November Changes

Hi all! Happy Thanksgiving and holidays!!

It has been a while since our last update and many exciting things have happened in the past few weeks in our lives! The most important and life-altering is the arrival of our baby daughter, Adelaide Renee Dempsen. She was born November 17 at 4:51 am, weighed 7 lbs 2 oz, and was 19.5 inches long, although she is growing fast and is probably bigger now! She has been such a blessing to us already and Jesse and I take such delight in watching her, holding her, and caring for her. She is a really good baby and is sleeping at least a couple 4 hour stretches most nights, for which her mommy is very grateful! God has been so good to us!



The other big piece of news is that we moved into a new apartment at the beginning of November since our old place was in a zone predicted to flood this year. After much prayer and (on my part) anxiety for more than a month, the Lord proved once again that He is faithful to provide exactly what we need when we need it. We found a place that was offering a special with a free month's rent, low move-in rates, and lower rent than we were paying at the other place. It is a beautiful apartment, bigger than our last place, newly remodeled and still close to our church and family in the area. The move in special was only offered about one day after we found it so we feel certain that this was the Lord's provision specifically for our needs, especially since we couldn't have moved without a month of rent-free because we had to pay the lease-breakage fee for the other apartment. We give Him such praise and thanks for taking care of us in ways we couldn't see any possibilities. Thanks to many friends and family, we got all moved in even though I was on bed rest at 38 weeks pregnant! Looking at the apartment now, you would never guess we have only lived here for a few weeks! Thank you to all who helped us pack and move, sacrificing time and energy to help us. Your help was so invaluable during this time of our lives!

With all of the big changes in our family, on top of the arrival of the holiday season, support raising has taken a little bit of a back seat but we are hoping and praying to jump back in as soon as possible. We would so appreciate prayer for this, as it is such a huge task that it is easy to feel overwhelmed when thinking about it. We know that it is the Lord's work and we are just called to be faithful, but sometimes it is so easy to start to depend on our own efforts. If you or anyone you know might be interested in meeting with us to learn more about the work the Lord is calling us to in White Swan, please let us know. If you are in the Spokane area, we will be visiting December 23-27 and would love to meet with anyone who is interested!

A few areas in which we covet your prayers:

• Continued energy and excitement about support raising for the work we are so eager to begin with the Yakama tribe in the White Swan area
• Prayer for the work of the Granberrys and team already in White Swan, especially moving into the dark and difficult winter season. You can read about some of the current work they are doing at the Sacred Road blog: www.sacredroadyakama.blogspot.com
  
• Provision of medical insurance at the end of Sarah's maternity leave; Sarah is returning to work only 1 day a week beginning in February or March and at that time her insurance will no longer be available for either her or Adelaide, and Jesse currently does not have insurance. We are praying hard that the Lord will provide for us exactly what we need when we need it and also praying for peace and patience as we wait on Him.
• Job possibilities for Jesse while we live here in Kent. He has recently returned to substitute teaching because he can earn more than where he was working before. He is currently looking for a part time job that he could work just a few afternoons/early evenings a week, leaving time for support raising as well.

Little by Little

Life keeps moving along at a pace faster than we are ready for. We are now just 15 weeks away from the due date of our baby girl, and I know those weeks will fly by faster than I can prepare for. We have been so busy the last month with all of our regular commitments along with meeting with families and individuals about support-raising.
It is amazing to me that just when we start to be overwhelmed or discouraged, the Lord provides for us and pushes us to keep trusting Him. I think a lot of people talk about "trusting in the Lord," and I know I have talked about it for a long time now, but this active trust is taking on a new meaning and dimension for me as I learn to lean daily on His promises of provision and acts of mercy to us. As Scripture says, we are saved and are being saved by the gospel, and I need saving and continued life every day. And almost every day, the Spirit speaks to me in some small way, whether in a specific Bible verse in my daily reading, a passage from Spurgeon in his Morning and Evening meditations, or a surprise support check coming in that we weren't expecting. This week, we received a letter from a family that we haven't even met with yet that stated they wanted to support us with a specific monthly commitment toward our budget. It is such a mercy and reminder that He is truly the one moving the hearts of His children to share in His work when people step forward to support us that we haven't even MET with or asked! It's not our work or doing, but His alone, and He will always meet our needs, even if we don't always like the way the needs are being met. We believe firmly that He has placed a call and passion in our hearts for Native America, and we trust that He will finish the work He has started.
So we press on. People ask how I can keep up with all that we are doing on top of getting ready for a baby, and the truthful answer is that I don't most of the time. I fall back, I fail, I drop the ball on things that are important, and I don't get the privilege of making a priority of some of the fun things I want to do, but that's okay because His grace alone is and always will be sufficient for me, and my failings only prove His grace the brighter and stronger.

