Just wanted to write a quick post from Warrior Leadership Summit in Missouri!  We loaded up two vans at the church last Friday morning and headed south with ten people!  We met up with Joe and Sue Rogers and their crew (Renatta from New Town and Phil from Mandaree) in Jamestown and had a caravan from there all the way to Missouri.  We've been here for about three days and it's been incredible again this year!  One of the highlights for me so far has been seeing "my" kids get involved and watching them respond to the Lord . . . He's doing some serious work in their hearts and it is EXCITING to see.  Please pray that they would continue to respond to the Holy Spirit and pray that they would continue to soak up truth! 

 

Here's a glimpse of the past couple of days here:

We had a great week with the Ohio team:  incredibly busy, but really good.  And although they are gone now, we know that the Lord is still doing His thing . . . Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done here.  Check out the video below. 

 

The team worked hard doing some service projects and getting to know some of the people from the Tokio area through events like playing basketball, roasting marshmallows and talking around the campfire at the church, mowing lawns, and a ton of other activities.  If you want to read details on what the team was busy with and hear things from their perspectives, click here.

 It was a real blessing to get to know the team members, to see how the Lord was working in them and through them, and to hear their thoughts and feelings about the whole experience (this was the first missions experience for some of them and the first time visiting a reservation for most of them!).  I enjoyed walking alongside them and praying through things with them . . . they were a GREAT group of young people and I was so impressed with their love for the Lord and for others.

 

Another neat part of the week for me was getting to spend time with some of the people from Tokio who I already know and love.  Building relationships with people is an essential part of ministry and this week gave me another important opportunity to focus on that.  Living at the church for the week and spending every afternoon over at the housing created a perfect environment for lots of hang out time . . . which led to some great conversations and questions about the Lord and about what it looks like to live for Him on a daily basis.  I was honored to listen to and share with these friends who have become so dear to me.   

 

Several members of the Ohio team commented about how they could see that the Lord had been working in the Tokio area long before they arrived.  It really is an honor to be a small part of what the Lord has been doing--and continues to do--here.  Please pray that Lord would bring truth, freedom, healing, and hope to Spirit Lake Nation! 

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Ohio team is here and things are going well!  The days are crazy busy, but I'm especially enjoying "living" here at the church and having more time with my Tokio friends!  It's been a blessing to get to know the Ohio team, too . . . neat crew.  If you want to read more specific details about what they're busy with this week, click here. 

 

Thanks for your prayers!

My summer schedule so far has included things like quick trips to Bismarck (picking up kids--one of the guys we met last year at WLS is spending the month with us here and he needed a ride!), good hang-out/conversation time with various kids, a couple of visits to FaHoCha (a couple of the youth are out there for camp this week!), and lots of planning and preparing for the upcoming week of missions at Tokio.  

 

This Saturday, the group from Ohio will arrive and we'll start our week of ministry at Tokio.  We've got some neat things planned and I've enjoyed visiting with Chad, the group leader.  He's bringing a group of 15 high-school and college-age kids who love the Lord and ready to serve and learn.  Please keep us in your prayers . . . Chad and his gang will be driving all day on Friday and part of Saturday.  Ask the Lord to give them safe travel and prepare their hearts, even while they travel.  Pray, too, for the logisitics of the week . . . that the little details run smoothly.  And most importantly, pray that our time together would be clearly directed by the Lord . . . that He would guide, that He would speak, that He would be the Center of every program, every conversation, and every new friendship.  Pray that we would live out His love.   

Thanks much, friends . . . I'll post updates as time allows!

