First Nations

Follow up from this months busy events:

The ANNA Call, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

You have undoubtedly heard, at some point in your life, about the Trail of Tears. This was the time in 1839, when the Cherokee nation, and several other tribes in the southern United States, were forcibly removed from their own homelands, to what was then called “Indian Territory” in the area of Oklahoma. Many thousands died along the way, with the hardships they suffered. The area called Tahlequah, was pretty much ‘ground zero’, for where the tribes ended up.

The ANNA Call, was a huge worship and prayer event, gathering tribal people, and many others, to fast, pray and worship the Lord, on the land at the end of the Trail of Tears. Many hundreds gathered together for the day long prayer portion on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 8am to 8pm. Our part was to support our friend, Joseph, in leading traditional First Nations worship, as well as lead in worship & reading the Bible over then land and people.

You can watch a few live recorded videos we have from the event at these links: 1)Repentance 2) Abba Drum Dance 3) The Elders 4) 120 Drums and the Round Dance 5) Revolution – Prayers of the generations

In addition to that, I (Carol) had the chance to pray a Moravian blessing over the proceedings. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on my family ‘roots’, and have discovered a plethora of Moravian people in my lineage. I found out that I am a descendant of the same family line of one of the missionaries who served the Cherokee in Georgia, as well as in Oklahoma, when they were removed from the east. It was truly my honor to stand and pray for the Moravian heritage of prayer, worship, and missions, to come forth once again, among the First Nations people of North America. WOW! I feel so blessed! You can hear this small piece of Moravian history and prayer of blessing by watching the video recorded live from the ANNA Call – HERE: Rekindling the fire of worship!

Arise Youth Camp: Soboba reservation.

Leading worship at the Arise youth camp (see YouTube videos below), on Soboba reservation, was wonderfully inspirational. Seeing the enthusiasm the youth had for Jesus was kind of mind blowing, really. The kids were SO in love with Jesus & really on fire for Him. They worshiped with real abandon, and shared a few stories about prior youth camps, where they were really touched by the Lord, to be an instrument for His glory in the earth. We had a great time leading worship, and so appreciated the joy and energy the kids brought. At the end of the camp, Wayne and I sat down to eat dinner with some of the elders. We listened intently, as the elders shared stories of how the Lord is moving among First Nations tribes in the U.S. We heard about trips some of them have taken to North Dakota, to support all the tribes assembled there, who are standing for their rights on the Dakota pipeline issue. The love and care these elders were bringing to their own people, in the Name of Jesus, was truly amazing. They realized the issue was less about the actual pipeline, than it was about just loving people in the Name of the Lord. Afterwards, Wayne and I made the 2 hour drive back home to San Diego. As we sat in the car, driving off the reservation, we both just marveled that we had had this opportunity to sit with Native American elders, and listen to their stories. “How did we get there” we asked ourselves. Only through the grace of GOD. We are privileged to be able to minister and share worship, prayer, food and friendship with our friends. What a joyous and meaningful time. YouTube videos below are from the ARISE Camp Meeting.

Thank you so much for standing in the gap for us, as we participated in these beautiful gatherings. Next month we will report from Washington DC, where another large First Nations gathering on the mall in DC is taking place Oct. 21. This Alltribes DC event promises to be historic, as the Native American people come together to walk in forgiveness toward our US government, in spite of the many broken treaties over the decades. And for sure, our nation needs lots and lots of prayer at this critical election time!! GOD bless YOU!!

“Worship”

January & February were ‘suddenly’ months for VoB worship! It ‘suddenly’ came up that we were able to go to 4 different reservations in Southern California, all within 2 hours drive of San Diego, for worship and prayer. We were able to go to Soboba reservation, 2 hrs north, San Pasquale reservation, here in east San Diego, and Morongo reservation, near Palm Springs. On the 4th reservation, Pala, here in San Diego, we went simply to be with friends & hear a special speaker who was sharing at the Pala Lighthouse church. What a privilege and honor to spend time in worship & prayer for the First Nations people, on their own land. The beauty of this, is that it wasn’t just ‘white’ people, or Native Americans, but it was ALL of us, working together, singing, praying, playing, eating, dancing together, all to further the Kingdom of GOD in this earth. In addition to that, even though we’ve struggled to get food across the border to Mexico, we have been able to deliver several large truckloads of food to our friends on the San Pasquale reservation. They, in turn, have been able to bless many, many needy families on that and other reservations. Isn’t GOD awesome?!!

This year, 2016, and onward, we hope to have more of these opportunities. Southern California is home to more reservations than anywhere else in the country. We have many First Nations friends who are seeking the Lord for their people. We’re honored to be able to stand alongside them, seeking the Lord for the original inhabitants of the land. Please continue to lift up these endeavors, as we have several possibilities coming up.

“and we know that GOD causes all things to work together for good to those who love GOD, to those who are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28

“Compassion”

Thank you for all of your prayers and support through our recent border crossing issues. Some things have progressed along. We still do not have our normal favor extended to us, as we are not able to cross as much food as we were crossing. We are still collecting the food every day, but unfortunately are limited as to how much and what specifically we can take in. The loads have to be smaller, but the fees are 5 times higher than before! So we have also had to decrease how many times we cross, to better steward finances spent at customs. We’re believing things will get better soon.

On a positive note, we have had an amazing response from agencies on the south side of the border, who have stepped up to help us get the food to those who need it. Our partner, Greg, had a meeting with the municipal social services of Tijuana. They still have permission to bring donations from the U.S., through Mexican customs. But we had been unsuccessful in convincing them to collect and deliver the MannaPack Rice (healthy meals, formulated with nutrition for malnourishment) we take in. A great blessing occurred, when we recently acquired the Tijuana Chief of Police to champion for our team! She got the social services department to bring in the food. She believes that fighting hunger can lead to less crime. The chief has even come to our outreaches, along with her entourage of body guards, 2nd in command, and officers. We anticipate greater favor to come.