I'd to tell you about an upcoming mission trip that Micah & I are taking in just over a week. We will be leaving next Friday, 28 June, and returning Saturday, 5 July. Many of you have heard about the trip that I took with our church to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota last year. I had the opportunity to minister, with my church and another local church, to the Lakota Indian people of the town of Manderson. Manderson is a small, poverty-riddled community located close to Wounded Knee, the site of two horrific massacres. Manderson has one business (which is a small general store), a post office, and a school. Two churches are in Manderson; one has pretty much been abandoned by its denomination, and the other is open on Sundays.
I am so proud that our oldest son, Micah, who just turned nine, will be going this year. We will be holding a VBS for the local children for four days. I am the VBS director, and Micah will be serving by helping with recreation! He took a couple weeks to think about and pray about this opportunity, and he is very excited to be going.
After VBS each day, we have several projects planned to help the community. We will be renovating a small park; last year we built the only park benches in this park, and this year we will be expanding upon that. We will have the opportunity to visit a nursing home in nearby Pine Ridge; last year I had the great honor of meeting one of the last windtalkers of World War II there. The one area of service that I am most excited about is feeding the entire community (probably about 400 people!) four nights in a row. Unfortunately, many people in Manderson, especially the children, go to bed hungry every night. We shared one meal with them last year, which opened up many avenues of communication. That communication led to many people not just hearing the Gospel, but understanding it for what may have been the first time. We are honored to literally be the hands and feet of the body of Christ.
I’d like to ask you to pray for us in the following ways:
~TRAVEL: to Manderson is a 22 hour trip. Pray that my van and all the other vehicles will be carried there and back with the protection of God.
~MINISTRY: pray that we will continue to open doors that have been shut for many years due to the way our government has treated the Native Americans, even within the past century. Pray that many will see that what they’ve been searching for is Christ, not alcohol or mysticism or animalism or drugs or desperation, which are all things many people have immersed themselves in.
~PHYSICAL PROTECTION: we are going into what seems to be a different world than where we live. Kids (young children) are permitted to play with fireworks, broken bottles cover the ground, and many Indians may still harbor anger against “the white man”. Not to mention, it can become incredibly hot there (it rose as high as 117 one day while we were there last year!). Please pray that we will be physically protected from the many dangers there. Especially pray for the children who are going; we have about six kids (most are Micah’s age or older) who will go with their parents this year.
Some of you have expressed an interest in participating in our trip financially. If you would like to contribute a gift of any amount, please contact me. Micah & I have been very busy working to meet our goal of $1100, which covers the cost of transportation, food, lodging, and most importantly, the supplies we need to minister to the Lakota people. We have already had a HUGE yard sale, the biggest one I’ve ever had. We had many friends donate items for us to sell, and Micah set up a “Coke Stand” instead of a lemonade stand. The yard sale garnered $400 toward our trip, and Micah’s endeavor netted him just over $100. He has also been working hard cleaning out flower beds for several people, picking up garbage-can-fuls of sticks at my mom’s house, and saving all his birthday money. He has been responsible for raising his own support, and I am proud of the job he’s done so far.
I think that I may have internet access while we are there; it is a small possibility. If I do, I will be uploading pictures and updates to this blog.
You can find out more information about our trip, including pictures from previous trips as well as the names of Manderson men and women to pray for at: http://nbcmissions.info
Another site that explains the more about the spiritual needs of the Laokta people is: http://www.lakotamissions.com/
THANK YOU for your prayers, your support, and your encouragement. Micah & I are so excited about this opportunity, and we hope you are, too!
Many blessings,
Sarah & Micah Basham
I am so proud that our oldest son, Micah, who just turned nine, will be going this year. We will be holding a VBS for the local children for four days. I am the VBS director, and Micah will be serving by helping with recreation! He took a couple weeks to think about and pray about this opportunity, and he is very excited to be going.
After VBS each day, we have several projects planned to help the community. We will be renovating a small park; last year we built the only park benches in this park, and this year we will be expanding upon that. We will have the opportunity to visit a nursing home in nearby Pine Ridge; last year I had the great honor of meeting one of the last windtalkers of World War II there. The one area of service that I am most excited about is feeding the entire community (probably about 400 people!) four nights in a row. Unfortunately, many people in Manderson, especially the children, go to bed hungry every night. We shared one meal with them last year, which opened up many avenues of communication. That communication led to many people not just hearing the Gospel, but understanding it for what may have been the first time. We are honored to literally be the hands and feet of the body of Christ.
I’d like to ask you to pray for us in the following ways:
~TRAVEL: to Manderson is a 22 hour trip. Pray that my van and all the other vehicles will be carried there and back with the protection of God.
~MINISTRY: pray that we will continue to open doors that have been shut for many years due to the way our government has treated the Native Americans, even within the past century. Pray that many will see that what they’ve been searching for is Christ, not alcohol or mysticism or animalism or drugs or desperation, which are all things many people have immersed themselves in.
~PHYSICAL PROTECTION: we are going into what seems to be a different world than where we live. Kids (young children) are permitted to play with fireworks, broken bottles cover the ground, and many Indians may still harbor anger against “the white man”. Not to mention, it can become incredibly hot there (it rose as high as 117 one day while we were there last year!). Please pray that we will be physically protected from the many dangers there. Especially pray for the children who are going; we have about six kids (most are Micah’s age or older) who will go with their parents this year.
Some of you have expressed an interest in participating in our trip financially. If you would like to contribute a gift of any amount, please contact me. Micah & I have been very busy working to meet our goal of $1100, which covers the cost of transportation, food, lodging, and most importantly, the supplies we need to minister to the Lakota people. We have already had a HUGE yard sale, the biggest one I’ve ever had. We had many friends donate items for us to sell, and Micah set up a “Coke Stand” instead of a lemonade stand. The yard sale garnered $400 toward our trip, and Micah’s endeavor netted him just over $100. He has also been working hard cleaning out flower beds for several people, picking up garbage-can-fuls of sticks at my mom’s house, and saving all his birthday money. He has been responsible for raising his own support, and I am proud of the job he’s done so far.
I think that I may have internet access while we are there; it is a small possibility. If I do, I will be uploading pictures and updates to this blog.
You can find out more information about our trip, including pictures from previous trips as well as the names of Manderson men and women to pray for at: http://nbcmissions.info
Another site that explains the more about the spiritual needs of the Laokta people is: http://www.lakotamissions.com/
THANK YOU for your prayers, your support, and your encouragement. Micah & I are so excited about this opportunity, and we hope you are, too!
Many blessings,
Sarah & Micah Basham
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