WELL, WARM, WELCOMING

We are happy that Ray has felt well enough to come out to Lower Brule on Sundays, and even to preach after he gets there. The men have been happy to have him back. They are a warm and friendly group.

We have welcomed the warmer weather, though yesterday was cold again, but it has made the work out there much easier.

The children are a blessing to us, and we cherish our time with them. They are lively, but so well-behaved. One family hadn't come for the last two Sundays, and when we stopped at their house Sunday morning, a grandpa informed us that they were with their mother at her work. We stopped at her office (she is an attorney), and the kids decided to come with us for an hour or so. Esther felt that the mother was a bit relieved for them to come with us. :) We dropped them back at the office after Sunday School. I was encouraged when one little girl confided that her grandpa said that he is going to come to 'our' church some Sunday. The work is slow, but Lower Brule seems open to the church. We are anticipating the Good Friday Service this Friday evening. We spent quite awhile Sunday afternoon distributing fliers announcing this service. We hope for some new contacts. A couple of neighboring churches are planning to come and help us in this service. We are looking forward to having communion with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

ENCOURAGEMENTS

Last Sunday felt special as the Kalovskys came out to help us. We are always happy to welcome them there. Ben had pinched a nerve in his back and was suffering, but he made the long drive out to encourage the church. Zak helped the children make sock puppets, and they loved it. God will bless them for their unselfish giving of themselves. We were also happy to have Ray back for the first Sunday. Ray felt that he could take over the preaching responsibility today, and the Lord helped him speak. He was worn out and his knee hurt when he was done, but he challenged us with a message about resisting temptation. It seemed like those who were there were interested in the message. We appreciate our men who are faithful in coming, and hope that you pray for them as they try to guide their families.

One young single mother has been coming, and she has become open and friendly with us. We are encouraged with her response.

Our children's group is growing so that we need a bigger van. Please pray with us as we search for this vehicle for the mission.

We are planning a Good Friday Evening Service with communion this year, and friends from Winner are planning to come and help us with this service. Please pray that we can reach out to others who are around the church at this time.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule. God bless you!

MERCY'S FIRST BIBLE

The sky was cloudy and gray as I started for Lower Brule Sunday morning. Ray is still in the hospital, and Esther had a concert to play; so I began the trip by myself.

A heavy frost was on the trees and fences; and so the scenery was spectacular as I drove. I stopped and took a couple of pictures, but some beauty cannot be captured on a camera. I saw a herd of mule deer bedded down in a field as I went past, and they watched me drive past but never moved. I arrived in time to get the church ready for Sunday before leaving to pick up the children. Mr. Lindell Howard had agreed to take care of the adult service upstairs while I did the Sunday School. I left to pick up the children, and was pleased for those who came. Mercy was among those who came, and this was her eighth Sunday to come. Esther had promised a Bible to any who came for eight Sundays. Mercy's mother and grandfather came for this special event. They told us that this is Mercy's first Bible.

We made a ceremony of giving it to her, and Rev. Howard prayed with her at the end of the ceremony. Her family was so proud of her. She is a precious little jewel in God's Kingdom. I had a good time with the kids in the basement as I gave them their lesson and helped them do a project. There were a few upstairs in the adult service, and Rev. Howard said that everyone was very attentive. Please pray for two families that are struggling with substance abuse especially right now. We have promised to pray for them, and they both have men who care for them and carry a heavy burden.
We would like to begin some home services just as soon as Ray is "back on his feet" and able to do it. We would appreciate if you would help us pray for this, also. Thank you for your interest.

FIVE KIDS, EIGHT WEEKS, GOD'S WORD

Today was a snowy, sloppy morning. We had snow all night, and everything that had been wet yesterday was frozen into a slippery mass of ice. Our first few miles of driving were a little challenging, but the road began to get better, and we were finally able to safely drive faster. We arrived at a good time, and people began gathering for the service. As usual, Esther and I took the van and went out after some children. The children were excited and happy when they came out to the car, as five of them knew that they would be getting a new Bible this morning. When a child has come for eight weeks, Esther buys them a nice Bible. Ray and Esther had a little presentation in the adult service where the children were given their Bibles and Ray prayed with them as a group before they went downstairs. Their happiness and excitement made us adults feel happy.

