More than a month has passed since I went on my mission trip to Wyoming. International students are sent out within the USA and I was very excited to go with a group to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Our main mission as a group was to support the Foundations for Nations ministry.
Through information from the ministry and people who live there, I soon realized that this mission field might be very different from many other places. In the past, churches and Christians of various denominations have tried to reach the indigenous population. In doing so, they have been forbidden to speak their own language (especially in Wyoming) and Native males have had their hair cut off. Their birth names were changed to western names etc. All this has led to a great mess and today we are reaping what was sown many years before. Many indigenous people there avoid contact with white people and even more so when people talk about Jesus. Another big challenge is that the people there do not have to work because they are paid by their tribes.Almost every house has several cars parked in the yard that are no longer in use. Broken cars are not repaired, but simply parked and a new car is bought instead. In most cases, this also applies to all other things. You can often see up to three houses on a property, of which only one is used and the others look very run down. The reservations have their own laws and rules, which often differ from those in the USA. Also, most indigenous people on the reservation do not believe in any god.
Day 1: Monday, 12.11.2023
An 8-hour journey took us from Colorado to Wyoming. We arrived at the newly built church at the Wind River Reservation around 4:30 pm. This was also our accommodation for the week. After we had settled in, that evening the ministry team gave us some information about the indigenous people in the region. This helped me to target my prayers more specifically for the next few days.
Day 2: Tuesday, 12.12.2023
The action started right away on day two. Outreach in Fort Washakie was on the agenda. We offered free clothes to the locals. It was very cold outside and while the people were looking through the clothes, we had the opportunity to offer them warm drinks and have conversations with them. I quickly realized that this mission field was totally different from others I had experienced in the past. On the one hand, this is due to the negative experiences of the indigenous people in the past and, on the other, because many of them don't believe in God at all. The majority here don't like talking to white people and if you start talking about Jesus, most of them are immediately defensive. As our group consisted mainly of international students, we had a certain advantage as everyone was instantly aware of our strong accents. So we were usually able to start small talk easily. And in most cases, we were then asked what brought us to Wyoming. I was therefore able to introduce our story and share my testimony. At the end of the conversation, I asked each person if I could pray for them or their family.
This afternoon we went to a nursing home, where we mainly served with the Christmas story. We sang Christmas carols and did crafts with the elderly. They were very happy, as many of them never get visitors. Family members often only get in touch after a person has died to benefit from a possible inheritance. My personal goal was to bring a smile to the faces of the people there, which is not so easy. I spent a lot of the time with a man who had been living in the nursing home for about 8 years. During this time, no one had visited him except for Christian organizations that were doing an outreach at the nursing home. We had a long conversation about various things and stopped at the Christmas story. I asked him what Christmas meant to him. He gave me a longer answer and also mentioned that Jesus had come into the world. So I asked him if he knew Jesus and if Jesus was his Lord and Savior? After a short period of silence, he said: "I wouldn't say Savior and Lord. He has forgiven me and because he has forgiven me, I can forgive other people." The man knew what he was talking about... At the end he wanted me to pray for him and his children.
As today was also my birthday, the group and the ministry had planned a birthday party for me in the evening.🥳
Day 3: Wednesday, 12.13.2023
On the third day, the original plan was to visit a rehab clinic for drug and alcohol addicts. However, this was canceled at short notice due to a recent outbreak of illness. So we traveled as a group to the Wind River Refuge Mission. The Wind River Refuge Mission is an organization that primarily takes in families who have no home or have been kicked out. The families can stay for up to three months and look for a new home during this time. They are provided with electricity, water and food. We put together a food package for each family for Christmas. The cost of the packages was completely covered by the donations collected for this mission trip. Again, we had time to serve the people and talk to them. They were very open and very happy. Most of the families had more than four children sleeping together in a very small space. That morning we saw one person making a decision for Christ. Party time in heaven. 😉
Afterwards, we went to the womans shelter, which is run and financed by the ministry. The last 1.5 years have been used to convert an old post office into housing. The result is really impressive. It is modern and beautifully furnished. The house can accommodate up to 24 people. The aim is to provide a safe home for women and children affected by domestic violence and primarily to live out discipleship with Christ at the center. The women are allowed to stay between 3-6 months, during which time they also have the opportunity to take part in various courses. 90-95% of all women and girls on the Wind River Reservation have been victims of sexual violence. And only 58 out of 574 tribes across the U.S. provide safe options for victims. Over 80% of people who had spent several years in rehab and then go back to everyday life fall back into the old pattern.
In the evening, a youth gathering was on the program. In addition to the sermon, testimonies and a skit, we also ate together, played games and shared a lot. We were able to witness a healing (pain in the thumb disappeared immediately) and two teenagers gave their lives to the Lord. Hallelujah! A few young ones also sought agreement in prayer for healing from past traumas. We were able to minister for a long time that evening and had a lot of fun together afterwards.
Day 4: Thursday, 12.14.2023
We started Thursday by decorating the church for the kids' event on Friday. That's right, decorating was also part of our ministry. 😉 We used the time to get to know the church staff better.
