Christ First Community Church

Blue Gap Mission
Twice a year, a group from our church load the church van and a trailer to make a trip to Blue Gap, Arizona, a small Navaho Reservation outside of Chinle, Arizona. The van knows the 900-mile round-trip to the small Methodist Church in Blue Gap, as it has been there many times to help the grateful individuals living on the reservations. The journey to Blue Gap takes a road that is less traveled and brings you to a place that presents a totally different life that what we know in Canon City.
After driving down through the many aspen trees and mountains found in the northwestern part of New Mexico and Arizona, the path to Blue Gap goes through a desolate area where the soil is made up of nothing but big rocks as its foundation. Blue Gap is nestled in a remote part of the land a few miles from the nearest city, Chinle, Arizona. There are a few farm animals and ducks that are raised for food, along with a small garden in a drought environment. It does not seem that the land is very productive due to rocks and drought, but Billie and Sadie and their family and church are able to work together to ensure that everyone has what they need. The people are always happy to greet us and help us unload the van and trailer. As we unload, and goods are separated, you can see and hear the gratefulness of those helping as they received much needed food and other supplies. The people are excited for things that we take for granted.
Economically, the Blue Gap area continues to be depressed after the Covid pandemic. Children and adults alike are still disheartened due to the continued pandemic protocol, although the people continue to find ways for fellowship in their communities. You can see that Christ lives in their lives as the people minister to each other. It seems that those leading simpler lives have the ability to become closer to Christ due to fewer distractions- a true lesson for us all. There is a paper hung on a door in the Blue Gap Fellowship Hall. It contained a reference to Psalm 100 in both Navajo and English, "Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful unto Him, Bless His name!"