This past week, I attended Youth For The Nations (YFN), for the second year in a row. It was so amazing, I had so much fun, and I definitely grew closer to God.

However, something I also learned about was the Navajo Nation.

See, every year, YFN divides the attendees into 1 of 8 teams; the teams being real-life nations. This is done so so that the attendees and campers come to care for the nation itself, and pray for its needs. Additionally, the nations are chosen to that we can pray for God to do a work in every nation represented. Last year, I was a part of Team Brazil, and this year, I was a part of Team Navajo. This was actually a huge step, because it's the first time in YFN history that a Native American tribe/nation was represented.

My team's nation leader and current student at Christ For The Nations Institute, the college that created and runs YFN, Leah, told our team some basic information and facts about the Navajo nation and its flag, which I will now share with you all.

Keep in mind this is just the information that she shared with us. If you are curious or interested in the people of the Navajo Nation, then check out their government's website.

So, let's begin.

Some very basic information: The Navajo nation is the largest Native American tribe in the United States. It is located on the touching corners of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. The Navajo language is incredibly difficult to understand, so much so that during World War II, their language was used to encrypt Morse Code. The tribe also has its own government, with a president and all.

Some unfortunate information: the Navajo people have various struggles, including lack of access to health care, lack of valuable natural resources that could greatly help them (such as water), due to their location in the desertous areas of Western United States, and use of witchcraft.

Again, these are all facts that Leah told us, and I trust them to be true, but if you are unsure of any of these, I highly encourage you to look them up.

And now, here's the flag of Navajo Nation.

Some facts about the flag:

1. The rainbow represents Navajo sovereignty.

2. The four white, black, blue, and yellow triangles are the four mountains from the Navajo myth of the creation of the world.

3. In the center, the two dark brown rectangles represent the original size of the tribe, and the surrounding light brown shapes represent the current size of the Navajo reservation.

4. In the center, within the white circle, are various symbols. The green crop represents corn, as agriculture is a very important part of Navajo economy and trade. The circle at the top represents the sun or light, and at the very center is an oil derrick, as oil is another important trade item. To the bottom of the derrick is a bear-like silhouette, which represents the livestock. To the left of the derrick is, likely, a tent, which the Navajo people likely used to live before "modernization". To the right is a modern day house, which the Navajo use today. To the upper right and left of the derrick are hogans; traditional dwelling places of the Navajo people.

I hope this article taught you something new about a group of people that you may not have known existed. I can be honest and say I didn't know that they existed. However, like Leah said to our team: many people within the United States may overlook these people, but God sees them, and our ultimate desire is that many, if not all of them, come to know Jesus.