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.

Back on the Rez

Sorry about the long time in between posts. Hopefully everyone out there go my November update and the news in there. If you'd like an update but didn't get one just email me. I had a good Thanksgiving break visiting with family, friends, and churches. I was really encouraged, excited about getting back, and am already missing GA people.

I just got back and already have some news/prayers. The three youth that are facing returning to their abusive father had their appeal heard today by the tribal appellate court, and we don't know when a decision will come down, but please pray for them and the 3 judges. We have no idea what will happen, but really need God to move and keep them with their foster parents.

In other news, it's super cold and there's snow everywhere. The Christmas feast is 2 weeks away, so pray that it comes together smoothly, the weather holds up, and we get everything done.

Thanks again for your prayers. Grace and Peace,

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