...that's the title of a John Piper book  AND the title of a song on LeCrae's latest album.  They have paired up to share an incredible message for today's youth and we were blessed to hear it last night at a concert featuring Flame, Tedashii, Sho Baraka, Trip Lee, and LeCrae.  Seven of us from the Tokio church hopped in the church van and drove down to Club 3 Degrees in Minneapolis to see this group of very solid Christian rappers who put on a great show and, more importantly, boldly shared the truth of Jesus Christ.  The message of their music is powerful and seeing them and hearing their hearts last night was even more amazing.  These guys aren't messing around or just standing up front to be seen.  They love Jesus.  And His Spirit was evident last night...it was a huge encouragement to those of us who went. 

 

One of the guys from the Wednesday night Bible study introduced me to some of the artists we saw last night and I've been playing some of their music on the radio program on KABU 90.7FM, so that was another factor that made it especially neat to be there.  A couple of the people who came with us last night haven't yet made decisions to live for Christ, so pray that the message of last night's concert takes root in their hearts!  I'm hoping to get some pictures up before too long, so watch for those, too!

Once again, time has gotten away from me and I'm way behind with this blog...!

 

School got out last week, so summer vacation has officially begun.  We've got some exciting events coming up in the next couple of months, so I'll really need to be more diligent with the blog posts! ;)  Here's a glimpse of what's ahead:

Please keep us and these events in your prayers...we'll cover lots of miles and I'm excited to see how the Lord uses these events to draw each of us closer to Him. 

 

Along with these special events, the regular weekly activities (Wednesday night youth group, 90.7 FM radio program, weekend church activities, etc.) will continue.  Please ask the Lord to make the transition smooth as I move into a new schedule for the summer. 

 

One other quick thing...please keep praying especially for the youth.  It seems that so many of them have been dealing with some incredibly difficult things lately, but the Lord's presence is also evident in it!  Please pray that the youth would learn to look to Christ in the midst of their difficulties.  Pray that as they look to Him, they would be renewed with a sense of His peace and hope.  Pray that the Lord would somehow bring good things out of the heartache they face.  "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good..." (Genesis 50:20)

 

I'll do my best to keep you posted and keep the updates coming...thanks so much for your prayers!

Life has been full of some very welcomed (and out-of-the-"norm") activities!  
 
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings (April 20-22) I was at revival meetings at the Dakota Baptist Church in Fort Totten.  It was such a blessing to have those evenings together, worshipping and soaking up some teaching and encouragement from visiting pastors (Pastor Kevin Anderson, Pastor Bruce Dick, and Pastor Larry Thiele).  Paula and I led worship on Tuesday night and, as always, it was a privilege and a blessing to have a part in that.  Another neat aspect of the revival meetings was seeing the different circles of life all come together in one place:  school kids, youth group kids, ministry partners, supporters, and friends.  I never cease to be amazed at how the Lord has so many different things connected and working together.  One of the guys who recently got saved came to a couple of the meetings and it was so encouraging to see his hunger for the Lord.  Keep him in your prayers and ask the Lord to protect him and to continue to provide an environment for him to grow spiritually. 
 
Another interesting connection happened on the night that Paula and I led worship.  After the service, I stopped to introduce myself and visit with a couple of people who were sitting alone.  The lady sitting there remembered me, reminding me that I sang at her son's funeral and expressing her gratitude again.  Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they are still grieving.  Speaking of grieving, Jami's family also came to the revival meetings . . . continue to pray for them, too! 
 
And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one week(!), we had more fun on Friday and Saturday!  Our very dear friend, Darcy Ready, has a wonderful children's ministry and she came up to spend the weekend with us at Fahocha.  My family has known Darcy for about 10 years and she has been a speaker at camp for the past 8 years, so Paula and I were especially excited to set up a couple of children's programs while she was here--Friday night at the church in Tokio and Saturday night at the rec in Fort Totten.  Darcy travels in a 15-passenger van and that's what I used on Saturday to go and round up kids at the old housing unit (commonly referred to as "the ghetto").  As I drove through the housing and picked up kids, I realized that I already knew many of them from working at the school, that we already had a relationship, and that trust had already been established.  I realized again how valuable the school connection has been for this ministry and was thankful again for how the Lord had that planned out.  By the time we got back to the rec, I think about 20 kids piled out of the van!
 
