Winter has arrived quickly this year at the Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota and caught some of our students without warm clothing. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING adult sized WINTER HATS, GLOVES and SCARVES. Call Bill Britton at (605) 864-8625 or mail directly to: FIS Chaplain, 1132 N Crescent St, Flandreau, SD 57028. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

FREE CONCERT: BROKEN WALLS

PLAN TO JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER 5 @ 7pm

For More Information about Broken Walls: www.brokenwalls.com

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

FOR CAMP SPONSORSHIP, CLICK HERE TO DONATE

FIS Chaplaincy has teamed up with On Eagles' Wings to attend Warrior Leadership Summit (WLS), a summer camp experience for Native American and First Nations young people from all over North America.

WLS attendees have the opportunity to:

• Be part of large group praise and teaching sessions called Warrior Circles;
• Attend seminars and workshops on specific issues related to Native American and First Nations people called Battle Councils;
• Network and build relationships in a Christian environment with other Native American and First Nations young people;
• Have fun through daily recreation times where various athletic tournaments are held including basketball, softball, volleyball, and floor hockey as well as late night activities;
• Speak with trained counselors who can help in dealing with various life issues; and
• Hear from respected Native American Christian elders and learn from their stories of hope and faith in Jesus Christ.

With your contribution, current and former Flandreau Indian School students (ages 16-30) have another opportunity to encounter the hope and love of Christ at this life-changing event and develop a deeper understanding of their culture and faith.

Here are the details...

Warrior Leadership Summit is held June 28-July 3, 2014 in Missouri. We have 23 individuals ready to attend camp, coming from nine states (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin) representing 12 tribes.

Camp registration is $25.
Travel costs will vary with each individual depending on where they live and how we will be able to get them to camp. 

TOTAL COST is $225 per person. 

While the stated goal for this campaign covers the registration fees, 
our aim is $5,175 to cover the total cost for each camper.

YOUR PARTNERSHIP = CHANGED LIVES

The Impact

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 30:30-31

• The poverty rate among Native Americans was 28.4% (2010 census). The disparity for American Indians living below poverty on the reservations is even greater, reaching 38% to 63% in South Dakota (2006, NCES), with living conditions "comparable to Third World" (2004, Gallup Independent).

• Alcoholism mortality rates are 514% higher that the general population (2012, CNAY).

• Native teens experience the highest rate of suicide - more than double that national average of any population group in the United States and is the 2nd leading cause of death for Native American youth in the 15-24 age group (2012, CNAY).

• American Indian youth are arrested at a rate of 3 times the national average; 79% of youth in the Federal Bureau of Prison's custody are American Indian/Alaskan Native (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004).

Other Ways You Can Help

Pray. Pray for those who will be attending Warrior Leadership Summit this summer. Pray for restored hope. Pray for a change for eternity.

Spread the word. Share this link with your Facebook friends, Twitter, work colleagues, Bible study group, friends you meet for coffee, neighbors...
Wear a t-shirt to promote FIS Chaplaincy; get one here.

Become a Partner. Join with FIS Chaplaincy to provide opportunities for the students and staff of Flandreau Indian School to encounter the hope and love of Christ. Visit our website for more information, www.FISchaplaincy.com 

FIS Chaplaincy. The purpose of this non profit organization is to serve the students and staff of Flandreau Indian School by providing opportunities to encounter the hope and love of Christ through Biblically-based spiritual guidance, faith-based programing, community-building social activities, and meeting critical needs. FIS Chaplaincy is financially independent from the school operation and is fully funded through donations from corporations, denominational entities, churches, civic groups and individuals. Thanks to that support, FIS Chaplaincy has continued an ongoing partnership with the Flandreau Indian School for almost 50 years. 

NEW! FIS Chaplaincy T-Shirts

Flandreau Indian School Chaplaincy Program t-shirts are here! Share the mission of providing opportunities for the students and staff of Flandreau Indian School to encounter the hope and love of Christ - Real Hope for Real Life. 

Order Online :
http://teespring.com/FISchaplaincy

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

A Unique Opportunity

Students (including foreign exchange) from Arkansas Baptist High School had a terrific trip to Flandreau, South Dakota during their Missions Week! Working with the FIS Chaplaincy, the goal of the week was a cultural exchange between Native American students at Flandreau Indian School (FIS) and non-Native students. The hope in doing so was to build bridges where the Chaplain and mission team would have more opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ with the students of FIS; they in turn could take that hope back to their families on the reservation.

