FROM YOUR BCC LIBRARY, April 2026
By Nancy Henderson
Interested in missions? What about an armchair mission adventure? What about an armchair mission adventure in a sovereign nation right here within the borders of the U.S.?
What?!
Where?
“The Navajo Reservation is another country, a sovereign nation within the U.S., …larger than all the New England states put together….We have heard it said that you could go anywhere in the world and not find a place more different from what we call normal… than the Navajo Nation. And… we believe this to be true. We also know that God loves these folks deeply and has caused us to love them, too.”
In July of 1986, Allan and Donna Schultz left their “palace in the pines” for the adventure to which God had called them with the Navajo people in and around Hardrock, Ariz. In her memoir, Centipedes in the Bathtub, Donna (a BCC member recently called home to Jesus) recounts “stories of life, work, and Jesus with the people of the Navajo Nation.”
Their first assignment with The Navajo Gospel Mission was as “dorm parents, trusted with the care of 21 Navajo girls who attended the Navajo Christian Academy.” As you might imagine, the majority of the care of the girls fell to Donna, but that didn’t mean Allan wasn’t involved. He was kept busy from morning to night taking care of the myriad tasks involved in maintaining the mission compound, transporting locals to and from appointments, leading Bible studies, and more.
A houseful of girls of a totally foreign culture and a foreign language—most of the girls spoke at least reasonable English, but many of their families spoke only Navajo—made for countless stories and adventures. Interactions with their family members added even more challenges, excitement, and rewards as they all learned to trust and communicate with each other. Prepare to laugh and to weep with the sometimes hilarious and sometimes desperate circumstances surrounding the lives of the girls and their families.
At the end of the second school year, with enrollment down significantly, Allan and Donna’s responsibilities changed dramatically. They relinquished their role as Dorm Parents and moved into more varied work: both with students at the school and with adults and families scattered over a much larger area. They assisted in the school, attended revival meetings throughout the area, helped with numerous Vacation Bible Schools, hosted visitors, attended and ministered at funerals, and continued to share the Gospel wherever and however they could.
This all may sound a little dry, but believe me, Donna’s descriptions of the desert—dusty in the dry seasons and unbelievably muddy in the rainy season—the antics of the children, and the customs and concerns of the adults, are detailed, descriptive, and always told with love and compassion.
Donna’s book is located in the Biographies section. All quotations are from the book.