We appreciate the people who gathered in with us this morning to worship. We feel that they are sincere people who come to honor God, and to draw strength from Him. This morning we got out some of our copies of Sweet Hour of Prayer in the Dakota language, and we all sang it together. The adults sang out and seemed to enjoy participating in the song service. After the service, a couple of the men lingered to talk with Ray. I like to listen to them talk. Indian men often will think much about situations and things of life, and they come up with insightful thoughts about everyday life. This is often sprinkled with a dose of humor, and makes for interesting listening. :)
I went down to the basement to see how Esther was faring, and she had finished the lesson and was showing the children how to find important passages in their Bibles. The little children received nice little Precious Moments Bibles with cute pictures in them. The older children who could read were given nice Bibles with helps and graphs in them. The printing is in fun colors, and they are easy to use. The children were so interested in learning how to use their Bibles, and they handled them like they were special.

While the others were learning about their Bibles, I noticed little Mercy (who has two more weeks to go to get her Bible) was standing in front of the picture from the lesson. She was intently looking at the board for quite awhile. I just wonder what goes through her little mind as she studies the Bible stories?

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8. Oswald Chambers notes that God did not speak directly to Isaiah. " God did not lay a strong compulsion of Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence of God and he overheard the call, and he realized that there was nothing else but for him to say, in conscious freedom, "Here am I, send me." Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsions and pleading...The quiet passionate insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men with every power wide awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say, "Here am I, send me."~~Oswald Chambers

It is unsettling and unfair when missionaries give their "pitch" and conclude that anyone who is not on a mission field is cheating God out of what He wants for them. I believe that God has a perfect plan for everyone, and it is often where each person finds himself. Sometimes, God expects someone to make huge changes in his or her life and help Him build His Kingdom elsewhere. We must be open to this, but we will be obedient to God wherever He plants us. There can be damage done to God's work when someone takes it in his hands to make plans, create works (such as buildings or programs), and takes it upon himself to 'make things happen.' We are responsible to keep ourselves in the presence of God so that we can overhear a need that is meant for us, and to have a willing heart to go in God's power and love. We are responsible for our calling and the work that is meant for us. We try to do what we can when a need seems to fall 'in our court.' Please pray for us as we try to be faithful to the calling that is ours.

We started for Lower Brule last Sunday morning and turned around and came back home, as we were finding severe weather, and the traveling was dangerous. We called those who attend and let them know that we were not able to make the trip, and they were all very understanding. When we arrived this Sunday, we thought that we would go out and let the people know that we are there so they would come. We found some already started for church, and some were getting ready to come. We were happy for those who showed up this morning, although it was just above 0 degrees. Esther had some children in the basement, and she seemed to have a good time teaching and working with them. The chidren have opened up and talked to us, and we have found out many things about each one of them. They are a joy to teach and befriend. She is teaching them the Lord's Prayer, and each child gets a Bible when they've come 8 times. She was a little amazed when she told one of the young children that she has a Bible for her, and the child asked "What is a Bible?" We have much work to do.

We are contemplating doing some home services in the future, but we have to do some work on our end to get extra time with the people and to "go where they are. " Ray will be having knee surgery in a couple of weeks, Lord willing, and this will delay any thrusts for a little while. Please pray that we can be faithful in this work.

