Gathering around a virtual table to talk about all things Indigenous.
Dear Friends and Supporters, Our previous newsletter gave an announcement of a new development in the Begay Household. Renee’s last day under Cru employment is scheduled for September 2, 2023. Thankfully, Renee has been approved for 3 months of severance pay. Supporters can continue to give to her account until November 30, 2023. Any additional... Continue Reading →
Native American ministry is uniquely different from Cru's model of ministry. For one, "Life is lived through relationships," as Mark Charles would tell us. Native American ministry is doing life within Native American communities. Donnie & Renee has been on staff for over 10 years in Cru. They started "Nations" in 2004 on the campus of... Continue Reading →
Two years ago Renee was approached by an author to write a piece for a book called Voices of Lament. The book recently released on September 30th of this year. Renee joined 30 other women contributors. Each author contributed either a poem, an essay, or a devotion related to their assigned verse from Psalm 37.... Continue Reading →
I (Donnie) have had the privilege and honor to have emceed every Would Jesus Eat Frybread conference since its start. The first WJEF was held at Fort Defiance, NM near the capital of the Navajo Nation in 2012. Being on Navajo land made me one of the hosts. We got to host people from all... Continue Reading →
Mark Charles is our friend, mentor and, collaborative associate. Mark recently invited Renee to be on his streaming event he does every so often on social media and youtube called My Second Cup of Coffee. Renee does not drink coffee but brought her tea along for a virtual conversation with Mark There was much to... Continue Reading →
I am part of the smaller segment of people who are not too happy about returning to “normal.” As an introvert, I didn’t mind working from home and interacting with the only co-worker I actually enjoy spending time with—my wife. Working from home also had the perk of spending time with my girls. I may... Continue Reading →
A quick disclaimer — there are no guides or steps to becoming a good relative, because Indigenous people groups are unique and different and for that reason there is no universal guide to becoming/being a good relative. To fully understand what it means to be a relative and a good relative a person must learn... Continue Reading →
For a little while, the Navajo Nation was hit the hardest with COVID with some of the highest numbers of cases, but now it has been reduced to some of the lowest rates. Handling the COVID-19 pandemic: What cities can learn from the Navajo Nation As of July 22, there is a total of 8,639... Continue Reading →
Growing up on or near Native American communities we are exposed to a lot of implicit teachings such as when you leave, learn something but come back and help your people. Another teaching, which is often based on traditional teachings is to strive to live in a good way. And, I can already envision the... Continue Reading →
Every morning, up until a month ago, I (Donnie) drive my two oldest girls to their bus stop near the Ted Gallegos Community Center on Coors Boulevard here in Albuquerque, NM. During the 15-minute drive we usually listen to the radio or put on some Spotify if the girls need some motivation to get their... Continue Reading →
ABSTRACT Since contact with missionaries of various Christian Denominations and other religions there has been an attempt to totally eradicate Navajo culture. The most recent attack on Native North American[1] culture was set against Native American and First Nations children. The last Indian War was waged against Indian children. The weapon of choice was education.... Continue Reading →
THE TALKING CIRCLE 