Fall Newsletter 2024

May you be free of any major rain, wind, or snowstorm. I’ve often heard stories from my uncles and aunts about their experiences driving home for American Thanksgiving during snowstorms. They would sometimes drive through five feet of snow with only half a tank of gas, all while driving rear-wheel drive vehicles without tire chains, or so the stories go.

As always, this fall has been rather busy with school work. Between studies, I have been keeping busy with trips up north and engaging with my community contacts around the northwest. 

This fall, I attended the B.C. Church Workers Conference (Lutheran Church-Canada) in Kamloops with Deacon Michael Gillingham, our newest missionary with LAMP. Not only was the topic relevant and very informative, but I also enjoyed getting to know this group and hearing their stories. Another blessing was being able to share alongside Michael in a panel discussion the work of LAMP with the B.C. church workers. 

A few weeks later, I attended the NW District All Workers Conference (LCMS) in Seaside, Oregon. The keynote speaker was Tod Bolsinger, the author of “Canoeing the Mountains.” The sessions I was able to attend spoke about how the church is leading in a time when we no longer have a map to nowhere to go in reaching today’s culture. It was also a great time to connect with colleagues and have a table to share about the ministry of LAMP.

As a member of the NW District DCE encourager team, I was asked to serve communion at the evening worship service. The only problem is that I have never served the common cup before, but after a few tries I got the hang of it.

I was home for a few days before heading out on an elk hunt with my youngest son. My older son joined us for the weekend when Isaac bagged his first elk, which turned out to be the largest one in the family.

It was a fantastic hunt–one that will be shared around the campfire for years to come.

I headed north to visit several of the communities I serve. Lisa Bearman of Orange Lutheran High School joined me on one visit to check out arrangements for next summer when a group of high school students will conduct a kid's program in Old Masset. Pictured is Pastor Lilly who serves at St. John Anglican Church in the community of Old Masset (Haida Gwaii). Pastor Lilly has called the LAMP office over the past few years asking us to return to share Jesus with her people as she witnesses hopelessness and a declining belief in God.

Following Lisa’s return to the U.S., Dr. Thormondson joined me in three LAMP community visits, including a visit with my two Gitxsanimaxx language teachers. As part of my final year of the CMC program, a facility member has to visit on-site. On our travels, we connected with many people that I knew. It was a fruitful experience.

While visiting with people in Hazelton, I was able to give the rest of the donated quilts I had received to the area food bank, where a friend of mine, Alex, helps out part-time. I know that Alex will see to it that those in need receive a quilt. Thanks are extended to the women who contributed their time and energies to create a hug of love for these folks!

Part of my other connections in the Hazelton area was visiting with Pastor Doug Anderson of Khya Fellowship, who is the community contact for Witset. We plan to invite First Nation pastors from the area to attend a prayer summit at Rock Nest Ranch in Houston, B.C. this spring. Pastor Doug is part of The 6:4 Fellowship and has also received training to teach other pastors to help members of their church develop a healthier habit of praying together. Dr. Thormondson was able to provide some insight as we started the planning process.

 

My final visit was with the new pastor at Redeemer Lutheran in Kitmat, Pastor Daniel Cunningham.  Pastor Dan is hoping to help out the church in nearby Kitamaat Village as they have been asking for more Bible studies at their church. This would be a great opportunity to learn and support one another in God’s Word and build relationships.

 

I have started my final year of schooling in the CMC program. If everything goes as planned, I should be at the call service in St. Louis on April 30th, 2025 with my ordination at Christ the Vine at the end of August in 2025. This year will be the most challenging year since I will be working on starting my new ministry, taking language classes, and completing my portfolio.

 Summer Ministry 2024

Like every summer spent up north, it is a blessing mixed with difficult moments. It is a blessing to serve with each of the teams who volunteer their time, money and resources. This year was another gift for me to only have a few teams and spend most of the week with them.

The first week was really exciting as the team from Arizona had all their group returning from last year, plus one veteran, Ms. Becky. The group picked right up from last year with the connections they made with the kids and were able to build stronger relationships. The group was blessed with good weather and a great turnout of kids.

The following week, my home church, Christ the Vine came with many veteran team members and two new members. It was a fantastic week. Not only did we have a lot of kids, but the amount of knowledge of who God is was evident in how they responded to the lessons. 

