Well, all in a blur, the “Sixth Annual Hope Fellowship Christmas Feast” has come and gone again. The first year we started this event it was a simple Christmas dinner to which 22 people came. We were shocked at the “huge” turn out! We had only been on the reservation for seven months at that point, which was long enough to learn, among a few other things, that Christmas was not a “traditional holiday” for the Yakama people.
A lot has happened in the last five years as you know. Last year between 350-400 folks came to the feast and, miraculously, there was more than enough food and gifts for all. There were even left-overs!
Heading into the Christmas Feast this year, I had a strange mixture of excitement, amazement, fear and dread. I know what you are thinking, “missionaries are not supposed to feel fear and dread”. I agree. Honestly, I’ve found myself feeling, thinking, saying, and doing a lot of things over the years on the rez that I’m not supposed to. What can I say? Sorry. Pray for me.
Anyway, I was excited and amazed by the incredible response of churches and individuals all over the nation who send gifts for men, women, and children of all ages; money; food; encouraging emails; and assurance that they were praying for us and the people who would attend the feast. Beanie babies, hot wheels, hand tools, etc flooded in everyday! Also, helpers from the northwest came to cook, load and unload the box trailer, wash dishes, haul trash, pray, listen, learn, smile, fold programs, cry, etc. Once again, the “appropriate response” of the people of God to our “first neighbors” left us blessed and optimistic and hopeful as we “stood in the friendly crossfire”! The Kingdom is growing larger, wider, and deeper all around us and all around the world! Any day and every day is a great day to see it grow but Christmas is an especially wonderful time to see the Kingdom (that Christ established, lived/lives for, fought/fights for, and died for) grow in us, through us, and around us.
We were also encouraged and amazed at the leadership that Wendell demonstrated before when we were out of town (in Alabama visiting family, friends and churches). He called two meetings with the Hope Fellowship “core group” to make plans, select songs to be sung at the feast, organize the children’s drama, etc! The core group really “stepped up” and took ownership of this the biggest outreach event Sacred Road hosts all year long! They also went to great lengths to make sure the whole event was Christ-centered and that the folks who attended knew that they were welcome at our weekly Bible study (which will resume in early January). This is all the more amazing when you consider that many of the members of the “core group” do not actually claim to be Christians yet themselves!
Now, I need to try to explain the sense of dread and fear I/we felt going into the feast. The short version is that the whole thing is a virtual minefield culturally. What you in this event is basically white folks hosting a feast in the oldest longhouse on the reservation to celebrate a non-traditional holiday and bring a “non-Indian” message. There are a multitude of ways to step on toes, offend elders, break cultural rules, etc. Also, as our “core group” attempts to take ownership and “pull off” certain things there are many opportunities to fail, get frustrated with each other and/or us, etc. On top of that, I have to lead the singing of Christ centered Christmas carols for up to 400 traditional people in the longhouse… and I can’t really sing! A great word for all this is “angst”. I think faith is the willingness to move forward/follow in the midst of angst not in the absence of it… but what do I know.
In the end, the preparations went very smoothly. We had a lot of great help (as I mentioned above). The turn out at the feast was smaller (in the neighborhood of 180 folks) which was actually kind of a relief (350+ was over the top). The meal was fantastic and everyone loved it. Many women came to Mary and others thanking them specifically for such a wonderful meal.
The program went great too and was very Christ-centered by His Grace. The children came forward to form an instant children’s choir and sing “Rudolf” (which is a song they all know and can sing without the lyrics). As we sang “Do You Hear What I Hear?” a few of our children from Hope Fellowship walked around the room dressed as shepherds. When we say “We Three Kings” three more kids paraded through dressed as the magi. I shared a few thoughts on Jesus being the light of the world and the “ultimate” Christmas gift. From my perspective, the adults who were present seemed to be very attentive and encouraged by the message (understandably, the kids were too excited about the piles of wrapped gifts behind me to sit very still!)
We asked the teenagers that come to Hope Fellowship to pass out the gifts after the message. They really enjoyed it and did a great job. The folks who were there were encouraged to see teens doing something good, I think. You normally only hear bad news about teenagers in White Swan, but here were several who want to be different. Having said that, please pray for “our” teenagers. They are all “at-risk” in the extreme. It is literally “touch and go” for each one. While you are praying along those lines don’t forget to pray for Chuck and Neena Clevenger and the one/two year interns who are coming as they begin youth ministry and discipleship in earnest in January 2009. We desperately need each one of them and time is of the essence.
It was wonderful to watch children open up the beanie babies and hot wheels with huge smiles. They often turned immediately to the adults that brought them to show them their new gifts then jumped on the floor to play with their new toys. The adults and teens were more reserved as they opened their gifts but were obviously happy with them. The women and girls opened their fancy lotions to smell them and passed them around for others to sniff. The men checked out the assortment of tools. Some laughed and told me that now that they had tools they’d have to work. Jokingly, they said we should have given the tools to the women. The teenage boys received footballs and some of those were already flying back and forth across the room. After all the gifts were opened the our teenagers passed out brown lunch bags filled with an orange, hard candy, candy canes, and peanuts. This was a new idea to us but our folks from Hope Fellowship had said “out here it would feel like Christmas with out the brown bags” so we did it. They were right, everyone loved it and dug right into the oranges, etc.
As the gifts were being distributed and opened some of the elders stood up to speak and a Christian man we know (who happened to bring his trumpet) played some Christmas carols. Most of the comments from the elders were very Christ-centered and they thanked all of us and encouraged everyone present to remember the real meaning of Christmas as it approaches.
In the end, I think all of us were blessed. I felt silly for my previous sense of fear and dread. The Lord answered all of our prayers! Thank you so much for praying in general for us and specifically for this event. Thanks also for all the gifts and money that you sent to help with this. May God repay each of you ten times over!
Merry Christmas!
Chris
