Update from Gretchen Becker

Hello Friends-

I hope that each of you are found in the loving grace and truth of Jesus Christ today and are blessed in knowing you are His and He is yours. Here are some things that have been happening this month...

Besides my daily work in multi-media and promotional material for the ministry, my time has been spent hanging out with four girls from our youth group here.

Jade and Tionna are sisters. The live with their auntie who they call mom and her boyfriend who they just recently started calling dad. They have a little brother named Shane who is so, so cute. He's in 4th grade and can't go to youth group events yet, and therefore will stare out the window when I pick up Jade and Tionna with the most pathetic and heart-melting look on his face. They live in a good home from what I can tell, which is a HUGE blessing and not common here. Both Jade and Tionna show big potential to be strong leaders in the Hope Fellowship youth group. I think they believe in Jesus. They've been a part of the small church here for a while now and know the story of the Gospel. However the pressures and struggles that surround them daily are overwhelming. Pray that they would have strength through the Lord to stand firm.

Lateet and Lisa are also sisters. Lateet's in 7th grade and Lisa's in 6th. They live way out on the reservation with two of their brothers, their baby nephew, their mom and their step-dad. They have so many brother and sisters, I honestly can't even keep track. There are three of them (Lateet, Lisa and their younger brother Bobby) who are full sisters and brother, and then I think there's close to 10 other half and step brothers and sisters. Lateet and Lisa are desperate for something to do. I think they rarely leave their house except for when they're in school and walking around White Swan. I took them to Sonic the other week and it was great. It was so obvious to me at that point that we were off the reservation when I was sitting at Sonic with them. It's amazing how quickly a setting and culture can change and how a place 30 minutes away can seem so foreign. I don't know how they view God. They are both learning from the Bible every week at Bible Study. Pray that from the stories, understanding would come to their hearts. They are very interested in youth group and having fun with everyone there...which is a good thing.

Eleanor Davis is an elder here in the community. I spoke with her a month or so ago about about a project that she is working on. She has been given a grant to help her document a traditional longhouse song on a DVD that has been sung for generations in her community. Many of these same kind of songs have been lost over the years as the Sahaptin language dies more and more each year, because they've never been allowed to document them. She wants to record this song in order to keep it alive as long as possible and bring back part of their culture that has been lost. I offered my help in any way I could since I make short videos out here. After talking with her the first time, I felt like we were talking different languages. I knew there was so much that she wanted me to understand about the reasoning behind this project, but I felt pretty lost. However, we met in person, along with Chris Granberry to talk about the next steps in this project. The Lord answered so many prayers in this meeting. Not only were ideas made clear, but Eleanor and her sister Marlene poured their hearts out to us. Both of these women were extremely honest about their frustration and despair of a lost culture and lost identity within their community. It was heartbreaking to hear about the lives they have lived, yet inspiring to see how they were compelled by their struggles to do this project, and in a small way, try to restore their community. The project has only just begun, but I am looking forward to working with these women and I pray that the Lord would use this to bring hope into Eleanor and Marlene's life.

The coffee table photo book I was working on for the ministry is finished. I have a hard copy sitting next to me right now. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But what does that mean, or what would those words be? I've recently gotten a glimpse of how my role as a photographer out here is a difficult and dangerous one. The longer I'm here, they more words there are to these pictures. I look at the Granberry's lives. They have been here 7 years now and there are lots of words and stories to each face they see and the words get more and more complicated to verbalize and process. I'm still figuring out what this all means and how to go about my role as a photographer here on a reservation that is overflowing with hurt and frustration and groaning. I need help in this. But I see the Lord coming to help me through the people He's put in my life and through the grace God gives me to see the Gospel more clearly.

Again and Always, Thank you so much for your prayers!

