“We open ourselves to the Holy Spirit through
our culture that embraces the teachings
of the Gospel so that, as a church, we are
empowered to respond to the needs of
our community”
In the month of February 2020, I was given the opportunity to travel and visit Good Shepherd Mission in Fort Defiance, Arizona with Canon Martha K. Estes, the VP/NECW representative for Province VIII. The invitation and purpose of the visit was for Martha to help Madeline Sampson, past Navajoland ECW Diocesan president, restart the ECW Chapter and install the newly elected ECW officers for Good Shepherd Mission. As a member of ECW at my Church of the Transfiguration in Arcadia, Calif., where Martha and I had grown up together, I was more than delighted to tag along! I had never been to Navajoland but was excited to see the beauty and meet Martha’s friends there.
As the drive to Navajoland began Friday, February 29, Martha and I discussed the announcement of the COVID-19 virus and how it was being reported as a pandemic. As much was still not known about the virus, we did not encounter stores or restaurants being closed or the need to stay six feet apart, let alone the need to wear a mask as we traveled. Martha was reading the CDC website for clarity, and we became aware that preparations were starting in communities for this coronavirus. Hand washing was most important, which Nurse Martha encouraged often! Little did we know that panic and fear was beginning to grip the world, which would result in the hoarding of everyday items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
At the wheel, we headed out on Saturday morning from Flagstaff, Ariz., down Highway 40 eastbound toward Fort Defiance, “getting our kicks” on Route 66 and enjoying the scenery. Contact with the groundskeeper of the Mission property, Javier, was frequent as he was expecting our arrival. Once we arrived in Fort Defiance and drove up and down the street a few times, we pulled into the Post Office parking lot and called Javier to say we were lost. However, during the phone call, we looked to our right and there was the sign for Good Shepherd Mission – 10 feet away. We chuckled out loud as we were right where we were supposed to be! Javier welcomed us to the Mission and showed us to the Hozho’ Retreat House, where we would be staying for a couple of days. Hozho’ means unity, balance, harmony in life. The Retreat House can house about 12-15 people; however, we were the only guests for that weekend. During the weekdays the Retreat House is home to student nurses attending the Northern Arizona University RN program located on the Mission property.
On Sunday morning we gathered at the Good Shepherd Chapel to attend Eucharist. We were greeted by many including Winnie Follett, Past Province VIII ECW president, and her partner, Connie, who came in from Sedona for the ECW installation service. The chapel was designed by Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem and is decorated with Navajo art – the most prominent being the large cross hanging above the altar, which is adorned with silver and turquoise. It is awesomely displayed as you can see from the photograph above.
Before the service started, The Rev. Leon Sampson, Curate priest, announced the recommended way to greet one another during the Peace. He demonstrated the “elbow bump” and stated we should refrain from shaking hands or hugging. Additionally, he added that communion would be offered by intinction only — no drinking from the cup. This was our first experience with “social distancing” and a hint of what was to come.
The 1st Sunday of Lent service was conducted by the Vicar The Rev. Cathlena Plummer and The Rev. Leon Sampson. The church was full of the Good Shepherd parishioners, including St. Mark’s Chapel, Coalmine, N.M. They were eager to share their culture and customs, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of prayers and hymns presented in Navajo language.
The ECW installation of new officers was beautiful with singing and blessed ECW pins presented to Genevieve White, ECW chair; Elsie Slim, ECW vice chair; and Paula Elmore, ECW secretary/treasurer. After the service everyone joined together in the Parish Hall for lively conversations and ate delicious food and desserts. Canon Martha spoke to the women (and men present) who were interested in the ministry and building their ECW chapter. Martha explained the purpose of ECW with talking points and described the duties of the various official positions. Discussions were pertinent with many comments and questions, ending the time feeling enthusiasm with blessings from the ECW Good Shepherd. The strength of this church and ECW ministry would be much needed in just a few weeks, during Lenten Season, as the coronavirus would spread.
