In An Indian Reservation Without The Internet
Sorry! No blogs for a month!
I have been among USA Indian people and could not access the internet.
Will and Millie Toms of Tribal Winds Ministries invited me. I celebrated Easter in Ventura, stayed with the Hopis for a week, taught in two Discipleship Schools, met elders, saw a rodeo, shared with people in native ministries in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregan, had half days with two of our community members - Steve Robinson in Flagstaff and Esther Marie Nagiel in Albuquerque - was hosted by two remarkable Indian leaders in New Mexico, contributed to a young pastors' class at George Fox Seminary, slept in some challenging beds, and have written reflections which I hope will be published.
Here is how it begins:
My US friend Will Toms lost his father at the age of five and had an abusive stepfather. As an adult he had a vision of an Indian chief whom he made his father. Will and his wife Millie, who follow Jesus, got a call to ministry among Indian peoples. They established the YWAM Tribal Winds ministry. Although white Christians have started many churches among Indian tribes, too often they have failed to look for the Creator's imprints in those tribes, and have told Indian converts to ditch their culture and adopt the white person's ways. Will and Millie thought that was wrong.
Someone told Will a story that in ancient times a holy man named Brendan sailed from Ireland in a boat made from wood and skins and landed in North America. He followed the One whose name white people translate as Jesus. When Brendan met the native people he realized that his Jesus was already among them, so he sailed all the way back to Ireland. Will thought to himself, ‘We need a new Brendan, because now we are blind to the Creator’s imprints in Indian tribes and we are defacing the Creator’s imprints in white society’. Then he learned of a movement that includes white Americans who are inspired by Brendan to follow humble ways. They are part of the dispersed international Community of Aidan and Hilda. They make this vow: ‘'I undertake to follow a rhythm of prayer, work and re-creation, to meet with my soul friend and make an annual retreat ... to live simply that others may simply live .... ' They make the vow in a ceremony called The Voyage of the Coracle. Words from Brendan's Voyage are read and a guardian says 'God is calling you to leave behind everything that stops you setting sail in the ocean of God's love ... Be ready for the Spirit to lead you into wild, windy or well-worn places in the knowledge that God will make them places of wonder and welcome. God is giving us the vision of a spoiled creation being restored to harmony with its Creator, of a fragmented world becoming whole, of a weakened church being restored to its mission, of lands being healed and lit up by the glorious Trinity.’ Will wondered 'Could this new movement help both white and native Americans to shed proud, unexamined ways, and journey together to a better future, allowing the One who is among them to teach them afresh?'
