Darwin & Ann Tsosie and family - on the Navajo Nation in Arizona

Please join Wesleyan Native Ministries to build a new home for Navajo pastor Darwin Tsosie, whose teenage son, Titus, was paralyzed in a car accident.

Rev. Darwin and Ann Tsosie, along with their children, have ministered among their people on the Navajo Nation in Arizona for over 20 years now.

Darwin is the pastor of Red Rock Community Wesleyan Church, located near Jeddito, Arizona, about a six hour drive northeast of Phoenix.

In 2010, the family was involved in a serious car accident and their teenage son, Titus, became paralyzed from the waist down.

Titus Tsosie

This has created a tremendous hardship for the family due to the already difficult living conditions in their current home, space limitations, and lack of handicapped accessible restroom for Titus, who is now wheelchair-bound.

Today, the need for a new handicapped accessible home is great, and the Lord is bringing people together to make it a reality.

Please watch this five-minute video to learn how we’re working to build hope, and a new home, for the Tsosie Family:

How You Can Help

Total cost for the home, including the site and foundation work, water cistern and septic system, and handicapped modifications, is estimated at $125,000.

That’s about $65.00 per square foot. Our goal is to raise the needed funds, and have the home installed, by May of 2012.

Here is a listing of the range of gifts needed to accomplish our goal:

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us to meet this need? A gift of $65 will pay for one square foot. A gift of any amount will help build hope – and a new home – for Pastor Darwin Tsosie’s family.

Thank you, and God bless you for whatever you can do to help. Click here to Donate Now.

Want More Information?

Go inside the Tsosie Family’s current home with Rich Avery, WNM’s director, and learn about their day-to-day living challenges:

Meet Titus Tsosie and learn what a new home would mean for him:

Visit the Tsosie Family’s new home site with Rich Avery, WNM’s director, and learn how this new home will bless their family, church, and community:

To learn more, please contact us at 616-456-0097 or send us an email.

Children re-enact the birth of Christ, Lakota-style

Rev. Larry Salway, pastor of He Sapa New Life Wesleyan Church in Rapid City, SD

Cheryl Arguello, pastor of Lakota Chapel in Pierre, SD

Every child received a gift

A Native American entrepreneur in the making?

Thousands of Native Americans heard the Christmas story and gospel message presented in a culturally relevant way through eight “Native Nativity” Christmas outreach events sponsored by Wesleyan Native Ministries and Native-led Wesleyan churches in South Dakota.

These events, organized by Rev. Larry & Dale Salway, co-pastors of He Sapa New Life Wesleyan Church in Rapid City, SD, were held in both urban and reservation communities (some located in the poorest counties in America), including Rapid City, Mission, Martin, Pierre, White River, Cherry Creek and Eagle Butte in South Dakota, and Crow Agency, Montana.

The centerpiece of the Native Nativity program was a series of film clips from the movie  Miracle in the Wilderness (starring Kris Kristofferson).

It’s a western Christmas story about a kidnapped frontier family which shares the story of Christ’s birth with an angry Blackfoot chief and his tribe.

Interspersed between the film clips were Christmas carols sung in both English and Lakota and children re-enacting the birth of Christ, Lakota-style. Then the gospel was presented very clearly in a culturally relevant way, and a brief invitation was given.

More than 150 responded by taking new steps of faith in Christ. They were given New Believers Bibles, and everyone else received a Native adaptation of the Gospel of John.

After the Christmas program, everyone enjoyed a traditional Lakota meal of buffalo stew, frybread and wojape (a berry pudding).

Following the meal, all of the elders were honored and given blankets, then each child received a wrapped gift.

We’re grateful for hundreds of individuals and churches that donated time, money and Christmas gifts to help make these events a success.

Your support is having an unprecedented impact, as more Native people are responding to the gospel than ever before!

But, many more laborers are needed to help bring in the harvest and also disciple new Native believers.

Would you please join us in praying that God will raise up more Native men and women as pastors and leaders who will reach their people for Christ in culturally relevant ways?

And would you prayerfully consider a generous gift to help resource what God is doing?  Your gift of $25, $50, $100 or more will help equip and empower Native men and women to take the lead in reaching their people for Christ, all across North America.

