LAKOTA CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Here in my hours of sleep,
I am dreaming.
Catch all my dreams, Dream Catcher.
I’ll dream of wisdom
and I’ll dream of knowledge.
I’ll dream of nature and peace.
Catch my dreams.
How The
Relationship Began...
Dr. Ron Robinson, then Youth
Minister, was searching for siteswithin the United States for youth mission
trips. Ron spoke with Frank Watson, MPUMC member, and was put in touch with
Charlie Warren, friend of Frank’s, who had a relationshipwith the Lakota
family, of Raymond and Billie Rose Uses the Knife. They resided in Thunder
Butte, South Dakota. Out of this, the relationship with the Cheyenne River
Sioux Tribe Reservation and Myers Park United MethodistChurch began in 1993. In
the stimmerof 1993, youth and leaders from MPUMC took their first mission trip
to the Reservation. In 1996, there were both youth and adult mission trips. In
the summer of 1999, the youth returned on a mission trip, With the Young
Methodist Singles following in September. In 2001, a Heart and Hand church-wide
team and a youth team each took their mission trips to the Reservation.
The Lakota Children’s Ministry
For about a year Billie Rose
Uses-the-Knife had thoughts of beginning an on-going children’s ministry for
kids from 3 to 12 years old. It would indude a Sunday night meeting of games,
Bible lessons, videos and refreshments, as well as holiday events including
family meals at Christmas and Easter. Since there is so much drug and alcohol
abuse on the Cheyenne RiverSioux Tribe Reservation, Billie felt teaching the
children about God and the Bible
would help provide them with a stronger upbringing. Her goal was to work with
the children so they would learn of a better life.
Wa’oho!a, is a Lakota word
meaning respect. Billie Rose wanted
to teach the children respect for themselves, their parents, elders, the land
and God.
Billie Rose knew she would need
financial and spiritual support., so she prayed about her dream for the
children’s ministry and its beginning. With MPUMC’s relationship with the Tribe
since 1993, Billie Rose turned to us for assistance and guidance.
The Lakota Children’s
Ministry’sfirst session wasSunday, November 7, 1999, in the Dupree, SD,
Community Center. 21 kids ages 4 to 11 and a few parents attended. The ministry
met weekly, with as many as 38 kids and as few as 12 kids. Refreshments were
provided. The children loved participating in planned activities, Bible lessons
and discussion. Birthdays were celebrated on a quarterly basis, and children
with the most attendance were recognized. The kids loved the recognition!
There was also an effort to involve
parents in this ministry.
Costs for this ministry included:
$10 weekly rental fee for the Dupree Community Center; approximately $10 weekly
for refreshments as an incentive for kids attending (kids love it!), money for
quarterly curriculum, crafts and activities costs and gas money (Billie Rose
had to travel 40 miles each meeting). (The company Billie Rose ordered the
first curriculum books from gave her
the curriculum to get started.)
The annual Christmas dinner is now
a part of the Lakota Children’s Ministry. The
children put on a play for their families and the “Feather Tree” gifts from
MPUMC are distributed to the children. This meal and presents
may be the only Christmas some of
the children have.
For Christmas 2001, the event
occurred in the new Dupree Community Center. Money to build the Center is
something Raymond Uses-the-Knife worked on for 7 years to get and now his dream
is a reality. It is a huge building with a gym, lockers and showers, as well as
offices and a conference room.
Funding
The Adults Plus! group was
approached to accept the Lakota Children’s Ministry as an on-going project.
Their financial and prayer support was requested. The Adults Plus! Council
approved this October 20, 1999, and presented their plan to the group members
at the November17 meeting. Their program that day was, “In the Spirit of Crazy
Horse: Culture and Traditions of the Lakota People”.
“Dreamcatcher’ was the theme
presented to the AduJts Plus! group as a way of supporting The Lakota
Children’s Ministry. Billie Rose had the dream, Adults Plus! caught the dream
and made the dreams of the Lakota Children come true.
In addition to the Adults Plus!
support, the children’s Vacation Bible School project in 2000 collected over
100 children’s coats and sweaters and sent to the Lakota Children’s Ministry.
