Things Don't Always Go According As Planned

On Monday I was supposed to travel to Klemtu with some Pastors from a church in Beaverton, OR. The purpose was to introduce their new Youth Pastor to Klemtu in preparation for a ministry trip this summer.

Sunday night I received a call saying they had to delay the trip until Jan 1-5 because of the bad weather out here. (As a side note, much more of this Global Warming and we will all freeze to death out here.) I was disappointed, my bags were packed and I was ready to go.

But God, in His wisdom, had other plans. So our trip was planned. It was disappointing but understandable.

For our dear sister mentioned in the blog below, things were more than disappointing. Rather than going home for Christmas after 8 months in the hospital, she is being flown back down to Vancouver to a hospital there for treatment she can't receive from the small hospital near her home.

We will probably be her only visitors on Christmas day. I can only imagine the sadness she feels. Being home with her extended family has been her goal for many months now.

We don't always understand God's plans for our lives, especially in the short term. However, we must continue to trust in His love, wisdom and plans for us.

An Unlikely Hero

Below is a copy of our Christmas Ministry Update. Christmas greetings to all!!

An Unlikely Hero

“Why does the nurse say I’m a hero?”

That was the question that a dear friend and sister in the Lord recently asked us as she lay in her hospital bed unable to care for herself. You probably wouldn’t take notice of why the nurses felt like that unless you chose to sit and spend time with her. What that nurse saw in our friend was a cheerful determination to persevere through difficulties and a caring heart for others. That alone is a miracle. If you knew the mistreatment she had suffered from others throughout her life, you would be amazed that she smiled at all. If you knew of her long struggle with diabetes and now a stroke and other complications you would be even more amazed.

We spent the last 6 months visiting with her on a regular basis, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, praying together and sharing meals together. We took her on outings to the mall or down the street to a favorite Chinese restaurant. We worked with her on diet and attitude. We spoke with countless doctors, nurses and social workers on her behalf. We encouraged her to not live through our faith but through her own. Mostly, we just shared life together as best we could.

And in the end, we came to appreciate again what that nurse saw in her for the first time: her big heart for others. Even as she lay in the hospital month after month her concern was for her family back home. “How are they doing?” “Can they come visit?” “Can you help me get a cell phone so I can call them?” “Can we go shopping so I can buy all my nieces and nephews Christmas presents?” (We took her to Wal-Mart one night where she bought 4 Rubbermaid totes full of Christmas gifts and decorations to make Christmas special for her family.)

She recently was transferred to a hospital closer to home with the hope of being home in time for Christmas. Pray that she does.

She was a ‘hero’ to the nurses because of her care for others in spite of the great challenges she faced herself. She perseveres and struggles on with the hope of making it home where she could be with her family again.

Thank you for your care and concern for our ministry and family. We are all doing well. The Leadership Mentoring Ministry is slowly coming together. Like it is for most people these days, things are challenging financially. But we continue to be thankful for God’s provisions through your gifts. Without it we would not have the opportunity to minister, whether in a hospital or mentoring others who minister in Native Christian Fellowships.

We trust that God will richly bless you this Christmas season.

An Interesting Week of Ministry (Part 1) Campbell River

This past two weeks we have had two families (one from NY and one from PA) come for a visit. We also had a friend come from Klemtu. It seemed only natural to incorporate them into our ministry. What follows in this and the next blog are a small picture of what we all did together.

Deb, Mary and Chuck from New York

On Friday, July 18, Chuck, Deb and Mary flew into Seattle. Chuck and Deb are long time friends of Karen and myself and Chuck pastors one of our supporting churches. Saturday I left with them to visit Campbell River. The main purpose was to visit Campbell River Native Christian Fellowship (CRNCF) and encourage Pastor Brody. Along the way we took a tour of the reserves in the area, visited some families, took in a church service and held a home service for Eleanor, our 94 year old elder who was instrumental in helping found CRNCF. We also found time to do some sight seeing as well.

