iRock Ministries

intentionally Reaching Our Community Kids

Aug 29 2010

Team Reaches Out During Sun Dance

It was the third week in August and our team boarded a flight headed to Omaha Nebraska where we would then spend the next nine hours driving, stopping to stock up on supplies and making our way to Wagner on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. We would spend the first night there before heading on to Mission South Dakota the next morning. Little did we know that God had entrusted our team to bring light into a week filled with spiritual darkness. Just 3 weeks prior to our departure, God had changed our location from the Yankton Sioux Reservation to Rosebud Reservation where we would be in the middle of the Sun Dance Ceremonies taking place that week.

Sun Dance circleThe Sun Dance is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native American peoples, including the Lakota on the Rosebud Reservation. In 2003 traditional spiritual leaders of several tribes banned non-natives from sacred altars and from attending the Sun Dance. In most Sun Dance cultures, it is forbidden to film ceremony and prayer, so few, if any, images exist of authentic ceremonies.

It was our understanding that many of the ceremonies include specific dances and songs passed down through many generations, the use of traditional drums, the sacred pipe, tobacco offerings, praying, fasting and, in the case of the Lakotas, the piercing of skin on the chest, arms or back.

The object of the Sun Dance practice of piercing is to make a sacrifice to the Great Mystery, and to pray while connected to the Tree of Life, a direct connection to the ‘Creator’. A common explanation is that a flesh offering, or piercing, is given as a part of a prayer for the benefit of one’s family and community.

Voluntary torture is part of the climax of the Sun Dance in the Lakota tribe. In those cases, the dancers were pierced through the breast or shoulder muscles by skewers which were tied to the center pole, and they danced by pulling back until their flesh tore away.

The sacrifice of the dancers through fasting, thirst, and self-inflicted pain reflects the desire to return something of themselves to nature, with special reference to the life- sustaining buffalo, in exchange for past and future benefits.

The great Sun Dance ritual establishes the tenet that there is no final death, for all living things can be renewed. Human beings, however, like all their fellow creatures, must cooperate in order to bring about universal regeneration.

While the Lakota people were trusting that their sacrifices and ceremonies to Wakan Takan (the Great Spirit) would bring about universal regeneration, our team was sharing with ~50 children and youth, that came each day to attend sports camp, about forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. That week Ephesians 6:12 resonated in each of our spirits. ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” God had given into our hands the hearts of children that we might be able to share the love of Jesus with each of them.

We spent each day playing, instructing, encouraging, feeding and loving each one. We got to know where they lived, their names and their personalities. They were no longer children on the reservation, they were now individuals that had become our new friends. We were told that the Lakota people will allow non-natives to pour into their children until they are age 12. Beyond that age they are reluctant to allow any further interaction. For whatever reason, we were excited to be given the privilege to teach these children about Jesus during the most impressionable years of their lives. We were able to pray specifically for each one throughout the week until we were also able to see 20 children make first time decisions to follow Jesus, including several youth.

KoltonKolton came each day eager to play and listened intently as we shared the message of Jesus’s love and forgiveness during the closing rally. On that final day of camp, when given the opportunity to give his life to Jesus, he raised his hand. You could see in his face that his decision was real as he asked for forgiveness and that Jesus would come into his life. He wept with one of our team members as he realized how much Jesus loved him. His life was changed for eternity that day.

We are now trusting God to work through the resident missionaries, Pastor Johnny and Heidi Wade, as they continue to water the seed planted by our team.

Please keep the Lakota people in your prayers that God would continue to use Pastor Johnny and Heidi and future teams as they reveal the “True Creator” and how He can be their God and Savior.

Visit our Facebook photo album to view more photos of our time on Rosebud Reservation.

