Sacred Story Success at Haskell
The weekend of Valentine’s Day saw many hearts open at Haskell LIGHT.
Our Sacred Story team converged on the Haskell Indian Nations University to touch the lives of the native students and community members by allowing them to share their stories of abuse and hurt in order to begin their healing journey.
“It was a really amazing experience,” Bob Prue, Haskell LIGHT director, recalled. “It was nerve-wracking to get the whole thing together, but once we started, it was worth it! We had a lot of people telling their personal stories for the first time, which will really help us going forward in the future. We made some great connections and build trust with individuals who were hesitant before.”
Bob began the program by sharing his own story and how his trauma and pain led him to Jesus.
Bob continued, “I think telling my story made a really big impact on those students who have seen me around campus or the LIGHT House but weren’t really sure who I was. When you open yourself up and share your story, it really helps others to feel comfortable opening up themselves. It shows them, many of us are all in the same situation!”
With 37 participants, the Haskell LIGHT House did not have sufficient space to hold all of the necessary break-out sessions, so the team got creative. Each break-out team “adopted” their own garden igloo, decorated with fleece blankets and heated with space heaters.
Deon, Bob’s wife, explained, “It was a lot of fun to have our own little ‘lodge.’ With the igloos, we still didn’t have enough room, so two groups went across the street to Bill’s new house. Those groups were bummed they didn’t get to meet in the igloos!”
In the weeks after Sacred Story, Bob, Deon, and full-time volunteer Bill made one-on-one follow-up appointments with many of the students and were looking forward to growing the relationships started over the weekend.
Unfortunately, the campus is now shut down for the rest of the semester. On the bright side, it allows the Haskell ministry team to take a well-deserved rest. And in this downtime, Bob and Deon are currently working on ways to stay connected to the students online and help them continue on their healing journey.
