We have been reaching out with
the love of God to the Secwepemc People here in the Salmon Arm region for over
11 years. Many of you have been sharing
in this outreach from the very beginning.
Thank you for praying and your support.
We would like to give you an update on what God has been doing.
We serve a community breakfast on the
Reservation every Tuesday morning. It
means getting up at 4:45am, and driving to the Reserve. We serve scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes,
hash browns, fruit, yogurt, coffee and juice.
We have about 16 regular attendees.
While it can be tough to drag oneself out of bed on a dark snowy morning
before the birds are singing, it is a great way to connect. We look forward to seeing the kids and
parents as they get a good breakfast to start the day.
The Health Nurse for the Band stayed
behind to chat this past Tuesday. She
said, “I never thought I would be saying
this, but this community is actually doing better than the larger one in Chase.” Then she said something that I did not expect
to hear, she said, “I think it is because
of your presence in this community.”
She was referring to the Breakfast Program, Creator’s Talking Circle,
and other ministries. I never expected
to hear that from a non-Believer.
Two days later, we were in the city of
Chase, making contacts with Band leadership on the Reservation. One lady told us, “Our Band provides education for its members. We have teaching times with the youth and
families. Mostly, they get told what they
should be doing, and the people don’t really listen…but you guys are different!” This lady had come to drop in on Creators
Talking Circle. The building had moms,
dads, grandparents, and kids. There were
about 40 people present. We provided a
craft, which is always a popular activity.
Then we served a nice meal. After
the meal, we have a story time. This
time, we had a power-point presentation that started with the idea of a
path. We are all on paths
somewhere. Our choices determine where
we end up. There were good graphics and
up to that point, it was similar to every other “self-help talk” they had
heard. Then came a “picture” of Jesus
and the words, “I am the Way, the Truth
and the Life…” We didn’t hold back
or mince words. We went on to say that
we had made that choice of following Jesus, and it made all the difference in
the world. It doesn’t sound so preachy
when we simply share our personal faith in Christ. I wondered how people were taking it. This week, I got some feedback from that lady
who said, “you guys are different.” The difference is we try to share the love of
God with our friends. We don’t just give
them rules to live by, that would be falling for the self-help model. We give hope, encouragement, and our own
lives are examples that with God’s help, their lives can change and be filled
to over-flowing with God’s love, too.
We were invited to participate on the
Christmas Party planning committee.
During the meeting, the chair-person said, “…and we would like live music…” She paused, as if waiting for someone to
volunteer. We thought of speaking up,
but we have learned it is a common “white-man” thing to do, to come on the
Reservation and tell the Native People what they need, and how to “fix” what is
wrong. That is a mistake. So, we have learned to wait to be invited to
speak, or respond. During the pause,
which seemed to last a long time, the chair-person looked up and directly at me
and said, “Howard???” She smiled, and everybody laughed. Jannie and I quickly volunteered to provide
live music, and then the Holy Spirit seemed to give me an idea. I asked, “Do you think the community would
like to have the kids gather up front during the party and sing some songs?” (This was a touchy subject because back in
the time of the Residential School, the kids were forced to sing Christmas
songs. They were punished if they didn’t
sing well, or forgot a line. For some, I
feared that kids singing Christmas songs might trigger flashbacks to those
awful times in the past.) The chair
person said she thought that was a good idea, and the other committee members
agreed. Since we are in charge of the
music, we get to pick the songs. Since
Jesus is the reason for the season, you guessed it, most of our music directs
our thoughts to T’Kwalt Kúkpi Jesus.
(T’Kwalt Kúkpi means “Chief of chiefs.”)
We have begun to teach a Christmas song in the Secwepemc language, Le Meri Peskúye Mé7e, or, “Mary Had a Baby”; we do this during the Creator’s
Talking Circle. The kids love it, and
even parents are joining in.
·
We
have two Bible studies each week.
·
Try
to visit the sick once a week.
·
Participate
in a Men’s Support Group
·
Teach
lessons to youth in traditional skills, like making stone tools and weapons,
archery, trapping, hunting and fishing.
There are positive
things happening with the outreach to the Secwepemc People here in the Salmon
Arm area. Yet, it always comes with a
struggle. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powerful spiritual
beings that oppose the Gospel. We
had a Bible study going in Chase, but the Christian couple got way-laid by the
devil. It seems with every two steps
forward, we get knocked back one step.
For now, it is like trench warfare.
Victories are measured in feet.
Thanks again for your prayers. I am firmly convinced that you have a huge
part in the victories we have been witnessing.
We want to wish you all a very blessed
Christmas. May you experience Immanuel,
the God who walks with us, as you journey into the New Year.
Howard and Jannie Johnson
