Every Day Feels Like Christmas!

I am sitting here feeling so blessed again. I receive a note saying that I have a package or pick up a letter at the mailbox and somebody has blessed our ministry and our kids again. It is just so exciting to be a part of a ministry where people understand the vision, the need and want to play a role in helping out.  

Today I received three shipping cartons of hats, gloves, scarves and socks from a little church in Pennsylvania. This is a church that I know has trouble just keeping its own doors open yet has the generosity and love for what we’re doing with Native American teenagers to collect cozy items so that we have warm students during cold South Dakota winters.

This isn’t an isolated incident either. We have received coats and gloves and scarves and hats. Quilts have been delivered in mass quantities and also shipped through the mail to cover dorm beds at night. People have collected clothing for us like pants, shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts. I have gotten countless packs of ramen noodles and hot cocoa and candy and tea and cappuccino mix. There have been Wal-Mart gift cards and Subway cards and checks and cash to help out with feeding kids when I take them to church on the weekends. The family of God has been astounding in their generosity with our students.

The monetary outpouring has been amazing to watch as well. My Chaplain position is not supported financially by the school but through the generosity of partners at the individual, church and denominational levels who believe in what we’re doing at the Flandreau Indian School. As we come to year end and analyze numbers we are thrilled at how God’s people have poured resources into the ministry. We added over 40 first time giving partners last year which is just incredible in today’s economy. We came within $175.00 of making our budget, an exciting result for any non-profit to achieve.

Thank you to all who have given in the past. We are so thrilled to be partnering with all of you in reaching and serving American Indian youth with the love of Christ.  

HOT COCOA CONVERSATIONS

This fall I decided to put a hot drink area in to be able to attract students down to my office. It’s really taken off with up to 60 students a day coming in after school to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. Believe me when I tell you that in my 8’ x 8’ office there is standing room only. Being a boarding school, I like to think of it as kids coming in for their after school snack.

It’s had some added benefits as well. We started a new semester last week so I’ve had the opportunity to meet loads of new kids as they’ve come in with other students.  I’ve made a valiant effort to connect names with faces although I’m still working through it. It takes the new students a day or two to figure out that I’m the chaplain on campus but hey, they’re all about a cup of free cocoa!

After the crowds clear out I generally have two or three stay behind to check Facebook or find a video on Youtube and it inevitably leads to spiritual discussions. It’s been a challenge for me to keep up on my Bible drill skills to be able to find a passage in answer to a question on a certain topic. We have had conversations on the devil, end times, relationships and we even got running around some pre-destination questions this week.

What my greatest thrill has been though is listening to some of the kids who have been coming out for Chapel services and weekend church services teach other kids what they’ve been learning.  It’s really gratifying to know that God has been planting His word in their hearts and that they see opportunities to share what they’re learning with others.  I’ve heard boldness in proclaiming Christ to others also. My office is becoming a place for students to share their faith with their friends over a cup of cocoa.

WE CAN ALWAYS USE DONATIONS of hot cocoa to help keep the conversation flowing.  Get in touch with me at fischaplain@gmail.com if you’re interested in sending some hot cocoa our way.

A LEGACY

We were able to get into the little church that was previously used for the Chaplaincy services on Sundays. Several people had told me I should get in and get some of the items that had been left behind when the building was abandoned including some electronics and things. I got a key last week and was able to get in while the weather was still somewhat warm.

The building has fallen into disrepair in recent years and its use discontinued several years ago.  Maintaining the building was costing too much with funds that could go towards ministry being diverted to building upkeep instead. 

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be going in. We had been told there was mold, which there was, but the building itself is largely intact from when the final services were held there. The raccoons have had their way a bit with the place, leaving footprints scattered about in the dust.

I get a bit nostalgic going into a place like that.  It’s almost like stepping into a time capsule; even though it has been unused for only a couple of years it remains largely as it always has been. There is a large stained glass window near the front that records a date of 1885. I’ve heard from different ones that this was the church where they were baptized or married. It housed the Chaplain’s service for many years. I’m sure it took a little more convincing to get students to attend since it is just off of campus and requires a little bit of a walk to get to.

