Ministry Revived

With the Winter Olympics of 2018 now in the books, I'm reminded of the USA men's Olympic hockey team of 1980, referred to as "The Miracle On Ice."  Before the pinnacle game with the Soviet Union, coach Herb Brooks gave the talk of his life to the team in the locker room.  He began with these words: "Great moments are born from great opportunity."

This was definitely a great opportunity on my most recent trip to Kingfisher Lake, Ontario for the first week in February where I conducted a training session for First Nation pastors at a semi-annual ministry school organized by Bishop Lydia Mamakwa.   This was a ministry that Steve Dreher, our sainted pastor/pilot, had been a regular participant in the past and taught theological classes.  LAMP hasn't had a pastor on staff that has participated in this ministry school since Steve.  That is, until now.

The backstory to this ministry being revived started with a meeting I had with Bishop Lydia last fall in Sioux Lookout, Ontario.  I met with Lydia to talk about possibly getting a team back into Kingfisher Lake and if there was interest in the family and parenting class I'd been taking to communities in the north.  One thing led to another and Lydia thought it would be a good idea to teach it to the pastors and elders in the communities at her winter ministry school.  So the idea was hatched and the wheels put in motion to make it happen.

My trip would take me through Toronto and Thunder Bay instead of my usual Minneapolis/Winnipeg leg.  I didn't want to contend with the Superbowl mayhem at Minneapolis, not to mention the airfare prices were ridiculous.   Going through Thunder Bay allowed me to meet a long-time LAMP supporter, Wilf Sainio and his wife Carol.  I had a lovely dinner and evening with them.  Another upshot of the visit was that they had collected a large amount of children's hats, mittens, and scarves that needed to be distributed.  So before I left, we packed them all in a lightweight duffel bag for me to take to Kingfisher Lake to be distributed.  Wilf is also a private pilot and interested in seeing the ministry of LAMP firsthand.  So Wilf will be my "co-pilot" in the fall trip schedule.

Wilf with the duffel bag full of winter clothing for the children of Kingfisher Lake

The next morning, I was off to Sioux Lookout where I would get my next flight to Kingfisher Lake.  I had about an hour layover and was able to connect with Steve Morley.  Steve was my flying partner for a couple of weeks last summer.  Unknown to both of us, the Lord had a plan to bring Steve and his family permanently to Sioux Lookout.  He was offered a full-time position flying with SkyCare medivac and charter service.  So he moved to Sioux Lookout from Victoria, British Columbia!

Steve and me at Sioux Lookout airport terminal.

I boarded my flight and got to Kingfisher mid-afternoon.  That gave me plenty of time to figure out my setup at the Mission House where all of the pastors were staying and where all the presentations were held.  I was scheduled for  4-1/2 days including morning and afternoon session.

This is a truck convoy fresh off the winter road bringing fuel into the community for the power plant.

This is yours truly on my way back to the mission house from the restaurant during our lunch break.

One of the interesting aspects of the presentation was having a translator.  Bishop Lydia's husband, James, would be my Cree interpreter.  (James was also the retired chief of Kingfisher).  James and I are good friends and he did a great job of translating.  I also learned a few things about word meaning in English versus Cree which were valuable.  I'll use what I learned to make the presentation more clear and precise for future Cree speaking attendees.

This is the classroom for the family and parenting workshop at the mission house

Overall, the workshop was a great success.  Everyone was engaged in the material and we had quite a number of in depth questions and conversations.  Again, it was a great learning experience for me too.  I got to make some more friends and have a number of one-on-one conversations that allowed me to offer encouragement and support to those individuals.

At the end of the workshop, the consensus was that the group would like to have it again in the summer where they could absorb it again along with more pastors who would attend who couldn't attend this winter session.  So I've already made plans with Bishop Lydia to return to conduct the training again at the summer ministry school the first week of July.

This is the class picture of those who attended the family and parenting workshop

Me sporting my new moose skin and beaver fir hat I received as a token of appreciation for teaching the class!

In my last meeting with Bishop Lydia, she had mentioned how some of the pastors had asked if LAMP would ever come back and teach at the ministry school.  The theological training that Steve Dreher did was greatly appreciated.  Bishop Lydia was very pleased that I came and that I'll continue to come and support the continuing education of the pastors in the north.  So another aspect of LAMP's ministry to the people in the north has been revived.  Hopefully, it will continue for many years to come, Lord willing.   It's truly another way to encourage people in the faith and life of Jesus Christ in northern Canada.  And that, after all, is what LAMP is about.