then He smooths the cracks away.
"I'll bake it now," He smiling says,
"this vessel will be used
for restoration, cleansing, health,
for My servants tired and abused.
"You must watch over it as it bakes,"
to me He gives command.
"But, Lord, I'm frightened; what if I
should break it in my hand?"

To play God's song, to paint with Him,
to help design His bowl -
these tasks He gave my clumsy hands
as my privilege and my role.
My husband, children, friends - God is making
beauty in each heart,
to glorify Himself in these
unfinished works of art.
And every time I serve, encourage,
give someone words of peace,
He's right beside me, He will guide me.
We're working on His masterpiece.

Firewood Day in Colorado

2009-09-08T21:50:00.002-06:00

Tuesdays are often family days in our household. Today we loaded up the girls and heading to Colorado. We borrowed a trailer from our neighbor so we could make the trip worthwhile! We thank the Lord for wonderful friends like Dave & Charlene who bless us in so many ways!

Christy was a big helper today, carrying the small pieces of wood for us!

Our stockpile for the winter.

Navajo Baptism

2009-09-01T21:41:00.004-06:00

This past Saturday we had the privilage of taking part in a baptism service at the river. Ben & Eunice have been holding Bible Studies at the Platero home. Recently several of the family members became believers and decided to be baptized.

Navajo Campmeeting

2009-09-01T21:29:00.002-06:00

Last Friday night I accompanied our pastor to a campmeeting (Navajo revival) being held in Cottonwood Arizona about 2.5 hours aways. We arrived at the service a little late, about 8pm. The service was already in progress, but we didn't miss much. The service went until 11pm, then they served supper, or else for me a midnite snack. Needless to say we didn't get home until the whee hours of the morning. But it was a wonderful time of fellowshiping with Pastor Johnson along the road and the folks from Black Mountain Church.

A Trip to Aneth Chapter House

2009-09-01T21:12:00.002-06:00

Last week I had the privlage to accompany my store manager to an agricultural trade show held at the Aneth Chapter House (community center) on the Navajo Reservation. IFA was there to promote some of our products, to show the Navajo people we care about them, and to give out lots of door prizes. It was a great time of observing various aspects of the Navajo culture as well as being involved with agriculture.

The Navajo People are very serious about their animals & crops. I get a sense that there could be some very good opportunities in store to connect with the Navajo People through my background in agriculture.

Dinner with Friends

2009-09-01T20:58:00.003-06:00

I recently got a new cell phone with a nice camera on it. So now I can take more pics while I'm out and about. The other night I went out for pizza with some of my closest friends in our neighborhood. God is working in each of these guy's lives. Pray that they be open to His leading. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Spirit's leading to know how to encourage them!

Craig

Vergil

James

Abby's One Year Photos

2009-09-01T20:46:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pcitures taken for Abby's one year photo shoot, although it was taken a month or so later than her actual birthday.