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Mission Adventures
Tijuana, Mexico
Slowly our vans make their way down a steep grade, along the dusty road to one of Tijuana’s many “colonias”. The sights and smells are quite “different”. It is hard to believe that we are just a few miles south of the US border. What people call their home here is made up of a few pieces of scrap lumber, tin and whatever material they can find to make a shelter. Raw sewage runs down an open concrete channel filled with all sorts of litter. Our vans stop at a fenced in basketball court. We unload our gear and soon are surrounded by a bunch of kids. They want to see what these “brown Americans” have come for. A saintly elderly Mexican lady welcomes us personally, expressing how happy she is to see us. Some of us get out balls, Frisbee’s, balloons and other items to play with the local kids. They enjoy the attention and they like to beat us at a friendly game of soccer. Other members of our team make their way to some of the homes to invite young and old to our open-air service at the course
As we try to begin our service a few minutes later we discover that not all of our tapes with the background music for the skits have been packed-so we have to improvise. It amazed us how calm everybody stayed. After all, they worked hard on learning their skits and songs and now they can’t use them-at least not at this time. We are thankful for this experience, because it reflects what can happen when we desire to serve the Lord. Despite of our best efforts we often encounter circumstances beyond our control. We have the choice to belly ache about it or to continue to trust the Lord that He’ll come through nevertheless. Two of our team get to share a testimony. After a while someone shares a message about how our heavenly Father has created everyone in His image and that He, just like the father in the story of the lost son is looking out for us everyday to come back into his family. When the call is given, a young woman with child comes forward to accept God’s gift of salvation. Some of our young people get to pray and rejoice with this new member of God’s family. In the background, Angele, prayed for a mother and her little child with a cleft palate and tumor on his mouth. An older gentlemen comes forward to receive prayer for a health problem with the gentle prodding of a friend.
All of us leave this place with a renewed sense of God’s love for all people and his compassionate heart to reach out to them through us. It is our prayer that everyone on our team comes away with the insight that the Lord can and will use them if they make themselves available to Him.
Training in Los Angeles
After a day and night of driving we arrived in Los Angeles in time to take a trip to the ocean and the Santa Monica pier. We were grateful to find a rental company to make their van available to drive into Mexico. A big “Thank You” to all those who through their generous gifts made it possible to rent a van. At the YWAM base in L.A. we were welcomed by enthusiastic staff workers. In the following four days our schedule would be tight beginning with breakfast at 7 a.m., ending at 11 p.m. In between the time was filled with personal quiet times with the Lord, corporate worship, engaging testimonies and challenging teachings based on the theme of ONE (Truth, Life, Love, Desire, Purpose, Way). In the afternoons everybody practiced their drama’s, clown skits, worship dances and made preparations for a vacation Bible school program. There was of course enough time for some fun games and the occasional challenge of shooting hoops. After four days of intense training we were ready to make our way to Tijuana, a 3 hour drive south.
One of the last services we had in Los Angeles was also one of the most powerful. The speaker brought home the fact that Jesus, the Truth, the Way, the Life should be our Love, purpose and desire. If there was sin or anything that would distract us from following him, we needed to leave it behind. Everyone was encouraged to write down those things on a little card. All those cards were collected in a burlap bag. To visualize the sacrifice that Jesus made for the forgiveness of our sins, the staff had prepared a passion play, which took place in the outside court yard. It showed how Jesus was wrongly accused, flogged and nailed to the cross. After he had been taken down from the cross by his disciples, all that remained was the bag in which we had placed the cards with our sins written on them. All of us were powerfully impacted by the truth and reality that only by the sacrifice that Jesus brought were we able to go free.
Later as we again gathered inside we celebrated communion together, listened to songs of dedication and commitment to Jesus. Those who wanted to totally commit their lives to the Lord were encouraged to go forward and bring a signed commitment card to the front. All those who did received a simple necklace with a small cross, as a reminder of their solemn step of faith. It was quite a sight to see the Spirit of God move on the hearts of about 160 young people, who were assembled together. We were especially grateful, as any parent would, to observe, that all members of our team made a commitment to the Lord that night! Praise the LORD!
