The Message of Christ is Winning the Hearts of the Dene People

From May 19 - 23 I had the wonderful privilege of traveling to a reserve 9 hours north of Edmonton Alberta with two friends. We traveled 22 hours by car to Meander River, where for three years a mission house has been operated next to the Dene reserve.

This mission house offers several services for the people living on the nearby town. In it is housed the local Post Office. Each day as people come for their mail they are met by my friend T.C. with a warm smile and an invitation to have a bowl of soup and bread and have a cup of coffee. Many people come and gather to visit with their friends while they enjoy some nutritious food. The mission also has a food bank and a clothing store called "His Place" - all the clothes here are donated and are for sale for 50 cents an item and the money put back to buying more food for the soup kitchen and food bank. The Living room of the house is a house church on Sundays and has a Bible Study on Wednesday nights.

Twice a year a tent meeting is held - May long weekend and the September long weekend. This is why I went - to be an intercessor at the tent meeting. I went to serve and came back mightily blessed and transformed. An Aboriginal Christian Evangelist from Slave Lake and another evangelist from Norway from the Sammi people were the preachers for the weekend. The services were awesome as the people worshipped and during the open sharing time gave testimonies to their unsaved neighbours and family. Story after story about healing from alcoholism, drug abuse, freedom from gambling addiction and abuse, and from fear brought about in the medicine religion they had practiced before. They proclaimed that Jesus is not White Man's religion Jesus is their Savior and the answer for the native people. As a caucasian Southerner I watched and prayed - it is not my role to speak into the lives of these people - that is for the Aboriginal followers of Christ. It was my role to love these brothers and sisters and encourage them and uplift this ministry. Many people accepted Jesus as their Savior, many healed of infirmities.

One of the most amazing moments during the weekend tent meetings was an encounter when God demonstrated his supreme power to the mainly non- Christian and nominal Christian crowd in the tent. Elders from 3 bands were present in the tent for a Spirit led message by Aril the Sammi evangelist. At the end of his message he began the invitation by beginning to worship. As he worshipped, eyes shut, a man moved forward from the crowd and began to do a medicine dance in an attempt to disrupt the working of God. The Christians in the crowd rose to their feet and began to pray and worship claiming the power and the protection of God. The man tried to frighten the worship team but it became obvious that the power of God was in control. The man went toward the evangelist, and gently the evangelist put his hand on the man's head and prayed for his salvation. The man at first gripped the evangelist glaring at him but slowly his hands dropped to his side and he slumped noticably. A member of the ministry team quietly led him to the back for more prayer. After this happened the flood gates opened. Those in the tent knew they had seen the power of God. People rushed forward in great numbers to accept Jesus. Even people outside the tent were asking the leaders at the doors of the tent if they could accept Christ.

Meander River is being used as a meeting place for the move of God to the north and to the Aboriginal people who live there. These wonderful, warm and loving Dene people need our prayers to heal from the abuses of the past at the hands of European Canadians and Christian denominations. This is a move of God where He is raising up Dene evangelists, pastors and leaders to reach their own. Very Soon a renewal and revival and a fresh harvest will be evident in Canada - these are the people who will touch the north.