Last night it was just me, Shawnee, and Shelby at Bible study. I've known both of these girls for several years and we've gotten quite close since I've been on the reservation. Since it was just us there, we decided to do our own little devotional time instead of our Bible study DVD series. As I sat with these girls, I couldn't help think about the love that I have for them and about the storms that they have both faced, this past year especially. With that in mind, we read Psalm 46 and talked about how the Lord is our safe place, even in the darkest and most frightening times in life. What a blessing to sit with those dear girls and remember that truth. I am truly honored to walk with them during those storms and remind them that they have a God who created them, knows them, loves them, and promises to be their "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble".
Keep Shawnee in your prayers especially. Her brother committed suicide a couple of weeks ago and she and her family are hurting. Please ask the Lord to protect and comfort Shawnee. Pray that she would turn to Him and find peace and hope in Him.
Our 1st year of Bible study--Shawnee (on my left) and Shelby (on my right)
I think it was sometime last summer when I first heard Shelby counting down to her 18th birthday. February seemed like a million years away and she could hardly wait. Over Christmas break, Shelby and a few of the girls came home with me and we decided that that would be a great way to celebrate Shelby's upcoming birthday, too. So a couple of weeks ago, on the weekend of Shelby's 18th birthday, we headed up to my parent's house for a birthday celebration. The other girls weren't able to come with us, but we had a great weekend in spite of missing them!
Please remember Shelby in your prayers, especially now as she transitions into "adult" life. Pray that she would have the wisdom and strength to make good choices. Pray that she would learn to seek the Lord and trust Him in every area of her life. And pray that she would grow closer to the Lord through every step of her journey.
Last night at youth group, a few of us were sitting around the table, talking and eating pizza, and I was thinking about how long it had been since I had written a blog update (my apologies!). Sitting there, wishing that each of you could experience a Wednesday-night Bible study with us, this thought came to me: Wouldn't it be great if one of the kids wrote about what we do on Wednesdays?!
I pitched the idea to the kids and got a taker, so after the Bible study lesson, Brittney sat down at my computer and wrote an update. And here you have it.
Naomi, Shelby, Joy, Skye and I are sitting at the boys and girls club where we meet every Wednesday for youth night. Tonight we read and studied II Thessalonians. We talked about final judgment. Final judgment to me means when God comes back one last time to judge and decide who's forgiven and who isn't. A question we were asked after the chapter of final judgment is "Why do Christians have no reason to fear the final judgment?" This question really stuck out to me and caught my attention because I've heard so many answers to that question as I was growing up. My two favorite were "If you know where you're going then you have no reason to be afraid of the rapture." and "Judgment day should be something to look forward to." I think both answers are right and I totally agree with them. I use to fear that I wouldn't be forgiven and that I would never get a chance to meet God. Until I was introduced to a new way of life and that was living for the lord and getting to know him. I realized it was something better to have and I wanted it. I am working on my relationship with him and I have to be honest. Life has certainly been a whole lot better. This leads me to the next chapter we talked about; standing firm. It is easy to lose faith in the lord and get distracted. Your peers might give you the wrong ideas and temptation might urge you to do the wrong thing. Standing firm means to not be swayed and stand strong for what you believe in. The example used in this study was a boxing match. You're losing and you're tired out but you just have to keep fighting and not give up. Win or lose you still made it through the fight. The last chapter we talked about was Idleness. Which means even though you're a christian you've been saved, basically you're good to go. But you're not doing anything to further your relationship with the lord, you're being lazy. When we feel that we are being lazy we should read our bibles, discuss the lord's word with others, spread the lord's word, tell others about him, pray and talk to God. Knowing that you're saved and whatnot but not doing anything to help others isn't good. Stranger or not, would you help someone if they were hanging off a cliff or would you watch them fall to their death?
–Brittney Pretty Weasel 18
Brittney writing this update last night
Thanks so much for your prayers, dear friends. Please continue to ask the Lord to reveal His truth to each of us so that we can stand firm (2 Thessalonians 2:15)!
Posted in School life by Naomi Damschen on 12/23/2009
Just wanted to post a few pictures from the Christmas program at the school last week. The kids did a great job of making decorations, singing songs, and sharing the true meaning of Christmas. Please pray that the truth of Christ's birth brings hope to the people of Spirit Lake Nation! Praying, too, that your Christmas is filled with His perfect peace and hope. Merry Christmas!
This past weekend, I attended a memorial service for Jami Jetty, the 14-year old young lady who ended her life one year ago. At her funeral last year, I sang Nothing But the Blood of Jesus (click here to read about that) and Pastor Larry asked me to sing that song again at the memorial this past Sunday. Several things stand out to me when I think about being there that afternoon . . . realizing how my relationship with Jami's family has grown over the year, having visits with girls from school, getting hugs from youth group kids . . . it really is an honor to be a part of this community.