In addition we took Brody and his wife, Allison out to lunch on Sunday. Willard and Gloria also came to lunch. They are a couple in the Fellowship with a wonderful gift of visiting and encouraging people. It was a profitable time as Chuck and Deb got to see a small slice of Native ministry and church life. It tends to be more loosely organized and casual than the typical non-native church in North America. On this Sunday, 10:30 church started at about 10:45 or there abouts.

Campbell River Native Christian Fellowship

I was thinking this morning about how different the pastoral situation is for typical North American (NA) churches and typical First Nations (FN) churches. In a typical NA church, when they need a pastor, through various avenues word is spread that the position is open. Various candidates will apply and a committee will sift through the sometimes lengthy list of applicants. One candidate's experience is too short or another candidate doesn't have the right education background or not enough. Still another candidate doesn't seem to have the right gifts and so on. Maybe one is too old or too young. Eventually the committee narrows down to one person who comes and puts himself on display for the congregation to approve or disapprove of. Hopefully through the process there is a good blend of a new pastor and existing congregation.

Pastor Brody and his wife Allison

In the FN church, things are different. Often times Fellowships exist but there are no long list of candidates looking to fill the position of pastor. In fact, no short list exists either. There is generally no one necessarily looking to fill that position. So the Fellowship prays and looks and wonders. Maybe they can find one person who is willing, maybe not. Often times, we are working with pastors with far less training and experience in FN churches (but not always). They are just as godly and committed to service for the Lord. Their hopes and dreams are worthy as are those of the FN Fellowships'. Collectively, they don't have the pool of resources available that the average NA church and pastor has.

Chuck, Deb, Mary and I visited Campbell River to encourage one such pastor, Brody. I expressed to Brody my gratitude for his willingness to pastor the young Fellowship there. He grew up in Campbell River but comes most recently from a youth ministry in Nanaimo, about 2 hours south of Campbell River. Brody and his wife Allison have had an effective ministry in Campbell River. A highlight was a few weeks ago when he baptised three generations of Christians from the same family. His plans are to stay until September. If God leads him elsewhere, CRNCF will begin all over again praying, looking and wondering, "Is there a godly man out there to lead our Fellowship?"

Brody baptizing three generations of Christians

Pastors Scott and Chuck encouraging Pastor Brody

Scott with Eleanor after we held a home church service for her

Gloria and Willard enjoyed lunch with us all!

PS- After and exhausting 2 days, we all returned home at about 10pm Sunday night. Our friends from PA were there and we began a full week of activities and ministry in the Vancouver area. More on that in the next blog.

Betty at Home With The Lord

On April 19 at 2:30pm Betty passed on into the presence of the Lord. She was quite tired from her long illness and was ready to meet her Lord and Savior. It was one of the most peaceful scenes I had every witnessed. After opening her eyes for a final time, whispering something to her daughter and looking at everyone gathered in the room, Betty quietly rested and a few minutes later her struggles in this world were all behind her. She had received 'the goal of her faith, the salvation of her soul.' (1 Peter 1:9) I felt incredibly privileged to be a witness as someone stepped from this life into glory and the presence of God. Words cannot adequately express what a privileged scene it was.

The following week was very busy as I travelled to Klemtu to help perform the various services associated with a funeral week in Klemtu. I travelled with our retired Mission Director, Bill Lottis, and his wife, Sandy. It was one of the most intense yet rewarding weeks I had spent in Klemtu. In time I will share with you some of the exciting things that are happening. But during the week, together with Betty's family and community, we cried a bit, laughed a bit (Betty was a funny lady full of humor), shared a lot of meals together and sought the Lord for help, strength and comfort. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people there. The services were not only made up of Klemtu community members but people from neighboring Native communities as well.

