Missions

Summary of Omaha Tribe Mission Trip

Friday, June 15th

We awoke Friday morning to our final day of scheduled work and service. It was a busy start to the morning as some began the process of packing items and cleaning up the building (as only two of the four groups would still be in Walthill by the time the sun rose on Saturday) and others were still planning details of the last VBS session.

For the Omaha team, the morning work projects included completion of the drywall at the Picotte Center and completion of the painting and stair-building in Macy. Shortly after breakfast was over, Cary went over to the Picotte Center to finish the drywall work.

When he returned, the four of us went to Macy. Between about 8:30 a.m. and a little past noon, we completed the painting of all posts and railings, put the surface boards on the landing/platform adjacent to the curb, and installed two steps. There were also some opportunities to talk with the home owner and family members.

(Other completed projects:)

After lunch I met with the drama team one last time at the American Legion building. The boys spent so much time goofing off that we didn’t really get that much worked through, but I gave feedback in some areas and guided it to the message and conclusion I wanted to see. As the “school” scene had been popular on Thursday, we brought it back with a sequel.

In the afternoon, we got names, addresses, and phone numbers from some of the kids, and will be able to remain in contact with them and send them Bibles and/or study materials as needed. Many of the kids said they had Bibles at home, and over half seemed to be familiar with Biblical concepts. It could be that they had participated in outreach activities at the Mormon church, which calls itself a “community church” and thus draws people who do not know that the church actually has LDS affiliation. Overall, during the week, seven kids made first-time professions of faith. One of the “older” girls had been very distant during the week, standing off by herself during the Bible lessons, but on Friday she got a little closer and even talked a little during some of the activities. Another girl, no older than five years old, clearly stated that she had no interest in believing in God because “God is mean”. She was convinced that He would beat her, which caused some of us to wonder what her family background was.

The VBS concluded with the drama (which had some glitches at the end but was recovered well) and distribution of prizes. Children who had attended every day received a ball to take home, and all the children in attendance were permitted to take either a toy car or a Beanie Baby. (People at our church were asked to donate Beanie Babies for the summer missions trips; at least 200 were donated.)

We had special guests at dinner: the man who had received Christ on Thursday and his wife and children joined us for our last meal at the Senior Center! About half an hour after dinner someone else from the community gave a presentation on the Omaha Tribe culture and had a question and answer session.

As soon as this was over, it was time for the Missouri group to return home so we met for a (nearly-complete) group photo. (* Only half of the Omaha team is in the photo.)

Shortly before sunset, most of the members of the three remaining groups walked up to the Picotte Center for one last look at the finished work.

While we were there, one of the girls that had attended the VBS came over and was clinging to Beth for at least ten minutes. We discerned that she may not be in an environment where she receives that much love or positive attention. It seemed that many of the children that came to VBS came from negative family backgrounds, broken families, alcoholic and/or abusive parents, etc. This week had been a high point for them but with our departure it would be a return to the same routine. Hopefully those who came to know Christ during the week will continue to grow in Him despite all that they live with each day.

We returned to the church for a last devotional time together. The leader of the Colorado team presented an analogy between an oak tree and the mission trip, continuing the tradition by saying that he was finding acorns in Scripture (but some might find that “corny” or think he was “nuts”). After devotions, nearly every remaining member became involved with or at least was aware of the “black cat” situation. Some of the teenagers had grown attached to a small black cat that had no tags and seemed to have taken up temporary residence around the church yard. Thus, when it was nearing time for them to leave, some of them were dramatic about not wanting to leave the cat behind, and after a while began coming up with wild ideas on how to get the cat home… (mail it in a box? drop it off at an airport?) They didn’t even think of the many reasons why this was not possible, but older team members joined in the discussion and provided suggestions in order to demonstrate how infeasible this plan really was. Besides, who was to know if the cat was really “stray” or if it had an owner?

