Why Do We Still Support Native American Missions?
Psalm 139: To the Ends of the Earth, You Are There
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Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you
the night will shine like the day
for darkness is as light to you.
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Wherever we go, God is already there.
No place is out of God's reach.
No people are beyond God's embrace.
When I consider that promise, I think of my friend Calvin Yashie Hill.
Born on the Diné (Navajo) reservation, life has never been easy for Calvin.
As a child he attended the boarding schools.
Originally, their motto was to "kill the savage to save their souls."
Even in the 20th century it was still a brutal reality.
The missionaries taught him English.
They also beat him and raped him.
But their brutal behavior could not obscure the truth.
Calvin realized that the true Gospel and the Diné "Beatiful Way" pointed to the same God.
He committed his life to serve Christ.
Today, he and his wife Sherri serve Blackfeet United Methodist Parish near Glacier Bay National Park in Montana.
He is living out his grandmother's calling on his life as a holy man--sharing Wesleyan holiness with those in need.
Browning, Montana may not be the end of the world, but when it starts snowing you might wonder.
This ministry literally brings light and warmth to those who need it most, and the United Methodist Church has been a big part of that.
Since Covid, however, support for the mission has all but stopped.
At a time when Native people have been more hard-hit than any other group, resources to help are hard to find.
Virginia Native American Ministries have committed to help this mission financially.
Your continued support enables us to do so.
Thank God for holy men like Calvin, who make sure no one is beyond God's embrace.