Tree of Life connects mission volunteers with Native Americans
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A UMNS photo courtesy of Jessica Ostrawski Jingle dancers from Rosebud Reservation offer a glimpse into Lakota traditions.
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Jingle
dancers from Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota offer those on a Tree
of Life mission a glimpse into Lakota traditions. Exposure to the
culture and traditions of the Lakota is part of Tree of Life Ministry, a
program of the United Methodist Church's Dakotas Annual Conference. A
UMNS photo courtesy of Jessica Ostrawski. Photo #05-597. Accompanies
UMNS story #455. 8/16/05 |
Aug. 16, 2005
A UMNS Feature
By Sandra Brands*
When
Jessica Ostrawski had her first mission experience at Tree of Life
Ministry on Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, she became a
convert to the outreach program.
She
was one of three people from Cascade United Methodist Church in
Deerwood, Minn., responding to an invitation to join a group from the
larger Minnetonka (Minn.) United Methodist Church.
“Within
probably two days of being there (at Rosebud), I fell in love,”
Ostrawski said. “I knew I wanted to make arrangements for people at
Cascade to go on a Tree of Life mission trip.”
She
organized a mission trip with Tree of Life for 33 mission volunteers to
go to Rosebud in summer 2004. They came from small United Methodist
churches throughout Minnesota. The success of that trip led her to
organize two more, for July and August this year, and again the rosters
quickly filled up.
“It seems like people are even more excited about this year’s trip then last year’s,” Ostrawski said.
Tree
of Life is a ministry of the United Methodist Church’s Dakotas Annual
(regional) Conference to the people of four Dakota reservations. It
began in 1990 on Rosebud Reservation, and it hosts Volunteer in Mission
groups from across the United States. Over the years, it has grown to
serve Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations in South Dakota, and
Spirit Lake Nation near Devil’s Lake, N.D.
Though
each ministry varies according to the community’s needs, most projects
involve building or repairing homes on these South and North Dakota
reservations. The Crow Creek and Lower Brule Tree of Life ministry is
working with homeless veterans. Plans are under way to buy a motel and
convert it into housing for homeless veterans.
VIM
teams arrive weekly, said the Rev. Mina Hall, who served as Tree of
Life’s executive director until June, when she was appointed to Flame of
Faith United Methodist Church in Fargo, N.D. Teams come regularly come
from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Washington D.C., Georgia,
Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska,
South Dakota, Kansas and Ohio.
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A UMNS photo courtesy of Jessica Ostrawski Jessica Ostrawski (second from left) has organized three Tree of Life Ministry trips with Minnesota churches.
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Small
Minnesota congregations join forces in mission to Tree of Life Ministry
on Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. Pictured (from left) are the
Rev. Mark A. Begston, pastor at Cascade United Methodist Church in
Deerwood, Minn.; Jessica Ostrawski, a member of Cascade United Methodist
Church; the Rev. Wan Sourada, pastor, and the Rev. Dorothy Bull,
associate pastor, Southern Prairie Parish; Jon Sourada; Colleen Duffney;
and former Tree of Life Ministry director, the Rev. Mina Hall. Photo
#05-598. Accompanies UMNS story #455. 8/16/05 |
“These
are not all United Methodist teams, though the majority are,” Hall
said. “Tree of Life works with all denominations, all government
entities.”
The
ministry has coordinated activities for teams from Lutheran, Baptist,
Episcopalian and nondenominational churches as well as nonprofit
organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
“That is one of the unique strengths,” Hall said. “Tree of Life will go in and work where they’re needed.”
But
Tree of Life isn’t just about helping people. It’s about building
relationships — within the teams and with the people living on the
reservations. Part of Tree of Life’s mission is to promote understanding
and respect between the Native Americans being served and the visiting
volunteers.
To
promote that understanding, part of the Tree of Life experience includes
nightly cultural and education activities, such as performances by a
drum and dance group, an overview of native dress, artwork and games.