~Sarah~

Providence

I was talking with a friend yesterday about the effect of the economy on his paycheck, and how because of the way his pay is structured, with a heavy emphasis on bonuses based on the company's profits, he's out a fair amount of money this year compared to last. I didn't say this to him thlen, mostly because I wasn't thinking it then, but I've really been struck lately with how God provides so richly for His children. That may not exactly follow, but what I mean is that nothing happens to us believers - God's children - by accident. And nothing has made me more aware of our utter dependence on God than stepping out in raising financial support. Even as I've been keenly aware of God's guiding and provision in my entire life and His leading in my career choices, I think I've been impressed lately with just the degree to which God is truly in control of our lives, and how He leaves nothing up to us.

When a person works a traditional job, with a steady paycheck that depends solely (we think) on how many hours you've worked or what your salary is, maybe with some sort of variance because of bonuses, commissions, tips, etc., there's a tendency to believe that we are somehow involved in the making of that money. It's ours - we worked for it, we earned it, our hands did the labor. The money couldn't be any more our own.

But we who follow Christ know that's not true. Yes, we did the work. We showed up every day and performed the assigned tasks. But it wasn't us who got that money that pays the bills that keeps us living and surviving in relative comfort and ease. God gives us our very life, and the skills needed for doing the job that He leads us to do. We cannot claim any of the credit.

Yet it is so easy to then say that our money is "hard-earned," or that we worked for it, so we ought to get to enjoy it, as excuses for being able to spend it (or hoard it) as we wish. But it's not ours, is it? We only think it is because our name's on the paycheck.

Living on support eliminates that mentality. I've become sensitive suddenly to the idea that the money we make now as we work at the jobs we currently hold is no more or less God's provision for us than the money that will sustain us when we begin living from support. It's not as if God has changed His approach to the way He provides for us - it's that we see it more clearly as coming from Him because we're not getting paid in a traditional way. We think it's more miraculous - it seems more supernatural to us when the Holy Spirit prompts someone to mail a check at the last minute than when we hit a month with three pay periods at a crucial time. Both are works of God; both are just as much directed by Him. But in our imaginations we can see one as more clearly a work of God, and the other a fortunate coincidence.

There are no coincidences with God, however, just as there is no such thing as "my" money, "my" house, "my" stuff. One thing I look forward to in this new venture is for is the constant reminder that this is true. And even as we venture into this, I hope to remember each day the providence and sovereignty of God. I encourage us all to consider this: no matter what we do, it is God the Creator who sustains us, and not our own hands. So we need not worry; He will provide.

The Long Haul

We are currently praying about this whole big process of support raising and trying to trust that Lord will guide the hearts of His people to participate in ministry to our First Neighbors by financially supporting us. We have put together a letter and are sending it out so that others become more aware of our new venture.

I have ready many books in the past year that have challenged and encouraged me to trust the sovereignty of the Lord in all of our financial needs. One includes the book L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer. Edith was the wife of Francis Schaeffer, the well known Christian philosopher and writer. What I didn't know until I read more about them in her book was that they left his senior pastor position when their children were small and moved their family to Switzerland based on what they felt strongly was a call from the Lord to work for His Kingdom in Europe. The ways that the Lord used them and provided for them are described in L'Abri. There were times that they literally were waiting hour-by-hour for the money to come in for bills or for the next step in their ministry. By living there and being available, the Lord used them as a center for a community where young people could come learn about Jesus and learn that educated and "modern" people are included in the body of Christ, combating the post-war ideas of a world without God and religion as a drug for the masses.

