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Navajo Revival Arizona, Usa
August 9, 2004
Navajo Revival Arizona, USA
By Denise Detwiler
Missions Pastor Ray Saragosa of New Song Fellowship in Denver Colorado (http://www.newsongfellowship.org/) has returned from the second trip in several months to the Navajo Nation located in Arizona, USA. He and the team gave the following brief report about the widespread revival sweeping the Navajo Nation.
The team started this trip (in late July/August 2004) by meeting up with their host pastor in Whippoorwill, Az. From there they were taken all over the reservation to villages, towns and remote areas to minister. What they saw was the stuff comparable to the book of Acts in the Bible. The only ˜Big Name" involved in this revival is God, and it is literally sweeping the Navajo Nation and not just happening in a particular church or denomination.
- Mormon Churches have converted to Christian churches all over the reservation. They have erected crosses on the Mormon spires!
- Crack Houses also have converted to Christianity and the houses have been cleansed and are now housing worshippers and seekers of God! Much land previously controlled by the drug gangs is being reclaimed and cleansed for the people and the kingdom!
- Entire households, which in most cases contain extended families, are converting!
- Dead are being raised!
- Angelic visitations are coming to many homes!
- Where there are church buildings there have been manifestations in the form of oil running down the church walls during the meetings!
- A well which stood dry for many years suddenly filled with water (in the middle of a drought) and the people are drawing water from it daily!
- People are being healed and delivered by the Lord!
Ray and Inez Saragosa shared some other stories last night along with the rest of the team from New Song.
They told the story about the man who became a Christian, and a week later was shot and killed by one of the gangs. The gang put his body in a body bag and threw it in front of the home of his family, where it lay rotting in the desert sun for several days. The family was overcome with grief and could not bear to deal with it. But then the entire household miraculously has all become Christians as well!
They told about how the Navajo way is for the young and old to join together and to worship together. There were grandmas and girls and women all tossing their hair around and worshipping with abandon and deep love for God. Young and old together danced, waved arms, fell on their knees and worshipped for hours. People went on their faces sobbing and worshipping God on the dirt floors of the tents and buildings. Inez noted that their beautiful long, black, hair was brushing through the dirt and sand but they did not care! I was reminded of the woman wiping Jesus feet with her hair, they just wanted to love and worship God.
The Navajo culture does not encourage time schedules and so the meetings were not what we would call "seeker friendly" as Ray Saragosa put it. In Navajo God moves until He is finished. Many meetings went on until 3 or 5 in the morning. After one such meeting, after 3 AM, Ray sneaked behind the drums to rest a few minutes before leaving to sleep. A number of hungry seekers located him and asked for ministry. Several more were saved and/or healed.
The Navajo people live in poverty-stricken circumstances. They live without indoor toilets or running water. Outside the towns, each family lives miles away from their neighbors. Where there were buildings for the people to meet in, most of them were very rough. And the people would chop spare chunks of wood to make benches to sit on while they worship, says Saragosa. Many of the meetings are held in tents which are simply put up somewhere and the people flock in by the hundreds hungry for God.
In one extremely remote area, a team member observed, was in the middle of nowhere so surely not many would be at this meeting. Several hundred people showed up desperately hungry for God. Entire families came walking over the hills and mountains, through desert sandstorms, with small children walking, for more of God. Another "all nighter". The team especially noted their humility and the hunger for God they expressed.
In one valley, there's a youth pastor who has gathered a group of 167 youth. This youth group span an area which takes a two hour drive to cover by car. The young people love to go sit on the mountain and wait on God. And He shows up for them big time!
A team member from New Song had carried along a shofar almost as an afterthought. She is Native American herself, and had a word from God 20 years ago that He would send her to minister among the Native Americans. Until this invitation she had given up on it ever coming to pass. Deep healing came to her as she ministered and was ministered to. She prayed that she receive confirmation if she was to blow the shofar. In one place three people separately asked her if she would blow it. The people attending the meeting had never seen one before. She picked it up during the worship and blew it. She was immediately flattened to the ground and could not get up, and all of the people fell on their faces in deep intercession for a long time.
Another team member, who was invited along to lead worship for the group, asked the Navajo pastor why he had specifically asked for her to lead the worship. He told her God told him that leading worship for this trip was a part of her healing. Upon hearing this, she was broken and certainly healing came to her. One night, as the musicians sang a song about rain falling from the heavens, it actually began to rain! A miracle which had not occurred in that place for many months!
There was great fellowship and mutual ministry between the New Song team and the Navajo people.
Anyone seeking further information may contact Ray by email: ray@newsongfellowship.org
Location: Whippoorwill, AZ, United States
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