Warm Springs Rez

The interns arrive today which means summer begins and it’s going to be a busy/wonderful 11 weeks. Last week, I got to go to the Warm Springs Reservation, met our contact person Don, and see the place where we do Kid’s Club. It was a great visit and encouraging seeing what’s happening down there. The one thing that really stuck with me was when we were talking with Don, he was really excited about Kid’s Club. He pointed out that there were 50 deaths last year and they are on pace to exceed that this year. Warm Springs is small place with about 3,000 people. Because there are so many deaths, it can be a very dark place, especially for the kids. Don said He liked that Kid’s Club provides a time where the kids can just be kids, they get a chance to just have fun and for a time leave behind the deaths and funerals that are too common.

When Don said that, it made me happy to be part of that moment of light and joy for the kids. It also reminded me of Adventures in Odyssey, a radio program I used to listen to as a kid, and the opening monologue where Mr. Whittaker said that Whit’s End was a place where “most of all, it is a place where kids of all ages can just be kids.” While what we do is no Whit’s End and I’m no Mr. Whittaker, it made happy to think that in a small way, we’re helping the kids to be kids and brighten their lives.

One Year

Well, today marks 1 Year since I moved out here. It feels like yesterday. It does lead me to reflect, remembering the past year and considering the future. Some highlights of the past year:

* Sacred Road got a building and we’ll have services within the year.

* I (for the most part) have got the hang of children’s ministry.

* The Christmas Feast was an amazing event and outreach.

* Seeing growth and change with some of the children.

* It feels more natural being out here

* Seeing God move in big and small ways, both in the community and within me.

I’ll be coming back to Macon on August 12^th and will be around through the 23^rd. I’d love to catch up with folks and share what the Lord’s been doing.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement, and I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I think about the future and where God is leading.

Easter

Easter is over and it has been a great couple of weeks. At Bible Study, we’ve been focusing on Easter and the kids have learned a lot and showed increased understanding and knowledge. With the warmer weather, we’ve had an increase in attendance which complicates things but is ultimately a good thing.

With the kids, we dyed several hundred eggs which they really enjoyed. We took the youth to a park, played games, ate, and had an Easter Egg Hunt. It was tons of fun. Easter Egg Pictures here.

Today, Saturday, a nearby Church sponsored a basketball camp for elementary kids and 29 showed up - of those 11 come to Bible Study and they had a good time, learned basketball skills, and learned more about Jesus. I had a good time hanging with them and having fun.

We've got summer staff lined up: Dave Koerner (Rockledge, FL), Scott Burnett(Rockspring, GA), Kyle Murphy (Tacoma, WA), Brandon Kreuze (Chattanooga, TN), Rachel Kreuze(Chattanooga, TN), Katie Ross (Bellevue, WA), Lauren Sensing (Madison, MS), Molly Dawkins (Madison, MS),Julie Bilbro (Fall City, WA).

The next couple of weeks will be busy as we get ready for the summer teams. Things are going well and barreling along.

Grace and Peace to you all!

CHIEF Conference

Wendell and I are in Phoenix, AZ at a conference hosted by CHIEF. The conferences has been a big encouragement and we've met lots of great people. The coolest thing is I met a Hopi man who knows my great-great aunt who lives on the Hualapai Reservation. We'll head back to Yakama on Friday.

Last week, we had a team from Covenant and it went really well. The team did a great job of loving on the kids and serving.

This week, we've got a team from Mississippi and another from Alabama.

Next week, there will be a team from UW-RUF, a church from California, and a couple individuals.

Things are pretty busy, but going well. Thanks for your prayers.

Grace and Peace!

BOWLING!

We took the youth bowling on Monday the 21st of February and had a great time! Lots of fun and good memories. You can see pictures by clicking here. (The pictures are on Chuck Clevenger's profile).

We've got a team from Covenant College here this week and they're staying busy. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks with teams back-to-back-to-back. The teams will help with the new church building and repairing homes in White Swan.

We've met with the Tribal Emergency Office and over 200 homes in White Swan have roof damage because of the wind storm that spread the fire. We've already worked on a couple and hope to fix up some more. Clyde from Mission to North America Disaster Relief, is here and helping out and MNA might send some teams out here. Clyde is also rooming with me, so it's nice to have another person out there in the big, lonely house.

Things are going very well, we're super busy, and a bit stretched. Thanks for your prayers!

Grace, Peace, and Thanks to All!

Roofing

4 Guys from Zillah, Chuck, 3 youth, and I patched 4 roofs Saturday that had shingles ripped off in the wind storm. The damage was kind of small, and it went well. Most of the houses in White Swan that had roof damage have temporary tarps, so they will be ok for when it rains.

This past week was pretty good even though we had to move Bible Study to Harrah b/c of a funeral, but still had about 40 people attend – despite not picking up people.

Starting this Saturday, I’ll have a temporary roommate – a guy named Clyde from Mission to North America will be staying with me at the church/house. He’ll be helping us out with some of the wind/fire damage in White Swan.

Busy times, but things are good.

White Swan Fire

Chris and I drove around White Swan and visited people this morning/afternoon. I made a map that shows which areas were damaged. Most of the town and Totus Park were spared. The fire fortunately missed the Cougar Den with their above ground propane tanks. Eighteen houses burned down, of which seventeen were occupied. The town has water and parts have electricity. The parts that don't have power should have power by this evening. Everyone can get back into town except for the Coburn Loop neighborhood which has lots of downed power lines.

Click Here to see the map.

The fire spread quickly because of the high winds: winds from 50-60 miles an hour with gusts up to 70. The wind also tore shingles and tar paper off of lots of buildings. Probably half of the houses around White Swan have roof damage. Some were missing half the shingles.

Chris and I spoke with one lady who told us she saw the fire heading straight to her house. She started praying in Jesus' name and as she prayed the wind changed direction and the fire turned northeast and missed her house. She was crying and very encouraging to us.

The immediate needs in the community are not as severe as we had feared, but lots of homes need roofing and there's also a need for homes. Chris is in talks with the Tribal Emergency Group and with Mission to North America about what work needs to be done and what needs we can meet.

Thankfully, most of the town was spared and we have heard of no major injuries or fatalities. Thanks for your prayers. If you'd like to make a donation to help those displaced by the fire/wind, send a tax-deductible donation marked "Mercy Ministry" to:

Sacred Road Ministries
22116 SE 51st Place
Issaquah, WA 98029.

In other news, I'm sending out an update tomorrow. Things are going well and lots is happening. Grace, Peace, and Rest to You!