One of the interesting developments during the week concerns Native Leadership Development and Betty's role as a Lay-Minister. During Betty's lengthy illness three people stepped forward to carry on the ministry in the Church there in Klemtu: Jeanette (Betty's sister and a wonderful Christian lady), John and Alan. John has a very impactful prayer ministry with people and Alan is a naturally friendly and gregarious believer. During the week the family and community made it quite clear they wanted these three to collectively carry on the Lay-Minister's role and "keep the Church lights on." I began to talk/mentor them concerning pastoral ministry. It is something that I will continue to do in the future. Pray for these three as they seek to minister to people in this role.

Native Ministers- Young and Old

The past few weeks have been very interesting for me. For the past month I have been visiting the Lay-Minister, Betty, from Klemtu who has been in and out of ICU with many significant health issues. There have been days when we didn't know if she would make it through the night. To date, God has answered our prayers but she has a long ways to go before she can leave ICU.

Her family has had a long history with the Church in Klemtu. For the past bunch of years she has served as the Lay-Minister there. The position is just like it sounds, in the absence of an ordained minister, outlying churches often elevate someone from within the Church to function as the local minister. It speaks to the continued need for qualified and trained Native Pastors to fill positions in local Native Fellowships.

This past Sunday I was in Campbell River and had the opportunity to see my replacement, Brody Naknackum (sp?) handle the service. Brody is a local Native believer. He comes with some of his ministry training complete. I heard a number of wonderful remarks about Brody and am thankful for his willingness to take on pastoring Campbell River Native Christian Fellowship. I overheard one lady say to him after the service, "You always have something just right to say for me." Someone else said to me, "Its nice to have a pastor that speaks our language." She did not mean the literal traditional language of the local people, services are conducted in English. She meant, someone who could speak from a Native perspective. Brody hopes to return to school in the fall to continue his training but that will leave a gap to fill at the Fellowship.

Please pray for Betty and her health challenges. Also pray for Brody as he pastors in Campbell River and for the two Fellowships (Campbell River and Klemtu) as they seek long term solutions to their need for Native Pastors.

How Technology Has/Has Not Changed Ministry

A Quick Quiz:
A. Technology has changed the way we do ministry
B. Technology has not changed the way we do ministry
C. Technology has both changed and not changed the way we do ministry
D. Scott, your making my head spin!
(Correct answer at the end of this blog)

Yesterday I was struck by how much technology has changed the way we do ministry.

When we first went to Klemtu 16 years ago, it had not been that long since there were phones in all the homes. People used to frequently speak of the 'one phone' that was in the Band Office. If you wanted to call someone, you had to go to the Band Office and wait your turn. Until recently VHF radios were the primary way people spoke to one another in the village. They are still there but now people talk on the phone, on cell phones, on line and thru web sites. Things sure have changed.

Yesterday, I was visiting with Rick at St. Paul's Hospital in the city of Vancouver. Rick's mother Betty is in the Intensive Care Unit there and is very sick. Rick and Betty are from Klemtu. Things have been back and forth as to whether Betty would recover. Today there are signs of improvement for which we are thankful.

I took Rick to Subway for lunch so that he could get a break from sitting in the hospital waiting room all day, day after day. He said he appreciated the meal even though he did not feel like eating.

But it's a new age.

Not only are there telephones in everyone's houses in Klemtu, almost everyone has a cell phone now. The whole time Rick and I tried to visit, one or the other of us was interupted by text messages coming in. At one point Rick looked up at me and said we looked like a couple of geeks spending all our time texting people. I said that I thought if we wanted to get any visiting in with each other, we would need to text each other right there at the table.

Things have certainly changed alot over these past 16 years. We use the internet and cell phones to keep people in touch. A few years ago when our good friend Glen came to live with us as he died of cancer, we would send picture and email updates back to the village every few days. The pictures would be made available in the school, at the band office and other places.

We now have these three websites (Ministry Updates, Family Updates and Devotionals) to better communicate with both you, our Ministry Partners and with you, our Native friends and family. We take pictures on our cell phones and send them to our email account and into our computer. We use Skype to talk to people on line. We....

