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Mission Trip Reports Trip Reports Home
Lakota - Pine Ridge, South Dakota
American Indians
Adults
| Trip Dates: | 6/9/2003 to 6/16/2003 |
| Age Group: | Adults |
| Status: | Completed |
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| Reports for Lakota - Pine Ridge, South Dakota Trip |
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A Saturday to Remember
27
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6/16/2003
By: David Schiff, Project Leader (AIM)
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Friday night was a time of Praise and Worship. As I began to rejoice with the group, it seemed that we were to make a proclamation about the day that the Lord was preparing for us. I simply called for (in Hebrew) Shabbat Shalom - Sabbath Peace.
Saturday morning was a time of preparation and a sense of expectation. There remained from the night before a special joy and as extensive cleaning to the inside of the church went on - joy continued to reveal itself in many ways. By afternoon - the ladies got spruced up and - well us guys tried to also, but the ladies really shined ... perhaps the Holy Spirit radiating.
After games outside the children, about 75 or so filed into the sanctuary for Praise and worship, a drama presentation, a prayer for salvation, and a special call to Baptize ( by Elder Jim) to those who wanting to do so, then hot dogs to top it all off.
Everything seemed so Peaceful as they entered. I mean ... PEACEFUL. It was as though the Father had His arms out and embraced each child. From that moment on, the presence of the Lord seemed to become greater and greater. Linda did a fabulous job and conducted the others in the drama with grace and much love.
About 45 children raised their hands for salvation. Then Jim illustrated the marriage of Christ and the marriage of man and wife to that of Baptism. About 35 children, teenagers, some new moms, and a grandma came forward for the ceremony. There were 2 babies dedicated as well.
We were awestruck by the out pouring. We just had to go celebrate. How else, but with a Pizza Party at Pizza Hut in the next town - 30 miles away.
To God be the Glory!
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26
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6/16/2003
By: Nathan & Katie
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FIRST ... I missed placed this report and I'm late in it's posting. I ask for GRACE...ds.
This was about Friday....
Today began with a Trip to nearby Kyle. Because it is a center of education we decided to prayer walk it ...well prayer van it. There was also a ceremonial Sun Dance going on and we prayerfully and caustiously engaged in a major spiritual battle on their grounds. Several of us sensed spiritual backlash (pressure, heaviness, heavy tension) after leaving. We spent lunchtime praying the darkness away in Jesus Name. Praise God, He is Mighty.
VBS was down a little in attendance due to baseball league play and school field trips already planned, but they are beginning to understand that we are speaking the truth and they are asking more questions about God and heaven.
God is working in their hearts!
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25
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6/14/2003
By: Mary
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Faith Lutheran
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Loretta came to the Womens Bible Study on Tuesday, skipped Wednesday and came today (Thursday). On Tuesday we gave her a New Testament. She brought it today and read Romans 13:8-14. Pray she accepts Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
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24
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6/14/2003
By: Mary
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Faith Lutheran
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Praise God! Lillians' (a member of Lakota Gospel Church) son - Brian, who we prayed for on Tuesday to quit drinking, came home sober and hungry ... plus it was on his birthday! He wants to get in a treatment center. Lillian was very glad to have him home.
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23
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6/14/2003
By: Linda
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Faithf Lutheran
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When we are picking up and taking the children home they are wearing their Jesus stickers, singing the songs we taught them. They are are waving. What joy!
The skits all had to be rewritten. All the kids love the puppets! Pray that Dr. Deceit comes to Christ on Saturady.
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Thoughts from Pine Ridge
22
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6/14/2003
By: Tammy
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Faith Lutheran
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Before we left Faith Church on Sunday, we prayed that the Holy Spirit would come to us on this trip. Today (Wednesday) God sent His Holy Spirit in a mighty and personal way. For five hours He ministered and blessed each of us. Then this afternoon 77 children and women came to VBS. They received a message of God's love and salvation.
Tonight, exhausted and peaceful, we celebrated what it is like to spend 15 hours of walking in the Spirit.
Thank you LORD for this special day.
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21
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6/14/2003
By: Dana
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Faith Lutheran
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Greetings from Porcupine, South Dakota.
WOW! What a day!
A precious morning that brought all of us to our knees and onto our faces. The Lord graciously bound all of our hearts together and blessed all our expectations.
When we first arrived here we were with beautiful weather in a lovely area. But the greatest thing has been how the Lord has both led us in how to pray for the needs and concerns we see all around us and then He answers our prayers, often in unexpected ways.
He is making our group One in heart, mind, and spirit. We look forward to what He will do next.
Thank you for praying for us.
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20
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6/14/2003
By: Vicky S.
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Faithf Lutheran
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One of the ladies in the Bible Study has a son who has been a dry alocholic for 2 years. Due to job situation and emotions he started drinking again, stopped eating, and stopped coming home. We prayed for him and against the spiritual bondages he was oppressed with. The next day at the end of the Bible study it was announced that last night the son came home- sober and hungry! We know what happened and we praise and give God ALL the glory!
There is a definite spiritual oppression here. Our prayers are earnest, ferverent and from the heart that tremendous power is made available for these precious people by the Holy Spirit. James 5:16 - let us stand in the gap for the peoples here.
