pray for alert bay

Living in Canada, I have learned a great deal regarding the history of settlers in Canada and the terrible treatment of the native, First Nations people groups here. Settlers and missionaries alike took thousands of First Nations children away from their homes and families and raised them in cold, sterile, undersupplied, abusive school environments. Children left these schools scarred physically, emotionally, and culturally, as they were taught to be ashamed of their culture, language, families, and customs.

Perhaps most devastating is the sad fact that most First Nations people have every reason to associate Jesus with discrimination, abuse, and trauma. In recent years, the Canadian government has stepped forward to make formal apologies for the actions of past generations, but true reconciliation will take years and years of humility, repentance, and diligent effort to restore respect to the First Nations culture.

Supported by TWU, I am co-leading a team of students who have a dream of seeing long-term reconciliation. We are going to the Namgis Tribe in Alert Bay at Cormorant Island, a tiny island just off of Vancouver Island, BC. We will spend a week living in host homes, supporting and encouraging the local church, sharing messages of encouragement, praying for the needs around us, listening to their stories, and humbly asking for more understanding of their beautiful culture. Our aim is to be one step in the process of bringing our peoples into mutually respected relationships, and ultimately to be able to share the truth of Jesus’ deep and unfathomable love for his children in Alert Bay.

Our trip runs from February 25 – March 4, which is fast approaching! I would so appreciate your partnership in prayer for this trip. This year, I have continued to truly understand the enormous effect that prayer has, especially as we go into a culture that is very aware of the spiritual realm. We realize that we are young, and that we are stepping into a long history of injustice and oppression, and so we ask for prayer that we would:

-     -Seek God in prayer and listen to the Holy Spirit
-       Experience unity of mind and heart between our 11 team members
-       Have supernatural wisdom and humility in our interactions
-       Begin a long-term partnership between TWU and the Alert Bay community
-       Be transformed into more global Christians -      Make long-term friendships with young people there who need Christian role models 

Please pray also for me and my co-leader, Rhys, that we would know how to lead our team like Jesus would. Thank you so much for your support and your prayers!