Call of the Navajo

During a visit to the Eagle Rock Trading Post with his family, Ashkee, a young Navajo boy, spies a beautiful silver belt behind the counter. As Ashkee gazes longingly at the belt, a missionary enters the store and invites everyone to attend a religious service outside. While left alone in the store with a blind customer, Ashkee takes the belt. At that moment Ashkee hears the missionary tell the congregation that God is looking at them right now. Ashkee comes to his senses, returns the belt, and goes outside to listen to the rest of the service. The following day Ashkee and his family are forced to move their belongings and herd of sheep to an area near a flowing stream because a drought has dried up all the watering holes around their present campsite. As the family settles in, Ashkee takes the sheep out to graze. After suffering through several misadventures, Ashkee returns home to discover that the trader has accused him of stealing the belt which he had coveted. Ashkee insists he did not steal the belt, but neither his father nor the trader believes him. The trader decides that unless the family returns the belt within three days, he will demand their sheep and all their jewelry as payment for the belt. Later, when Ashkee's sister falls ill, Ashkee is convinced that the missionary's God is punishing him for wanting to steal the belt. Ashkee visits the missionary's house to tell him about all the terrible things that have happened and to ask how he can appease this angry God. The missionary assures him that God loves Ashkee and would not cause all this trouble. Ashkee is puzzled and amazed by such a benevolent God. Meanwhile, the missionary decides to help the young boy by trying to find the belt. Later that day during a fierce storm, Ashkee saves his pet lamb Snowflake from a dangerous canyon just as the animal is about to drown. That night the missionary comes to Ashkee's dwelling with his wife and a nurse who tends to Ashkee's sister. The missionary, inspired by Ashkee's love for his pet lamb, shares the biblical story of the shepherd who risks everything to save just one sheep. Ashkee's sister, improving under the nurse's ministrations, thanks the missionary's God for making her better and asks Him to help her family. By the third day, the belt is nowhere to be found, so Ashkee's father rounds up the sheep and gathers together their jewelry to take to the trader. Just as the payment is being made, the missionary rides up with the belt and reveals that the blind customer in the trading post was only pretending to be sightless and had stolen the belt. Ashkee and his family are ecstatic. Ashkee reveals that he has taken the Christian God into his heart and intends to go to mission school so that he can return to the reservation and spread the word of God's love. After an apprehensive start, Ashkee thrives at mission school. He has many ambitions and dreams of playing sports, winning trophies for the school, singing in the choir, studying, going to college and eventually returning to the reservation as a missionary.