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Choctaw Nation - Mississippi
American Indians Mission Trip
March 15 to March 21, 2009
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| Ministry Detail |
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Project Overview:
Crystal Ridge and Meshulaville are about 25 miles apart in a rural area of Mississippi, each offering a unique set of ministry opportunities. During the day, your team will divide to work in the two areas. In the evening, the whole team will gather to host a very well-attended children’s outreach in Crystal Ridge.
Crystal Ridge, a remote segment of the Choctaw reservation, lies 30 minutes from the town of Philadelphia, MS, and almost an hour from Pearl River, the largest reservation segment. Pearl River is headquarters for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, with tribal government offices, a hospital, Choctaw Central High School, and most of the business development for which the tribe is so well known.
A lot of Choctaw kids call Crystal Ridge home. And the social ills common to the rest of American society have found lodging there, too. Alcoholism and drug abuse have penetrated into the world of the younger kids. Families have been destroyed by addictions and abuse. There are many fine families, but the enemy has caused much destruction. Jesus really is the answer. You can bring the love and hope He offers to the people of Crystal Ridge.
Meshulaville is another isolated community about 20 miles from the nearest town of any size. For many years, our partners Larry and Maxine Miller have invested in this multicultural community, especially among kids and the elderly. We will join what the Father is already doing in Meshulaville through the Millers. With their help, we’ll be introduced to disabled, elderly people who have no family or close friends to care for them. We are going to minister to those folks, and be blessed even more in return.
Ministry Description:
Your team will deliver a double punch to the enemy this week! Approximately half of the participants will spend their daytime hours at Crystal Ridge. Leisurely prayer walks in the housing areas will lead to meeting new friends and families. As the week progresses, they’ll spend time visiting those families, helping the Facilities staff with volleyball and basketball at the gym, and possibly assisting instructors at the swimming pool.
The other half of the team will spend their daytime hours serving through small work/service projects, children's ministry, or visits to encourage elderly and disabled residents nearby. Visiting the same people every day, team members will share the Father’s love while developing an incredibly rewarding relationship.
The whole team will assemble at Crystal Ridge during the evenings after supper. To start the week, they’ll host a children’s outreach Monday-Wednesday at the gym and facilities building. Small group Bible studies or discussion groups often spring up among the men and women, and even teens, who accompany the children to the gym. Please come with something simple and practical to share in adult studies if needed. Male and female adult teachers should both prepare — men teach men and women teach women. We have access to classrooms next to the gym.
By the week’s end, your team will probably be investing almost all their time in visitations and fun activities with new friends and families in Meshulaville and Crystal Ridge.
Ministry & Outreach:
Half of the SUMMER TEAM will spend their mornings on the lodging facility grounds, helping to host a summer recreation program for about 25 kids. They’ll visit elderly and disabled residents around mid-afternoon.
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| Trip Requirements |
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Newcomers to the world of missions can grow and make a difference among the Choctaw of Crystal Ridge and the residents of Meshulaville. But proven, spiritual maturity and prior field experience in missions away from home really helps. So, bring some veterans to help newcomers get to the next level.
You are going to be living among the local people, so you will share some of the daily discomfort they experience. You will spend hours of ministry time without air-conditioning, outside in a hot, humid environment.
Relational ministry here can be challenging. People are often resistant to your message of hope. You may struggle to connect with people you are hoping to find. Please come determined to break through the emotional walls you will encounter. And you’ll be tired – relationship building and sharing Christ often carries into late-night hours.
You’ll need to exercise initiative to reach the lost and disciple those who struggle with their faith. Participants with developed social skills and the ability to engage people in conversation, sometimes at deeper, spiritual levels, will do well.
This is very much a cross-cultural experience, and it will stretch you. Spiritual warfare is waged regularly in Indian Country. Maintain plenty of prayer cover and let the Lord run the mission.
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| Food & Lodging |
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Our lodging facility is a turn-of-the-century, two-story house once used as a Mennonite ministry base and home for at-risk kids. The Millers are now using it to house mission teams. The dorm has 10 bedrooms upstairs, with beds for 22 people. The rooms have fans, but no air conditioning. Bring light sleeping bags or bedding, pillows, and towels.
Downstairs includes a large meeting/dining room and a roomy kitchen where our meals will be prepared by local cooks. A huge, grassy area out front provides the playground for the summer recreation program hosted here each summer. Shade trees surround the dorm, which also sports a large front porch with swing.
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| Dress Code & What to Bring
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Dress Code:
Please refer to AIM's training manual, Missions 101.
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| Travel Information |
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Airport & Transportation:
Groups may drive to the project or fly to Jackson, MS, 93 miles from the base camp (35 miles northwest of the intersection of I-59 and I-20 in Meridian).
Groups must provide their own ground transportation. Extensive travel is common on the rez, so at least two vans will better facilitate travel for activities with local kids.
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Shots & Vaccinations:
An updated Tetanus shot is strongly recommended for ALL projects.
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Suggested Travel Agency:
- Donna Booth, CTC Domestic and International Travel
Consultant
MTS Travel
9440 Philips Hwy, Ste 3
Jacksonville, Fl. 32256
Phone (800) 888-8292 ext 208
Email donnab@mtstravel.com
- Karol Fleming, CTC Domestic and International Travel
Consultant
MTS Travel
9440 Philips Hwy, Ste 3
Jacksonville, Fl. 32256
Phone (800) 888-8292 ext 208
Email karolf@mtstravel.com
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Suggested Travel Insurance:
We highly recommend that all program participants have health insurance coverage.