They also contributed their offering from the 4 days of VBS. Receiving the
winterwear was wonderful as the winter temperatures there on the Reservation
can get to a wind chill factor of minus 20 degrees. Many of the children do not
even have winter outerwear.
The MPUMC Jubilee Committee granted
the Lakota Children’s Ministry funding for sending Skids to camp in June, 2001
and 3 kids in June, 2002, and for 2001 helped with the Christmas gathering in
the new Dupree Community Center. 2001 expenses included rent and heating costs;
and 4 months ministry work.
The Dream Continues
Because of Billie Rose’s love for
the Lakota children, she dreamed of how she could help even more. In 2001, she
purchased a very run-down house in Eagle Butte (in town where the schools and
Tribal Office are located) with the sale of a small lot of land she inherited
from her father. Being in Eagle Butte, the main town of the area, Billie Rose
felt she would be nearer to a larger number of children and to her church
building.
With lots of “elbow grease”, and
with the assistance of two missiOn teams from MPUMC, the Uses-the-Knife family
was able to getthe house livable, and Billie Rose was able to begin a small
day-care service. She felt this need because many times the working parent has
no one to keep their child because of a spouse with an alcohol problem or
because the sitter cancels because she’s been drinking as well.
Parentcostforthe baby-sitting
service is $1.00 an hour, because this is the most people can afford. Billie
Rose teaches the children Bible verses and lessons, and basic Lakota language.
The children are fed.breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks a day. This “day care” is
taking the place of the Sunday night gathering in Dupree in reaching the
younger children. On New Year’s
Eve Billie Rose kept the day-care open all night until noon New Year’s Day
to provide a safe environment for the children, knowing some of the horrible
situations the children would be placed in otherwise.
The MPUMC youth and Heart and Hand
teams that visited in 2001, summer, were able to clean up the outside of the
house, paint the outside, tear down the front porch, build a new one suitable
for children.
When BiIliç Rose visited here in Charlotte in September, 2001, she received assistance with some of the paperwork
involved in running a day care. This help included such things as guidelines, a
contract, fee schedule, and medical authorization forms
Currently, Billie Rose is working
to get the day-care accredited for government grants to add additional rooms on
to the house so more children may attend. She is also seeking government
subsidy for fees parents have to pay and for making the day-care a non-profit
organization. She needs much assistance with this.
Being in Eagle Butte, Billie Rose
sees much of what goes on with the early-aged teenagers. Some Friday nights a
hot-dog/hamburger supper or fry bread tacos are prepared and taken to “The
Wall” on Main Street where the teens gather, or they gather at the “day care”
or at the church location. MPUMCS first project on the Reservation included
upfitting and painting ‘The Wall.” It subsequently received a “Point of Light”
recognition from the President.
An Easter meal gathering, similar
to the Christmas gathering, occurs for the children and parents in Dupree at
the new community center. Their activities include an Easter egg hunt which the
children really like.
Since 2000 there has been a
“back-to-school” children’s gathering, with lots of publicity, to make the
children and parents aware of the Lakota Children’s Ministry.
For the summer of 2001, the Lakota
Children’s Ministry was able to sponsor a few children for summer camp in
Kansas, thanks to the Adults Plus! support. This was the first time some have
even been off the Reservation, much less getting to go out of state. What a
blessing for these children to have that experience! There is hope that this
experience will be repeated for many summers to come,
Whenever and wherever possible,
Billie Rose witnesses to her faith and makes disciples among the Lakota people.
There are joyous moments, as well as many frustrations, yet her dream remains
for the Lakota Children’s Ministry to provide a better way of life.
Billie Rose Uses-the-Knife sends
her many “thankyous” and hugs for your support! She and her family feel blessed
to have the support of MPUMC. Billie Rose and Raymond say they can “feel” the
prayers being sent to them. They appreciate the financial support so much, as
it enables them to go into the community to help the Lakota children.
Someone has said, “If you never
have a dream, you never have a dream come true!” Billie Rose had the dream, and
the people of MPUMC have helped it come true.