It also makes me feel grateful. I’m grateful for those who served this school and community prior to me arriving here. The Chaplaincy program goes back over 75 years through several different chaplains and has served the Native American community through the Flandreau Indian School for many years.  I am grateful for all of those who had the vision to minister to this group of people and to work tirelessly to bring the message of Christ to this school campus for many years. It is humbling and inspiring to be a part of this legacy and the ongoing story of what God is still accomplishing.

MITTENS

Hey Friends: We're wondering if you have any WOOL sweaters that you're not wearing anymore? A local crafter turns them into mittens raising money for missions and donating mittens to the kids at the Flandreau Indian School. Consider doing a WOOL sweater drive at your church or in your Youth Group. We are collecting unwanted sweaters (or scarves) with ANY AMOUNT of wool in them. Buttons are okay-they can be reused as well. Anything you can send our way would be appreciated. Contact me if you have any questions about any of this. SEND TO: Brittons, 802 W. Pipestone Avenue, Flandreau, SD 57028

ENCOURAGED

Yesterday was a day I was so excited to be where I am doing what I’m doing. A student had gotten sent home for a personal reason, having some coping and medical issues that could have potentially threatened her health. There was a meeting with her counselors, the administration and her grandparents. At the last minute, the student asked me if I’d sit in as well in support of her. She has been getting more involved with me by going to church on the weekends and becoming more involved with my family.

This group met for several hours going over her history and really trying to assess her ability to function from day to day if she was allowed to return. At one point her grandmother said she really has seen a difference for the better in her granddaughter this fall, and she would probably attribute it to her involvement with me, her reaching out for God and in her seeking to reclaim her spirituality. Ultimately, it was decided that she could return as long as she could continue to maintain her health and move forward in her healing along with the support of others.

I am so honored to be able to play this role in the lives of students and give God all the glory for bringing us here to help make a difference in the lives of Indian students.

IMPRESSIONS

I don’t claim to be the greatest communicator or even teacher in the world but it warms my heart when kids latch on and get what it is I’m trying to get across.

I logged onto Facebook last night and one of the students who attended chapel yesterday afternoon had put all of the main points of my talk as her status for the day. Sometimes I have to wonder if I’m getting through at all or if I’m being heard in my attempts to speak and bring about life change. God uses these moments to encourage me when I begin to wonder if I’m making any impact at all.

It also happened a couple of weeks ago.  I have been able to check students out to attend church with me locally and one of the young men I have taken with me has really enjoyed being able to go. A week or two ago I asked him if he’d like to go with me again. He started telling me all of the main points word for word of a lesson on forgiveness that he had learned when he went several weeks before. He had literally taken the teaching to heart and memorized it, hopefully being able to apply it as the needed as well.

Lord, remind me daily of my responsibility to speak truth and never take my role lightly in teaching impressionable minds. 

WHAT?!? South Dakota?!?

Many don’t know exactly what I’m doing here in South Dakota.

About a year ago I was called to Flandreau to serve as the Chaplain at the Flandreau Indian School. FIS is the oldest continuously operating federally run American Indian Boarding School in the United States. We have nearly 300 high school students on campus from 35 tribes and 25 states. Students come to us for a variety of reasons: some are here for better educational opportunities, some because family members attended, some prefer to be with other Indians and some are here by court order—either they attend our school or they go to jail or JDC.

The goal of the Chaplaincy program is to:

• serve the students and staff of Flandreau Indian School, providing spiritual guidance for those who seek it;
• relate as a Christian friend to students and staff;
• share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with students who, in turn, take their faith back to families and tribes;
• counsel and help students in dealing with critical needs on and off campus;
• be a liaison between the school and local community.

The Chaplaincy is financially independent from the school operation and is fully funded through donations from churches and individuals. Thanks to that support, the Chaplaincy has continued an ongoing partnership with the Flandreau Indian School for almost a century offering weekly, large group activities, hosting special events for students and staff, and providing ecumenical worship services each Sunday.

Consider making a financial gift so that we can continue to reach Native American teenagers with the love of Christ.