“The
people were inside the church watching Steen get
suck in the mud with every step he took,” Desert
Hills church member Nan Boyer‑Searle said.
“They couldn’t figure out what this old man was
doing up there alone when it was such a bad day
out. But when he walked into the church, he said,
‘I’m Orion Steen and I would really like to learn
how to make fry bread.’
“Orion
won a lot of hearts when he tried to make the fry
bread. It was a great way to help establish the
relationship.”
One
of the early relationship‑building experiences
began in 1984 when artists from Leupp began the
tradition of traveling to the Desert Hills church
for a jewelry bazaar. This not only provided them
with an opportunity to gain needed additional income
for themselves but, in addition, for their church.
It also served as a cornerstone for the budding
relationship.
Originally,
the Leupp people came down for just the day, but
the drive was three hours in each direction. With
that in mind, Desert Hills members began to arrange
for the Leupp visitors to stay in hotels.
However,
there were people from both churches who were skeptical
of the relationship, given the unfamiliarity between
the two cultures. But time has eroded the skepticism
and a strong, loving relationship has been forged.
Some
10 years ago, Boyer‑Searle brought about a
profound change in the relationship when she suggested
the Leupp artisans and their families stay in the
homes of Desert Hills members. This change helped
save money and also increased the bond between the
two groups immensely.
“Usually
we get about 60 people that come down, and they
stay in about 15 homes,” Boyer‑Searle said.
“Most of the Leupp people have large families, so
it isn’t uncommon for someone to have as many as
eight guests in their home. One year I hosted two
families and had 18 people stay over.”
Not
only are the Leupp church members visiting the homes
of Desert Hills parishioners for an evening, some
are even planning to travel out of the country for
the first time.
“Our
churches have formed relationships with Presbyterian
churches in Scotland, Jamaica and Ethiopia,” Boyer‑Searle
said. “This summer we are planning a trip to Jamaica,
and members of the Leupp church are going to come.
“We
went up to Flagstaff a few months ago to tell them
about the trip. It took us about three hours to
convince them that they should be represented on
the trip. We were thinking three of them should
join us, but by the end of the conversation they
became so excited about the trip that they insisted
on bringing seven members. This is a big deal for
them because most of them have never left the country,
and they are really interested in learning about
other cultures.”
One
of the biggest cultural differences between the
Desert Hills and Leupp parishioners is the concept
of time. “Time is not something that is finite to
them,” Boyer‑Searle said.
“We
may invite someone over for dinner at 7 (p.m.),
and then they show up a few hours later. But they
don’t mean anything disrespectful by it. They just
don’t see schedules as being an important part of
their lives. But they try to be as schedule oriented
as they can be, and we have grown to learn they
might not be on time.”
Every
spring, members of the Desert Hills church travel
to Leupp. There are not many worldly possessions
there to be shared, but the people of the Leupp
church are very hospitable to their guests.
Leupp
church members share with their guests sheep herding,
pot painting, lessons of the medicinal properties
of native plants, tours of an old Japanese internment
camp and the three sacred mesas on the Hopi Reservation.
One
of the most significant gifts the Leupp church has
given the parishioners from Desert Hills Presbyterian
is music. Its youth group sings traditional and
modern Christian music both in English and their
native Navajo tongue.
“Music
is a great way for the Leupp people to express themselves,
because they tend to be very shy,” Boyer‑Searle
said. “They are so reserved, but they express themselves
beautifully when they sing.”
Over
the course of time, the Leupp church has grown to
accept the Desert Foothills community as part of
their clan, or family.
“To
be called part of their family is a huge compliment,”
Boyer‑Searle said. “In their culture, if a
fifth cousin was in need of something, the entire
clan would do whatever they could to help that person.”
Each
visit the relationship progresses, the more each
culture learns from one another.
“In
the past, the Leupp people were uncomfortable with
hugging people that they really weren’t too familiar
with,” Boyer‑Searle said. “But now they are
comfortable with hugging people they have just met.
