And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

This time of year is exciting for many different reasons. One reason is that there are certain foods to be enjoyed that are only made during the season of Christmas. No one would drink an eggnog latte during the middle of July or pumpkin pie during Easter. Just like you wouldn’t eat barbecued chicken on Christmas day, unless that’s your thing.

Christmas food, music, decorating and all the other things tie into the Christmas season. What is more exciting is the chance to spend time with family and friends. While I love to play trombone with my church’s brass group, I really enjoy playing with people I know. Doing things with other people to enjoy this time of year brings me a lot of joy.

This past Sunday was exciting for several reasons: I shared with my church some of the recent events and what LAMP has and will be doing during this time of COVID. We also started to think about next year’s mission outreach to Gitanyow. The day ended with a large gathering online of volunteers and LAMP mission staff to meet our new executive director and also start looking ahead for next year. People coming together to minister alongside one another, that is what gets me going! And we did gather last Saturday to assemble the Christmas packages that will be on their way up to Gitanyow. Thank you to everyone that donated and helped assemble them.

Not everyone will feel this way about Christmas to come together to celebrate our Savior's birth. Many get overwhelmed by the stress of the holidays, the hurried pace, and shopping. For some, the holidays will be a reminder of who they lost and what they are missing. How important it is to “meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another”.

Most of our LAMP teams are doing something like this for their northern communities. One team is sharing Christmas cards, several are sending Christmas packages with the storybook about Jesus’ Birthday, a craft item, and a personal note. Please pray that these packages will make it on time to each community, that the children will be blessed by the knowledge that Jesus came for each one of them. Please pray that the communities stay safe from the variants that are going around and will be greatly encouraged by clinging to the precious hope we have in Jesus.

Below is a link to my time with Martin Penner who has been supporting the LAMP teams for a very long time. Martin and Marian live in New Hazelton. In the podcast, you will hear how God has been using them over the years to minister to the people of the Hazelton community.

On a personal note, the boot came off about three weeks ago from my torn achilles tendon. Every day my leg grows stronger and I no longer walk with a limp. 

The first picture is ten days after surgery. The second is twelve weeks after surgery.

May God bless your Advent and Christmas celebration of the birth of the Savior of the World. May you find time to connect and encourage other people by sharing His light and love. Thank you for partnering with my ministry. Your support is a huge blessing to me!

 

https://soundcloud.com/nathan-schmidt-931528488/martin-penner?si=1f7279f0556e4ccc8286e4fe9d60a6a5

 

5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. (Luke 10:5-7)

 

Praise be to God! On August 9th, the Canadian government opened the borders for air travel. This was God’s timing since a brand new mission team was heading to Witset (Moricetown) to conduct LAMP’s only in person Vacation Bible School this summer. Unlike times when Jesus sent the disciples out to do ministry, I was able to pack my bags and bring the things needed to support the LAMP team from Stony Plain, AB serving Witset.

 

On August 16th, I met the team in Witset for a normal start of a first-year trip.  Normal start as in － no kids showed on day 1 of VBS. Luckily, we had partnered with a local non Indigenous pastor to help connect with people in the community. Pastor Doug and his wife Sherry have been living in Witset for forty years and knew every person living there, and everyone knew the Andersons!

 

So we walked the neighborhood with Pastor Doug and Sherry to invite any kids to our VBS. When we all got back, we had three kids. During the rest of the week, Pastor Doug and Sherry would pick up a few kids and others joined them.  The team averaged 11 kids every day after that.

 

Video of the team to Witset

Another exciting event took place that week.  After taking a break due to COVID, the Andersons re-initiated a Friday night pizza party at their home.  This is a tradition that they have been doing for almost fifteen years. About a dozen youth showed up, scarfed down pizza and ran around playing games. Later, a family of five boys and five girls joined in the fun. After a while, the Anderson’s gave rides home to most of the kids from the community.  The family of ten kids, along with the Anderson’s three grand-daughters, led the team and myself in some worship songs and a short devotion. It was such a fitting way to end our time in Witset.