I am anxious to see how God works to provide for us to participate in the ministry we believe He is calling us to. I am overwhelmed at the word inherent in this move and all of the other things going on in our lives but I am excited to see what He does. Please be praying for us to trust Him!

Our first team meeting

This weekend was an exciting one since it was the first time the newly forming Sacred Road team was able to meet and fellowship in White Swan. In the picture above are the current staff (including short term associate staff as well as potential long-term staff like us). We were so thrilled to meet Chuck and Neena Clevenger, who moved there from Chattanooga, TN in February, and to spend more time with Bill and Tina Yarbrough and meet their 4 girls from Birmingham, AL. And as always, it was a joy to spend time with all the Granberrys as well. There was also a team from Faith Presbyterian (Tacoma) and our home church First Evangelical Presbyterian (Renton).
We spent Saturday hauling wood from the mill, splitting it into firewood, and stacking/delivering it for elders of the tribe. This is a huge blessing for these elders since most of their homes rely on wood heat through the frigid and long winters. Without this firewood, many would likely become sick and may not make it through the winter. It was amazing to watch such a big group of believers reaching out to our First Neighbors. It was humming like a beehive, which I tried to convey in the photos and video below.

A snapshot of the work

Jesse taking a break for a picture

Jesse and Stephen teaming up

Our friend and brother, Allan, working hard with the men

Our truck full of wood to take back for splitting

Yarbrough girls and me... wasn't much for a pregnant lady to do at the mill...

A scanning view of the worksite

The Yarbrough girls stacking wood at an elder's house
Our beloved Pastor Tom Ramsay working the wood splitter with ease
The beehive of activity moved to the elder's house
The wood stacking assembly line
Lunch after church with the teamBill and Tina Yarbrough
Fellowship at the bonfire - Ann Marie and Beth Granberry and Miranda Yarbrough (and Bobo)
Me looking about 10 weeks pregnant
The Merry MenThe Married Women

Goodbyes were hard but hopefully temporary. We can't wait to get back out there for at least another visit and really can't wait to move and begin the work we feel called to with this special people group.

Introductions

In November 2007 at a missions conference at our church, we believe God placed a call in our hearts to minister to the Yakama Indians with Sacred Road Ministries. We began exploring this call, and in January 2008, we visited the town of White Swan on the Yakama Indian Reservation near Yakima, Washington. We have been drawn back repeatedly since then to spend time working with the Native Americans there and learning more about the vision of Sacred Road.

Sacred Road was started by Chris and Mary Granberry, from Birmingham, Alabama, who felt the call of God in 2002 to work with the very needy people on the Yakama Reservation. Their hearts were moved to plant a church in the midst of the overwhelming poverty and oppression that the Yakama people face. They have been working tirelessly since that time, and a small community of believers now meets faithfully on Tuesday nights, and looks forward to soon having Sunday services.

These are a few of the staggering statistics of the needs that exist on the reservation:

• 70% of teens on the reservation are considered to be homeless

• The dropout rate in the Mt. Adams School District is approximately 75% by high school

• 100% of Native American families on the reservation are affected in some way by alcohol

• Only 2% of the 3 million Native Americans in the U.S. claim to be Christians

• Suicide and accidental deaths are common, and access to health care is minimal on reservations, resulting in a life expectancy of 39 years old for a Yakama Indian

We believe that we as Christians are called to bring light to the darkest places. Jesus came to heal not the healthy, but those who need it most. Our hearts continued to crack open with grief as we dug further into the history and tragedy that has fallen on this broken people. We acknowledge that the most important healing that can be given to the people of White Swan and surrounding Native American towns is the same important healing that we ourselves have received as children of God, and believe that the Lord has planned to use us as conduits of His grace on the Yakama Reservation.

With Jesse's background in secondary education and working with at-risk youth, and Sarah's background in speech therapy, we believe God has equipped us with skills He wants to use to meet the needs of the Yakama people. One vision that Sacred Road has is the building of an after-school program, which would aid teens in graduating high school. This would serve as an opportunity to build positive relationships and share the gospel with kids who more than likely have no positive role model in their lives. Sarah hopes to partner with another team member, a registered nurse, and work with young mothers, educating them in child development and parenting and building relationships in order to share the gospel.