Sunday morning...it always feels surreal when I wake up somewhere other than at home. My routine is to make coffee, read, journal, pray, maybe play a round or two of Blockus! But in someone else's home, I feel guilty if I sleep in longer than they do; I feel unsure if I should stay in my room and do my personal devotions and have my coffee. What to do?
Walter and I did sleep in until about 8:30 or 9 am. These late nights were catching up with us! But our hosts were late rising also. They were very gracious to us in letting us rest, making coffee and serving us another delicious brunch: french toast and garlic sausage.
Ernie also surprised us by saying he felt that he could do an interview for Tribal Trails. So after we ate, Walter set up the cameras around the dining room table. Ernie put on a shirt and vest, got his Bible open and was all ready. I helped monitor one of the cameras, keeping an eye on the battery power. (One of the batteries wasn't working/charging properly so we didn't want to lose that camera's view.) It did take two tries, but Ernie was able to share his testimony very clearly and we were so thankful he was willing to be recorded.
Another surprise was that the other pastor, John Charles, wanted to have a 4 pm service, as well as the special meeting at 7 pm! Walter had no problem coming up with another message to preach. There was some hymn singing, a couple testimonies and the Creasy's sang a few songs. A 1 1/2 hour service seemed short compared to the four-hour services but it was a special time of worship and fellowship that a few new ones attended.
Supper was at Trevor and Sherry's house again - turkey, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables. We certainly felt blessed as the church folks served us their best. By this time in the weekend, we all began to feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other. There was more teasing, joking and laughter, a hallmark of good fellowship in the First Nations world! We all ate our fill and then some left a bit early in order to set up, tune up and prepare for the final service of the weekend.
Our hosts, the McDougalls, were celebrating a grandchild's birthday so had a family supper. They weren't able to arrive until after the service was to start, so Trevor as M.C. called upon me to lead in a few opening songs. I'm so glad I brought my binder of hymns and Gospel songs - that I often use at funerals. Using Ray's guitar again - which unfortunately had gone out of tune because of the unregulated heat in the church building - I got up and led four or five songs that seemed to go over well with the congregation. It was fun to look out at the now almost half-full sanctuary and feel as though it mattered that Walter and myself both came to this weekend of special services. I felt a special love for these believers in Garden Hill. I prayed for the others who had traveled here to sing, testify and be servants for Jesus. What a privilege to be called to this ministry! It's not easy but the blessings of obedience and overcoming challenges are so worth it.
Walter preached his fifth and final sermon and it was the heart of his series on Spiritual Warfare. This message gave practical application for resisting the enemy. He shared Scriptures like James 4:7 - "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." And 1 Peter 5:8 and 9a also give direction on how to fight the spiritual battle - "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." We are able to stand against the devil because we have the authority in Jesus Christ to do so. When we submit to Christ's authority, when we call Him Lord, then He fights for us. He gives us strength and the ability to resist evil, to escape temptations, to be delivered from darkness and fear and demonic influences. What a liberating and life-giving message!
At the end, Walter asked the pastors permission to pray for the church and they eagerly agreed. We all stood and prayed on the Armour of God (in Ephesians 6:10-18) and resisted the devil from the church and the community. I've heard these messages before but the authority of God's Word and the thrill of seeing folks respond with joy and tears is so powerful. I sat during Walter's sermon praying for him and for the truth to sink deep into these thirsty hearts!
People didn't want to leave after the final hymn and closing prayer. Someone had brought homemade buns filled with meat, cheese and lettuce - all wrapped individually - and we enjoyed fellowship and said our goodbyes. Todd and Krystal left all the books and resources they had brought for the church to distribute. We packed up our cameras and tripods; we got several good hours of music and testimonies that hopefully can be used on Tribal Trails, as well.
Although completely spent after a full weekend of visiting and ministering, we sat up with the McDougalls to have a last visit and cup of tea. They would be up early to go to work (teacher and janitor at the school) and our ride would arrive about 9:30 am to take us to the airport next morning. So we said our goodbyes and I got their mailing address to keep in touch.
Whew! Our last night and we needed to sleep. I don't remember much except waking up to the smell of coffee and our friends already gone for the day. We packed up and I left some of my snacks for their grandchildren on the kitchen table with thank you notes for everyone. Trevor picked us up on time and drove us to the airport on the island. We waited maybe half an hour and Norm and Charles arrived basically at the time they said. It was a cloudy morning, but our flight back to Winnipeg was uneventful. I dozed, looked at my phone a bit and soon we were starting our initial descent. We had a few more bumps as we descended through clouds, but our pilots were great. Ray didn't suffer from air sickness - thank goodness - and we all were happy to land safely.
And that was that! Thanks for following our adventures and I hope you are inspired to pray for our Indigenous friends and the many communities that need to hear the Gospel. The work isn't finished yet!
The Last Service at Garden Hill Testimony Conference









