About Me

Bringing the hope of God's Promise to Native America

The mission for our ministry on the Rosebud is:
Bringing the hope of God’s promise to the heart of Native America.

The biblical inspiration comes from Jeremiah 31. The future hope of Israel, as Jeremiah
prophecies, will be found in an everlasting, new covenant that will be written on the hearts of
the people. Then each one will know God, be his people forever, and have their sins completely
forgiven (vv. 31-34).
In the same way, the only secure and lasting hope that Native people can fi nd today is not in
politics, our government and all its broken treaties, Native spirituality, cultural renewal, casinos, etc. Only by knowing and following Christ can Native peoples know a hope that will never
dissapoint. As God continues to bless our efforts, along with the many servant ministers already
on the Rosebud, we will see the dawn of a new day there - a day when the Lakota people will
truly become “his people”!

Ministry Convictions
A certain number of convictions about ministry to Native people have come out of our
experiences on the Reservation. These convictions may not be shared by every group that is a
part of the ministry, but they do serve to shape why we do what we do.

1) Only God can change a human heart - any human heart. Just as the gospel of Jesus Christ
is meant for every race and culture, it is only God’s Spirit who can call men and women to
repentance. Efforts to improve social conditions, educational achievement, health and welfare,
and so on are good, but are incomplete. Ministers of the gospel should realize that a) all their
efforts at changing outward conditions are not enough to change the heart and b) we are still
dependant on God to change a life from the inside out. (John 3:3-16; Ephesians 2:8-9)

2) The gospel is far more than a plea for a
sinners prayer. It is comprised of all of Jesus’
teachings concerning forgiveness of sins
(Matthew 26:28), love (John 15:1-13) passionate
life (John 10:10), justice (Matthew 23:23),
mercy (Luke 10:37), and service (Mark 10:45),
to name a few. We are responsible to give people
the whole gospel, and to not be satisfi ed with giving only part.

3) The best way to show God’s love for someone is to show it, not just say it. The best way to
show love on the Reservation is to show you love somone in a variety of ways, consistently, over
extented periods of time.

4) It is necessary when conducting ongong ministry on the Reservation to balance the following
concerns:
a. An awareness of, and deep concern for, the past injustices that have been committed
against Native Americans by those in power over them, including predominately white
missionaries.
b. A deep desire to move forward in our relationship with Native peoples that will write a
new chapter that is set apart by careful communication, compassion, service, and love.
c. The message of Jesus Christ crucifi ed for sins and the new life and hope that only a
relationship with Christ can bring (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).

Our focus areas of ministry

We focus our efforts to bring hope in the following areas:
1) The Rosebud Missionary Journey. This is what we are calling our yearly summer trip to
run kids clubs in different communities on the Reservation. We want to encourage groups to
go, to experience life and ministry there, and to begin building life-long friendships with those
they minister to and with. We see the most signifi cant, lasting life change happen in the lives of
children and students when on-going relationships are be being built and nurtured. This is only
one of the reasons why it so important to not just come once, but to keep coming back!

2) Internship development. Each summer we involve college age interns to help us with all that
needs to be done administratively. They also gain valuable exposure and ministry experience.

3) Ministry partnering and on-going discipleship. Wherever possible, we try to come
alongside existing ministries to encourage, serve, and support them.

This year
Here’s what we are working on for 2006.

1) We will stive to continue to leave a positive impression with all Native people that we work
with and minister to.

2) It is equally important that we maintain the presence in the communities where we have
already been working and serving. For our efforts to be sincere, we must follow through with
what we have started.

3) Educate and prepare groups that are new to the Reservation. We work in advance of your
coming in June by helping you connect with a local leader in advance and by answering
whatever questions you might have. When you arrive, your group will then run your own
ministry in a community, using whatever approach best fits your group. We have found that
running a program for children with the help of a local leader is an effective, easy way to
introduce yourself to the people of a community. Working with teens, older people, doing simple
work projects are also ways to work your group in. If your group numbers are small and you
don’t feel you can handle a community by yourselves, partnering with another smaller group is always an option.