An Invitation
We were shown into a large fellowship hall, nicely heated and ready for our arrival. Our team was willing to serve but we were wondering, what did God have in store for us?
Our vision in planning this trip had been to connect Wounaan believers with Indigenous communities here in North America. We knew that the gifts that had were well suited to reach out in Indigenous communities anywhere.
What we didn't know is how this would all work out in real life, especially now that our team was very small.
We spent the first two days just getting to know the community. We prayed, visited cultural and historical sites, and met some people. It was a good beginning. Soon doors began to open. We were given the chance to share on a local radio station, visit the Head Start, share at the Senior Center and even learn bead working with some young women who were friends of YWAM. We also had a wonderful time praying and sharing with our YWAM friends in Kamiah.
But the first day we were there I had prayed to be invited into the home of a local family. I don't know the Nez Perce culture well, but I did know that for the Wounaan, friendship is built around meals, and it's especially significant to visit someone's home. Like many cultures, eating together is the glue that keeps friendships together. I was guessing that the Nez Perce and the Wounaan had that in common.
So I prayed that, and then as the week went by, I waited hopefully, but no invitation came. The last day rolled around, and I thought, "okay, we still met a lot of people, and a lot of good things happened. Maybe that wasn't what God had in store for us."
We had been sharing that morning in the Senior Center, and it was a lot of fun. We got to try some traditional food, and the woman who cooked for the Seniors (Alicia was her name), was especially touched. She prepared us "mountain tea", which was delicious, camas root, and then came out and gave us some smoked salmon! What a treat.
We shared a couple of dances, which she said, "gave her the chills", and then at the end Alex prayed in Woun Meu. She came over afterward and said that even though she doesn't speak Woun Meu, she felt in her spirit what he was praying. She was so touched that she invited us to her home so that we could see her family's sweat lodge and learn more about their culture.
She asked us if we had time in our schedule and we told her that we would make time!
I won't bore you with details, but it was a wonderful visit. The whole extended family was there and we got a whole introduction to the sweat lodge and the Nez Perce culture. They were very gracious and gave us a section of elk meat they had hunted just that week. Yum! We spent some time in the house sharing, and then Alex felt like he was to pray a blessing over the house.
Rather that just say the prayer, Alex decided to sing the prayer in the way he remembered hearing as a child. He sang a prayer of blessing over their family in Woun Meu. Our hostess told us that years ago her people were told that some day, the songs would come back to their people. So it was particularly significant that Alex sang the prayer.
As we were leaving, after exchanging gifts, they told us, "now you know where our home is, so you can come back again." I found it interesting that the same phrase has been said to me by Wounaan families we have visited.
We went away encouraged, and also with this family on our hearts. Who knows how God will use that visit and perhaps future visits.
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