I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate Easter . . .
I picked up two of my youth group girls on Sunday morning and we headed for the church out by Tokio. I was especially glad to have the girls with me since they usually only come on Wednesday evenings. It was definitely special to see them in the bright morning sunlight!
As we walked into the church, we were greeted by the smell of pancakes and bacon . . . the young men were busy making breakfast to serve to everyone before the service! They weren’t quite ready, so we enjoyed some time to visit with the others who were there. Shortly after we got there, another one of my youth group girls came in with several of her family members. It was great to have them there and the Lord encouraged me through my visit with them . . . they are dear people!
Speaking of dear people, the next person to walk in was our good friend, Joe Rogers from Adventures In Missions! Joe and his wife, Sue, are on staff with AIM and work specifically with Native American missions and discipleship. It was Joe who first emailed me in the fall of 2006, asking if I would ever be interested in doing some type of ministry/missions on the reservation (click here to read the rest of that story). Needless to say, Joe and Sue have been instrumental in how the Lord led me here and in what He is doing here now. I am so thankful for the vision, wisdom, support, and encouragement that they so faithfully share . . . what an incredible blessing! Joe was in North Dakota for the funeral of a good friend of his at Fort Berthold (please keep the family in your prayers) and was also able to spend some time with us before heading back to Georgia. It was a real joy to have him at the Easter service, meeting my youth girls and seeing the ministry here in “real life.” We’re hoping to have both Joe and Sue here again real soon. 😉
Me and Joe at Tokio
Pastor Larry and Joe
Many of the people who were with us on Friday night joined us again on Sunday morning, so it was really good to have them there. Pastor Larry again clearly shared the truth of Easter and the truth of Jesus’ victory over sin and death (!) and encouraged each of us to respond to Him. One of my favorite parts of the morning was sitting at the piano and singing together,
. . . Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives!
After church, a small group of us continued our Easter celebrations by hiking up a near-by hill (known in the area as Devils Heart, but some from the church call it Christ’s Hill). We had a beautiful view of the reservation from the top and, after taking lots of pictures (click on Browse My Photos to see more), had a neat prayer time together, thanking Jesus for the hope and freedom that we can have because of His death and resurrection and inviting His Spirit to continue to move on the Spirit Lake Nation.
Alex, me, and Shelby on the top of Christ’s Hill
. . . like I said, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate.
