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
 

 

 My usual waking time is around 7 am - I did wake up then but there was no sound from our host family indicating they were up yet. Fortunately, Walter and I were both able to sleep in until 8:30 am.  The smell of coffee urged us to get dressed and venture out of our room.

Mare was taking a shower and no one else stirred in the house.  I grabbed two mugs and filled them with the steaming coffee.  Taking the opportunity to gaze around the kitchen/dining room and living space, I noted the family photos and scripture plaques on the walls.  It was clear that this household loved the Lord and their family!  Walter and I drank the coffee in our room as we had our morning quiet time.  I journalled as I usually do, then read the "verse of the day"  on the YouVersion phone app.  I barely got through my prayer list of family, friends and missionaries plus praying about the special services this weekend.  Hearing some sounds in the kitchen, we emerged to join the McDougalls.

Ernie was the last to rise, around 10:30 am and Mare had a lovely breakfast of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns waiting for all of us.  We sat around the table and enjoyed the food and fellowship.  (The two grandchildren they raise never did join us for any meals but stayed in their rooms most of the time we were there.)  They told us about their family, the loss of their daughter a few years ago, their lives in the community and some details about how they met.

Plans for the day were vague, so we hung out and enjoyed the slow pace.  Ernie sat in his recliner and put on worship videos on the television. Mare cleaned up the kitchen, turning down my help and insisting that I relax.  

Then Ernie got a text.  Nattie would be by around 2 pm and take me for a ride!  I was hoping to spend some time with her, having tea and a visit.  But she told me she was very busy and wasn't sure she was available.  I guess she was available after all!

I was ready when Nattie arrived and jumped into her truck.  It was a cold but sunny day.  Where would Nattie take me, since Garden Hill was a fly-in community?  Where could we possibly go on this drive?

Well, first off, we drove to where the ice road went across to the airport, RCMP detachment and a few houses on an island.  But Nattie turned right instead of going across the ice and told me we were going to drive up to Wasagamak.  Where?  I'd heard of the community and one of our ministry team, Chris Creasy, is from there.  So as we drove along the cleared track on the ice, Nattie told me about her family, her late husband Arnold and life in Island Lake (Garden Hill and the other nearby communities).   She pointed out certain islands where her Dad would take the family to live for the summers, other places where her family lived during the winters.  Nattie told how she went to residential school from age 7 to mid-teens.

We met several other vehicles along the ice road.  Some maintenance crews were scraping and flooding areas; others were widening the lanes.  We drove to the landing of Wasagamak, then turned around and headed back to Garden Hill.  More stories and then touring around the community of about 3,000 people.  The north side and south side, central and even some new areas that were being cleared and houses being built.  There was a large, new school, health centre, daycare and Headstart program.  The Northern Store with a KFC and Tim Horton's was near the main crossroads of the community. It was special to have Nattie's perspective on the history and current developments of Garden Hill, MB.

We had spent three hours in the truck and I needed to get ready for supper and the evening service.  So Nattie dropped me off at the McDougalls and had a few errands to run herself - mostly picking up grandchildren and dropping off others.  In the meantime, Walter had spent the afternoon visiting with Ernie.  They had discussed all the weighty matters, theological topics and issues of global significance. Ernie had also whipped up his famous chili that was smelling very good as I walked in the door.

After we ate supper, I helped Mare dish up the leftover chili into to-go containers.  She wanted to give it out after the service to anyone who was hungry or could use a meal.  Then we rode over with them to the church for the Saturday evening meeting.  The others had started with music already and we slipped in to the front row and joined in the singing.

Several of us were called up to share our testimonies - and there were many tears as each one told of the life of sin, the lostness and then the miracle of being saved through the Lord Jesus!  Gilbert's testimony of years in jail and the way he regretted leaving his daughters while incarcerated.  He's been living clean and sober, employed and able to be with his girls in Weagamow.  Doug's story of losing a daughter to murder and the journey to forgiveness touched us all deeply.  

Chris and Rochelle ministered in music, a mix of contemporary and country Gospel.  And we sang some hymns in English and Cree, which were becoming very sweet to our ears.  I'd look around, feeling surreal at being so far north among believers and experiencing some of the history of our NCEM missionaries having brought the Gospel to this community.  How great is our God!

By 9:30 or so, Walter was at the podium preaching on Spiritual Warfare and the origins of the devil and his evil schemes.  He preached his heart out and many were impacted by the Word of God.  What a privilege to minister to a church family that was hungry to learn and was longing for God's Word in their lives and their community.  We stood and closed the service in a hymn.  Then Mare distributed the chili and folks stayed to fellowship together.  

We didn't leave until way after 11 pm!  I wasn't sure why Mare and Ernie were in such a hurry.  That's when we found out that Garden Hill has a curfew...at midnight.  The local police were patrolling but we made it home in good time.  (There is a $250 fee for being out past the curfew; Mare thought we would only get a warning!)

Enjoying a cup of tea and a snack before bed, we ended the day rejoicing and very tired!

  Nattie in her truck - with Todd W.