GIFTS AND GOALS

I am shocked when I see how much time has elapsed since I have updated the blog. The holiday season has come and gone, and we are now in the cold and bitter January South Dakota winter. The Sunday during Christmas weekend we did not get out to Lower Brule as we had so much snow and wind that travel was inadvisable and the interstate was closed. The next Sunday, we traveled to Chicago to meet our daughter Leah and her family. We had a wonderful time with all of them. Our granddaughters are always a special joy to spend time with. A neighboring pastor Lindell Howard agreed to fill the pulpit that Sunday morning, and a few were there to worship. Last Sunday was a "catch-up and let everyone know we are still there," and a few came for church and Sunday School. Before we left the reservation, we made several visits with the people. This Sunday was a nice day to be traveling, as it was sunshiny and peaceful. Esther and I went up the hill to West Brule and picked up some children for Sunday School. We were encouraged when two of our Sunday School girls were all dressed up cute and waiting for us out by the road when we drove up. We stopped some other places and got some more children (and some promises for next Sunday). Esther had a fun time down in the basement while she told the Bible story and talked to the kids. They have formed a bond, and this is what we are working toward. One of our regular children is especially bright, and he is a challenge to keep occupied. He responds to the stories, and he seems to assimilate the lessons although he is still quite young (six years old).When we started service this morning, we missed a man who has been faithful to be there whenever we had services the last several weeks since his wife passed away. We were singing when he came in and stood in the back. When we were finished with the hymn, he asked to speak and told us that he was not going to be able to be there as his son needed him to take him to a distant town. He said that he wanted us to know why he wasn't there, and he asked us to pray for them as they traveled. He then came down to the front and told Ray that he came to tell us that and to leave an offering. Ray reached for the offering basket, but he said, "No, this is for you for the gas you buy to come over here." He put a large bill in Ray's hand and said that he appreciated us coming, and then he went out the door. It was very touching to us. It was such a simple act, but so full of love and appreciation. This is one of the things I love about the Indian people--their simplicity and love. These little 'gifts' that God gives us is what keeps us encouraged and desiring to go to these people.

For many years I set goals for myself at the New Year, and I have made several again this year. We are hoping to set up a tentative calendar of events for Lower Brule for the next several months, and I'm hoping to set a few goals for the church. We will share this with you when we get it accomplished.

CHRISTMAS AT LOWER BRULE

Esther and Amy Susan and I left Mitchell on Thursday afternoon with high spirits to spend the weekend doing whatever could be done in Lower Brule. It is easy for a work such as the one in Lower Brule to stalemate when we are not living there and working all the time. It leads us to question if we have misunderstood God's leading in relation to this work when there is not much change for a period of time. This weekend has been a refreshing breath of air for us. We were so encouraged with many developments that unfolded this weekend. I will try to share some of these developments with you.

We have been working with some children on Sunday mornings, and we visited these homes again after we arrived this past weekend. We had a few responses, and we collected the children for the next two nights and brought them to the church for crafts and learning Christmas carols. While they were there, Esther told them the Christmas story. For some of them, it was a new story, and they were very interested in it, asking questions and making observations concerning the details. They crafted little ornaments and hung them on the tree that we had set up.

During the day, we explored some possibilities that would enable us to be among the people more, and a door has opened that was beyond any plan that I could have conjectured. It shows that God sets before us "open doors" as He plans in His perfect wisdom. It was exciting to all of us.

We had planned and advertised to have a Christmas Program on Saturday evening, and we visited many homes in hopes of stirring interest in this effort. We appreciate Amy's help in packing bags and helping set up for the program. The Kalovskys, who have shown themselves as friends of Lower Brule, provided treat bags and gifts for the children, and they gave of themselves by coming and helping us in the program. Ben read the Christmas story from the scripture as Lori and Zak and Esther arrayed the children in costumes and sent them upstairs at the proper time; and they delightfully portrayed the nativity scene. At the end of the Christmas story the children sang a couple of carols. Abraham played a violin duet with Esther, and Ray spoke to the group about 'choices.' The people who gathered responded enthusiatically during and after the program, and many pictures were taken by families. People were smiling and happy as they left, leaving us feeling happy. :)
Sunday morning brought several of the people back for morning worship service; and many of the children came back for Sunday School , as well as some who had not been at the program. One father brought his children whom we had not met before and came back and picked them up after church. Sunday afternoon we visited a lady who we had met at a wake a few weeks ago, and her brother had just passed away. We were glad to be there at that time, and we felt that it was in God's planning.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule, and we appreciate your prayers as we try to find the right way to guide the work there.