January Newsletter, 2015 Rick McPherson
“It burned down last weekend,” Babe said.
“Some people from the reservation broke in to the trailer and to keep warm they built a fire and it burned to the ground,” she continued.
It wasn’t what I was expecting to see or hear, but it was true and only a few days before Christmas. We would do the best that we could with a bad situation. The boots, groceries, hats, gloves and household supplies were unloaded and trucked away to a storage shed. The gifts, toys and candy were cherished. The trailer that had been ear-marked to store the load was now just a pile of ashes. It was a reminder, again, that life on the rez is hard. Sometimes, it’s unbearable.
Included in this newsletter are the photos of three of the four different Christmas trips this year. We set a lofty goal to serve four reservations and we succeeded. The Nez Perce in Idaho, the Quinault in Washington and the Yakama at White Swan and Celilo Falls all received trucks and trailers loaded with groceries, gifts, toys, boots and clothes. Each outreach trip was made possible by people like you who help us with prayer and money to do this ministry. Thank you for your compassion and generous heart.
Now, a brand new year lies ahead. It will be filled with good and bad, laughter and tears, victories and defeats, mountain tops and valleys. It will be life! And, it will be ministry to Native Americans, both physically and spiritually. We will do our best and God will help us. At the end of 2015 there will be new names in Heaven’s Book because of our efforts. And, just like the Angels, who rejoice when one person repents and is saved, we do too!
As you consider your plans for this year, would you pray about helping this ministry on a monthly basis with a financial gift? Your help will make a difference and give hope, when life seems hard and unbearable.