(L-R) Elsie Slim, Paula Elmore, Canon Martha Estes, Genevieve White, Madeline Sampson, Winnie Follett
Later that day, The Rev. Leon Sampson and his wife, Madeline, showed us around the Mission grounds and several stone buildings built over 100 years ago. The Mission has plans to renovate these buildings for retreat purposes and to use the property to expand services to the community. We also toured the SHIMA Soap Factory located on Mission property. Paula Elmore, the general manager of the factory, explained how the soaps and other products are made with natural ingredients cultivated by the community. The scent of rosemary and other flowers and herbs grown in their greenhouse and used in production filled the air. Blue Corn is grown and harvested to make soap, cornmeal and skin products. Paula also manages the on-sight beehives producing honey, which is available for purchase too. There are many people involved in the SHIMA production, from growing the ingredients to helping at the store. The store is also the Distribution Center for United Thank Offering (UTO). Needless to say, Martha and I purchased several SHIMA products – shimaofnavajoland.com
The Rev. Sampson and his wife Madeline then treated us to a visit to Window Rock, which is just a few miles away from the Mission. Window Rock is a pothole-type natural arch caused by many years of weather erosion. Just below Window Rock is the Navajo Tribal Park and Veteran’s Memorial and the Navajo Nation Office. The statue of a Navajo Code Talker caught my eye. I learned that during World War II, many of the messages sent between the allied forces were intercepted and decoded by the Japanese. Twenty-nine Navajo marines were recruited to devise a secret code using their native language. By the end of the war, over 400 Navajo marines were serving as Code Talkers. The use of this innovative code was so successful that the Code Talkers were credited with saving the lives of countless marines and also for paving the way to an early victory in the South Pacific.
On March 13, 2020, the park closed until further notice due to COVID-19.
As you can tell, our short, meaningful visit was full of warmth and wonder. We were sad to leave The Rev. Leon and Madeline and talked of return visits. The love and hospitality provided to us by the Good Shepherd Mission, ECW and community will be forever in my heart. After leaving Fort Defiance on Monday, March 2, we headed out to see Canyon de Chelly National Park, Four Corners Monument, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Mission outside of Bluff, Utah, and then continued on to Monument Valley. Visiting these spectacular parks was amazing.
By the time we returned home, the number of people diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus worldwide had dramatically increased and new social distancing requirements were in place. There were orders to stay home or, if you had to go out, to wear a mask. Malls, parks, restaurants and churches were all closing. No gatherings larger than eight or 10 people were allowed. Weddings, funerals and family get-togethers became nonexistent. Items we were used to obtaining easily were no longer available and sometimes impossible to procure.
The Vicar The Rev. Cathlena Plummer and The Rev. Leon Sampson
The Mission residents and the surrounding communities throughout Navajoland are not able to travel to their usual shopping areas, and the lack of supplies, water and food has become a dangerous dilemma. Reaching out throughout the Episcopal churches and ECW has been vitally important for the Diocese of Navajoland. There have been great responses according to Canon Martha. The ECW from St. Mary’s in the Valley, Ramona, Calif., made hundreds of masks and sent fabric, and the ECW in the Diocese of Los Angeles and ECW Diocese of Hawaii and ECW Good Shepherd Maui helped out with financial donations. The Good Shepherd people have been empowered to provide food and mask distributions for weeks throughout their community.
In response to our request on how to help, the Mission has asked for the following items: monetary donations, toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, bleach, water, spray bottles, cloth masks, and N95 masks.
Good Shepherd Mission
1 Kit Carson Drive
Ft. Defiance, AZ 86504
Episcopal Church of Navajoland: www.ecofnavajoland.org
Let us pray. Dear Lord, please watch over our brothers and sisters in Navajoland. Keep them safe, healthy and fed. Along with your glorious love, ease their fears and provide what they need to continue your work. In your name we pray. Amen.
Yours in Christ—Linda E. Hughes
Vestry Member / ECW Treasurer
Church of the Transfiguration, Arcadia, CA