Often times over the years, the Lord has used Darcy and her ministry to speak powerful truth not only to the kids, but to me personally.  It was extra-special to watch as the Lord spoke through her again to the precious little ones who listened and watched as she shared Jesus.  Seeing Darcy is also always a good reminder for me to never underestimate the power of God in a child's life.  As Darcy says, "I absolutely believe that God speaks to kids."  Please ask the Lord to do that!  Ask Him to make Himself real to these kids and to bring about growth from the spiritual seeds that have been planted.   Also, ask the Lord to bless Darcy really good for her willingness to come and share with us and the kids. :)

Icing:  One of the youth group girls  (see below) who has been gone for a couple of months moved back to the area!  She joined us on Friday night in Tokio and stayed at camp with us for part of the weekend.  I could write another whole blog about that alone, but I'll just sum it up for now by saying that God is GOOD!

I was talking with one of the 6th grade boys at school the other day--he and I have had some interesting discussions in the past--and he wanted me to check out a certain music video online.  He wrote down the info for me and earlier this afternoon I had a chance to look at it.  I was a little surprised after reading the lyrics and watching the video (see below), but I feel like it gave me some insight into this young man's heart, echoing some of the hurts and fears that he has experienced in his young life.  Please pray that the Lord would be real to this young man and pray that he would see the love and hope that is found in Christ.

I've had a few especially neat conversations over the past few days...

 

Convo #1:  One of the girls who came to our Tokio group regularily last year hasn't been in the area for the past few months, so hasn't been able to come to Wednesday-night Bible studies.  I got a phone call from her this past week and was so glad to hear from her!  She was full of questions about what we've been studying and reading at Bible study . . . we came up with a plan for me to mail her the "notes" from Bible study so that she can kind of follow along with us, even though she's not there with us.  Although she doesn't have a Bible study to attend, she's got her Bible and a great Christian radio station that she listens to (which gave me a brand new appreciation for Christian radio!).  Please pray that the Lord would protect this sweet young lady and encourage her in her faith in Him!

 

Convo #2:  A young lady from the church in Tokio gave her life to Jesus this past fall.  She has a deep hunger and desire to live for Christ.  She is a young mother and wife, so I don't usually get to see her on Wednesday nights.  But she and I spent some time together after church last Sunday and those couple of hours were full of sharing and learning about the Lord.  It's such a blessing for me to see and hear first-hand what He is teaching others, especially new believers.  Pray that this dear sister would continue to learn and grow.  Pray, too, that her husband would have a personal experience with Christ as she lives for Him.

Something that the Lord has put on my heart recently is the importance of coming together as believers and encouraging each other as the Body of Christ. 

 

Over the past few months, I've had conversations with other believers and ministers on the reservation who all seemed to be in the "heat of the battle", struggling with serious discouragement and heartache.  After several of these conversations, we made a plan to get together.  Not to plan a ministry event, not to lead a service, not to do, but simply to be together as one Body.  To share.  Listen.  Encourage.  Pray. 

 

Last night was our first get-together and five of us sat around a table at Dakota Baptist Church in Fort Totten, eating M&Ms and sharing our hearts about the joys and pains of life and ministry on the rez.  It was such a blessing to hear about what each person has been experiencing and such an encouragement to hear about how the Lord has and is bringing them through!  It was a very special time, talking about the Lord, reminding each other of truth, "building each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and praying together.

 

I think last night was a confirmation that we need to continue to get together like this.  Our plan right now is to set aside one night a month to talk, encourage, and pray together.  Please pray that the Body of Christ on the reservation would be unified and strengthened!  Ask the Lord to use these get-togethers to unify us as one Body and to encourage each other in the various works that the Lord has us doing.  Pray that people would see Christ's love and grace through us as we love and encourage each other.