It's been so interesting to watch how the Lord has been working through all of this during the past year. Shortly after Jami's death, Jami's mother and sister joined us on Wednesday night when we happened to be studying Ephesians 6 (click here to read the full story). During this past year, Jami's mom has made numerous presentations about suicide prevention and she includes the Ephesians 6 message in her presentation. At Jami's memorial this past weekend, it was pointed out that there have been NO SUCCESSFUL suicides on the reservation this past year (Native youth have the highest rate of suicide of any group in the nation). Jami was the last one to successfully end her own life. While that loss still brings sadness, we rejoice in the victory that the Lord has given this past year!
Please thank the Lord with us and continue to pray that HE would receive all the glory and honor for this victory. Pray that His Word would continue to take root in the hearts of the precious people here and would continue to bring victory and freedom as they acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Posted in School life by Naomi Damschen on 11/9/2009
A couple of years ago when I first came to Spirit Lake, I wrote about a little boy who brought a Bible to school and spent most of his recess reading it (click here to read the whole story). That same little boy has been going to Awana almost every Wednesday for the past year or so (thanks to my good friend, Paula...click here to read THAT story). And now, this same little boy comes to school and is often excited to tell about a lesson or recite a verse that he's learned at Awana. Last Monday, his first words to me were, "I wish we could skip tomorrow so it would be Wednesday so I can go to Awana." It's pretty amazing to think about what's taking root in this little guy's heart! Please keep him and the rest of the kids in your prayers. Pray, too, for Jay and Paula as they continue to make it possible for these kids to get to Awana each week!
One of the lessons that this little guy was so excited to tell me about was laminin. Check out this video and you'll see what he was so thrilled about...
I'm writing today with a couple of prayer requests...
If you've been reading this blog during the past year or so, you're probably familiar with Joe and Sue Rogers, some dear friends who head up the Native American Discipleship program with Adventures In Missions. Several months ago, Sue was diagnosed with cancer in the lining of her lung tissue and she began a tough battle. Sue's prognosis is good, but right now she's in the middle of chemo treatments and has a big surgery coming up when the chemo is done. Please keep her and Joe in your prayers, asking the Lord to provide strength, hope, peace, and healing and to use each part of this journey for His honor and glory!
Joe and Sue at WLS this past summer
And another battle rages here on the reservation...there have been a couple of sudden deaths of young people during the past month. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ has come that we might have life and life ABUNDANTLY. Please pray, especially for the youth, that the enemy would NOT succeed in destroying lives, but that these young people would find life in Christ!
Just wanted to write a quick note to ask you to keep Shelby in your prayers. It's been about two months since her mom passed away and life has really been turned upside-down for her. She's angry, she's heart broken, and she's got some major hurdles in front of her.
I was able to spend some time with Shelby last night and was thankful again for how the Lord has allowed our paths to cross. I don't have many answers for Shelby and I don't have the power to change her situation or make choices for her, but I do have the privilege of walking through this with her, loving her right where she is, reminding her of Truth, and laying her at the feet of our gracious and all-knowing Father. Please pray with me that she will run to Him and find all that she needs.
" . . . I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed." Psalm 57:1
"Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." Micah 7:8
Just wanted to write a quick update and ask for your prayers, specifically for the youth who took part in Warrior Leadership Summit this past summer in Missouri. The Lord started some incredible work in their hearts over that week and it was an honor to witness how the Lord spoke and softened. The theme at WLS was "A Mighty Warrior" and we spent a great deal of time learning and discussing what it looks like to be a "warrior" for Christ, especially at home on the various reservations. We talked about the struggles and temptations that we would face and about how to stay strong and honor the Lord with the choices of our daily lives.
All of that to say, it seems that many of the youth who attended WLS are at a place now where actually living out all that we talked about needs to become a reality. Many of the youth are facing serious struggles and temptations and there seems to be a sense of discouragement and giving-up settling in. My heart's desire is to see each of these youth truly experience Jesus Christ and the depth of hope and peace that comes with living His way. Please pray that they would do that. Pray that they would wait on the Lord, hope in Him, and have their strength renewed.
A couple of weeks ago, the PULSE team held an event here at Spirit Lake. For those of you who may not be familiar with PULSE, here's the deal: PULSE travels to college campuses, hosting Christian rock concerts and telling people about Jesus (click here for more info about PULSE). What was especially neat about having them here was that we were the first stop of their first-everTribal College Tour, traveling to reservations all across the state!
The PULSE team brought Native hip-hop artist, Kaboose, and the Christian rock band, Bread of Stoneto the event at the college in Fort Totten. The crowd ranged in age all the way from very young kids to elders . . . I think someone counted about 100 people there at one point during the evening. More importantly, those who came heard about a Creator who loves them and sacrificed His Son for them. Please pray that that message of truth would take root in the hearts of the people and that they would choose to live lives that honor Him.
Here are a couple of pictures from the evening. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support, dear friends.
Bread of Stone at Spirit Lake Nation for the Tribal College Tour