 

The Anderson and Goerke kids leading everyone in praise songs.

The following week I was able to visit most of the communities that LAMP serves in B.C. It felt so good to see people face to face and be able to pray with them in person. It has been several months since any COVID cases have been reported, and nearly everyone has received their second vaccine. For the most part, everything seemed back to normal. There were the usual soccer tournaments, restaurants were open, and the movie theatre had just opened. And almost everyone was not wearing masks . . . until Wednesday, Aug. 25th when the BC government implemented a mask mandate to reduce transmission and protect people indoors again.

 

Visit with Minnie from Kitamaat Village

Other exciting things happening: A new secondary school is about to break ground near Gitanyow. The school will save some students an hour of travel (one way), and the school is geared towards the First Nations’ students. The idea for the school is to help slow the dropout rate by providing access to education closer to home and offering classes that will teach their culture.

 

Gitanyow fishing grounds

On Saturday, Aug. 28th, I was invited to a special announcement at the traditional fishing grounds for Gitanyow (Wilp Wii Litsxw Meziadin). I had always seen pictures of people fishing at this place but never really knew where it was. Most of Gitanyow was in attendance to witness a document signing by all the chiefs. The document declared that the Gitanyow fishing area would be protected from any development or other environmental impact (mining, mineral extraction) from the rivers and nearby land. There was then some dancing, and fish that was caught that day was served.  A couple of news reporters were on hand to record the story.  It was an exciting day!  Again, I was thankful to physically be present for this event.

 

Melinda showing me how they fish.

I also was able to record some podcasts that will be released soon. One podcast that I recorded offered me more insight into the residential schools and life in the community of Gitanyow. As soon as I finish editing them, I will post a link.

 

If everything stays the same, and the border remains open, I plan to make a trip in November to visit the communities again and begin to set things up for winter visits.

 

Your prayers are so needed and greatly appreciated. Please pray that any COVID variants do not make it into the Indigenous communities, that the US/Canada border will remain open for travel, and that we can find opportunities for God’s Word, grace and love to minister from a distance or whatever way possible.

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

 

          When I was volunteering with my home church, it was on our third or fourth mission trip when we found out about residential schools.  With each summer trip, we learned more about the schools and their impact. Provided below are links to more information. In short, they were designed to “get rid of the Indian out of the Indian”.

 

From 1831 to the last school closing in 1996, thousands of children were taken from their homes and placed in schools built by the Canadian government and run by various churches.  Conditions were very poor with under funding and overcrowding, resulting in many of the children dying from tuberculosis as well as being abused. In 2007, the Canadian government started the Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, but many of the survivors of these residential schools have seen little to no action concerning this Agreement.

 

          You might have heard the news about the 215 bodies being found in a mass unmarked gravesite at a former residential school in Kamloops. Unfortunately this has brought up negative feelings from the past of both the survivors and those whose parents or other relatives attended residential schools. There have been peaceful protests, but also several churches have been burned down. Some of the churches were affiliated with operating a residential school while others had nothing to do with them. As time passes, there will be more discoveries of unmarked gravesites and more protests for the Canadian government to take action on reconciliation.

 

          Recently I read on the news about a residential school only an hour away from my house. This residential school is still operating.  It is not like the former residential schools in Canada, but it makes a person wonder: did the United States have similar schools or mistreatment of Indigenous people?

 

          These recent events are reminders of why LAMP exists.  As stated on our website: “We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ can heal and transform people and communities.” It is important to note that LAMP only serves in communities that invite us to come.  Please continue to pray that God would use people in each community to help others hear of the peace that only God offers through His son Jesus. Pray that teams might be able to travel soon into their communities to encourage and be present with people.

 

New about the school in Salem, Oregon:

https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2021/07/feds-may-investigate-chemawa-indian-school-in-salem-after-discovery-of-canadian-mass-graves.html

 

History of residential schools in Canada:

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

A few years ago, I decided to get back into running. I ran a lot in high school and college and enjoyed it. Nearing middle age, and with the weight starting to show, I realized the need to exercise. I was also missing the joy of running.  Because it had been a while since I ran, I knew I had some work to do. What inspired me was seeing a friend post her times from a half marathon where she averaged an 8 minutes and 20 seconds mile, a time I believed I could easily beat and brag about.  However, on my first few runs, I noticed my strides and body had changed from 20 years ago. I wasn’t just way out of shape, but time away and body changes truly affected how I ran.