Although it was a ridiculously crazy situation, it provided something for many of the other team members to consider. During the week some people had grown irritated with the few teenagers who were not enthusiastic about working and who tried to go against the grain, but I realized that it was not by putting them down but rather by empathizing with them that it would be possible to get through. In order to have effective ministry with someone and win them over, one must stop thinking of “us vs. them” and instead become like them. Becoming like someone doesn’t mean that if they do something wrong, you participate in it as well… but it does involve putting aside feelings of superiority and being willing to identify with others. So although I realized the ridiculousness of the “cat situation”, I tried to be involved such that they could see that some people understood how they felt even though their plans didn’t have a chance of succeeding according to their goals.

Saturday, June 16th

The Colorado team left between 3 and 4 a.m. Saturday morning. When we awoke between 6 and 7 a.m., it was just the Grand Island and Omaha teams and MTW staff remaining. We ate a light breakfast, finished packing and cleaning up the church, said goodbyes, and headed out.

The four of us in the Omaha group went to Sioux City and Winnebago for some sightseeing before returning south to the Omaha area.

In Winnebago, I bought a book on the “native view of religion”. This increased my perception on some concepts I had picked up in Walthill; that one of the major roadblocks for Native Americans coming to Christ is that the name of Christ has been attached to political and social wrongdoing by people who claim to follow Him. According to the author, Manifest Destiny in the 19th century was one of the most notable cases, but from the 1400′s to the present there are many recorded cases of people who claim to be Christians taking part in cruel or unjust treatment toward the first inhabitants of the continent.

As I thought about this further, I saw that by claiming that America is a “Christian nation”, we then attach Christ’s name to any act of American foreign policy. So imperialism, hypocrisy, and greed become associated with Christ. With this in mind, it is no wonder why such roadblocks exist. The key to evangelism starts with removing American identity, past, present, and future from the message of Christ. Christ is not the figurehead of American policy but rather is the loving Savior of the world. The “christ” that is being rejected is not Jesus Christ but rather an icon of Americanism. We need to change. We need to share Christ and Him crucified, not “Christ and America” or “Christ and democracy” or anything else. This is what the world needs!

A second thing that I gained a deeper perspective on while in Walthill is the sharp contrast between life on the reservation and life in white, middle-class suburbia. We live as though we are entitled to everything we have and then still want more. Whether it’s the food we eat, the bed we sleep in, the house we live in, or a multitude of other things… we take it for granted and are always seeking to “upgrade” all we have. But less than an hour and a half away is a place where some people are thankful to have a floor on which to sleep, leftover food with which to ease hunger pains, and a roof over their heads. And yet we were at times tempted to complain about our conditions during the week — sleeping on the floor, taking gang showers at the school, etc. — when we still had things far better than some not far away. We need to take a step back from the constant tearing down of barns in order to build bigger barns and realize that all we have is a gift, and certainly not something we deserve to have.

At the same time, the author of this particular book also states that he has seen Christians return from mission trips to reservations and then become ascetics, shocked by the contrasts and then rejecting all the gifts one has. Then others give and minister, but their motives are seen as being primarily for their own spiritual well-being. We have been entrusted with more so that we will share more. Will we see others as Christ sees them and not a means for our enrichment? It’s not the Social Gospel… it’s not the American Gospel… it’s the Gospel of Christ and the work of His Kingdom!

We are hoping this will be just the beginning of ongoing work on the Omaha Reservation. We do now have contacts in town and the door seems to be open for us to return for future ministry there.

This concludes the report on the Omaha Tribe mission trip. Information is compiled from written records made while on the trip and word-of-mouth reports from others on the trip. Some details have been omitted for the privacy of individuals involved. Opinions expressed are that of the author (Joel Nelson) and are not necessarily that of Grace Reformed Church or Mission to the World. Photo copyrights are held by each individual photographer. The contents of this mission trip report may not be copied or reproduced without the consent of the author (Joel Nelson).