Arkansas students shared testimonies during the Sunday worship service on campus and were able to connect with the FIS students during after school and evening activities, as well as during family dinners in the home of the school chaplain. During the day when the FIS students were in class, the mission team travelled to The Center for Western Studies at Augustana College and Pipestone National Monument to learn about Native American history and modern culture, which gave them all a new perspective and broke their hearts for the conditions of the Native Americans in our country. On campus they toured the Cultural Center and visited classes on Native American heritage. The team also prepared support postcards to mail, sorted and washed hundreds of clothing items donated to meet students’ physical needs, and set up for the after school and evening activities.

As the week came to a close many new friends had been made among the students from Arkansas and Flandreau. A team member said it well, “This was great! I’m coming back next year.”

WINDING DOWN

The school year is winding down here in Flandreau. We start a series of events honoring our seniors, many of whom who have overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to graduate. Some have been homeless or abandoned by families that just don’t care. Some are the ‘stable adult’ even at 13 or 14 years old. Some have been the parent to brothers and sisters. Many have lost significant people in their lives due to death or jail or a multitude of other reasons. When they are reaching the point of graduation, many have already lived a lifetime.

This past weekend was Senior Honoring Walk/Run and Pow Wow. It’s a time prior to graduation for the campus and community to come together and celebrate. It is a time of reflection of what has passed and a time to reconnect with Native traditions and ancestry. There is so much potential in this group of young people and hopefully enough has been built into them during their time at FIS for them to continue on and succeed in reaching their goals. 

PANCAKES & PRAYER

A Typical Wednesday at FIS

On a recent Wednesday we flipped stacks of pancakes for 90 minutes to over 110 students (about 58% of the total campus population). Lots of buttermilk-goodness was enjoyed, and I now know that peanut butter is the preferred pancake topping. Who would-a guessed?! The students come out in droves when we put food in front of them. Our midweek on-campus events are opportunities for us to interact with students in a safe, comfortable environment that promotes trust and friendship. Often this opens up times for deeper conversation.

Here’s a snapshot of our interaction with students: As a girl was waiting to get her pancakes, she just kind of casually asked, “So meditating is like praying, huh?” and then as we got talking about it, “It just seems like I’m talking to myself sometimes.” I'm sure more discussion will follow.

A-Tisket, A-Tasket, Delivering Easter Baskets

We have about 200 kids on campus. They will each get an Easter “basket” – okay, nest in a bowl – this weekend.

It’s a special gift to let them know someone cares and is thinking of them – just a small reminder of the sweet, free gift that Jesus gave us when He paid the penalty for our disobedience and died on the cross. The sweet part is knowing He didn’t stay in the tomb but came back to life on the third day, just as He said He would.

Each basket contains some candy, the verse below and an invitation to Real Talk, our on-campus worship service that includes Bible-based talks (sermons), praise music and prayer.

 “This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins.” - 1 John 4:10 

In My Lifetime...

There is a wall-sized chalkboard in my office that has a question for the kids to answer every day. Sometimes the questions are light-hearted or funny (“what’s your favorite band” or “if you could have a super power, what would it be?”).  Sometimes they’re a little deeper and more thought-provoking with questions like “what makes something beautiful” or “”who do you admire the most?” I don’t use questions that are just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses but that need to have an answer for a response. Not everyone takes the time but it has become a fun after school activity.

Recently I came across an open-ended sentence that got me thinking. It was one of those sentences that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer and could be taken in many different directions depending on what you read into it. It could be taken lightly or given a really challenging response. I was looking forward to using it with the students and was curious as to the answers I’d get.

The sentence was:

“In my lifetime, I’d like to…”

I got some silly responses as I usually do but there were a couple that stood out to me.  One was “to have my name known for good and respect.” I didn’t understand the next one at first that said “Bring change to the following lifetime.” In other words, they wanted to influence the generations that came after, something that keeps me going every day.

The best, simplest and most profound for me probably was the answer that simply said: “Live.”

Such an easy response but how many truly live during their lifetimes, getting caught up in the complexity and stress of life instead.

So how about you: “In my lifetime, I’d like to…” 

Improving Our Serve

We've been looking for opportunities to get our students out in the community to serve, improving the image of the school by allowing the students to serve as positive role models. 

These Flandreau Indian School students took time out of their busy school day to assist at the Moody County food pantry, the Bread Basket in Flandreau, SD, managed by Judy Jones. Working through the school's chaplaincy program, they helped by stocking shelves on Wednesday, January 15. The students are Nyree Leighton, Sese Twocrow and Darren Cook, shown here with Jones.