You could actually feel the difference as our team prepared for Tuesday’s VBS program. A sense of excitement filled the room as we welcomed another 45 kids to our Kid’s Club. Feeling more prepared than ever, our team made the kids a high priority and focused on “having fun”. And God smiled on our efforts. Three children dedicated their lives to follow Christ! Tears filled the eyes of one of the grandmothers who was told that their granddaughter is now a Christ follower.
In the evening our team had a unique opportunity to sit with older members of the Nazarene church that we are working with. We were given the opportunity to ask any questions we had about Native American culture. It was a sobering time as we heard about Native American children being taken from their parents in the 1950′s and placed into boarding schools. The eyes of the Westwind team were opened to the issues facing Native Americans, including substance abuse, suicide, and losing their culture. Many conversations took place after the meeting that will hopefully bring our team to our knees in prayer for this hurting people group.
I had the incredibly humbling priviledge to lead a little girl by the name of Yvonne to the Lord. She was almost distracted by the fact that her two sisters were not there to hear about Jesus too. According to her, they were adopted by other people and she doesn’t know where they are. Her step father was mad one day and sent them away, was how she understood it. Whatever the facts may be, I told her to pray everyday for her sisters that God would send someone to tell them about Jesus too. It humbling to sit there and listen to this little girl ask Jesus to forgive her and come into her life and then choking back tears asking Him to make sure her sisters hear this news too.