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| Location Information
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Location Description:
The Mississippi Band of Choctaws settled in the pine-covered lands of east-central Mississippi, in the “Deep South.” Its 9,100 enrolled members live in eight communities: Bogue Chitto, Bogue Homa, Conehatta, Crystal Ridge, Pearl River, Red Water, Tucker, and Standing Pine. These Choctaw communities are located in parts of nine counties, although 62 percent of the people live in Neshoba County which comprises more than two-thirds of the reservation's land area.
Weather:
Summertime highs are near 90 with high humidity, and evenings cool only slightly. Sunscreen is a must, and it’s a good idea to have mosquito spray on hand, especially at night.
Area Attractions:
• Philadelphia – The Nanih Waiya Historic Site, considered the legendary birthplace of the Choctaw people, includes ancient mounds and a trail that leads to a stream, swinging bridge, and cave.
• Choctaw – The new Geyser Falls Water Park is located on the reservation just outside of Philadelphia, practically next door to the Choctaw UMC Mission. It has the longest and fastest waterslides in the Southeast.
• Philadelphia – The famous Dancing Rabbit Golf Course is reputed to be one of the finest anywhere in the South. It is one of two world-class courses located on the reservation.
• Jackson - The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion, about an hour from Philadelphia, is the second-oldest continuously occupied residence of a governor in the United States. First occupied in 1842, the Greek-Revival mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
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| People, Culture and Religion
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Although smaller Choctaw groups are located in Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and are the two primary Choctaw groups today.
During the American Revolution, most Choctaws supported the thirteen colonies in their bid for independence from the British. In the 19th century, Choctaws were known as one of the "Five Civilized Tribes" because they adapted the advanced systems of government, education, and law enforcement of their European colonial neighbors. The Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole were the other tribes given this designation.
When the United States government wanted to expand its territory, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed in 1830 and ratified in 1831. The treaty ceded 11 million acres of the Choctaw Nation to the U.S. in exchange for 15 million acres in the Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. Around 15,000 Choctaws left during this first treaty carried into effect under the Indian Removal Act. It allowed for some to remain in their homeland, and the people became two distinct groups—the Nation in Oklahoma and the Tribe in Mississippi.
Although the removals continued into the early 20th century, nearly 5,000 Choctaws managed to remain in their ancestral lands despite tremendous opposition and hardship. The descendants of that remnant make up the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Those who chose to stay in the newly-formed state of Mississippi became U.S. citizens and sought representation in Congress. They are remembered for their generosity in providing humanitarian relief during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849).
During WWII, the Choctaws served in the U.S. Army as Code Talkers. They used their native language, as did the Navajos, to create a code that the enemy was unable to decipher, helping to win the war. In 1945, land in Neshoba and surrounding counties was set aside as a federal Indian reservation. The Civil Rights Era of the 1960s produced significant social change and the end of segregation for Choctaws in Mississippi.
The Choctaw have a strong sense of the customs and traditions that have sustained and defined them as a people. They strive to maintain cultural continuity within a constantly changing society. Artisans combine ancient patterns with their own innovations to create swamp cane baskets, a major symbol of tribal identity. The Choctaw language, spoken by a majority of tribal members, is used in reservation schools, workplaces, and administrative offices.
Traditional dance groups can be found in most reservation communities. Handmade clothing is worn for special occasions and social dancing, and some Choctaw elders choose traditional dress for everyday wear. Spirited community stickball rivalries, part of tribal life for hundreds of years, now flourish in the "World Series of Stickball" at the annual Choctaw Fair.
The old Choctaw ceremonies were similar to those of other Southeastern tribes, with the Green Corn ceremony of thanksgiving and purification being most important. Social conflicts were discussed with the purpose of allowing them to be forgiven. Everyone dressed in their finest clothes for feasting and dancing. Dances and ceremonies were closely associated with the very popular stickball game similar to lacrosse.
The Choctaw people readily accepted Christianity during the period of the Five Civilized Tribes. Today local churches are conservative and fairly westernized.
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| Government and Economy
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The Choctaw Tribal government operates under a constitution ratified in 1945, and revised in 1975. A representative, democratic form of government was established with representation provided for all eight Choctaw communities and all Tribal members. It vests the Tribal Council with legislative and policy-making authority, with the Tribal Chief as the executive in charge of carrying out and managing the policies and regulations.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians owns and operates enterprises in the manufacturing, service, retail, and tourism sectors. The Tribe chose to develop businesses to create jobs for its people while also generating revenues to fund government services such as health care, police, fire protection, and education.
The Choctaw Tribal School System is the largest unified and locally-controlled Indian school system in the country, serving more than 1,700 students. Choctaw education extends from birth through late life, with services provided through community schools and specialized educational programs.
The Tribe's success has allowed them to become more self-reliant and to make significant economic contributions to surrounding communities. Throughout Mississippi, the Southeast, and even Mexico, the Tribe provides more than 9,000 full-time jobs for tribal members and others. More than 65 percent of its workforce is non-Indian. The Tribe is among the three largest employers in Mississippi, and its revenues have allowed them to reinvest more than $210 million in economic development projects statewide.
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| Statistics
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Population:
5,190 Choctaw in Mississippi |
Poverty Rate:
16.9% in Neshoba County live below the poverty line. |
Average Annual Income:
$27,149 - Neshoba County (2000 Census) |
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