I have been so blessed by those of you who take an interest in this blog and read it faithfully, by those of you who have been so generous with prayers and finances, by the encouragement and support from AIM, by those of you who send notes or call to check in to see how I am doing…thank you so much. You are such an essential part of what the Lord is doing here and I am humbled to serve with you.
Another essential part of what the Lord is doing here is my Oberon “family”. I may be the only one writing blogs and sending out updates about the ministry here on the reservation, but I am not the only one doing ministry here. I have an amazing and unofficial team here and I am amazed at how the Lord has put each of us in place. For those of you who don’t know them, I’d like to introduce you to my “family”…
I have known Jay and Paula Deckert since I was a Junior in high school (that was 12 years ago!) when I was involved in a Youth For Christ group that they started. For the past 10 years, Jay and Paula have worked as the Directors at FaHoCha Bible Camp and I have spent 8 summers working with them there. It was through my experiences at FaHoCha and my friendship with Jay and Paula that the Lord really began to give me a burden for the Native Americans.
And now here I am in Oberon. Living next door to my dear friends, my ministry partners, the Deckerts. They are my “family”.
I cannot count the ways that Jay and Paula have supported me and these new adventures on the reservation. From everything to letting me use the camp office to work on newsletters to letting me use their vehicles, feeding me meals, delivering hot coffee (thank you, Paula!), giving me rides, encouraging me, praying for me, and having faith in me…and more importantly, in the Lord. Paula has given endless valuable insight to the reservation and the Native culture and there is so much that I would not know if it wasn’t for her willingness to share with me her experiences and her perspective. I should also mention that it is Paula’s parents who have so graciously opened their home to me and have provided a beautiful room, many meals, and powerful prayers for me here in Oberon.
Jay and Paula are an essential part of what the Lord is doing here and I am humbled and so thankful to serve here with them. Like looking at the snowflake, I am again in awe at how the Lord has every detail perfectly planned and designed…I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
I am not the only one who has a heart to see Jesus Christ unveiled on the reservation. And I am not the only one living here and working towards that end. Please pray for the Deckerts, the Stenslands (Paula’s parents), and the others here on the reservation who know Christ and desire to make Him known.