–>>Give to Wesleyan Native Ministries at our secure online donation page

This year, more than 150 people celebrated their first Christmas as new believers in Christ because of the Christmas outreach events that were held over the last few weeks!

As a friend of Wesleyan Native Ministries, I know you’ll want to join me in praising God for what He is doing to open the hearts of Native people through special Christmas events like these, and other ministries throughout the year.

Thousands of people heard the Christmas story and gospel message presented in a culturally relevant way at this year’s Native Nativity programs, which were held in seven communities in South Dakota and Montana.

Native Nativity Program

Clips from the film Miracle in the Wilderness (starring Kris Kristofferson), were shown. It’s a western Christmas story about a kidnapped frontier family which shares the story of Christ’s birth with an angry Blackfoot chief and his tribe.

Interspersed between the film clips were Christmas carols sung in both English and Lakota. Then the gospel was presented very clearly in a culturally relevant way, and a brief invitation was given.

More than 150 responded by taking new steps of faith in Christ. They were given New Believers Bibles, and everyone else received a Native adaptation of the Gospel of John.

After the Christmas program, everyone enjoyed a traditional Lakota meal of buffalo stew, frybread and wojape (a berry pudding).

Buffalo stew, frybread, and wojape.

Following the meal, all of the elders were honored and given blankets, then each child received a gift.

We’re grateful for the many individuals and churches that donated money and Christmas gifts to help make these events a reality.

Thank you for your partnership with Wesleyan Native Ministries, to empower Native men and women to take the lead in reaching their people for Christ in culturally relevant ways!

Your support continues to have an unprecedented impact!

And while more Native people are responding to the gospel than ever before, we still need more and more laborers to help bring in the harvest!

All the children received a gift.

Would you please join me in praying that God will raise up more Native men and women as pastors and leaders who will reach their people for Christ?

If it’s been a while since you’ve given, or if you’ve never donated to Wesleyan Native Ministries, would you please join with us today and give a generous gift to help resource what God is doing to reach North America’s First Nations for Him?

You can give online at our secure donation page at www.WesleyanNativeMinistries.org/giving.

Thank you for whatever you can do to help!

– Rev. Rich Avery, Director

Would you please join the Wesleyan Native Ministries Prayer Team and commit to praying for us in 2012?

Our 2012 Prayer Calendar is now available for download.  Click the image to the left to download your printable copy in PDF format, and discover specific ways you can pray for us throughout the new year.

Also, please follow Wesleyan Native Ministries on Facebook to stay up on the latest news, information and prayer needs.

Navajo Code Talkers Memorial in Window Rock, AZ

In October, I stopped at the Navajo Code Talkers Memorial, located next to the Navajo Nation headquarters in Window Rock, AZ

I was traveling with Rev. Darwin & Ann Tsosie, who pastor Red Rock Community (Wesleyan) Church on the Navajo Nation near Jeddito, AZ, and Dale & Stephanie Sommons, members of Calvary Wesleyan Church in Bethlehem, PA.

As you might imagine, it was a very moving experience to read the story and names of the Navajo Code Talkers, young Navajo men (some as young as 15) who developed the only unbreakable code in modern military history and helped defeat the Japanese and bring an end to WWII.

Next to the Code Talker memorial was another memorial to Navajo veterans of all wars, who proudly served and gave their lives for the cause of freedom around the world.

What is especially moving to me on this Veterans Day is the fact that Native Americans have historically had the highest percentage of military service of any ethnic group in the United States.

Thousands of Native American vets have proudly served the country that, at one time, all but eliminated them as a people and attempted to destroy their culture and way of life.

Amazingly, an estimated 20,000 Native Americans served during World War I, at a time when they weren’t even considered to be U.S. citizens! Among them were the Choctaw Indian Code Talkers who aided in the final push against the German army.

Today, on November 11, 2011, while we honor veterans of the United States and Canada who put on the uniform and took up arms in service to their country, let’s especially remember and thank Native American and First Nations veterans who not only gave much, but also overcame much.

– Rich Avery, Director

Lakota pastor Rev. Larry Salway and team traveled hundreds of miles last week on a ministry tour that impacted several Native communities across South Dakota, including Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River Reservations and the city of Pierre.

We praise God for 11 people who gave their hearts to Christ at one of those events last Thursday night!

