Warren Petoskey (Lakota/Odawa) and his wife Barbara

On Wednesday June 6th 2012 we attended a special gathering hosted by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in Mt. Pleasant Michigan.

The government has given the Tribe the land and buildings where the Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School  was located. It was established in 1893 and ran till 1934 with an average of 300 students per year.

Our friend Warren Petoskey from Michigan was an honored guest and the day included the showing of a DVD documentary that he helped direct and produce about the Mt. Pleasant school.

Also our friends Mike Peters and Kelly Ellis of 4-Fires Ministry attended with us and participated in the prayers and tours.

It was a deeply moving day as many Elders shared their own experiences and those of their parents. I was born and raised in Michigan and found it difficult to hear and process the sorrow, pain and injustices that have taken place on that property.

It is hard to believe that such things took place in the “Land of the Free” where everyone is supposed to be considered “equal”. The pursuit of happiness was certainly denied these children.

Spirit Runners carried, through the streets and then into the gathering, the names of over 150 children who died while in that school. A roll call announcing the names of all the children was made in the afternoon. Officially only 5 children were reported to had died there, but independent agencies are helping the Tribe to verify the many hundreds of deaths that actually took place. New names are found regularly.

The atrocities that took place there are too horrible to write into this post. A Tribal spokesperson said, “Today we are forgiving the unforgivable, this gathering is a part of that process that will go on for many years.”

Christian Pastors were asked to speak, share and pray as a part of the spiritual component of the gathering.

The purpose of the gathering was to honor the memory of the children and the families affected by the school and to acknowledge the pain and suffering so that healing can take place.

Please say a prayer today for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and for the affected families.

Attend next year if you can.

Miami Nation of Indiana Powwow

RainSong has been invited to share our Music and Storytelling to open the 6th Annual Miami Indian All Nations Gathering and Powwow.

This is the second year RainSong has performed at this event. Bring your friends!

When: Friday June 1st

Gates open 6:00pm

Concert 7pm-9:00pm

$5 cover charge at the gate.

Where: 11515 East US Highway 36, Rockville, IN – 3 miles east of Raccoon State Recreation Area. About 50 miles West of Indianapolis on Hwy 36.

Make sure to bring your own chair! 

Terry singing with the Overcomers

Our second stop on our Summer Tour was the Navajo BIC Mission located about 30 miles south of Bloomfield New Mexico in Navajo territory. Duane and Diane Bristow are the directors of the Mission and have a number of full time staff. You can check out their Website HERE.

They have the NIZHÓNÍ Christian Academy with about 10 students kindergarten through high school. We shared our music and storytelling with the students during the week.

The also provide an Overcomers Program for adults. An intensive 3 month live-in discipleship, drug and alcohol rehab program. Terry spent several hours during the week teaching and talking with the five men who are graduating soon.

Terry and Darlene singing Holy Fire

It was a good week of fellowship and ministry. We deepened our relationship with the Bristows and will probably be visiting them on a bi-annual basis in the future.

Take time to visit their website and send an encouraging note to them as they share the love of Jesus with the Navajo people in a way that is culturally sensitive and relevant.

The Navajo BIC is a ministry that connects well with the local Navajo community. They offer much needed services such as a shop for local artists to sell their art, a deep well that provides fresh water, laundry and showers. On Sunday they offer a First Nations Gathering and provide a Native style Church service well attended by the community.

We feel it is a privilege and honor to be able to come alongside ministries like this to bring encouragement and fellowship.

RainSong plans to spend this Summer of 2012 primarily in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

On the way from Arizona we plan to stop at a few places to share our music and storytelling. We hope to arrive in Fort Wayne Indiana by May 25th.

Rolling Thunder our Home Away from Home

The following weekend we will be at the Miami Nation Gathering and Powwow.  We will open this gathering with a concert on Friday evening June 1st. Gates open at 6:00pm concert about 7:00pm. Location near Rockville Indiana.

We are still putting together a summer schedule and are open to invitations. In the past we have had to spend a short time with folks, but hopefully we can go a little deeper and stay a little longer with those who would like that.

Then sometime in August we plan to begin driving back to Arizona to base ourselves there for the winter with ministry in Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

This doesn’t mean we can’t be anywhere else this Summer, as we have been invited to go to the Pine Ridge Reservation in July.