Good News

On Thursday, the Board approved the purchase of the house!! We're really excited and it's 99% sure we'll get the house. The closing date was Jan. 27 but the bank hasn't got their stuff together so they pushed the date back to Feb. 28, so it won't be "official" until the closing, so I suppose something could happen, but very unlikely. Chris Granberry has been talking with a contractor and getting the zoning issues hammered out and that part of the equation looks really good.

This past Tuesday, we had to cancel Bible Study because there was a funeral, but we wound up getting all the youth together and had a great night with them eating pizza and playing games. I was really encouraged to see the youth having fun together and sharing their hearts in prayers.

D-Group this week was a little crazy and hectic. Keep Brandon, Charles, & Davy in your prayers. Some weeks are really good, some less so.

Poo'ko cut his hip on barbed wire and got stitches and a cone of shame, so he's outside until he can maneuver without running into everything. He's ok, because he has a heat lamp and is fenced in so he can't run away.

We went to another basketball game and the guys won by 40 and the girls by 14. They're incredibly athletic and fast.

I also found out Uncle Dave is coming for 2 weeks in the spring and will be back this summer. Super like!

No more news. Grace and Peace to all

Pictures

Here's a picture of my dog. His name is Poo'ko (Hopi for Dog). He's a blue Doberman and he's neurotic, emotionally needy, and hates cows, birds, and the rabbit that lives nearby. He will be your eternal friend if you pet him. As friendly as he is/seems, he has bitten one person, so caution is advised.

This is the house that would be a church. The board votes this Thursday, the 20th on whether or not to buy the house and turn it into a Church. There's a great view of the valley, and on a clear day, you can see White Swan, Harrah, Wapato, & Toppenish. I'm staying out here and keeping an eye on things. So far so good.

Here's a closeup. The cool part of this picture is the Gap to the left of the house and the clouds coming through on the other side of the ridge. The Gap in the Ridge is about 16 miles away. It rained yesterday and was super foggy last night, and this morning the clouds left this side of the ridge but were still on the other side this morning.

We had to cancel Bible Study this week because of snow, but it warmed up and feels like spring. Because of the snow melt, the driveway turned super muddy and I was nearly stuck. It's dried out some and improved a bit. I've been spending a lot of time this week looking up grants for Sacred Road.

On Friday, Chuck and I went to my first White Swan Basketball game. They were amazing! They beat the Waterville Boys 75-15 and the Girls 71-15. Both teams are #1 in their divisions and looked really good. The Girls are ranked #4 and the Guys are undefeated and #1. Basketball is really big on the Rez, and there are high hopes for the playoffs this year.

Grace and Peace to All!

Back in the Swing of Things

Pictures from the Past Month:

Dining Room at the Christmas Feast

(the other room, the Ceremonial Room, had an additional 300 people)

The Youth Group Decorating Crew

Fun Times

Hanging the Paper Chain

Chains, Chains, and more Chains

Brandon & Charles

(I have no idea what they're doing)

We started back with Bible Study this Tuesday and we had a smaller crowd and it went really well. We wound up watching the video from the Christmas Feast and everyone enjoyed it. It's comparable to watching home videos, which is a lot of fun to do as a big group. The kids really enjoyed laughing at funny photos, seeing themselves and others, and were really well behaved during the video, which was a huge blessing and surprise.

On Wednesday, Chuck, Steven, Al, and I helped a single woman and her two kids move. It was a real blessing to help her move the things that are too heavy for her and the kids. We also had fun with the kids playing marbles and goofing off. :)

Yesterday, I took the D-Group to Pizza Hut and we looked at the first chapter of Psalms from the Message. I don't know how much they got from it, but over the next weeks I hope it'll become a part of our routine and they enjoy it.

Lately, I've been researching grants to help bolster Sacred Road's funding for Children & Youth Ministry. It can be a bit time consuming and tedious, but the results will be great.

It's really cold here and it doesn't look like it'll let up till March (maybe February). After Sunday, it's not supposed to get above freezing for the rest of the week. BRRRRRRR

Grace and Peace To You

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,