 Sitting on the tarmac of the Jet Air terminal - where our private Cessna Caravan was revving up - Walter and I were in the back seats.  Ray sat in the single seat in front of me, Chris & Rochelle were in the double seat in front of Walter and the couple who sat in the front were Todd & Krystal.  The Garden Hill Native Evangelical church invited us all to come and share in music, testimonies and preaching.  The pilots, two missionaries with Northern Youth Programs (Dryden, ON), were pressing buttons, flipping switches and conferring with their laptops in preparation for take-off.  

The smooth rising of the 9-passenger plane gave us aerial view of Winnipeg, the main terminal and the Perimeter Road around the city.  In minutes, we were soaring over snow-covered fields and little farmyards surrounded by shelter belts of trees.  We all settled into the next 1 1/2 hours of flying time to Garden Hill, a fly-in community with access by winter road.  It felt like we were leaving civilization and heading into the wilderness of Manitoba's northeast corner.

We had Starlink on board, so I connected my phone.  I checked emails, sent a couple of texts and played some games.  Then I did some reading on my Kindle.  The ride was so smooth in -40 something degrees Celsius.  The air is dense and allows for no heat thermals that cause turbulence.  Going north in January is actually a great time to travel! 

I'm so thankful that my cold was mostly over; with the help of Dristan, my sinuses were cleared and I had very little trouble with the take-off and flight. But as we descended into the bush-covered region of Island Lake, I felt some discomfort as my ears popped.  The scenery was breathtaking - the sun was glowing magenta-red on the western horizon as we slid onto the runway.  We landed on the island across from the mainland where Garden Hill is located.  Dusk was upon us and we were had an adventure ahead of us.

The pilots let us disembark from both the front and back of the plane. The cold northern air was brisk but refreshing as we grabbed our luggage and headed for the small terminal.  We were greeted by the local church folks who were to pick us up.  Saying good-bye to Norm and Charles, we followed the First Nations women who had come in pick-up trucks.  We threw our bags into the backs of the trucks and squeezed into the backseats.   We were being taken to Trevor & Sherry's for supper.  But on the way, Nattie had to stop and pick up some food that was prepared by one of the church members.  Then Nattie made arrangements to give rides to her grandchildren before dropping us off for supper.  

We crowded into the home, where all 9 of us who were invited to minister for this conference, would enjoy a delicious supper. Shepherds pie, meatloaf, potatoes and salad were served.  Gilbert & Doug had also been flown in to the community by our pilots earlier in the day.  They came from Round Lake, ON (Weagamow Lake) to share their testimonies.  We found out that they also played bass guitar and joined in to accompany the musicians during the weekend.  It was special to meet these new folks and share in our common faith in Jesus Christ.  

The couple who hosted us were in a teacherage; it was a spacious home with a large kitchen and dining area.  Their 3 children lived with them, plus a son-in-law and grandson.  We realized that the housing shortage in the community meant most homes consisted of two or three generations under one roof.  Two doors down, one of the pastors who is also a teacher, would be our host for the weekend.  Taking our luggage over to the house, we thought we'd just be there for a few minutes before heading over to the church to prepare for the first meeting of the conference.

Ernie and Mary were just sitting down to their supper, so we waited while they ate and then got themselves ready for service.  We were watching the clock but they seemed unaware of the time.  We decided to relax and wait patiently for them to say it was time to go.

Winding our way through the community in the dark didn't help us figure out where we were.  They pointed out the school,  the Northern Store, the Blue Store and other landmarks.  Within a few minutes, we were in the North side, pulling up to the church building.  It had a cross lit up on the roof, but no other indication it was a place of worship.  Walking up the three steps and entering the building, we saw it needed some updating and repairs. Their senior pastor, Arnold, had passed away a few years ago.  His wife, Nattie and several grandchildren live in the parsonage next to the church.  Two elders, John Charles and Ernie, now serve as pastors and Trevor is an up and coming leader in the church.  

A wood stove was warming the building, and most people kept their coats and boots on during the service.  Ernie tuned up his guitar and chose some Cree hymns to start the service.  Walter had set up a tripod with a Tribal Trails camera to record the services.  Todd & Krystal set out books and other Christian literature for the church folks.  The rest of us sat in the chairs, waiting.

Ernie invited us to stand and opened the service with prayer.  We sang a song in English, with a Cree chorus. About 8 or 10 people were there plus the 9 of us guests.  Our prayer was that God would bring more to hear the Word.  Ernie invited each of us to share an introduction of ourselves.  He invited me and Walter first and I wasn't sure what to expect.  I shared a little of my story and sang a song.  Walter would be speaking later, so he just stood with me to support me.  

Did I mention that the services were advertised from 7 pm to 11 pm nightly?  So with all the guests taking turns sharing the first night, some hymns interspersed and Ernie sharing the theme scriptures and thoughts, Walter wasn't to speak until 9:30 pm!

Did I also mention that the services would be broadcast through the local radio station?  The church had the equipment and simply had to flip a switch so our songs and testimonies and Walter's sermons would be heard in several communities like Red Sucker, God's Lake Narrows and Wasagamak.  We were going to be celebrities!

The time actually flew by and by 11:30 pm we were heading back to our hosts' home. After a snack, a cup of tea and time to visit, we didn't get to bed until almost 1 pm!  We had two more nights so we hoped we could pace ourselves for this weekend.  

Ernie and Mary had gone the extra mile. We were treated royally.  Stay tuned as I write more about the amazing things God did in Garden Hill!