Leadership Retreat Feb 5
On Sunday morning, we traveled to Pine Ridge together.
The first thing we did when arriving was connecting with old friends (and making new ones!) while being blessed by the hospitality of the Big Crow family.
(Here’s me finally getting to meet Kaleigh!)
And, because we couldn’t get enough of spending time with our friends, our final moments were spent worshiping with Patty and Jenaya in their homes and saying our final goodbyes with Henry, Chantelle, and McKinley and other local believers at the Pine Ridge Gospel Fellowship.
As our plane took off into the skies that would lead us back home to Chicago,
I glanced down at the sunlight reflecting off the snow still covering the ground.
I couldn’t help but feel thankful for the warmth that the sun had brought all weekend and its reminder to me of God’s faithfulness.
God had answered our prayers.
God brought our teams together to a place of vulnerability, trust, and unity - soil for new relationships to take root and grow.
God provided supporters who had covered this weekend in prayer and whose donations enabled our youth ministry partners to continue with their individual ministries on the reservation.
And I also praised God for the snow that remained and for the work that lay ahead.
Would you join us and remember our partners in prayer?
For Henry - personal health and wisdom as he leads and disciples his Kids’ Time team
For Jenaya - perseverance as she pursues her teaching degree, grace over her relationships with her 8th grade students and the older Lakota teenage girls she is mentoring
For the Kids’ Time team - strength to persevere in their personal battles, to continue in spiritual growth and seeking Jesus daily
For all our partners - continued provision of opportunities to share the Gospel and resources to meet the many diverse needs of the youth population they serve
God, thank you for the ways you led me, our team, our partners, and our supporters in ways that made this weekend possible. Each of us from different backgrounds and experiences - but with the expectation that you would see locally-led, long lasting youth ministry take flight under your wings.
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” - Psalm 91