Gatherings
The first Gathering was a great experience and time of learning more about the freedom to praise the Creator and His Son Jesus with Native forms of worship. A new drum, created by Gerald Chapman of Longview, Washington, a wonderful Native brother, was introduced during the meeting and some of the young people had the opportunity to sing their praises, drumming with great joy and freedom.
Over 20 native and non-native people came to share a delicious meal, fellowship and the ministry of the Word. Pastor Ehud Garcia of the Nez Perce Presbyterian Churches spoke on the topic of worshiping in the Spirit and Truth– Staying true to God’s Word and our cultural heritage. His presentation was based on John chapter four, where Jesus opened the gates of worship to the nations and their different cultures when he told the Samaritan woman that the time had come when they would no longer worship the way they were accustomed to do. Instead, the true worshiper would worship in Spirit and in Truth.
This new approach to worship brought freedom to God’s people to express their faith in different ways, using different forms of instruments and worship. Pastor Garcia, who has a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary, shared clearly that the use of different forms or instruments in worship is not a problem and not in contradiction to scriptural principles. The meaning behind any form is what is important. We are invited to give our forms of expression a new meaning, one that brings praise and glory to our Lord and Redeemer.
The Book that transforms Nations

The fact that the Bible shows us the message of God of heaven and earth becoming man is celebrated every Christmas.
However, does the Bible only give us instruction about our sin and His plan of salvation or does it also provide us with principles and directions for every area of life?
Have we interpreted the Great Commission given to us by our Lord Jesus only as an invitation to evangelize and left out an important part of the Commission?Matthew 28:19-20a…“make disciples of all NATIONS (peoples) and teach them ALL that I have commanded you“.
About 176 years ago a delegation of four Nez Perce made a long trek to the most western outpost of the Union of States to find the „Book of Heaven“ Historians have varying opinions about this journey. They think that they made the arduous trip to gain more influence, possessions and technology from the white man, not to find the Bible or the „Christian Religion“. Whatever their true reason for the search was, it led directly to the coming of the first Christian missionaries a few years later. They were received with great enthusiasm and began teaching God‘s Word.
In 2008 we want to engage in a distribution of Bibles, which will reference the original search of the Nez Perce. We would like to point out that the „Book of Heaven“ speaks about the coming of the Son of God and the salvation he brought but that it alsoprovides us with clear principles for all areas of life. Obedience to these principles can build up and cause growth, while disobedience can cause destruction of individual lives as well as for a whole nation.

The Bible describes Israel‘s history under the government of King Manasseh as a nation which has turned away from God and turns to divination and idolatry, causing uncleanness for the whole nation.The King even sacrifices his own sons to the idol Molech and sheds much innocent blood. After that his son Amon is King. He was even more evil and corrupt than his father and is assassinated by his own servants.
During this time an eight year old boy, Josiah, is enthroned as King. Amazingly this young man begins to seek the Lord. As a 26 year old he begins to reconstruct the Temple during which the long lost scrolls of God‘s Word are found. Josiah is very much impacted by the words he hears and he calls all people together for public reading of God‘s Word. The King then leads his people in repentance, does away with idolatry and commits himself to live by the Word of God, which causes healing and restoration for Israel.
Whether it is in Israel‘s times long ago or our current age, the result remains the same: When God‘s Word is buried, left unobserved or even dishonored, it can lead to the fall and even the destruction of a nation.
„If a majority of people in a nation honors and obeys God‘s Word, blessing follows. World history clearly shows, if a critical mass of people honors God‘s Word and obeys what is says, a whole nation can be changed.“ *)
http://www.ywampublishing.com/p-1069-the-book-that-transforms-nationsbrthe-power-of-the-bible-to-change-any-country.aspx (* The Book that transforms Nations, Copyright © 2007 by Loren Cunningham, p22)
2007 Outreach Teams
During July and August we were blessed by two outreach teams from Oregon.