Prayer Requests:

Jade, Tionna, Lisa, and Lateet- for our growing relationship and for their relationships with Jesus (attached are pictures of making cookies with Jade and Tionna)
The Eleanor Davis project- for continued clarity on what directions to take in this project and for other opportunities to arrive to share Christ with them
The Hope Fellowship YOUTH GROUP- there are many hurting teenagers in our youth group that need the hope of Jesus Christ. Also for their safety!

Much Love to all,

Gretchen




"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion"
-Psalm 84:5

Anyone Want to Help Us Get a New Van?

Hey Ya'll!

We are trying to get $4000 together to buy another 15 passenger van (http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/1436310832.html) to use for picking up folks for Bible Study, youth group, etc. Anyone want to kick in $50-100 to help us get this one?

If so, let me know, then send your donation (with a note that it's for the van) to:

Sacred Road
22116 SE 51st Place
Issaquah, WA 98029

May the Lord repay you ten times over!

Chris

Bill Moyers - Lawless Land: No Justice on the Rez

This is a very well done program on the complex legal/justice problems on Indian Reservations today. Please take time to watch and share with others. CHUCK MURPHY: "Indians are not getting the same justice system that you or I get in Denver, or in New York, or in Boston, or Kansas City, or anywhere else. That, to me, is the most egregious element of this. Is that an entire class of people, based on where they live, is not getting the same services that you and I get."

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11142008/watch2.html

Please Pray for this Young Family

We had company for dinner the other night. We had pizza, spaghetti, watermelon (the last from summer), Pepsi, and juice. It was a really fun time with a troubled family and we are going to see them again soon. In this family are mom and dad who haven’t married yet. They have four little girls and have been functioning together as a family for 10 years, or so, now. Mom would love to have a wedding. (We’ll be talking with them more about that soon.)

They left another reservation to find peace and a fresh start. Dad was a “gangster”/drug dealer; and what’s more, he had his foot chopped off in a fight with a drunk relative. (Amazingly, doctors were able to reattach it. But he is still in constant pain and has a lot of healing left to do. He is not getting great medical care, of course.) As they have been trying to get headed in a good direction, they have had one trial after another. The hardest trial was the suicide of a relative in their front yard this past summer. Everything in their home was to be burned or given away due to the religion of the family, but this is nothing compared to the depression and despair they have battled since then. One other relative tried to commit suicide after his cousin did. So this family has been on “suicide watch” since then.

This little family is actually not so little, their nieces and nephews are often at their little two bedroom house (the entire house is about 20 feet by 20 feet). They brought two of them to our house the other night. These two have also been at our VBS kids’ clubs in the summer with the three oldest girls from the family. Since then, they (the cousins) have been homeless and moved around so much with their mom, that they and their three siblings have not been enrolled in school yet this year.

We ate together, and talked. That night their six children and our own four played with dress up clothes, “the littlest pet shop” animals, and colored with crayons. They went to see our chickens roosting after dark and found some eggs in the hay. They swung on our swing set and slid down the slide in the dark. Then we all settled down and watched the video of their house being worked on this past summer by two teams that came to White Swan. It was a sweet reflection on good memories.

How do we love this family well? How do we know what to do or say? In order to step out in faith and believe the Gospel for them we think back on our own stories. We know that if God can save us and change us, He can do the same for them. We believe He is drawing them; and while the Holy Spirit is working, we tell them of the Good News as well as the good we see God doing in their lives. We walk with them, simply walk with them, and speak of Him who is Good!

Beauty and Brokenness

by Ann Marie Granberry

I remember a lot of things from my childhood. I remember my dad's old youth house. I remember saying goodbye to him as he went on mission trips. I remember wanting to go. I remember going to Camp Briarwood when I was eight years old. I remember getting letters while I was there. I remember my grandparents picking me up. I remember when my parents told me that we were leaving. I remember telling my best friend. I remember the Sunday when we told our church. I remember Mission Training Intentional. I remember pulling out of our driveway for the last time and I remember the drive. I remember feeling lost. What I don't remember is, knowing how God would use this transition in my life.

