whew! is it really september already!
TRANSCRIPT
WHEW! Is it really September already! It is already the end of the summer, which here in our community means the major local pow wows
are the focus of many in the community. The nights now feel distinctly cool and crisp and although
one often still wants to seek shade by day, a jacket feels good in the early morning hours.
This summer really did quite literally blow by on several
occasions. There were severe storms including one that hit late
on Friday night of June 19th with sustained straight-line winds
in excess of 100 mph. One gentleman from our community
was killed in this storm when his small home was obliterated
by the high winds. Several other homes on the reservation
were destroyed as well, and many homes and properties
suffered significant damage.
We are very thankful for God’s protection. Although there
was damage, it could have been much worse and thankfully
nobody onsite was injured. The summer interns here to help
with Cantemawaste Youth Camps got out of their camper
trailer just prior to the winds hitting and flipping the camper.
Others made it to safety as well. There were also forty 4th and
5th grade boys onsite for their overnight stay at Cantemawaste
Youth Camp. Amazingly they all slept undisturbed through
the storm in the comfort of the Mato Family Center!
The remnants of the playground with the
Ikce Oyate Christian Center in background.
God’s Creation The beautiful scenery along the Missouri River is breathtaking. The view across the river from near
Diamond Willow Ministries’ Ikce Oyate Christian Center brings to mind a verse from the Bible,
“I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the
Maker of heaven and earth.” - Psalms 121:1&2.
It is this help, this hope, that God’s handiwork declares and that Diamond Willow Ministries strives to
model and proclaim on the Crow Creek Hunkpati Oyate Reservation!
SEPTEMBER 2015 , (VOL . XIV, NO . 2 )
PO Box 438 Office: (605) 245-2685
Fort Thompson, SD 57339 Website: www.d-w-m.org
E-mail: [email protected]
“Serving one another in love” — Galatians 5:13
“The Summer is BLOWING past!”
P AGE 2
The Summer at Diamond Willow Ministries in Photos
June 6th Celebration at the Tokata Youth Center
Two of the youth sing a Dakota hand drum song for the occasion followed by Crow Creek Sioux Tribal
Chairwoman Roxanne Sazue expressing the Tribe’s appreciation as families gather and the fun begins.
Baptisms!
There is no more joyous occasion
than taking the short walk from
the Ikce Oyate Christian Center
down to the Missouri River for a
baptism. There have been many
this summer.
Whether it is camp, the youth
center, the job program, classes,
devotions, worship, community
assistance, counseling, or any of
the day-to-day activities we are
involved in, the ultimate goal is to
uplift Jesus Christ and to hold
out the hope and salvation found
through him.
Cantemawaste Youth Camps
The Cantemawaste
Youth Camps were
once again a highlight
for the youth of the
reservation.
Fun outdoor games
and activities, Friday
night sleepover, great
food, Bible scripture
memorization, songs,
s'mores, laughter and
smiles are all part of
showing God’s great
love at camp time.
P AGE 3
Prayer Points. The Crow Creek high school dorm Bible study will be starting
up soon. Praise God for this opportunity to reach the students!
Praise God for the opportunity to bring God’s hope and love
through the platform given by the Tokata Youth Center.
The center is now a hub of activity within the community.
That through all that we do whether through an “official”
program or through personal contact, that above all Jesus
Christ is glorified.
For vehicle assistance: We still could use volunteer
mechanical help in maintaining our vans. We are also in
great need of another small car or mini-van. Since much of
our time is spent with youth and adults that don’t own
vehicles, we travel lots of miles. For example, on Sunday
mornings alone we operate a bus and three to four vans!
As our opportunities to share Christ have increased, so has
staff size and expenses. Ongoing regular financial support
and end-of-the year special gifts are greatly needed and
much appreciated.
Bibles
We are short of Bibles once again as we provide them to anyone that needs one. We use the same
Bible throughout our classes and in worship. This allows us to refer to page numbers and helps
those unfamiliar with the Bible in finding their place. If you would like to help us purchase Bibles,
please contact us or send in a donation and mark it “for Bibles”. Donations can also be made for
the Bibles or for any need online at our secure website: www.d-w-m.org. Wopida (Thank you)!
Come Visit Us At ICOM
There is so much happening onsite at DWM, we don’t have
the opportunity to “get out much”. However we do have a
booth at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM)
annually. This year the conference is in Richmond, VA
from October 29th through November 1st. For more infor-
mation go to www.theicom.org. We hope to see you there!
The end of the summer means pow wow
time! The colorful regalia of the dancers
is beautiful and varied, an expression of
the individuality of the dancer.
These two photos are of the eagle feather
bustles of the men’s traditional dancers
at the Big Bend Community Pow Wow.
We cook a pancake breakfast each
morning at this pow wow which is on the
far west side of the reservation.
CROW CREEK SIOUX RESERVATION
PO Box 438
Fort Thompson
South Dakota 57339
Office:
(605)245-2685
E-mail:
Website:
www.d-w-m.org
DIAMOND WILLOW MINISTRIES, PO Box 438, Fort Thompson, SD 57339
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Permit No. 123
Bryan Joins the Onsite Family The ministry has grown much in all facets, particularly with the addition of the Tokata Youth Center.
To keep up with the growth, an additional staff person was needed to assist our current Finance Director
Gail Griner, with all the bookkeeping, accounting, and financial management. We squeeze the most out
of every dollar, and work diligently to be good stewards of all we are entrusted with. It is a big job! We
also wanted the person to not only serve as a Financial Coordinator, but also have a heart and passion to
do hands-on mentoring and discipling with the youth.
We found just the right person in Bryan Johnson. We
were already familiar with Bryan because for the past
ten years he has been coming to serve here for a week
each summer with a mission team from the Ringgold
Church of Christ of Hagerstown, MD. We already
knew Bryan was wonderfully gifted and fitted to work
with the youth. The local youth look forward to his
return every summer, and he has developed many close
relationships.
What we didn’t know about Bryan is that he graduated
from Townson University with a BS in Accounting.
This education, in addition to his work experience, have
equipped Bryan with just the skill set needed. So we
are excited for Bryan to begin serving here fulltime
beginning in October. Please pray for him as he is
prepares to make the move to Fort Thompson.