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19
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6/14/2003
By: Todd
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Faith Lutheran
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1) All with moving testimonies - Everyone gave!
2) We had four Baptisms, giving new life!
3) Another great skit and day with the children!
4) We have all been very blessed by being with each others presence. There has been incrediable bonding!
5) David has been a blessing with his guidance, knowledge of the Lords Word, and prayer.
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18
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6/14/2003
By: Joyce
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Faith Lutheran
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It is obvious God is working in our lives and in this place. I think we all have grown spiritually. VBS has grown from 30 something to 77. PRAISE GOD!
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17
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6/14/2003
By: Katie
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Faith Lutheran
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On Wednesday morning during our devotion, the Holy Spirit was flowing through us all. We had a God moment, lots of tissues. At the end there were four Baptisms - Todd, Chelci, Dana and me.
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16
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6/11/2003
By: Chelci
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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We have a leader who is really challenging me with new concepts of what it means to pray to do spiritual warefare. It's like something out of Frank Pereth's 'This Present Darkness', but for real.
The people are generous and gentle, even when they are aloof and quite. They stand probe, but they give. I love them, especially the children The children I have encountered are rebellious and stubborn, but precious allthe same. They want love.
The neatest thing was when Virgil & Amy, a Native American couple came. They are traveling missionaries to the native tribes. They speak the truth, spiritual walk, give their testimonies ... "I experienced Jesus - now I serve the Lord every day of my live, everywhere". They are beautiful.
I want to come back. A week doesn't feel like enough.
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15
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6/11/2003
By: Mary
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Went to Wounded Knee Monday. I expected a memoria, but there wasn't. There is a very small ... community, a visitor center and a cemetary. There were a few people selling things they make out of buffalo horn, beads, and deer skin. I was thinking of the atrocious event that happened there and how the Native American was using that to earn a living. This area needs to hear and receive Jesus so their land can be healed and they can prosper. The Lord can turn this around for good. Pray for the Native American Christians to spread the Good News.
During VBS - Vicky Spiegel and I are holding a Womens Bible Study. Please pray they can turn to Jesus and for wisdom and discernment for us.
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Some things we did:
14
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6/11/2003
By: Todd
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Jim and I got the plumbing work done.
We went door to door with flyers in Evergreen & Wounded Knee.
Met many of the kids of the neighborhood. (Dogs everywhere)
We got to see the poverty and their way of living.
Everyone is very friendly - the children were very excited.
I saw an old man selling what looked to be drugs to some young kids in a car.
Practiced and prepared for VBS.
Out of 34 children only one toughy ...
Met Virgil & Amy. They stayed for supper. They gave their testimonys' and stayed for prayer.
Went to the radio station with th flyer. Nathan was on the radio. He let everyone know who we were - where we were and what we were doing here.
During our closing worship, three boys T was sitting next to asked if they could have a prize on the last day. I asked what they had in mind - they made my day - they asked for Bibles.
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13
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6/11/2003
By: Tammy
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Monday we made flyers announcing VBS, over a 150 of them throughout the neighborhoods of Porcupine and Wounded Knee. Many asked for transportation, so Tuesday around 3:10 Jim and I headed out in the 15 passenger van to Porcupine. When we arrived at the development of Evergreen, children poured out of their homes - running toward the van. There were so amny children we had to make two trips! Other children were picked up from homes nearby and some walked. We were over joyed with how God answered our prayers. In all we had 34 children the first day - Praise God!3 Woman came for Bible study, too.
Luke 18:16 ... 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,.
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12
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6/11/2003
By: Kristin
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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We got showers!
Prescilla allowed us in her home to bathe. We also started VBS yesterday (Tuesday). The children are very energized and many are very eager to learn. They are also loving and just want our attention. My heart breaks for the ones that don't know Christ.
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11
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6/11/2003
By: Vonda
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Thank you for your prayers. We are experencing the fruit of them. The people are very generous to us and hungry for something. We all know what that something is. We pray they receive the banquet that has been set out for them.
We spoke with a Lakota man. The Lakota are spiritual people. He had travled widely across the US & Canada and settled on the reservation. He spoke to us for a time about the Indian religion. He is deeply spiritual and believes in God, but there are many paths to God. He prays every day because he has found support in his religion and has turned away from alcohol. He believes this is proof he is right. He know the Bible but had bad experiences with Christians.
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10
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6/11/2003
By: Nathan & Dana
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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First day of VBS had a great crowd - around 35. We prayer walked the grounds of the church (Lakota Gospel) and claimed it for Jesus. Praise God for the insights we received.
Met Virgil and Amy, missionaries from the church. They just lost their daughter (41) to Juvenile Diabetes. They are strong members of the church. We closed our day meeting with singing, praying for Vigil & Amy and receiving prayer and blessings from them.
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Trip up and today
9
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6/9/2003
By: Nathan, Vicky S. Dana, Joyce, Katie
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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God's orchestration of the meeting place and quick bonding in the Spirit made traveling easy.