Native American pastors visit to talk about their ministry. Some
speakers describe the effect of the missionary school education on the
tribes. And sometimes, tribal elders will hold sweat lodges and explain
the spiritual significance.
“For me, the sweat lodge does it every year,” Ostrawski said. “You can feel God’s presence there. It’s just so real and vivid.
“There’s
a lot of etiquette involved in participating in some of these things
like the sweat lodge,” she said. “People are prepared by the staff at
Tree of Life. One of the construction bosses who helps the teams is a
Native American, and he helps prepare people.”
The
evening experiences are “a way to connect to the native culture with
those coming in,” Ostrawski said. “Unless you understand native culture,
it’s hard to understand why your work is so important.”
And
the work is important, she said. “The people, the culture, the
environment, doing a stateside mission — it’s very important. I’ve seen
poverty. I’ve been to Jamaica, but it was a spiritual awakening to be at
Rosebud.”
For
some, Ostrawski said, exposure to the poverty and rural lifestyle of
reservation residents fed into their existing prejudices, but for
others, it was an eye-opening experience. “They would say, ‘Oh, I’ve
treated Native Americans so poorly. I never realized what they’ve gone
through.’
“It’s very much an individual experience, an individual reaction,” she said.
Shere
Wright grew up on Rosebud Reservation and works with youth on the
reservation. “Every day is a struggle here on the reservation,” she
said. “We are stuck in this place where we are so dependent. I want our
people to forget about that, start looking forward and moving forward.”
Wright
is among those who offer volunteers a glimpse into the culture and
traditions of the Lakota. Dressed in traditional tribal regalia, Wright
challenges visiting mission workers by saying, “The best thing you can
do for us is to remember us. Know what is going on with us. Support us
when we need help.”
The
short-term VIM trips to Tree of Life have a twofold impact, Hall said.
“You’re helping people, but you’re also building your own community. You
are also building you own faith. When you hold devotions together,
great things happen,” she said.
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A UMNS photo courtesy of Jessica Ostrawski A young Lakota dancer on the Rosebud Reservation performs during a visit by Tree of Life volunteers.
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A
young jingle dancer on the Rosebud Reservation performs during a visit
by Tree of Life volunteers. Exposure to the culture and traditions of
the Lakota is part of Tree of Life Ministry, a program of the United
Methodist Church's Dakotas Annual Conference. A UMNS photo courtesy of
Jessica Ostrawski. Photo #05-599. Accompanies UMNS story #455. 8/16/05 |
A
young man on a Tree of Life mission once told her he was losing his
faith in the church. “In the process of coming out here and working with
a team, he found his faith again,” she said. “It was a transforming
experience.”
Hall
described how a woman, whose home was repaired by a mission team,
“looked at me and said, ‘you’re the lady who sends Christians to fix my
home.’ I work really hard to make them understand that these people (on
the mission trip) take vacation time and raise money to help them.
“They are in awe that anyone would do that,” she said.
The
work is a step toward healing the scars of the past — mission schools,
and the subjugation of an entire way of by a dominant culture, Hall
said.
“When they (Native Americans) know that people care enough and give to complete strangers, it speaks something to them.”
For more information, go to http://treeoflifenewsletter.org/.
Some financial support comes through The Advance for Christ and His
Church, a second-mile giving program of the United Methodist Church.
Details on giving to the Advance — Tree of Life is Advance No. 123615 —
are available at http://gbgm-umc.org/advance/.
*Brands
is the editor for print and electronic publications for the Minnesota
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Quotes from Shere
Wright were contributed by Michelle Harvey Erpenbachin of the Dakotas
Conference.
News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video Story
Home for Christmas: Reaching out to reservation neighbors
Resources
Tree of Life Ministry
Dakotas Conference
Native American Comprehensive Plan
The Advance
General Commission on Religion and Race
Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference
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