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The Sioux Valley mission team left Toronto early on Monday morning and returned last night at 8pm. We thank you for all of your prayers and support.
The theme of our mission trip this year was “Binding Hearts”.
The word “binding” has two meanings: The heart being healed. Two hearts being bound together into one.
Our prayer was that our hearts would be bound together as a mission team and with the people of Sioux Valley.
In many ways, our prayers were answered.
Our mission team experienced incredible harmony. Everyone contributed fully. It was a beautiful, multigenerational team. The presence of six elders added peace and heft.
We felt bound with the people of Sioux Valley.
This was the fourth year our church has gone there. Every year, we knock on doors to let people know we’re there, and to invite them to our meals and programs.
The first year, many people didn’t even answer the door. When they did, we were met with puzzlement and even suspicion. Each year got better, but there were still questions.
This year, the reception was great right from the start. More people came to the door. We were greeted warmly. They knew who we were.
We had the highest turnout for the first day – over 160 people. The general mood was high.
We had evening services for adults. Until last year, there were only a few adults from the community who attended. But this year, there were more adults as well.
The youth group used to be much smaller than the kids group. It used to be a tougher crowd. But now, most of the youth group were in the kids group over the last three years. The youth group this year was huge. The mood was very energetic and enthusiastic.
All of these things are the fruits of the previous three years. There was more trust from our continued presence.
One person said that we came to his house two years ago, but he didn’t answer the door. This year he did out of curiosity – and he ended up coming out every day.
Just little stories, but we saw the fruits of being there.
But on the final day, we had a conversation with someone. She was the Chief’s sister. She had come to see what we’re all about.
They were running a culture and language camp. It included food and lunch. But no kids showed up, whereas we had over 100 kids – she wanted to see why.
She said that when they run things like this for the kids and community, nobody shows up. But when the Koreans come, everyone flocks to it.
That didn’t make me feel good – it didn’t sit well with me. Should we feel good that they came to us but not their own things? Is that right? It made me reflect on the purpose of mission.
Jesus did great things with the power of God. But he did not want to be the centre of attention. It was always the glory of God. When the crowds grew large, he withdrew to the mountains to pray.
His main focus was forming his disciples. He gave his life so that they could carry on the mission he started. He gave them the Holy Spirit.
The Great Commission in Matthew is all about making disciples:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew 28:19)
Mission is about making disciples so that THEY can carry on the work wherever they are.
Mission feels great. You feel like you’re doing something important. You are a part of something meaningful.
But the greatest temptation of mission is getting hooked on the feeling of being needed and wanted. Of doing mission as a way of feeling important because you have something they don’t have.
Going on mission is amazing. We experienced so much joy, the presence of God, and satisfaction. All of that is good.
But those things are the RESULT of mission, not the reason for going.
The purpose of mission is to make disciples who are empowered to carry on the work of sharing God’s love.
The Chief’s sister realized that what kids really want is love and attention. They were not getting that at home and from the community. They felt that love from the Koreans. That’s why they came flocking to us.
I asked: is it right that this love and attention come only from us?
That is the situation right now, but if we are satisfied being the only providers of love, that is another form of spiritual colonization. We are repeating the history of disempowering the people.
Ultimately, the love and attention has to come from their own community.
And so I realized: our real prayer needs to be for the binding of hearts in the community. That they may have love for one another.
Sioux Valley is a small community. There are 1300 people who live on the reserve. Another 1300 who live off the reserve. Everyone knows each other. Everyone sort of has relations to one another.
Deep down, they do care about the community. They want things to get better.
But their environment makes it so hard to care.
This country intentionally damaged their environment. They took kids out of loving families and placed them in residential schools. The kids were told that their lives did not matter. They were better off not being alive. Their hearts were damaged.
They took these damaged hearts back to their communities. This permanently affected their environment.
Human beings are not that strong. When the environment is damaged, it’s very hard to overcome it. It’s even harder to change it.
Many people want to leave that environment. But just leaving it doesn’t help. The damage stays with you. You carry it with you wherever you go.
Jesus did not leave his environment – he changed it. With God’s power, he healed the sick and cast out demons. He taught people about love. He created a new environment right where he was.
After he died, that new environment became the Church.
The church’s purpose is to be a new environment that changes how we live in this world. A new environment that changes who we are.
Consider yourselves: we were all damaged by this world. We were hurt and experienced pain in it.
But in the church, we experienced healing, grace, the power of God, the teaching of the Word. We experienced change and transformation in this environment.
I could see that in our mission team. I could see how each person has been deeply shaped by the environment of the church.
How will the hearts of the people of Sioux Valley be bound together?
By creating a new environment in which love flourishes. Where hearts are healed by love. Where forgiveness is experienced. Where reconciliation is experienced.
Our one week there is an oasis of love. It is a temporary place of happiness, love and joy. The adults commented on how happy the kids seem, and how rare that is. But they need something more: they need the church.
In the middle of the reserve is a church. It was built by the community and is for anyone in the community. But it sits empty for most of the year. Sundays are empty – they haven’t had a pastor in a very long time.
Last year, we had a special service of baptisms. Some have shared with me that it was a very meaningful experience and they have seen changes in their lives.
This year, we decided to have a special service of prayer and blessing. We weren’t sure if a lot of kids and youth would come. Most children and youth have never been in a church service.
But to our surprise, a lot of kids and youth came into the church. There were people of every age – from young kids to elders in the community. I asked if it had been a long time since people of all ages in the community gathered in church like this – they said yes. It was a beautiful sight.
We sang songs of praise. Then we had a time of prayers. Our mission team members went around praying for each person there. After that, we brought them up one by one. I prayed for each one of them. After praying for them, they would place a thumbprint on a sign we made.
We felt the powerful presence of God that evening. Youth and even kids were crying. They had never had someone pray for them like that. They felt a love they had never felt before. When we sang “There is None Like You”, the whole church was singing. It was a special night – probably the highlight of the mission trip.
That night gave me a clear vision of what God desires – a church in Sioux Valley led by the people there. A place where kids and youth experience the love of God. Where they receive the teaching of the Word. Where change and transformation happen. A new environment that will change the environment of the community.
That needs to be the mission of our church – to help them get there. I don’t know what that will require. I don’t know how long it will take. But that vision became very clear to me.
I spoke with someone there. Her daughters and grandchildren were baptized there last year. She grew up in church and remembers all of that. She loves children.
We spoke about having her and the kids physically go to the church on Sundays. They can stream our services for now and do some kids activities. We spoke of having a space for kids to come.
We will see. But the vision has been planted.
We will go to Sioux Valley as long as we need to. We love the people there.
But the vision is to make disciples who can lead the mission for their own people. Through God’s power, God will make it happen.
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