Healing The Wounds of Trauma: Stories of Faith and Resilience
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart
My name is Verta. I live in Busby, Montana. My Indian name is Wiyaka, and that means red feather woman.
And my favorite verse is Proverbs 3: 5 and 6. And I'm going to read it in my language.
…..And that's just trust in the Lord with all your heart.
And why is it your faith?
It has helped me throughout my struggles. It's always going back to trust in the Lord. And that's how I was brought up. My grandmother always said, it depends on God. That's who we turn to. And she laid that foundation for me. So that's why I refer back to God all the time, keep him in the center of my life.
Learning and Healing Together
What was this like for you?
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't really understand. But I came because I know that we have a need in our community, and I felt like I was struggling to come, but I'm glad that I did.
I have learned so much, and the staff has encouraged us and given us confidence to be able to better help our own people.
And that's what brings joy to my heart, knowing that there is help available for each and every one of us, that everyone has a story.
And so what's different now?
I'm more confident because of going through the whole thing and where the staff has walked us through step by step. If we had any questions, they were there. And it brings me confidence that we can do this to help our people.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I want to thank you guys for taking that time to come to our reservation and to share your knowledge. Appreciate that.
We love you too, Verda.
From Rejection to Redemption
“We despised him and rejected him. He endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him. We ignored him as if he were nothing. But he endured the suffering that should have been ours. The pain that we should have born. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.”
My name is Suzette. I am the pastor in Busby, Montana, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
And do you have a favorite verse?
I do. It's from Isaiah 53. Says,
"We despised him and rejected him. He endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him. We ignored him as if he were nothing. But he endured the suffering that should have been ours. The pain that we should have born. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God."
And this is precious to me because that is how I have felt most of my life. I felt rejected and despised. I had a lot of pain. But coming to know Jesus Christ has totally changed my heart. And that's one thing that we need to take care of and guard. But we can only do that through knowing who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us on the cross.
Christ's Gentle Love
Suzette what was this like for you?
Empowering. Very empowering.
I've been walking with Christ since 2007. But the material in this, the way it's laid out and how it walks you through the process and is grounded in scripture, is life changing.
And so it's easy, it's applicable, it's soft, and it's gentle, and it's loving and kind. And that's what people need. That's what I needed to heal, and that's what I want for other people here, our Cheyenne people, they need kindness and love, and to be grounded in something that is the truth. And Jesus Christ is that truth.
Gentle Guidance for Cheyenne
So what's different now?
As I shared earlier, I've always had a longing in my heart to help our Cheyenne people since I was 19 years old.
And now, I knew Jesus Christ was the answer through my journey of life, but I didn't know something tangible, something that I can have that helps walk through the process of that healing, and this is the tool that will do it.
When I had that longing when I was 19 years old and I came back, I still didn't have something that I could say, this will help.
This is laid out, and it's open that other people can come when they're ready for that process. And it's like I said, it's so soft and gentle, and it's not forceful. It's just all out of love.
Would you like to share anything else?
I would just like to share that the Lutheran Indian Ministries team was very loving and kind, and they modeled such gentleness. And in my experience, most of the time, things are learned from what they see and not from what you hear. And through all of their interactions with each other and with myself and the other participants, they modeled that well. So thank you.
Thank you, Suzette.
With God, All Things Are Possible
“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
My name is Tommy. I live on the Cheyenne reservation. I'm a member of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, the Crow Nation, the Ogallala Sioux, and my Indian name is **Ovano**, which means swift talk.
And favorite verse?
My favorite verse is Mark 10:27. “With God, all things are possible.”
Why?
Because in the humans world, things are impossible. But with God, all things are possible. And I'm experiencing it in my life every day.
What was this like for you?
This experience was one of the best experiences I've had in my life. I accomplished a lot of things in my life. I've been through a lot of things. And the thing that moved me the most is to help somebody. And I believe this program has not only equipped me, but the ripple effect from it is God's touch.
And what's different now?
Now I feel equipped and ready to go and help the Crows, the Sioux, the Cheyennes, and any other Native American that wants the help. God has his hand out for all of us.
You have a heart for people?
Yes, ma'am.
Anything else?
I just like to put out there. Our instructors were the best, and thanks to them, we are equipped. Awesome. God bless you.
Thank you, Tommy.
Little Woman, Big Faith
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
My name's Andrea Means. It's "Maget" in Cheyenne, which means "little woman". And I’m from Lame Deer, Montana.
And Do you have a favorite verse?
I do. It's romans 8:14-17.
"For who are led by God's Spirit are God's children. For the spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid. Instead, the spirit makes you God's children. And by the spirit's power, we cry out to God father, O father. God's Spirit joins himself to, O spirit, to declare that we are God's children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people. We will also possess the price that God has kept for him. For we share Christ's suffering. We will also share his blood.”
Why is that?
I just think that we are all God's children. And that we're all equal. And that we sometimes don't understand why bad things happen. And we have to know that God has our back in whatever we're doing. And that even though we don't understand sometimes that he's got control of it and we just gotta trust in him.
Empowering Our People to Prosper
What was this like for you?
This was awesome. It was awesome, I didn't know what to expect when I came. I was, of course scared, just nervous. You meet new people, and I love all the people I met.
You guys made me feel so welcome, and I really enjoyed it. And not only that, what you guys did, and the program itself is teaching us how we can help our people, and it's coming from us, and I think it will go so much further, and it's what we need for our people to prosper. And that's what I love about it. And you guys didn't just fill a bunch of papers and, like, here you go.
You know, you guys set us up to succeed, and I really think we will.
And so what's different now?
Now I feel like, God's doing work. I really feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. And God has opened so many doors for me. I just feel his power. And we have an awesome team. I thank you, all of you guys. It's awesome.
Thank you, Andrea.
The Full Episode: Healing The Wounds of Trauma: Stories of Faith and Resilience
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