This afternoon we had probably the most stressful event of the week. Distributing free food to those in need. Usually the first 120 people are allowed to pick up free food during one hour. As we were a larger group, all the people who managed to get into the store during this hour were allowed to take food. I have never seen such a large queue of people waiting outside in very cold temperatures, some without jackets, hours before it started. The food was completely financed by our donations. People were only allowed into the store when accompanied by us and everyone left with three plastic bags. We helped to pack the goods and were able to talk about a few different things and invite everyone to the Sunday service. Afterwards, we escorted them to the car and asked if we could pray for them. Here, too, we sometimes had longer conversations before the people left. A total of 397 people were provided with food that evening.
Day 5: Friday, 12.15.2023
We spent Friday morning together with the pastor's family in a natural outdoor spa. Relaxing and sharing testimonies. Here the pastors told us how God had called them to Wyoming and that the newly built church cost about 2.2 million dollars, which was financed completely debt-free. It is a story in itself how God brought people together for this project. Many people who gave two years of their lives to help make this project a success are just a small part of the story.
The biggest event of the year for the children took place in the evening. A birthday party for Jesus. Children's ministry in particular is a big part of the ministry and the church. Children on the reservation have PTSD rates as high as soldiers returning from war. This is mainly due to violence and addiction in the families.
Day 6: Saturday, 12.16.2023
Today, parents with little money were allowed to choose presents for their children. All they had to do was register in advance and state the number of children. Most of the presents were also paid for from the donations. I asked most of the parents I was allowed to accompany what Christmas looked like for them. Most of the fathers told me that they were going to the casino to spend the money they had received from the tribe... In total, around 50 families with 2-14 children came to pick up presents.
We spent our second to last evening in the church, where we were able to experience a powwow.
Powwows are the strongest public expression of North American Indian culture. The participants proudly present their tribal affiliation and renew their selfimage as "Native Americans" at each of these events. In sociological terms, powwows are therefore far more than just Native American folk festivals. The purpose of a powwow is to strengthen the community spirit and to actively live the affiliation to a Native American culture.
(Source: Wikipedia)After the ceremony, we were able to ask our questions and ate a traditional dinner together in good company.
Day 7: Sunday, 12.16.2023
On Sunday morning, we were in charge of the program for the church service. Around 130 people came to the service. In addition to two powerful testimonies from people in our group (a healing from various illnesses so that she was able to get out of her wheelchair and no longer needs it today and the deliverance from drug addiction of several years), I was able to minister with the Word. Our group leader told me a month before our trip that she believed she had heard from God that I should give the sermon. During the mission trip, I learned what input I should bring. It was about the biblical definition of Christianity and what the gospel means and has achieved. We ended with an altar call and three people gave their lives to Christ. People also came forward for prayer who were or are struggling with traumatized pasts or current experiences. Surprisingly, young and older believers came up to me afterwards and told me that the sermon had brought a lot of clarity to their faith life. Hallelujah! After the service, a few more questions were answered and we spent time together over lunch.
The day was concluded with a visit to the prison in the evening. This is a prison with the lowest security level. Prisoners who have spent several years in prison are here to slowly get used to normal life again over the last two years. We started with four songs, followed by a skit and a short input from Pastor Sarah Lucas with an altar call. Most of the prisoners preferred one-to-one conversations. I was asked some biblical and general questions, such as "Why did God kill my wife who was a believer?" or "Is it wrong for me to be angry with God?". I had the opportunity to respond to the questions and share the gospel. With others who were already born again, I was able to have a good conversation about the Word as we encouraged and learned from each other. My first prison visit blessed and built me up. In addition to three people being born again, we were also able to baptize three people in the Holy Spirit.
A small side note about the prison visit: Very few pastors are allowed to minister and teach the Word in this prison. When the first group from Charis Bible College ministered there three years ago, so many people were transformed that the prison asked Charis Bible College if they could provide materials for the prisoners. As a result, the people there now have materials to study, books to read and much more...
Day 8: Monday, 12.17.2023
Filled with memories and experiences, we made our way back to Colorado on December 17, 2023.
Final words….
I would like to thank everyone who made this mission trip possible. It was an eye-opening experience for me. Not only because I had never been to an Indian reservation before, but also because I experienced first-hand the great needs and struggles of the people there. I was able to see people being changed by the gospel. We as a group had the goal of presenting Jesus to the people. Our message was the gospel of the kingdom of God, and not the gospel of salvation, which is part of it. In addition to 10 born-again testimonies, we were also able to celebrate two physical healings and three baptisms. I love how Pastor Bill Johnson describes the difference between the gospel of salvation and the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Pastor Bill Johnson: "The gospel of salvation is glorious, but it is just a part of the gospel of the Kingdom. The gospel of salvation is focused on going to heaven. The gospel of the Kingdom is focused on bringing heaven. We have to stop confusing our destination with our assignment."
God has and is doing wonderful things through the Foundations for Nations Ministry. I am sure that every one of you who made this trip possible and sent us out will have the same reward in heaven as those of us who were there to serve the people.
If you would like to see a few more pictures from our mission trip, you can do so on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/881479390020420/ Thanks again to everyone who made this possible. The Lord is with us!
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