The teams did a great job in reaching out to our community and especially in relating to our young people. They did a lot of practical work, such as laying of carpet, painting and assisting several tribal elders with needed work. We also had the fourth annual Kamiah Hoop Camp and Vacation Bible School and a very well prepared Field Day with games, sweets and activities.
Every time, we are so encouraged to see how young people give their time, their gifts, their whole life to the Lord., working hard in His Service. It would be so much easier to spend their vacation at the beach or doing other „fun“ things.
To see how their dedication and service for the Lord enriches them, is priceless—and contagious!
Summer Report
Our summer began with the annual Talmaks Camp of the Nez Perce Indian Churches with daily services and special celebrations.
After that we had outreach teams here in Kamiah. The first one, the „Frontier Missions Team“ offered a VBS program for kids in a local park and evangelistic services in the evenings at the local community center. This team also brought a Semi truck full of groceries, for needy people in our area.
A Team of 34 from Central Bible Church in Portland and Redeemers Fellowship in Roseburg, Oregon arrived a week later. They offered their third „Hoop Camp“, an „Adventure Camp“, a VBS program and a practical outreach, where the teams helped elders and others with chores, such as cleaning and maintenance needs at their residences. For the first time, four of our local Native teenagers were fully integrated into the team, which proved to be very positive for their spiritual growth. Kyle shared his testimony about how the Lord helped him through his struggles, dealing with the death of his father. (see below).
After a day filled with activities, we had times of worship, prayer and teaching. One of the subjects dealt with that we as followers of Christ not only have to „believe the right things“ but that true discipleship necessitates that we do what the Lord is telling us. (John 15:14)
Our local paper, the Clearwater Progress published an article about the team‘s impact in our community (see page 4)
Central Bible Church Outreach Team 2005
Just as last year, we were recipients again of Central Bible Church’s excellent youth ministry to our community!
In co sponsorship with the Wa-A-Yas Nez Perce Community Center and YWAM Native Ministries they were able to enroll about 100 kids K1 through High School in the Basket Ball camp and Kids Club during the first week of August. We doubled our numbers from last year!
In the evenings they invited youths to fellowship with games, skits, songs of worship and personal testimonies about how God was meeting them in their daily struggles. Our local youth discovered that they are not the only ones who struggle! There was mutual understanding and openness to give and receive support.
Friendships are deepening not just between the young people but also between community organizations and leaders, which we are so grateful for!
We are happy to report: Central Bible Youth is planning to return for yet another encounter first week of August 2006!
The Quest
Every male Nez Perce growing up within the tribe had to go on a Vision Quest (Wey-ya-kin) when he reached a specific age. Tribal elders would take the young man to a remote location and leave him there alone for 2-3 days without water and food.
During this time a vision was sought by fasting and prayer. Sometimes the vision seeker would see animals, like the wolf, bear or eagle in his dreams. This was taken as a sign, that the spirit of the animal would now be his protector, counselor and giver of power.
Oftentimes the one granted a vision would display supernatural abilities, no doubt many of demonic origin.
The principle, that people have to have a clear goal, a call in front of them is a very important fact, one that we as Christians have to consider as well. God is inviting us, to seek His face, to let Him give us wisdom and direction for the work and challenges before us, work that he has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10 b).
During November and December we held our first „Quest“. Our theme was: „Hearing the voice of the Lord“ We watched videos by Donna Jordan, who teaches widely in YWAM on this subject and spent time in small groups for discussion and prayer. During those times we were able to identify and overcome individual weaknesses and hindrances in hearing the voice of God and to experience the thrill of having the Creator communicate with us.
During the five-week-long course we had up to 24 enthusiastic participants, 18 of which completed the course and received a small diploma.
During our preparation for the course, we had prayerfully hoped for 10 to 15 participants and were totally surprised to have way more than that. After evaluating the feedback from participants, we decided to offer our next „Quest“ in April. The theme will be: „Relationships—a biblical perspective“.