And we celebrate Pastor Larry (pictured here on the far left, at the Crazy Horse Memorial) and other Native ministry leaders for their dedication and faithfulness in taking the lead in reaching Native people for Christ across South Dakota and beyond.

Pastor Larry and his wife and co-pastor Dale Salway, along with other ministry team leaders, are gearing up now for special Christmas outreach events in seven low-income Native communities across South Dakota, expected to reach 3,500 people.

They still need donations of buffalo meat for the free meals that will be served at each event, plus gifts for all the children in attendance.

Will you help us reach Native Americans for Christ this Christmas by giving a special gift today?  Your gift will help provide the food and gifts for each event.  You can give at our secure online donation page, and please be sure to designate that your gift is for “Christmas.”  Thank you!

Please help us share the love of Christ and the joy of Christmas with Native children and teens this Christmas.

Your donation of new toys, games, sports balls, or cologne/perfume sets (with approximate value of $10.00), will bless Native children and teens who attend special Christmas outreach events hosted by Native Wesleyan churches.

This year, we’re expecting to reach 3,500 people in seven low-income Native communities across South Dakota

At each event, attendees will enjoy a free dinner and watch a Christmas program with a clear Gospel message, and the children and teens will receive a gift.

Here’s How to Give Your Gift

Each gift needs to be new, gift-wrapped, and marked with a gift tag indicating gender and age.

You can click for a downloadable flyer (shown here), which has all the details and includes a tag you can use to label your gift.

Please send your gift by December 1, 2011 to:

He Sapa New Life Wesleyan Church
c/o Rev. Larry Salway
10005 Castlewood Ct.
Black Hawk, SD 57718

Donate Online

You can also donate a monetary gift online, which will be used to buy buffalo meat for the free meals that will be served at each event, buy children’s gifts that may still be needed, and cover the costs to host each event.

You can give today at our secure online donation page. Please be sure to designate that your gift is for “Christmas.”  Thank you!

Questions? Please call us Wesleyan Native Ministries at 616-456-0097 or use the contact form to email us.

Dr. Steve Babby honors the Tsosies (center) and Yazzies (left) as Pastors of the Year.

Rev. Darwin & Anne Tsosie and Rev. Ben & Bettie Yazzie were awarded the Dr. Orval C. Butcher Pastor of the Year Award by the Pacific Southwest District of The Wesleyan Church at its district conference on July 5, 2011.

The award was given in appreciation for their more than 20 years of faithful ministry on the Navajo Nation in Arizona.

We praise God for these pastor couples and their ministry among their own people over so many years, and often under challenging situations. situations.

And we’re grateful to our supporting churches and friends whose financial gifts help give the Tsosies and Yazzies the resources they need to help reach their people for Christ.

Looking back, I’m grateful for the many prayers that God has answered over the summer months so far.

Here are a few:

• He provided two new leaders, Karman and June Blake, to work with Pastors Larry and Dale Salway to lead Native outreach ministries in South Dakota.
• He sent dozens of people to serve on ministry teams to help host summer outreach events in Native communities across several states.
• He’s providing a new multi-purpose building in Rapid City, South Dakota for He Sapa New Life Wesleyan Church.

Karman & June Blake (left) with Rev. Larry Salway

Please join us in thanking God for providing these blessings, and for all the people who were part of the blessing!

And please join us in praying for one of our biggest needs this year: $70,000 for our Leadership Development Fund, so we can equip 10 new Native leaders for pastoral ministry in the Wesleyan Church.

The need has never been greater, nor the harvest so ripe and ready!

Thank you.

Navajo pastor Darwin Tsosie ordained in The Wesleyan Church

Navajo pastor Rev. Darwin Tsosie was ordained in the Pacific Southwest District of The Wesleyan Church on July 5, 2011.  The ordination was presided over by Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church, and Dr. Steve Babby, the District Superintendent.

Pastor Darwin and his wife Anne have ministered among their people on the Navajo Nation in Arizona for 20 years.

Darwin is the pastor of Red Rock Community Church, located in a remote community near Keams Canyon, Arizona.

We’re grateful for the many churches and people who have supported Pastor Darwin’s ministry over the years, and encouraged him throughout the course of his ministerial training.