SPLICE, New Home, Visit to GA, and News from the Rez

Well I’m back from SPLICE and getting into the swing of things. I really enjoyed SPLICE as a spiritual retreat & a place to learn about myself and God. The three weeks focused on cultural differences, spiritual struggles, intrapersonal issues, team dynamics, conflict styles, stress/stressors, grief/loss, and other things. It was a wonderful experience and I made some great friends and learned a lot.

This past weekend I moved into a house near Toppenish, WA. I’m the caretaker/security for the McKinley Mission Church in Toppenish and live in a house behind the Church. I don’t really take care of much except for the lawn which won’t need care until the spring. Mostly I keep an eye on things, act as a presence on the property, and will talk to the occasional person that comes by needing something/someone. It’s a nice place, but a bit bare and lonely. I’m looking forward to getting a roommate in the spring. My new mailing address is:

PO Box 223

Harrah, WA 98933

I’ll be in Macon from November 20-29. I’m set to visit a Church in Columbus on November 28^th and talk to the North Macon Presbyterian Church Sunday School Class on November 21^st. I’m excited about coming home for a while, seeing friends, and spending Thanksgiving with my family.

The Bible Study this past Tuesday had about 40 children, 34 youth (a record high!), and 10 adults. It went well, but was a bit chaotic. Over the summer, the children’s lessons focused on Abraham-Joseph and we’re spending the fall on Moses and the Exodus. Last night, I spent time with Chuck and 7 youth guys in a small group. It was a good time to get to know them a little better, have some fun, and eat. This evening, we’re going to play some games with 10-12 youth, and roast hotdogs. It's been a busy and good week.

Grace and Peace to all of you out there!

A Great Week & SPLICE

Last week was really good and encouraging. We had a Back To School BBQ to kick off the fall and had 170+ come, and almost 100 of those were children. The Longhouse was packed to overflowing and the evening went really well despite having too few people to watch all the children. It was really great to get back in the community, see old faces, and get started back with Bible Study.

This past Friday, Chuck, Veronica, Heather, and I went to the first home football game of the season for White Swan. They lost, but it was a lot of fun, and a really good way to be in the community and we saw a lot of kids and youth in a setting that's different from usual. We also went to a volleyball game, which featured one of our youth. Unfortunately, they also lost, but it was a lot of fun to root for her and cheer her on.

Right now, I'm outside of Colorado Springs doing the SPLICE program with Mission Training International. I don't know much about it except it's training for doing missions, and everyone with Sacred Road raves about it. So far so good - met some neat people and having fun. I might be AWOL for a while, but will let you know how the training goes.

Grace & Peace!

Fall Is Here

We're back in the swing of things and Bible Study starts back this Tuesday. Pray for us all as we get the hang of things and the community to respond positively. Bill Yarbrough is visiting for the past few days and he and his family are raising support to move out here full time and work with youth, and he as a project coordinator, and she as a nurse. It's good to visit with him and see his perspectives. This past week, I worked on lessons for the fall, took down & cleaned the tipi, & cleaned up a little around here.

On the 13th, I'm heading to Palmer Springs, CO for 3 weeks of missions training. I'm excited and a bit nervous. This Friday is the first home football game for White Swan High School and I'm SUPER excited about going with the crew and being part of the community in a different context than usual.

Grace & Peace