 

I feel and fear COVID has and will be affecting us in the same way. Not on our bodies or how we run but socially and within ministry. How we used to enact and conduct ministry will be different. How different? We don’t know yet, and that scares me. Like a lot of us, I want this to go back to the way things used to be, but two years of socially distancing, wearing masks and keeping to small gathering sizes will definitely have an effect. Will we want to go back to two-hour long meetings in person or prefer to be online where we can browse the internet or chat with others (assuming some aren’t paying attention)? Will we try to fast forward through a church service only to realize we are in person and not online? Will we have to re-train ourselves including the need to leave earlier to get to work because of traffic?

 

As most of you know, LAMP will not be sending teams into the communities this summer. This is the second year in a row. It’s concerning as we hear and feel the need to be with our friends in the North. The heart of the ministry with our First Nations communities is the relationships, the face-to-face visits, and spending time with people. It is through those relationships that we teach and share about God’s great love for all people. It’s hard to do that from a distance.

 

Last year, we attempted a virtual VBS but found that kids were spending time outside, which is a blessing. This year we are planning to send backpacks with Bible focused activities for the kids to complete. We also hope to connect online if possible. We are praying that God will use this program to encourage and help kids and the families know they are loved by God.

 

The means might have changed, but the mission of sharing the gospel with the First Nations people of northern Canada remains the same. We may not know exactly where God is leading, but we do know that God invites us to follow Him and is with us every step of the way. Take a look at Paul in Acts 27 & 28. While in prison and shipwrecked on the way to a trial, he saves the life of those on the ship and witnesses God's great love for the people on the island Malta.

 

Please pray that the teams will successfully get their backpacks into their communities and that it will provide an effective way for the children to know about God’s love, stay connected, and grow in hope.

 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4)

 

I’m glad to point out that as of December 21st, the days started getting brighter. It might not feel brighter emotionally, but if you’re feeling like me, I could definitely use more light this time of year.

The highway leading out of Gitanyow.

 January is one of the toughest months for myself and others that suffer seasonal depression, especially those up North. Living in the northwest, this is when we lack the most vitamin E from sunlight. There is rain scheduled most of the week until Saturday. sigh. Please re-read my blogpost of January 2018 on how to better understand what people like myself are going through.

 I am so thankful for my hope and strength in “the light that shines in the darkness.” God promises never to leave or forsake us. Christ is ever present, despite how I might feel. There are many in darkness, who lack the knowledge of what Christ does for them. In their struggles, they will turn to other means to fill that void of the Christ light in their lives. And others, who do know, will still fall into sinful habits.

I am encouraged that we have that hope, and we can be a light to others －my family, friends and people who I come in contact with on a daily basis (under COVID-19 guidelines, of course). If you are reading this and someone has come to mind that you feel the need to talk too, stop reading and call them.  You will be a blessing in their life today.

 And, if you are still reading this or just got back from talking to that person who came to mind, here is an update on the many questions I get asked:

 I do not know when I will be able to travel into Canada.

The LAMP staff and our interim executive director will be working with our volunteers to figure out what ministry might look like this summer.

 The last I heard from a friend of mine up North, there are still cases of COVID being reported.

 Yes, I believe the Seattle Seahawks will make the Super Bowl. (I know, that’s not a ministry related question but often a topic of discussion.)

Yes, I still am looking for support with my fundraising efforts. Pledge $50 (or more) per month and double your impact. Ask me how.

 Will you pray with and for me? As we focus on staying connected to the people God places in our lives, we can help them connect to the light -- to the One who can heal us, unite us, and redeem us.  Our mission hasn’t changed and the needs are even greater. Your prayers for God’s wisdom and leading are especially vital as we look to minister from a distance.