Revealations in the Spirit from teachings at devotion brought citizens that sought us out so we could begin the planting of seed. Becoming familiar with the land and praying, staking claim to His territory.
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Overview
8
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6/9/2003
By: Mary, Linda, Chelci, Tammy, Todd
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Got our blessings from Pastor for our 17 hour travel.
The two vans had code names - Jeremiah and Ezekiel for boldness.
The two vans left together. Vonda and Linda traveled together to drop off 2 children and we had to pick up one person at the Kansas City airport.
We got Nathan from the airport and were to meet the project leader at the Happy Chef. Linda and Vonda were already there when David called to the vans to tell them where to go. We all meet at the same time.
After getting to sleep at 2:30 we were up early. Visited Wounded Knee and the surrounding area to get in tune with the culture. We connected with some Native Americans, who were very friendly. One man - Dan has 9 children, was happy about the VBS. Tomorrow will be our 1st day of VBS and Women's Bible Study.
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Culture awareness
7
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6/9/2003
By: Amber, Vonda, Emily, Vickie F., Jim
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FAith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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Beautiful weather. Sunny, but hot. We took in a lot of the culture around us and got one great history lesson from a Pine Ridge perspective. We met some neat people in the community and have already been so blessed.
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Drive Up
6
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6/9/2003
By: Amber, Vonda, Emily, Vickie F,Jim
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Faith Lutheran- Oakville, MO
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The drive was long, but most of us rested. It was a great time to get to know each other better.
Linda and Vonda were able to keep their little passengera happy. The sunset was at 11pm - 2 hours of beauty.
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GREETINGS
5
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6/1/2003
By: David Schiff, Project Leader
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To all of the family at Faith Lutheran, Greetings and Blessing in the Name of our Lord. I have included in this message a background of information so the whole family will have an idea of some of the basics of the people and region we will be visiting. Please check back frequently as we plan to update with prayer requests, reports, and pictures.
Location Description:
Located in the southwestern part of South Dakota, this reservation is near the Black Hills. About half of Badlands National Park is located on Pine Ridge Reservation. This reservation is second in size to the Navajo Reservation and home of the Lakota Sioux.
Weather:
Summer highs are in the low 80's, lows in the lower 50's. Summer is also the wet season for the area with precipitation averaging 3 inches per month.
Area Attractions:
About half of Badlands National Park is located on Pine Ridge Reservation. Black Hills National Forest is to the northwest. Mount Rushmore is about 4.5 hours drive from Porcupine, just 26 miles from Rapid City, SD.
The People and Culture:
The Sioux who reside on the Pine Ridge Reservation originally lived in the forests of north central Minnesota, where they subsisted on hunting, fishing, and gathering. White encroachment into the area in the mid-1700s moved these Lakota Sioux into large parts of five Plains states, where the Sioux became expert hunters, traders, and horsemen. Buffalo became a primary source of food. By 1778, the Sioux had discovered the Black Hills in western South Dakota. The Sioux also divided into seven tribes at this time, one of which was called Oglala. The Black Hills were, and still are, the religious and spiritual center of the Sioux culture. Encroachment by miners and settlers into the Black Hills region precipitated the Red Cloud Wars in the 1860s. The Oglala Sioux lost most of these skirmishes, and the result was the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. This treaty placed the Oglala Sioux on the Great Sioux Reservation. In 1889, after the federal government confiscated 7.7 million acres of the Sioux's sacred Black Hills, the Oglala were assigned to live on the Pine Ridge Reservation. In 1890 over 300 residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation were senselessly slaughtered by U.S. government troops near Wounded Knee Creek on the reservation. In the 20th century, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government must pay the Oglala and other Sioux Nations tens of millions of dollars in compensation for illegally taking the sacred Black Hills. To this very day, the Oglala have refused to accept this settlement money as a matter of principle.
Economics:
Economically, the Pine Ridge Reservation has been deemed the poorest area in the United States.
• The reservation has a median income of $2,600 – less than one-fifth of the national average.
• Unemployment is nearly 84%, and 69% of the residents live below the poverty line.
• Housing is a substantial problem: hundreds are homeless and thousands live in overcrowded and substandard housing.
• Funding for medical care is inadequate; many residents do without heath care because of the vast distances to travel.
• There are no substantial natural resources located within the borders of the reservation.
• There is no industry on the reservation, and thus very few jobs. Many residents travel 120 miles to Rapid City to seek employment for most of the year.
Other Stats:
Population:
Tribal enrollment: 17,775; depending on the season, as many as 30,000 people live on the reservation. http://www.airc.org/reservations/pineridge.html
Poverty Rate:
42.9% (Shannon Co) (Porupine is in Shannon Co)
Literacy Rate:
97% in the USA
Average Annual Income:
$17,814 (Shannon Co)
I look forward to what the Lord has for us while serving with you. Thanks for your prayers.
Faithfully
David
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The Art of Listening Prayer - by Seth Barnes
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This interactive devotional is for the person who isn't satisfied with a dry faith. If you're dying to hear God's voice, the good news is that you can! Jesus is the door, and He has opened it up to you.
Don't Miss Out on Hearing God's Voice!
The Art of Listening Prayer |
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