Train up a Child - VBS in Neah Bay

Greetings! I hope you are having an awesome and blessed summer.

 For many, summer is a special time to enjoy cookouts with friends and neighbors, relax and savor warm weekends, and create lifelong memories on family vacations. But summer for Lutheran Indian Ministries’ missionaries means the busy season! And nowhere is this more evident than in our ministry on the Makah Indian Reservation in Neah Bay, Washington.

 Vicar Ben Maxson has a heart for children of all ages. A father of six children himself, his affinity for kids comes naturally. So, it is with great joy and excitement that Ben, and his wife, Natalie, make special plans each summer to share the Gospel message with the young people of the Makah Nation.

 Maybe you have a memory of a Vacation Bible School experience that impacted your faith life. Because of you, that is exactly what Ben and Natalie are doing for the youth in Neah Bay. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they are creating spiritual memories which will last a lifetime.

 Your support of their good work is changing lives!

 In late June, Makah Lutheran Church hosted more than 80 kids at their annual Vacation Bible School - the largest VBS Makah Lutheran has seen in many years!

 This year’s theme, “Dive into God’s Word,” was based on a curriculum created by Ben and Natalie, specifically written to affirm the values, cultures, and traditions of the Makah people (one day’s activities included drum making), while teaching the truth of the Savior, Jesus, from God’s Word.

 It is essential that children in all Native American Nations, including the Makah Nation, know God uniquely created them as a vital and important part of His diverse creation and He loves them as His precious child. At VBS, they learned to worship Him with their heart, hands, voices, and feet using elements of the Makah culture to give honor and glory to God, the Creator, and to His Son, the Redeemer.

 Seeing God with the clear eyes of Biblical truth through the lens of their culture opens new doors of opportunity to share the Gospel with Native children and their families on the Makah Reservation.

 All of this is made possible because of your generous support of Lutheran Indian Ministries and Ben’s work in Neah Bay.

 For nearly 20 years, faithful partners, like you, have supported Native ministry in Neah Bay. Your faith in this vision – to proclaim, disciple, and heal – enabled us to sustain Makah Lutheran Church throughout the years – a place which now serves 100 Native people every Sunday. We are so grateful for your faithfulness and generosity!

 And yet, our work is not done!

 We need to grow the influence and impact of Ben’s ministry beyond the borders of the Makah Reservation. By the grace of God, we will continue to reach southward on the Olympic Peninsula towards the peoples of Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble Klallam, Skokomish, and Quinault. To do this, we need your prayers and continued financial support.

 You can help, as you have so many times in the past, by making a gift today to encourage and sustain the LIM ministry in Neah Bay, through Ben and Natalie’s work, and enable it to grow. We cannot let insufficient resources impede the charge of the Holy Spirit on the Olympic Peninsula.

 God has promised provision for those who faithfully do His work.

 We are richly blessed to have Ben and Natalie Maxson labor in the Lord’s field as members of Lutheran Indian Ministries. And we are grateful for your partnership and generous gifts to their work. Thank you!

 With your help, we are making a difference in Neah Bay, Washington. With your continued help, we can and will do so much more.

 May God bless and keep you always.

 In Him, 

Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee)
Executive Director

 P.S. Teen camp in Alaska starts soon!  Your gift today will be a blessing to over 80 Native Alaskan teens as they gather together in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Thank you!

Your gift today affirms that Jesus was born for all, including our Native American brothers and sisters.  Thank you!

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