Every Face has a Name

LJ

Samantha

Lillian

Cody

Marie

Silas

Joshua

Devin

Gunner

Jasper

Braiden

Ashlyn

Celena

ChaCha

Felix

Meet Felix

He's 6.

He lives on the Warm Springs Reservation and goes to Boys and Girls Club.

He loves to play Hide and Seek.

He beats my Dad in checkers (he doesn't quite play by the rules).

He has my heart :)

Here's a video- I love that he thinks no one can see him behind the limb.

King Josiah

   

    On the very first day, of our very first team week, I met Josiah.  Naturally, my first question was "What is your name?"  He responded, "Josiah.  My mom named me after King Josiah in the Bible, but I don't know why."  For some reason I was surprised that he or anyone in his family would have been connected to Scripture in such a way, but this was simply a response of my ignorance.  The more I talked with this 10 year old, I was impressed with his level of maturity and his understanding of the Gospel Story.  I asked if he would like to read what the Bible says about King Josiah with me, and he agreed to do it the following day.  Well, he didn't show up the next day, or the day after that, or even the day after that.  He finally came back around on Friday, but he showed up late which gave us little time to sit and read.  I was OK with that, and told myself I would catch up with him the next team week. 

     Well the next team week came and went, and no Josiah.  I was sad that I didn't get to see my friend, and afraid that I was going to see him the rest of the summer.  It is not uncommon for a kid to come to kids club often, and then all of the sudden be moved to live with another family member.  When we came into the last day of this past team week, I had pretty much accepted that I wasn't going to see Josiah again.  So I got out of the van, and started walking towards our last kids club for the summer, when I saw before me a sight that stopped me in my tracks.  There in front of me, Josiah stood with a Bible in his hand with his finger marking the passage we had agreed to read.  I was glad to be wearing sunglasses, because they hid the tears that I was failing to hold back.  He had remembered!  I hugged him immediately and within minutes we were sitting on a hill reading Scripture together.  

     Needless to say, I was floored that he would have remembered a small conversation we had had over a month ago.  I was even more amazed at God's goodness that he would allow that sweet time to take place.  One of the hardest things about leaving Warm Springs is that there isn't a full-time staff to keep the ministry going year round. God reminded me that even though the teams will be gone... He will continue to be there, working, moving, and calling people unto Himself.  Josiah and I played together the remainder of our time, and I cherished every minute of it.  My prayer for him is that he would grow into a man like the King he was named after.  I look into his eyes and see a leader.  I hope and pray that God will grow him and protect him and lead him every step of his young life, and maybe one day I will get a chance to see the man he has grown to be.  

"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." - 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 

- Robert

Last week in Warm Springs

Here is the video from our last team week in Warm Springs.  This past week was our third, and final week serving on the Warm Springs Reservation, and I don't know if it could have gone any better.  Many one week teams come to the reservation and never really get a glimpse of the overall impact that the ministry has had or is having.  But, that was not the case for this team which consisted of individuals from Alabama, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington.  There were 34 team members in all, and they came together and painted 3 classrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 Activity Room, 50 yards of interior hallway and about 100 yards of the exterior of the Early Childhood Education Center.  30 gallons of paint was used in total, and used well!  On Wednesday night the entire team was invited to a family night cookout at the ECEC.  And on Friday, the staff of the ECEC put on a special Pow-Wow for the team.  They did all of this to say thank you for the work that was done and the love that was poured out on the kids during our time there.  This was a glimpse into the beauty of Native American Culture that many teams don't have the opportunity to see.  Other team members braved the heat all week as they re-roofed two bathrooms at the public baseball fields next to the community center.  


Jess and I are sad that our time in Oregon has come to a close, but we trust that the Lord will continue to move in and through all of those we had the privilege to love and serve this summer.  Enjoy this last video from our video intern, Anna Grace Hodge.  She continues to capture the beauty and the brokenness that we come in contact with on a day to day basis, and we are thankful for her God given ability to do so.

A few of Robert....

If you know Robert at all, you know he is definitely in his element out here in the Northwest. The weather and scenery are amazing!! Every week there is a new place and view we see. We have been on a few day trips with the staff here which have provided some awesome hikes, waterfalls, rivers, etc. There have also been some of the prettiest sunsets we have seen. Robert is definitely an outdoorsy man and enjoys working AND playing outside this summer. Robert + Nature = LOVE :)

davy and robert have a habit of sorority posing :)

Team 3!

Sorry everybody.  We realize these videos are the only updates we have been giving these last few weeks, but that is really all our schedule has allowed.  This past team week was a great week!  We had a team in from Maryville, TN, and another group from Tri-Cities, WA.  Our teams worked hard in the community garden in the heart of Warm Springs all week, and helped out the community center staff serve over 500 people lunch at their July 4th celebration.  I (Robert) also had the opportunity to be one of two judges for the floats entered in the Parade on the 4th.  That was a little nerve racking for me being a white guy coming in to JUDGE anything Native!  But, I was surprised to see how welcomed the help was to the Community Center staff.  We are always surprised to see how supportive the community is of the ministry.  The response to our efforts by the tribes has been sweet encouragement that the Spirit is truly on the move, and we have the privilege to be a part of it.  Please take the time to watch this video that our friend and fellow intern Anna Grace Hodge has put together!  It gives a great glimpse into the ministry, and the community members we have the privilege of serving.

-Robert

Yakama Video- Team Week 2

This is the video from last week's team on the Yakama Indian Reservation. All the Team Week videos will look kinda similar because they make them to give to the teams to take home with them. Thus, similar faces, songs, or stats at the end. However, Morgan and Anna Grace do an awesome job each week and there are always different things that stand out at me every time.

