mshaw on the rez

Final Words

2007-08-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
I'm finished on the rez and I thank you all for your prayers. I presented my work last Friday to Sacred Road and its interns in addition to two natives from the community (which I didn't plan for, but was awesome). I think it was encouraging for everyone to hear my findings and hopefully enlightening and thought provoking as well. I'm on my way home as I write, and I'm saddened to leave behind friends I have made, but am excited for what the Lord will do in their lives and mine until we meet again.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb...
They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!'
Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in white robes- who are they, and where did they come from?'
And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore...never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" Revelation 7
Amen.

here it goes...

2007-08-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

My research is over and I'll be presenting my results to Sacred Road's staff this evening. Pray that I would speak clearly and that the work I did will be encouraging and beneficial to the ministry. (pray also that I would remember how to do the Powerpoint stuff I learned in 7th grade.) thanks. out.

since then

2007-07-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Much has occurred since I updated last. (my bad.)

real quick:

Bruce and Linda Farrant, mentioned earlier, have left us to see other ministries to Native America. They were a real encouragement to myself, and to Sacred Road.
Mike Williams, a counselor from Birmingham, AL, has been here for the past two weeks to encourage Sacred Road's staff and to help them better process their experiences. He's great.
My dad stopped by for the weekend and was a real encouragement to me. I love you, pops.

Three churches from across the country-central Florida; Jackson, MS; and eastern Seattle- have come and gone. They continued work up at Camp Chapperal (which is going slower than expected), and were able to clean up around the Longhouse before the annual Huckleberry Feast last Sunday. The team from outside Seattle was also able to begin a Kid's Club at Adams View, a housing project about 10 miles east of White Swan, in addition to the usual Club at the Totus Park project. Sacred Road hopes to continue this for the rest of the summer, and hopefully next year as well. The teams were a real encouragement to Sacred Road and, as always, were able to help us better love the people here.

The Huckleberry Feast was this past Sunday and I was able to attend with the Granberrys and the other interns. Chris was thanked by many for his work around the Longhouse, but also for his continued work in the community. He was thanked publicly by a women in the community and asked to say a few words during the open mic time. The Feast was beautiful (and delicious)and we were able to take home several bag-fulls of fresh berries. It was neat to be welcomed to one of the Yakama people's oldest traditions.

On a sadder note, please pray for a young girl named Latisha (left), her brother Andrew, and their sister Tianna (below right), who lost their mother in a car wreck last week. All three regularly attend the Totus Park Kids' Club and have been to Bible Study. They were in the car when it happened, and are all nursing minor injuries, in addition to being very much in shock- as evidenced by the casual and forward way in which they talk about the incident. I have also realized that the people of this community deal with loss differently than I do. This is no doubt because it is both physically and emotionally impossible to handle the frequency of death in this community. Please pray for the these three young children and their extended family.

Also, Nita (below left), her brother Billy (right margin), and their mother Leah were injured in the same accident. Please pray for them. Billy has a broken joint in his thumb, and staples in his head. They all stay in Totus Park, and Leah had begun her own Kids' Club when we were absent.

Similarly, Stacy (see below) is still looking for a stable place to stay and has lost two of her close friends this past week. She found out about the second death hours after returning from the funeral of her best friend. Please pray that God would give her peace and that the Granberrys would know how best to encourage and support her. As I said, death is common here. (the average life expectancy is 39 yrs.) Pray for comfort for the Yakama people during this time, as many hearts are heavy- including mine. (more to come...mshaw out.)

As of late...

2007-07-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

We received a team from Kansas City, KS this week. They came out last summer too, and had both Chris and Wendell come to their men's retreat back in the fall. They were really encouraging to have around, encouraging to the people of White Swan, to Sacred Road, and to myself. They were accompanied by an equally excited team from Seattle which made the week easier for the staff of Sacred Road, and opened the doors for new relationships with the people of White Swan.

Bruce and Linda Farrant, who work with Mission to North America's ministry to Native America are here for three weeks as well. Their presence is a shot in the arm to everyone as they openly encourage us with shared experiences and years of knowledge working in Native America.

