July and August tidbits

The past six weeks have passed by so quickly we can't hardly keep our thinking right. A bunch of things have happened, and rather than "tell" you all about them, I thought I'd show you a few of them.

Chris and Heidi Owens

The first, and maybe most exciting thing was that my son, (Katrina) Chris Owens got married to Heidi Penrod. The wedding happened in Prescott Arizona, and was beautiful.

Steve continues to perfect his technique in anticipation of teaching and creating with other artists as a ministry.

As soon as we got back from the wedding, we made the decision to move the pottery ministry to Gallup. We've talked to a lot of people, and believe this is where the ministry can be most effective. When Steve talked to Francis Bee, head of the Downtown Improvement District he told Steve that he'd been waiting for someone just like Steve to bring something like this downtown. While the ministry will be off-reservation, Gallup, being a border town, has a population of about 50% Native Americans, and on weekends and holidays that population swells with Natives from two reservations coming into town to do shopping and enjoy some R and R.

One of the children involved in Set Free Ministries

I, Katrina continue to work in Set Free ministries. This summer I've had a bit of time to do some one-on-one counseling. It's been nice to spend a bit more time with some of the ladies, and I have seen some results from this time spent one-on-one. One exciting development was the salvation of an adult son of one of the ladies. He's in rehab now, but last Wednesday put his faith in Jesus. (Thanks for praying for Joseph as he completes his rehab program.(

The last thing we've done here recently has been to talk, talk, talk to people. Our highest priority at this season in our missionary service is to develop a team that will support us in this journey. We've been missionaries for 16 years now, and over the years some of our strongest supporters have been unable to continue supporting us due to death, family issues, or other personal reasons. The bottom line is that we've got to broaden our support base: We need people who are willing to pray for us, to encourage us, and of course to give financially as well.

If you or someone you know would be willing to join this team (I suppose you're already on this team if you're getting this newsletter), would you let us know? We can be reached at any number of emails, including this one steveandkatrina@westernindian.org, on Facebook, by telephone (505-371-5557), or by snail mail (P. O. Box 9090, Window Rock, AZ 86515.).   Also, if you're on Facebook we've opened a new Facebook Page called LifeHouse Pottery and Arts. If you "like" us, you'll get regular updates on the pottery ministry.

Finally, we'd like to just continue to say thank you! We really couldn't do it without you.

Katrina and Steve Marti