We drove into the White Mountains of eastern Arizona and the sky was dark grey. Raindrops splatted, the size of oranges, onto the windshield and we drove through the forest. The ground looked like a bleached tennis ball through the pine and the aspen trees- clean and soft. We stopped at the top of a mountain to pray at a little convenience store. Chas said, “It’s good to see Natives again.” We prayed for protection as we went to be with the people. The Apache, as many native peoples are, are spiritual people- but not always in a good way. There are demons in the forests, rumors of a bigfoot. It might sound crazy, but many will tell you what they’ve seen and experienced.
It was great to meet Chas’s friends and family. They were super inviting, and we all met at her uncle’s house and her grandmas made us frybread Apache burgers. Delicious. Her Grandma Marilyn showed us how to make frybread, and her Grandma Bead told us her son is nicknamed Frybread. It started when he was small, and it’s stayed with him into his adulthood.
The big raindrops fell as we started going door to door with other people who work at the youth center, The Kennel. We told people about the concert we were having and asked people if we could pray for them, praying against darkness and sickness. At one home a woman with a chemo turban answered the door. We came into her living room to pray with her. She’d been watching the movie Paul and said she had just been praying for some one to come by. -for my recent thoughts about cancer click here- so it was great to intercede with her.
The concert started and we were excited for what God would do in the people that had come to see the performance. The night was cool after the rain that day, and the atmosphere relaxed as we prayed beforehand for the Holy Spirit to show people’s hearts who God is and what He wants for their lives. It was a small turnout, but those who needed to be there were there. After the music, I spoke with two high school-aged girls. One told me about her dreams to be a traveling vet and how she’s learning her native language, Apache, and German, hoping to study in Germany for a year during high school. Her friend told me about her love of music and how she wants to be a classical clarinetist. She spoke about her faith and how it brings her hope in her life; how when her faith is strong, good things happen. She said she learned from the mistakes of her older brothers and sisters. Drugs and alcohol are a way of life on the reservation for so many young people, and she saw what it did to her older siblings. I was amazed at her sixteen-year-old wisdom, faith, and strength. She is choosing a better way when so many kids are allured by false happiness in the form of drugs. I am so hopeful for her- her walk with the Lord leading her into life abundantly
I am hopeful for all the kids, adults, and families there at Whiteriver. I am filled with hope because God wants to replace any darkness with His light. I am thankful for The Kennel and the staff there who love the kids and show them life with Christ. God is just going to bring more and more of his Spirit to the people in Whiteriver.
The moon was full as we packed up our vehicles. Before driving off the reservation through the canyon, we ended our time praying with Chas’s family, asking the Holy Spirit to fill and bless their lives. I’m so excited for what God is doing. We watch and pray with expectation.