I was also struck by how technology has not changed ministry.

It is still the personal relationships that are the most effective way to share Christ with people. The new technologies are something that can enhance that, but never replace that. Face to face time spent with people is still critical. A phone call would not have been as effective as spending time with Rick. A shared meal speaks more than any text message could. Sitting quietly together in the waiting room can not be replaced by any volume of written words on Face Book or any other website.

Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same!

(Correct Answer: C or D, or C and D)

Pray For Betty

Dear Friends,
Please pray for our friend, Betty, who is lying in a hospital bed in Vancouver. She is suffering from many physical problems and is in the Intensive Care Unit and struggling. Betty is one of the first people that we met when we went to Klemtu. She invited us to a large extended family dinner the day we moved to Klemtu and she had a baby shower for Ryan shortly after we arrived. She has been a friend ever since. Betty is also the lay-minister there. Her family has a long assosciation with the Church in Klemtu.

Does What We Do Make Any Difference?

In a moment of doubt and discouragement I found myself asking that question a few weeks ago.

For the past few months we have worked with a young couple that we have known for many years. Their baby was born prematurely with many health challenges and this couple and their family found themselves forced to move from their home reserve to the city of Vancouver. We tried to provide much encouragement as well as practical advise and assistance to help them adjust to life in this new environment. Life in the big and impersonal city is VERY different from the intertwined life of a reserve. The challenges were big. advice was not followed and one day all their children ended up in the Foster Care system.

It was a disappointing and painful day for all of us. I wondered after all the invested hours, "Does what Karen and I do really make a difference?" Apparently the Lord overheard my doubts and private rumblings and shortly after provided an answer.

At the same time as all this was going on, we were dealing with the news of Karen's cancer and subsequent operation. During that time our friends and family from Klemtu and Campbell River provided expressions of love and concern over and over again. The many calls, the practical expressions of care and even their initial panicked responses to the news let us know how deeply we were ingrained in their hearts. When the good news about the surgery went out, one bed-ridden friend was so overjoyed that she said she almost stood up for the first time in a long time. She had to go out and tell others, 'Karen is doing well. No cancer was found outside of the lump The doctor thinks she got it all!!!'

Our lives are their lives. Our illness is their illness. Karen's good surgery and results was their good news as well.

Does what we do really make any difference? Sometimes in the daily grind and routine, the common events and failures we wonder. But God orchestrated through Karen's illness for us to have a window of opportunity to see how much we have impacted their lives. And in the reflection of that window, we saw how much they had impacted ours as well. God's love had gone out to others and had come back in great measure.

I am thankful that in my moments of self-doubt, God deals with me graciously. I am also grateful to be assured once again, that whether I see any difference day to day I can trust that God is active in the hearts and lives of those around me. Sometimes he even uses me in spite of myself :)

A Typical Day?

Please don't ask, I really don't know how to answer that question. I know many of you wonder because you ask me that question when I speak in your Churches. I just really can't say what a typical day is like, I don't seem to have any two that are alike. It seems like I plan my day and then my day plans me. Since I can't tell you what a typical day is like maybe I will just tell you about today.

Today I am continuing on in development of three web pages (this one for ministry updates and two others for family updates and a devotional site). In addition I am organizing a committee meeting (for which I accidently sent out the wrong dates which led to the necessity of more communication), responding to emails, persuing a financial support opportunity for this ministry, mentally composing a ministry update letter, taking/making various phone calls and meeting with my supervisor for the whole afternoon. I hope to do further reading in 'How Long, O Lord" by D.A. Carson as well as begin to read/review "Where is God When It Hurts" by Philip Yancey and "Stress Fractures" by Charles R. Swindoll (The Serminator).

I also have to cook dinner (its my turn), pick up our Japanese Exchange student from school, take Ryan to and from work and attempt to appease our dog Riley's incessant requests for attention, walks and potty breaks. In my spare time I hope to....

What's a typical day like for you?