The Mission Trip
I just realized that this will be my 100th post on this blog site. And I don't think there could have been a better topic for it, I'm focusing on the trip to the Apache mission and what came of it in my own heart.
Pastor had wanted to take us there partially to help stir us on, not only to remember the past but to look forward to the future and to what these people had done.
I won't try to recite much of the history since I'm sure I'd get it all wrong, but the main gist of it is that it was started by some Reformed Presbyterians back in the 1890's, both to educate the indians living there and to instruct them in the ways of Christianity. There were only four buildings remaining, part of a girl's dormitory, a water tower, a small garage or shed, and the main mission building itself. We saw the bell that used to be in it, cast iron and probably weighed 400 pounds or more.
What we were mainly interested in was the misison building. The place had been shut down for many years and was just part of a ranch now, with cattle grazing around the outside, dust and dirt in the building. The upper floor, which used to house the worship services, had been turned into a small basketball court, a side room, which may have been used for classes had been turned into a homemade weight room. The floor was covered with pieces of broken wood, broken doors, it had been used as a storage area a long time ago but then forgotten apparently, all the windows had been long staved in. The building itself was constructed of stone quarried from the nearby mountains and still looked like it was last for another hundred years. The floors were still relatively solid and overall looked like it could have been easily kept up with a little work.
The woodwork at one time must have been beautiful, the doorways, arches, and rosette pieces (shaped as a crown, for Christ's Kingdom) had apparently at one time (judging from an old picture) been polished, and not painted and peeling as they are today. As Evelyn said, it would have been a beautiful place to worship.
I was struck at first by just the emptiness of the place and how it seems like a ghost town. I realized that the church isn't made up of buildings which are mere shells, but are made up of living people, the soul that shall never die because we have a King who never dies and who has promised to preserve us. That was an encouragement but not a whole lot sunk in at that time.
We next visited a cemetary that was nearby, where Bruce was looking for the headstone of Anna Coleman, one of the missionaries who had been there many years ago. The mission (according to the keystone above the door) was done in 1892, and Anna Coleman had died in 1911 I think. On her monument was inscribed "and he shall call all nations, and they shall be of one blood." or a variant of that. On the other side was something to the effect of laying with her people. That particular cemetary appeared to be made up of almost exclusively Indian names, the other cemetary down the road (which was much smaller) was made up of English names and it seemed very apparent to me that it had been segregated (as Bruce also mentioned later). Anna Coleman however, had chosen to be buried with the Indians, seeing the larger vision and that they weren't just savages or people to be looked down upon, but brothers and sisters in Christ. That struck me as I later thought about it.
Later that evening, after things had calmed down a bit and people were preparing for S'mores and it was getting dark, I walked around for a little and ended up sitting on the trunk of my car, staring at the moonlit landscape and thinking about what had gone on during the day, laughing at some of the things I'd remembered Nathaniel having said.
A few girls came back from the restrooms and one asked if I was all right. I may have appeared melancholy but I was fine, I just needed a little time to think and pray, though I wouldn't have minded doing that with someone else, so after thinking and praying about the day and what had been seen, I was glad that Bruce came by and we talked for a little while about the mission and the larger vision and yet the sadness that comes. After he left I sat a little while longer and a couple of tears came, the first I can remember since my great-grandfather died about 11 years ago.
Some of you may know that I sign my e-mails with "For His Kingdom" which I started doing after I read "The Puritan Hope" by Iain Murray, which really impressed upon me the vision of the Puritans and how they desired to see Christ's Kingdom spread throughout the world. This has been becoming increasingly my hope as well, and after seeing the mission in ruins and realizing yes, that it had served a very good purpose in its day, that it had not continued and was fallen, as so many other churches in this country.
I don't want to see that. I want to see it grow, churches grow and become strong, not die out as people either die or give up or move away. So many of the people who came to the mission left or retired and went back to their homes, the Indians had apparently not kept it up. Where was the continuing in the faith of them and their children?
In some senses that is a trend that I've seen in all American churches, that the youth are not taught and grow up and either desert the church altogether or go just to do it.