The following week brought a team containing some members of a previous team to Gingolx. One member couldn’t attend, but the rest of the team picked up her role and did an amazing job. They are already discussing plans for what they would like to do next year.

I returned home for a couple of weeks and helped with my home church’s VBS program, which is something we have not held for a few years. I truly enjoy assisting with it. 

Then it was back up to B.C. for a week in Witset. My wife Tina was able to come and help. This year we helped at a kids' program in the morning with a one-hour VBS. Then it was an afternoon of hosting a water slide at the lake with an evening program for adults and youth.

 

The days were long, but it was fantastic to make connections with many different people in the community, including attending a men’s dinner hosted by the community. The only negative was a nearby fire that closed our waterslide early on Friday so the water-dropping helicopters could get water from the lake.

The summer went very well, and I look forward to next year when more teams join in helping spread the word of Jesus’s love for all people. 

I am struggling to write this part of my newsletter, but I want to share this with you. While in Gitanyow, I talked with a friend named Matthew whom I have known for a long time. Despite struggling with many challenges in his life, he has always been helpful to me and taught me about the costumes and customs of Gitanyow. Tina and I once gave him a ride from Terrace, and during the journey, he talked with us the whole time. Matthew has two beautiful daughters, one of whom recently graduated from high school.

A week after I returned home, I received a message informing me that Matthew had passed away. Facebook was inundated with shocked messages from people in Gitanyow about his passing. There is still no information on how he died, but when I saw him, there were no visible signs of any health issues. 

Matthew's death serves as a reminder that every day is a gift from God. We never know when it will be our last, nor when the people we know may no longer be with us. May we always live each day for God, giving Him the glory and telling others about Jesus and His love for them.

This week, I started my final year of schooling in the CMC program. If everything goes as planned, I should be at the call service in St. Louis on April 30th, with my ordination at the end of August. This year will be the most challenging year, as I will be working on starting my new ministry, taking language classes, and completing my portfolio. However, since it does not look like the Mariners will make the playoffs, once again, that will be one less distraction.

A Successful Spring Fling

This spring marked the fourth Spring Fling trip, and as always, I was blessed to serve with some wonderful people. Nadine Lung from Sherwood Park, AB, came along with Josiah Schultz and his youth Cody from Yuma, AZ.

We were grateful to be teaching the same two girls as last spring in Kitamaat Village. We even heard that the mother took time off work to ensure her daughters attended.

Later that evening, we held a tea social, but due to a death in the village, only two teenage girls attended. It was a great evening of fellowshipping with them.

Our next event was visiting with Alex Stoney, a youth worker for the Salvation Army in Hazelton. Alex had connected with another minister in the area who set up a BB gun range in his backyard. The group joined with several of Alex’s youth and took turns shooting at targets. We also joined them for a hotdog feed.

That evening, we had dinner with most of the women leaders at the Anglican church that the Yuma team uses for their summer program. It was a great evening of hearing about the history of their church, the community, and where the church is at today.

Additional Visits

After the Spring Fling volunteer group left, I preached and led services in Kitimat for Redeemer Lutheran Church and their mission church in Terrace.

A couple of days later, I picked up our executive director, Steve Schave, and executive director for the Canadian Lutheran Bible Translators, Pastor Mohr. We visited Gingolx, Gitanyow, Hazelton, Witset, and Kitamaat Village. We visited with Pastor Bart Metcalf, Dr. Jane Smith (pictured on the right), and Pastor Doug Anderson. When not stopping to take pictures of mountains and waterfalls, Pastor Mohr asked some of LAMP’s community contacts about the Bible being translated into their language. There is the thought of having a Bible translated in Nisga’a, where we serve the communities of Gingolx and Lax̱g̱altsʼap. 

Orange Lutheran High School (CA) & Donor Visit - April 20, 2024

I had the pleasure and privilege to attend Orange Lutheran High School’s Mission Celebration. It was fantastic to see how many students attended worship services, led the music ministry, and learned how to serve Jesus and others in different ways through outreach and on-campus ministries. The OLHS has an excellent program that offers opportunities for students to share God’s love and grow in their faith in the process. I look forward to helping support a mission team from OL in 2025.

