Unemployment ranges from 36% to over 75% . . . 56% living below the poverty line compared to 13% for the United States . . . 42% living in homes with two rooms or less . . . many homes have no electricity or indoor plumbing of any kind . . . some even have dirt floors. Sounds like a third world country, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, that's what life is like on the Navajo Indian Reservation in the American Southwest. These statistics reflect life on the reservation even when the rest of the US is not in a recession. As you might imagine in an economic environment such as this, there isn't a lot of disposable income available to be spent on home repairs and upgrades. Methodist churches from across the country have been sending mission teams to the reservation for years to perform home repairs for those in need.

The reservation itself is enormous. It is larger in size than West Virginia and almost the size of South Carolina. There are very few paved roads and almost no commercial development. In fact, there are only 4 McDonald's restaurants on the entire reservation, an area that is larger than Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined. It is tough to even get a burger flippin' job. Most Navajos live in single homes spread out across the vast reservation, many miles from anything that resembles civilization.

The economic situation has created a need, the size of the reservation has created a problem. How can mission teams be adequately supplied with tools in areas so remote that it is not uncommon to be 30 miles from the nearest telephone? Historically, it has been very difficult and as a result almost all home repairs have been limited to the Shiprock, NM area where an inventory of tools is available. These tools are owned and administered by the Four Corners Native American Ministry (fcnam.org), a ministry of the United Methodist Church. The problem is that Shiprock is located in the upper corner of the reservation so it is difficult to get those tools out into the field. Most areas of the reservation have never seen a mission team focused on home repairs.

The solution is the acquisition of a tool trailer with a separate inventory of tools. A trailer outfitted with every tool necessary will allow it to function as a self-sufficient mobile workshop in the field. It can be towed at a moment’s notice to any location on the reservation for use by UMC mission teams. The trailer will be purchased and outfitted with tools in Concord, NC and towed to the reservation where it will be donated to the FCNAM. It is already scheduled to begin service with a UMC mission team during the week of July 5th, 2010. Your donations will be used to purchase the trailer and tools. Donations of new or slightly used tools are also welcomed. Details on how to help are outlined on the How to Donate page. All donations are tax deductible. The total estimated cost for the project is $3,000 for the trailer and $5,000 for the tools.