June 18, 2011
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7
I’ve come to Yakama on one-week mission teams over the past four years, and being on the Sacred Road team this summer would make it the fifth year these people have had a special place in my heart. It’s hard for me to put into words what makes this place so special. Chris Granberry, the main missionary man, explained it like this, “as we serve the Yakama people, we discover the heart of our own story.” There’s so much brokenness here but the thing that makes it different is that there’s an openness about this brokenness. And there’s beauty in the brokenness. Coming from a suburban town, I find that so often we (and when I say we, I mean me) hide our sin and we try to make it look like we have everything together. But we are all fallen. We all struggle. We all need a Savior.
Being an intern is completely different from coming on one-week teams. I’ve started wondering, ‘how is it that I saw anything in those tiny weeks?’ We’ve had our first team week and they’re already gone! It happened so fast. One of the greatest things about coming back each year is that I get to see the progression of time. It amazes me each time I return the incredible things God is doing here. A few examples? The youth group and the new building Sacred Road has purchased in hopes of transforming it into a church building. The youth group has grown so much since the last time I’ve been here. The youth are beginning to take roles of leadership in things such as Tuesday night Bible study at the longhouse and are learning what healthy relationships look like. They’re growing in Christ and they’re growing together. We got to take a tour of the new building the other day. I got so excited when we started looking around. The only thing I could think was ‘God is good.’ He provides. The whole bottom floor will be used for youth ministry, and they also plan to have volleyball courts and other games set up outside. They hope this building will become an oasis for those who come. A place where they can feel safe and learn more about Jesus.
I’ve spent most of my time in the kitchen so far. Why they keep me in there? I have no idea. I don’t have a lot of kitchen skills. But I am learning. In this culture, food=love. I’ve already seen this act of love demonstrated by others in the community. Their sense of family and community is overwhelming. Because the Granberrys and other staff are like family to them, we are treated as family too. It’s something I’ve never really experienced before. Della makes us fry bread, and Moses provided us with huckleberries (which I got to use to make huckleberry jam!). All this to say, working in the kitchen isn’t all that bad.
In the afternoons we have kids club. I’ve been put in charge of crafts and skits at Adams View, a government housing project on the rez. We’ve had about 30 kids show up each day. It’s so fun to be able to share the Good News with them. One day I was coloring with a little girl. It was a hand that said, “Hold my hand, Lord.” It had a rainbow, cross, and other things on it to color. As the girl started to color the cross, I asked her, “Do you know what that is?” She shook her head. She didn’t know who Jesus was either. It caught me off guard. I’ve grown up in a place where everyone at least knew who Jesus was. I had the awesome opportunity to tell her. I’ve also gotten to do the skits at Adams View, which means I pick some kids to be in it and feed them lines as I narrate the story. I asked a girl named Ganelle to play the part of Mary in one of the skits. She asked, “Who’s Mary?” And then I got to tell her! That’s probably my favorite part of doing the skits. The summer is off to a great start. There are so many wonderful things happening here in the midst of a broken people. I survived Team week 1. Here comes Team 2.
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