Feed My Sheep
The third time he said to him,
"Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him
the third time, "Do you love me?"
He said, "Lord, you know all things;
you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.”
(John 21:17)
A.W. Tozer, an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor once wrote, “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes is a God who has not surrendered his authority.”
I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who is (indeed) on His throne and in control! May His peace be with you!
While we have the confidence God is still in control, many of the Native individuals we serve do not have the peace that comes with this assurance.
The primary mission of Lutheran Indian Ministries is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple our Native brothers and sisters in the faith. We work, with your support, to show them the love and grace that comes from an all-powerful, never-changing God.
Yet while proclaiming and discipling, we cannot neglect each person’s physical and mental wellbeing. So, we continue to teach and instruct our brothers and sisters as they walk their healing journey from historic and current trauma, sufferings, and addictions while also providing sustenance for their bodies.
Due to quarantine, illness, and store and organization closings, the supply chain for some common products you and I use every day have been in short supply. Among Native peoples, especially those living in remote areas, these disruptions have meant serious food and water shortages.
These shortages are providing Lutheran Indian Ministries staff with opportunities to reach out and serve our Native brothers and sisters in amazing ways. Our missionaries in the field have learned to be flexible and find new ways to meet the needs of those we serve.
In Phoenix, Arizona, and on the Navajo reservation, our mission teams are working with local food banks to deliver food to hungry, quarantined Native families.
In Neah Bay, Washington, Ben and Natalie Maxson created a food truck ministry providing people throughout the Makah Indian Reservation with warm, tasty meals every day.
When Jesus says, “Feed my sheep,” as Christians, we understand Jesus is telling Peter to continue His ministry, shepherding the believers, feeding them God’s Word. But there are many stories where Jesus literally fed his flock: the feeding of the 5,000, the Lord’s Supper, and right before he speaks to Peter in this story, he feeds him fish and bread.
At Lutheran Indian Ministries, we believe in the healing and restorative Word of God, and we understand that the physical and emotional care we can provide builds trust and opens the hearts of those who might otherwise close themselves off to knowing our loving and unchanging Heavenly Father.
We will continue to feed his sheep, spiritually and physically.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, Nate Milan uses his God-given skills and passion for hunting and fishing to gather food for Alaska Natives. Along with friends from the Fairbanks’ Native Bible Church, he is helping to provide a steady food supply of moose, caribou, Alaskan blueberry jam, smoked pink salmon, and fireweed jelly, along with a shared Gospel message.
Nate isn’t getting these items from Costco or the local grocery stores. He’s not trolling the fresh meat counter and placing his items in a shopping basket. On a recent hunt for caribou, Nate gathered his gear, drove 90 minutes, as far as the road would take him, took an ATV another 90 minutes into the hills, and then dismounted and walked yet another 90 minutes to a location where he was able to find and hunt caribou.
After a successful hunt, Nate then had to retrace those steps to get the meat back to Fairbanks for processing and distribution, only this time he was carrying hundreds of pounds of fresh meat.
It’s hard work, but for Nate, it’s a labor of love for the people he serves, and he thanks God for gifting him with the ability and provisions to do so. In an area where many families rely on subsistence living, a fresh package of smoked salmon is not only a gift for the dinner table, it is a gift for the heart. By learning the culture and respecting its place in Alaska Native life, Nate can help to feed hungry bellies while building relationships and trust which will open doors for the Holy Spirit to do His work.
Your gift to Lutheran Indian Ministries supports Nate’s work as well as the work of every one of the missionaries on our staff. Your generosity feeds hungry people, both spiritually and physically! Thank you!!
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided people, organizations, and industries abundant opportunities to adapt and innovate. Those who have are not just surviving these troubling times, they are thriving. Thanks be to God, and to faithful supporters like you, Lutheran Indian Ministries is one of those organizations who is thriving!
Through your prayers, your gifts, and your passion for the work we have been called, together, to do, we are blessed to be a blessing to the Native peoples we serve. You enable us to get up each day and do this work. And as God continues to put new opportunities in front of us, we will keep accepting his challenges to reach new groups and serve our Native brothers and sisters to His glory.
We are grateful for your passionate commitment to God’s work through Lutheran Indian Ministries as we continue to feed the bodies and the souls of our Native individuals, continually teaching: God is still in control.
I pray that the Lord blesses you richly and keeps you in the palm of His hand. He is in control!
In Him,
Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee)
Executive Director
Lutheran Indian Ministries
P.S. One way we help to feed his sheep is through our annual Advent devotion book which, in the past has been included with this October letter. Do not fear! It is still coming! We have changed our layout, but you can expect to get your LIM Advent devotion book in early November complete with easier to read print and amazing, uplifting stories about Native Ministry!
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