Our jobs looked a little different here in Yakama- Robert worked on 2 different work sites and Jessica was in the kitchen preparing the meals for 60-100 people every night. She really missed the work-site :( We went to 2 neighborhoods to do Kid's Club-- Totus and Adam's View. We both had an OK week but are looking forward to going back to Warm Springs tomorrow. We will also be able to blog more there- hooray for internet in the RV!

Warms Springs Video- Week 1

This week the teams from River Oaks (Memphis) and Oak Hills (Kansas City) worked on making benches and tables for the three longhouses on the Warm Springs reservation. They also worked on making the parts for more saw horses. Part of the team went down to the community garden and planted corn and beans. They also headed over the community center to help with cleaning.   

Kid's Club at a Glance

In Warm Springs, we do our Kid's Club at the Boys and Girls Club from 3-5. The kids leave their elementary school and come straight over for a few hours until someone picks them up. The first hour of our time we play games like kickball, foursquare, and jump rope. We also have a few crafts, sidewalk chalk, and "something special" such as bubbles, kites, marble mazes, etc. Then we have a snack and story. I am in charge of the story/skit/songs everyday which has been really fun! Our stories this week were all about Jesus being born-- Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, and angels. The kids get to be in the skit and wear little costumes. I narrate and give them the lines. Some of them get really into it and some are really shy :) Then I ask a few questions and we sing a few songs. Favorites include: "My God is So Big" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". Then we play for a little bit longer until they start leaving. 

sitting for snack and story

Some of our sweet kids:

Robert with his girls- Ashlyn, Feather, and Niya

a quick break from "keep away with Robert's hat"

Jessica and Kevin aka Bumblebee

Cajun during crafts

Fallon jumping rope

Chris Granberry and Sharika-- she prayed to receive Christ on Wednesday :)

All photos taken by Anna Grace Hodge, friend and official photographer for Sacred Road :)

A few highlights:

*The first day upon arrival a kid saw us and yelled "The church people are here!!! We missed you!!!"

*Seeing kids reunite with team members after connections had been made in the previous years

*Breaking up a fight between Mary and Joseph

*After the skit about Joseph and the Angel I asked the question, "What did we learn from this story?" and a girl replied, "That it's ok to get married even when you are confused!" haha

*Tallia reading Bible stories with a team member, Katherine

*Watching Nyleisha, a special needs girl, blossom over the week. Will post about her soon!

*Great conversations with June and Clarissa who work at the Boys and Girls Club

Please pray for these very special and beautiful children! 

Life in Warm Springs

One of the coolest things about this summer is that Robert and I get to host 1-week teams in Oregon for a few different weeks. This is our first team week working on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon. Our teams this week are from Memphis, TN (home town, yay!) and Kansas City. Both teams have been out here several times and have been wonderful to get to know and work alongside. We were very blessed!! 

Since Robert and I are the only married summer staff....we present a few obstacles. The biggest of which is sleeping accommodations. During the team weeks, all the girls stay in one area of the church and the guys stay in another. Neither of us would mind that for one week, but multiple weeks might get hard. So the Granberry's fixed us up with our home away from home-- the RV!! We are in the process of naming it...Robert wants to call it "Sweet Baby Jank" but I'm not so sure...

Another fun thing about staying at a church, is there are no showers :) Therefore, we have this wonderful creation--- the shower trailer! You wouldn't believe it unless you see it. It's quite inventive. 

the trailer bed is fairly normal...those are tarps around the sides

the entrance

inside-- these stalls only reach to your waistline...therefore bathing suits are a must!

In years past, there has only been barrels of water that are heated by the sun during the day. But this year we got fancy....we hooked up the hoses to the indoors and got some wonderful hot water! Thank goodness, because we have had some chilly and rainy days! I can only imagine what the people who live across the street think of this contraption....I bet we are constant entertainment. 

When Cultures Collide

                                                          

The Yakama People, and all Native Americans, have a very rich and beautiful story to tell.  Despite years of robbery and oppression from our government, being a forgotten people in society, and living in “fourth” world poverty (third world poverty surrounded by first world wealth… stop and think about this for a minute!!), the American Indians still strive to teach their youth the fullness of their traditions and values.  On one hand it is admirable that they continue to hold onto what they have known and believed from the beginning of their existence.  On the other hand it seems to me as if they strive in vain.  So much of who they are as a people is tied to the land, and for many tribes across our nation, land is one thing that has been slowly taken from them since Columbus sailed the ocean blue.    

The tribes in the Pacific Northwest for generations moved with the seasons in order to survive.  In the spring tribes would travel to the river for Salmon, in the summer they would head to the valley to harvest berries, in the fall they would climb the hills and mountains for the picking of roots and the hunting of deer, and in the winter they would rest at the base of the Cascade Mtn. Range with hopes of surviving the harsh winter.  They relied on God’s provision for life and sustenance in a way I never have before.  They KNEW that the salmon would offer itself as a sacrifice every spring so that God’s children could live.  For sake of time I won’t delve into their Creation story with this post, but I hope to unpack it soon… pretty incredible.  So rich was their tradition!  BUT… today the land on which they relied on so heavily has been sliced and diced and served up to the highest bidder.      

            In the midst of it all, many Natives press on in hopes that their history will not soon be forgotten by their youth.  On Friday, all of the interns attended a traditional Pow Wow, where the elementary kids dressed up in full Regalia (what ignorant Americans like myself would have simply called an Indian “costume”).  This Pow Wow was a glimpse into the valiant efforts by the elders to hold on to what tradition they have left to pass on to the next generation.  Here are just a few picks of the beauty that is Native American Culture.

- Robert

pictures

 A few pics of Seattle

Marketplace

wall of gum

adding our gum

up close :)

Yakama 

view from the church

hops farm: this reservation grows 70% of the nation's hops

more to come....