The Lord has used these transitions to pull me closer to Him. Because of my background I look at the world in a different way than I ever could have, or did. I see the beauty and the brokenness in it. I look at cultures and I know how to analyze them and how to fit into them. Because of my background I know how to weep, how to say goodbyes, how to minister, how to fight, how to laugh, how to love, how to trust, and so much more. These are some of the things that I had to learn because of where the Lord placed me.

I've been learning a lot about World Views lately. Through this process I have been able to collect my thoughts and decide what my own world view is. Like I said, because of what the Lord has done in my life I can look at the world and see the beauty and brokenness in it. I admire the beauty, but I detest the brokenness.

Sometimes when I examine these World Views I am amazed by the early civilizations, or by famous people who did something important. In my most recent studies of the world however, I have found myself disgusted by the ways of the world. Sometimes I've felt like I was literally about to throw up because of something I've heard, seen, experienced, or read. Just in the last few weeks, I have felt this way, more than once.

It didn't always bother me so much. Maybe it was because I was too young to know much about it. But after moving to the Reservation things such as racism, abuse, sexual impurity, even cussing sicken, shock, and disgust me. These things are so real to me. I confront them often because I'm on the Reservation.

I know fifteen and sixteen year old girls who have children. I know children who have found their own parent after that parent committed suicide. I've seen the physical scars caused by abuse. But I've also seen the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual scars. I've held babies who struggle from alcohol and drug effects. I've wept with those who weep, and I've rejoiced with those who rejoice. I have felt the wounds, but also the healing. There is definitely brokenness on the Yakama Indian Reservation. But there is also beauty.

In the last six and a half years that my family has been here, we have seen so much growth. We are a lot farther ahead of schedule than we ever thought we would be. Our "baby church" still continues to meet and grow every Tuesday night. We have Kids Club in two different neighborhoods now, and sometimes have over one hundred children show up between the two sites. Our summers are full of teams who are ready and willing to serve the community, and our Sacred Road team continues to develop.

Some people believe that there is no poverty in the United States. Some believe that these things happen, but only on Reservations. Others believe that there is nothing to be done about it. All of these people are wrong. Poverty is not a foreign term. It lives and thrives in America, even today. Poverty is not only on Indian Reservations either. It's all over. Racism, hatred, and abuse are all over too. They are very real characteristics that exist all over the world, including in America. This is because we live in a broken, fallen world. But there is beauty.

I have finally begun to accept the fact that God wants me on the Reservation. For a long time I was angry with Him for making my family move. The only thing that I wanted was to go back to Birmingham. When I realized that going back to Birmingham wasn't going to help, I began to wonder how God could want me anywhere, for any reason. I began to see my own sin more clearly, and it made me realize how unfathomable it was that the God of everything could want me, let alone use me. The Lord has changed my heart in so many ways. I love the people on this reservation, and I know that the only thing I want to do in my life is serve the Lord, in one way or another.

As Christians we know that our Father is working. There is hope, because God is a gracious and merciful God who loves to use broken tools. We are broken, and our world is broken, but there is hope because Jesus' body was literally shattered for us. That is the beauty. We are to be in the world, but not of it. We do have to stay here, and live in this fallen world. But we can know that it is not our final destination. Someday soon we will be in a place that is perfect, and whole. We know this because of His covenant with us. That covenant will never be broken. Of all the things to remember, this is the most important.

Sacred Road Staff Reflect on Recent Events in the Community

Mike Shaw on White Swan High's Football Game

A couple weeks back we had the opportunity to attend White Swan High’s first home football game. It was a cool late summer evening under the lights and it was exciting to see the community come out. We saw many familiar faces and had the joy of witnessing the kids’ reactions to seeing us outside of “church” or Kids’ Club. Most importantly, we had the pleasure of being a part of the community in cheering on their team. For once we weren’t outsiders and it felt good to relax and hang out in the place in which we live and work. I think our presence on a weekend night surprised a lot of people, both kids and adults, but we enjoyed the occasion to sit with friends as part of the community and watch the Cougars win.