Staff Retreat, Team Meetings, and Installation Service (Edmonton, AB) - April 25-29, 2024

It was a whirlwind and a packed trip to the Arctic (as our executive director calls it) for a staff retreat on Friday to plan our summer ministry.  The night before, I participated in my last online class for the CMC program. 

I used my visit to Edmonton as an opportunity to meet with the LAMP mission team from Stony Plain and present a LAMP Sunday to their church. In addition, I met with the volunteers going to Kitamaat Village and those from Barrhead. 

On Sunday evening, the 28th, all of the LAMP staff with many in attendance, celebrated the installation service of Michael Gillingham as a Missionary Deacon for LAMP at Bethel Lutheran Church in Sherwood Park, AB. 

Donor Visits

I recognize how important it is to have faithful partners in the ministry and am very grateful you also understand the need for the gospel to be taken to God’s people up North. I enjoy staying connected over coffee or whatever works for you, and receiving your comments on my newsletters and blog posts too. Please feel free to contact me.

My VBS Dates this Summer

Please pray for open hearts and minds of the children and youth, (and any adults who might be in attendance) and for strength, patience, and God’s love to overflow via the volunteers leading VBS on the following dates:

Old Hazelton- July 1-5

Gitanyow- 8-12

Kincolith- 15-19

Kitamaat Village- 15-19

Witset- August 12-16

 The Northern Quilter Picker Upper

Last October, you might have heard about my attempt to cross the border into Canada with a small SUV filled with quilts. The second the border agent asked me to roll down the windows, I knew this wasn’t going to work.

Nine months later, after invoices were created, importer ID obtained, and duty paid on each item, I was cleared to continue my route up north to pick up more quilts.  The first stop was in Kamloops, then on to Hazelton, where there is a bounty of quilts waiting to be passed out when the weather gets cooler. By the way, you can watch the Bounty commercial here.

 

I would like to thank the quilters of Christ the Vine Lutheran in Damascus, Oregon, Redeemer Lutheran in Spokane Valley, Washington, and Lord of Life Lutheran in Kamloops, B.C., for making and donating close to one hundred items of quilts, lap blankets, pillows, and knitted pot holders.

Some of the quilts were handed out to community contacts this past summer. Willard and Carolyn from Laxgalts’ap were very appreciative of their quilt.

Virginia from Gingolx was also delighted to receive the gift of the quilt and so was her daughter.

While these quilts are made, given, and received in love, let them serve as a reminder that Jesus' love goes beyond anything we can ever imagine. The gospel message can penetrate any heart that needs hearing the deep love of God, shown through His Son’s death and resurrection on the cross. Pray that hearts will be open to receive this message and that God continues to call all people to share that message with others, especially people in the north. 

 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. (1 King 19:12)

When I was a DCE doing youth ministry, the moments when ministry really happened was not in the big programs or the well thought-out Bible studies, but in the small moments such as driving a kid home from youth night or waiting for an event to start. The youth would often share or ask faith-related questions.

It’s no different in the mission field. This past summer, on two occasions I was caught off guard when the kids made comments about faith or an opportunity to share about Jesus transpired.

While watching over the sign-in table in Old Hazelton during the VBS program, a young boy, who was very active (by moving around and avoiding what he ought to be doing) sat down next to me. Out of nowhere, this young boy asked me, “Do you like Jesus?” Taken aback, I could tell the boy was being very serious. I replied, “Yes, I do. Especially knowing how much He loves me and what He has done for me.” The boy sat there thinking for a second and responded, “I like Jesus too.” and then he left to play games with the rest of the kids. Wow, I thought to myself, what testimony of God at work in this community.

A week later, I was in Gitanyow with my home church. My wife is the team leader. For whatever reason, the kids did not know that we were married but found it amusing. As we were cleaning up, some young teenage girls who had been hanging around with us asked how long Tina and I had been married. I answered, “Twenty-six years.”

The response from the teens was, “Wow, that’s a long time.” Then one girl commented that she doesn’t really know where her parents are. She explained that her dad just left one day, and no one knows where he is.  Her mom went to get milk at the store and did not come home for a couple of years. When she did, she was a very mean person. I could tell the girl was trying to make light of her parents not being around, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. Before I could say anything, the two girls left.