The work on Camp Chapparal is moving along and the changes are noticeable. It's a big deal for the tribe to let us up in the unrestricted land, and they are openly thankful for what we are doing.

This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to celebrate our American independence with Indian casino fireworks. Native people are very patriotic, oddly enough, and much of the time I felt like I was in a war zone with the constant humming and popping of fireworks constantly over the past week.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to Pendleton, OR for the Wildhorse Casino Pow-Wow on the Umatilla Reservation. It was a big outdoor event and was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of people we knew, including Stacy, who was in Pendleton for the Pow-Wow, but also because she is currently homeless with her two young children after a dispute with her Aunt. Please pray that she would find a stable place to stay and for the well-being of both herself and her children.

(Stacy and her daughter, Rietta; Joshua is pictured below in the last post)

My research is moving along, but the next few weeks will be a little more hectic as I switch from gathering data to analyzing it. Please continue to pray for this.

Thank you all for your support. God bless. later.

...a thousand words (with captions)

2007-06-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Buffy's daughter Dakota at Totus Park

Stacy's son Joshua at the Longhouse

Harrah Elementary School Pow-Wow

Sacred Road's intern team on the way to Mt. Rainier

At the Longhouse

Heritage University Pow-Wow and Leadership Conference

Treaty Days All-Indian Rodeo action

McKinley Mission backyard at night (where I stay)

McKinley Mission front yard during the day

Harrah Community Church - Where I spent the first two weeks and where the teams stay.

Treaty Days Pow-Wow at the White Swan Pavilion

the recent past (real quick-like)

2007-06-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Chris returned from the Presbyterian Church in America's General Assembly in Memphis. He took Wendell with him and spoke about what's going on out hear. He got to meet with some Mission to North America folks and other Presbyterians with clout (PWCs) about how to get the needs of Native America on the radar in the PCA. Very encouraging.
Sacred Road is currently housing its largest short term team ever (55+). A women from California came out here pre Sacred Road (4+ years ago) and promised a young boy that she would return with her family. This week I got to meet her family. So did he.
We were unable to have Bible Study this past week due to a memorial at the Longhouse for a young baby who past away. (Native Americans have one of the highest infant mortality rates of any ehnic group in North America.)
I got to talk with Buffy a lot this week, not just in a researcher/subject or a "I know Chris and Mary Granberry too" context, but as a friend and as a brother in Christ. so great.
Thank you for your prayers as the past week has been kind of rough and I can't really put my finger on why. Please pray that God would renew my love for Him and for His people on a daily basis, and that he would give me grace to trust Him more- about my research, my future, and my role in serving Native America.
Also pray for Moses as his nephew lost a baby yesterday and he lost an extended family member a week ago. (These are just the most significant blows he has been discouraged by in the past month. Poverty seems to kick you when you're down, and once you're down, it'd hard to get back up.) out.

the good, the bad, and the beautiful

2007-06-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

This week's been tough. Par example: during Bible study on Tuesday one of the youth was about to throw a rock at another boy. After being told not to throw rocks he turned and whipped it at my face. It hit me right above my left eye. Things like this make me very frustrated- for reasons more than a cut eye and a headache. It's tough to serve and love kids when they try everything not to let you.
This week's been great. To explain: Moses invited me to lunch as his guest during employee appreciation day at Yakama Forest Products, where he works. We chowed on salmon, elk, and other less traditional munchies. He introduced me to some of his friends and relatives. For once, I really felt like I was accepted. I had been welcomed before, but Moses showed me his appreciation for being here and for helping him. So great.
Moreover, this weekend was Treaty Days- kind of like our Independence Day, only the opposite. (no, it doesn't make sense.) I went to the All Indian Rodeo and the Pow-wow the past two days. It was exciting to see the best of Native America- its tradition, its pride, its beauty- with none of the distractions. My favorite thus far. Later.

prayer

2007-06-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Buffy (pictured right) lost 5 extended family members in a car accident 2 days ago. They were on their way to a memorial service on the rez and were hit by a semi. The family was also close to Moses, a friend of mine here. Among the 5 people who died were 2 small children. Please pray for Buffy, Moses, and the many others who are mourning the deaths.