~Mike

Emily Schmidt Talks About Her Time With Youth

These past few months I've been hanging out with Aqua and her 7-month old baby, Shane. In the past, I've always had a plan for what to do when hanging out with her, but this last week I wanted to let her decide. We sat on the couch in her house, played with Shane, and just talked for a while. Then Aqua suggested that we go to "Dads", a local diner, and get root beer floats...which was the perfect suggestion. I had been wanting to go to "Dads", we both love root beer floats, and it was something that she suggested and wanted to do. It was perfect. The whole afternoon was full of goodness.

In addition to being with Aqua this past week, I was happy to spend time with some other teenagers from the rez. The Yakama Cultural Center's theater shows new movies each Thursday evening, so Mike Shaw, three youth, and I were able to go see a movie last Thursday. The movie ended up being less than awesome, but just being with the youth was so great.

~Emily

Gretchen Becker Writes About The Harrah Fall Festival

Fall is approaching, which means school, colder weather, and of course, parades and festivals. A couple weeks ago there was a Fall Festival in the small town of Harrah here on the reservation. The day began at 8:30 for us as we put the finishing touches on the Sacred Road float that would be in the parade. During the parade we threw out candy to all the children, passed out invitations for Tuesday night Bible Study, and had an all around great time. As we passed by the float judging table during the parade, we heard over the sound system that our float had won FIRST PLACE! The rest of the day we walked around Harrah Park where there was music, tons of food, games, and, best of all, a 3-on-3-basketball tournament. It was great to feel like part of the community and not just by-standers. We ran into many familiar faces from the summer and from Bible Study.

I have been hoping to start mentoring two young girls that have been coming to Bible Study for a while now. Their names are Lisa and Lateet. They were both at the festival and it gave us a chance to hang out together in a very casual setting. I had a good time talking and watching some basketball with them.

From 1^st place in the parade, to Indian tacos, to an Italian soda made by the White Swan Cheerleaders, to being beat horribly in 3-on-3 B-ball, Saturday was an enjoyable day for all and a good day to put down in Sacred Road history.

~Gretchen

Heather German's Thoughts on the Back to School BBQ

A couple of weeks ago Sacred Road hosted a Back to School BBQ for the community of White Swan in Totus Park housing project. 180 people enjoyed a meal of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, watermelon, and pop. The highlight of the evening for the kids was a blow-up bouncy castle. Most importantly, though, we saw people who regularly attend Bible study volunteer to serve their community. As soon as the Sacred Road team arrived at Totus, kids and youth immediately started helping by setting up tables and chairs. Two men, Greg Arquette and Allen Slome grilled with staff member, Chuck Clevenger for 2 1/2 hours to make sure everyone had enough to eat. Wendell Hannigan was the Emcee for the night opening the evening by thanking everyone for being there. Several women enjoyed helping out as well. Kate Enyes helped set up the buffet table and Leah Wyman tied down 200 helium balloons donated from Little Caesars, and handed out 100 Sacred Road T-shirts with her daughter Nita.

Stacy Speedis was also there early to help set up. She pulled weeds to get them out of the walkway for arriving people. More importantly than the jobs these people did to help, was that they were there working along side of the Sacred Road staff. The BBQ seemed to be one step closer in the journey towards a functioning church in White Swan. Many people heard about Tuesday night Bible study that had not heard of it before and this past week at Bible study we had lots of new faces. The evening was one more good memory in my mind associated with Sacred Road and Christ's love, and hopefully it was in the minds of all the kids, youth and adults who came.

~Heather

Photos Taken by One Week Ministry Team Member Tom Bilbro

You are invited to view tombilbro's photo album: whiteSwan

whiteSwan Jun 28, 2009 by tombilbro View Album Play slideshow

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Some pictures from the CPC White Swan trip.

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