Written by Terry Williams · Categorized: News, Testimonies · Tagged: All Nations Family, ceremonies, Heidi Wade, Johnny Wade, Lakota, mega sports camp, mission, Native american, reservation, Rosebud Reservation, sioux, south dakota, sports, sun dance, sundance, wagner

Jul 02 2010

Our Family is Growing

Since our last newsletter we have seen some exciting changes in our family.
In April our first grandson arrived. With much anticipation, Nathan Jack came into the world bringing joy and happiness to his parents, Russ and Frances. Needless to say we are very proud  grandparents and anticipate each visit with excitement. Each day Nate grows cuter and stronger. We look forward to teaching him about Jesus

Amongst these major events in our family we have been able to invest in our church families. We have been able to visit and minister at 6 churches, help with 2 Easter services, teach on Mother’s Day, attend 3 missions conferences and conduct 2 training sessions at the NACMC (North American Children’s Ministries Conference) Each gave us opportunity to pour into the lives of children and the people that minister to them on a weekly basis.
Serving as BGMC coordinator for the Potomac District, I was able to help prepare and mail 315 bright yellow Buddy buckets to every church in our district encouraging giving to missions through Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC).

Just recently I was part of a summer long lunch program for low-income families. This week I was able to help as the team served lunch, led a craft and spent time with the kids.
With sculpting balloons and pump in hand, it was with great excitement that I was able to make and teach kids how to twist a variety of balloon sculptures. On the last day I presented each child a balloon cross letting them know that Jesus loves them. Though it may seem like a small act of kindness it is showing the love of Jesus through service and time committed to bringing hope to families.
Now we turn our attention to a summer filled with kids camps. Our first camp is the beginning of July as we prepare for Camp Wannahockalugie, a day camp in Hagerstown, followed by 3 weeks of district kids camp and then a trip to the Sioux reservation in South Dakota to conduct a sports camp, serve meals, share ministry and help as needed with home improvements on the reservation.
Please be in prayer that as we plant and water the seed that God himself will make it grow and that many children will be added to His family this summer.

Written by Terry Williams · Categorized: Newsletter · Tagged: balloons, BGMC, camp, grandson, Hagerstown, sioux, south dakota, summer, wannahockalugie, wedding

May 07 2010

Team heading to South Dakota

Our team is heading to Wagner South Dakota to help missionaries Tim and Elaine Harris on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. We are taking a team of 25, 13 adults and 12 children (Ages 10-15) Our plans are to conduct Sports Camp, serve dinner to the kids and present the gospel message each day for three days. We will also be introducing “Drug Free” in the United States on day four. “Drug Free” is a program developed by Steve and Mindi Benintendi and is used to talk about Substance Abuse and evangelize simultaneously and has only been used internationally until now. We would appreciate it if you would join our team in prayer as we make plans and preparations for our trip coming up August 10 through 17.

Prayer requests for our team

  • Pray that our team would be under the control of the Holy Spirit, pray that the fruit of the Spirit-the very beauty of Jesus-will be manifest in our lives.
  • Pray for Spirit-Controlled Lives. We have a tendency to do the Lord’s work in our own energy and human ingenuity. Pray that our team‚Äôs actions will be under the control, and by the power of, the Holy Spirit.
  • Pray that the people will have receptive hearts and that the Lord will lead our team to people whose hearts will be open to hearing and receiving the gospel message.
  • Our team along with Tim and Elaine are prime targets of the enemy. Join Jesus in praying to the Father: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15) so that we will have the freedom to move in God’s will for our time in South Dakota.

Prayer requests for Tim and Elaine

  • Pray that the Lord will supply the financial and material needs of Tim and Elaine “according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
  • Pray that the Lord will grant the measure of health and strength that will bring his greatest glory and the greatest good for the missionaries. Tim and Elaine are putting in long hours and face numerous struggles that drain their strength.
  • There are two young women that are helping with Children’s Ministry but haven’t fully committed to ministry. Pray that God will give them clarity and direction for the call He has on their lives.
  • Pray that God will provide a full-time, self supported COMMITTED children’s leader and youth leader to work alongside of Tim and Elaine to reach all ages on the reservation.

Prayer requests for our team leaders

  • Pray that the Lord will give Pastor TJ, Pastor Josh and I wisdom as we make preparations and arrangements to get our team to and from South Dakota safely and that we not forget any of the important details.
  • Pray for steadfastness as we plan and prepare for each aspect of ministry Paul gave this same advice to the Corinthians, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Written by Terry Williams · Categorized: News · Tagged: elaine, harris, new life, reservation, sioux, tim, wagner, warwick

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