Putting effort into a large program is important, but it is also key to recognize that ministry often happens in those still quiet moments when you least expect it. Pray that God will be with us in those moments to share of His great love for whoever we are talking to. 

Just as quickly as the fires arrived in B.C., so did the rain, and it was just in time. As my home church team left Oregon and drove through thick smoke for most of the day, I headed over to Kitimaat Village, B.C. in preparation for another team traveling from Edmonton, Alberta.

This was going to be a different week since we partnered with the cultural camp for the kids in the community. It would also be different because we were working with a non-religious group. But what an amazing week it turned out to be!

In the first half of the day, the team helped with the cultural camp. We played games and learned the Haisla language alongside the kids, including having to say, “Please listen.” We also learned about their culture, which included some dances and songs. We ate lunch with them. One meal was made of baked salmon and Oolican grease, Kathleen’s favorite!

In the afternoon, we were able to conduct our VBS. Not only were we able to use the brand-new youth center, but the cultural camp helpers assisted with our program. Despite the long days, the team was greatly encouraged by all the new relationships being built at the camp.

An afternoon session listening to Nadine’s story.

Two members of the Haisla dance group shared details about their masks and dances.

Kathleen's fifteenth year serving with LAMP.

A few weeks later, I was back in Witset to help support the team coming from Stony Plain, AB. Unfortunately, one of their team members ended up getting sick and could not come. The team planned similar activities as last year but without the hot, sunny weather. Despite being cool and wet most of the week, there was a good turnout from the community.

Scott Anderson sharing a message at the lake.

This marks the third year in a row that Stony Plain has returned to Witset. It is around year three that most teams feel settled in and are told “welcome home” by people in the community. However, this group has maintained a strong connection with Pastor Doug and Sherry and several of the members from the church in Witset right from the start.

Every week, the Andersons (Pastor Doug and Sherry) gather online for prayer. Sometimes, there are only a few of them, other times more, but the team leaders from Stony Plain, Carolyn and Ralph, have participated and been able to build on the relationships developed during their summer visits.

 

Once a week, the Andersons host pizza nights for the community at their house. It Is especially fun in the summer when the kids can play games in the backyard. 

I wish I had gotten my camera out faster, because there was a moment I witnessed that best describes this team. While at the lake, people started to clean up after the event. Kids were running around.  Right in the middle of the chaos, I saw Carolyn and Ralph with their hands on a gentleman from the community. All their heads were bowed in prayer. It was a beautiful moment to see God working through Carolyn and Ralph as they prayed for this person.

 

This past week, I started year number three of the CMC program. I have really enjoyed the classes taught over the summer, and I’m looking forward to Systematics II being taught by a Concordia Seminary, St. Louis prof. I will also be updating my new ministry start as I look for ways to help the First Nations people grow deeper in their faith.

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 I realize this newsletter is long overdue. Since my last newsletter, a lot has happened. Aftering finishing my spring semester in May, I flew out to Nebraska and helped drive our daughter home from school. Following the replacement of our water main and completion of a few more projects, I went to Concordia Irvine for my summer session.

I was introduced to Peiper, who wrote three volumes on the Lutheran doctrines; something my father read at seminary, and my grandfather had Peiper as a professor when he too attended seminary. Finally, I was able to take a class that I wanted, homiletics 1, and I look forward to using some of the new skills learned when I have to preach. Despite the cool weather in Irvine, it was great to be there and meet the new incoming students and spend time with my cohort.

Some of the CMC students, their spouses, and the staff attended the Mariner’s game when they came to play the Anaheim Angels…and the Mariners won!

I was home for a few quick days before driving North for most of July. Please keep the teams in your prayers. There have been many deaths all for different reasons. Two weeks ago, there were four funerals in the Hazelton area. While in Gitanyow last week, there were two deaths in one family, including the death of a son of a family that we know fairly well.

Please pray for relief from all the fires, there are several burning out of control in northern B.C. which is creating a lot of smoke. Some of you might be dealing with the smoke coming from the wildfires in Canada. 

An out-of-control wildfire near Cedarvale, which is about 26 miles from Gitanyow.

Your prayers are most appreciated. I will have more details on our summer ministry once the last mission team is in B.C. in August. Until then, I hope your summer is going well. 

God’s peace be with you,

Nathan