Introductions
Posted by Jesse , Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:13 PM
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.
Post a Comment