Getting Going

2007-06-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

The other interns have arrived, and we are all staying at the McKinley Mission, which is an old Indian Mission just outside of a town called Wapato. This week was orientation week for them (and me) but it is time for me to really get crackin' on my research. I am quickly approaching the one quarter mark of my time here and have much to do.
This week I interviewed Wendell, who is an elder in the Yakama Nation. He is a gracious man and more than willing to teach me about Yakama culture and life on the rez. I have attached a picture of him to the right.
I have also had the opportunity to talk more with Chris and Mary Granberry of Sacred Road and learn more about this ministry's vision and purpose. It is always encouraging to see their passion and love for these people made evident in even the most casual of conversations. I have learned a lot about what life out here is like for them, and take joy in sharing in their triumphs and stuggles.
Finally, please pray that I would overcome a mysterious flu-like illness that I, and a few others here, have caught and can regain my strength. Later.

pardon the delay

2007-05-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have moved since I posted last, and while I now have a bed, I don't have Internet (yet). Thus explains the delay between posts. Moving on:

I had the opportunity to attend (and dance at) a pow-wow at the local elementary school last Friday. It was a lot of fun to see the little native kids in their traditional regalia. During one of the dances a little boy took my hand and said, "I remember you; you're the church people...I missed you." This was extremely encouraging to me, and once the warm fuzzies subsided, it helped me to once again see that maybe being out here is worth it after all.
The next day I took Moses to visit his late parents at an Indian cemetery. While kind of eerie, it was a neat experience and I have really tried to make the most of every opportunity to learn more about Yakama culture, which, the more I know and the deeper I get, the more uncomfortable it seems to be. This is best illustrated when I showed up late for an anniversary party at the Longhouse. I retreated rather quickly after a sea of Indian heads turned to stare- but I guess this is what they go through every day around white people. I am still working on being comfortable around people from a culture drastically different from my own, but no matter how motivated I am my fear of making a fool of myself and/or being uncomfortable gets in the way. This I will have to overcome. Thank you for your prayers. out.

Miş Na Mişa (what's up)

2007-05-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

I've been getting to know Moses more and more. I interviewed him about his life and native culture last Saturday (at a Mexican restaurant). I took him to the welfare office today to see if he could keep his benefits, but he's making too much money at the lumber yard. Stinks. He looks like an intimidating guy but is rather meek once you get to know him.
I took a bike ride with a little Latina girl yesterday. Her name is Marisol. She told me about her brother and how he was killed by a drunk driver. It was sad to hear, but her story is not unlike many people's here.
This evening was Bible Study; Paul and Lisa, the other interns, and I have assumed the role of youth directors over the middle school and high school age kids. They're a rough bunch. Most kids out here (almost all) suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This makes them easy irritated, easily distracted, and hard to read. Every day is a battle to grab there attention for two minutes. The younger kids aren't any better. Its hard to be a friend when you're getting spit on and cussed at...by a six year old. Its hard not to feel defeated when the day is over- but I remind myself that the battle is already won.
The stories I hear from people out here way heavy on my heart- adolescent girls who are raped nightly, pregnant women who are beaten, young children who are neglected. It's draining to be here, but that's Native America. out.

Day 5 on Indian Land

2007-05-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

So far I've been helping the Granberrys get ready for the summer. This includes a lot of work on their house, the house where the interns will stay, and other various Sacred Road related activities. I've already interviewed two of the many great people I've met but have spent most of my time observing the happenings.
This afternoon a new friend of mine named Moses Andy gave me and fellow intern Paul Norman a backroads tour of White Swan, his old stomping grounds. Moses has proved to be a great resource for info on native culture and the way things used to be on the heart of the rez. I look forward to talking with him further and learning his story. later.

the first few days

2007-05-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I arrived in Yakama on the Saturday night (may 12) after a glorious cross country road trip. So far I've been working, hanging out, and learning all kinds of good from the people here. More to come.