Christmas on the Rez

I'm going to send out a December update next week, but wanted everyone to know what has been happening. Since the last post, we hosted the Christmas Feast on the 14th and had over 400 people come. It was a really great evening and everyone who came received a great meal, a gift, and heard about Jesus.

After the Christmas Feast, we delivered presents, food boxes, and/or Wal Mart Gift Cards to about 60 households, impacting 250 people. My favorite memory of the deliveries was when we went to one house and 5 boys ages 2-7 sat down on their steps with their faces beaming with joy and excitement over the gifts they were receiving. It was so great to give them a little Christmas fun and happiness. We finished the last of the deliveries on the 22nd and are enjoying a well needed break.

On the 23rd, Chuck and I took our D-Groups to see Tron and get lunch and they/we had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera is dead and I don't have any pictures with the youth guys. Chuck has some photos from the Decorating Night and the past month, and I'll get those from him and post them next week.

You can see the video from the Christmas Feast by clicking here.

Merry Christmas to all!

Decorations

This past Thursday, 31 youth 4 children, and 8 staff gathered in the Toppenish Creek Longhouse and decorated it with a giant red and green paper chain, coffee filter snowflakes, and Christmas lights. It was one of my best nights ever!

The kids had lots of fun, worked well together, took initiative, and I'm really proud of them. They really did great and the Longhouse looks beautiful. The Christmas Feast is tomorrow and we're expecting 400-500 people. It's going to be a busy and wonderful night. Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

In other news: I got a 16 month old Doberman and he's super fun. I've also moved since last week and will post pictures of the dog and home and more info soon. I'm living in the building we're trying to get for the church - staying there to keep an eye on things and burglars out.

Things will be crazy for the next week as we have the Feast and do Christmas deliveries. Merry Christmas to All!

Snowball Fight!!

This past Thursday, I had a great time with my D-Group (Charles, Brandon, & Davy Granberry). It's been snowing a lot lately, so when I went to pick them up at the Cougar Den, there was a good 10-12 inches of snow. We fought for a while and my fingers were numb for about a half hour. We also had a fight later and I was hit in the side of the head with a chunk of ice. It was a lot of fun and a good time with the guys. Chuck's D-Group & mine were both in the fight and we defeated them. One of his guys was having a birthday, so we met up with them later to celebrate over pizza at Costco. The guys were great and it was a memorable evening!

This week has been pretty good for me, but struggling a bit today. The Christmas Feast is a week away and there's lots to do beforehand. Pray for us as a team to work well together, finish strong, and trust in the Lord. Also pray for people in the community to step into leadership roles for the Feast.

Also, please pray for the community of White Swan: There have been four deaths in the past week.