As I was reading recently through the introduction to the Westminster Confession I was very much impressed by the words (I cannot remember who wrote it at this time) that talked about the father being the shepherd or pastor of the family and what a responsibility that was! I desperately want to see the children and youth of my day grow up in even greater godliness and knowledge, and fervent labour than their parents, to themselves raise godly children that will be the seeds of the kingdom, burning arrows to go out and themselves light fires wherever they go. I don't want to see my congregation go this way and I pleaded that the Lord might cause us and the denomination to grow and to uphold us and to keep us from faltering. After seeing the dead mission, it seems like it is so fragile at times. 100 years is a long time but not in the grand scheme of things, the building seemed to be pleading to be used, it could be repaired, it could be renewed, yet one thing that seems to sum up the opposition is a lack of interest, I don't know if there are enough people left in the area to make it worthwhile and that may be why it was shut down in the first place. But if there is a godly community, won't people come into it and desire to stay with the church?
Another problem is that people seem to have is as fathers, leading their households, often the scope of their vision is for their family, in the immediate here and now, and not a long-term, kingdom vison, which I am becoming more and more convinced is the important one.
Which brings me to my own life. As a college student, I am one of those who come into the church, participate actively, make friends and then leave, never to be heard from again. It's a trend that is followed by every student to go through the church, save one. Will I be one of those? I honestly do not want to. I really don't want to, more and more I realize that. I want to be an active part of a congregation for all of my life and see that growth in a community, to see the youth growing spiritually and to see new, young families come in, hungry for the Word and to see new families springing up and continuing with the church. But what will happen to me? Will I just leave for a job somewhere and be yet one person more who is not supporting the church? That is what I fear may happen.
I desire to see the Kingdom grow and pray for the strength and wisdom and Spirit to do everything I can to further that, to encourage and to help as I am enabled. This post seems like a poor shell of what I am feeling and what I want to say, but for now it will have to suffice. The laundry is done and I need to get to bed. I am very thankful for the trip and for the opening of my heart. I've been praying for a softer heart for a while now (I seldom display emotion) and this was something I felt very deeply, and was thankful for that. The encouraging thing is that Christ's Kingdom will be advanced, I just pray to be a part of that and that I would be where I need to be.
For His Kingdom
Logan
posted by Shadow @ 9:31 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Shadow,
It seems that though you've either left people speechless with your blogs or people have not gotten around to reading them yet. I've read this post but not the one prior to it. I guess this is a busy week for others as it has been for me. But don't be discouraged. We'll all catch up with you one of these days.
Your response to the Cache Creek mission was similar to mine. It's so lonesome and forlorn there. I wonder what happened to make it that way, too. I've asked that question of many who should know. One of the things that happened was that Indian Territory opened up to Anglos. A lot of the Anglos who came in before, during, and prior to the land run were unscrupulous people who had no interest in spiritual things or in personal integrity. Their lives showed it. The Indians who were part of the Cache Creek mission, Kiows and Commanches, began to think they should emmulate these people instead of listen to the missionaries who preached Godly living. I think there must be more to it than that, though. But clearly the land run was not good for the spiritual well being of the Indians all over the territory. There were probably conflicts between people, too, but I know nothing about that.
It is very discouraging to see that old mission station at Cache Creek. I'm glad you and the others saw it. It is a good, sobering image to have to remind us that the work of the Kingdom of God has its serious pitfalls and can be a heartbreaking sort of work. It really makes me take stock of the cost involved. Evenso, I know the work of the church is worthwhile and Christ's Kingdom will prevail.
In its heyday the Cache Creek mission had about 200 souls who were members of the church with maybe as many as 10 Kiowa and Commanche elders, some of whom knew no English. The preaching was all translated into Kiowa, which many of the Commanches knew.
I wish I knew more about Anna Coleman. She sounds like a brave and honest woman. I hate seeing the segregation that goes on in American churches, even today. I would like to think that I would ask to be buried among the Indians, too.
At one time there was a woman living in Kansas who had been associated with the Cache Creek mission when she was a child. She wanted to get the old mission building turned into a national historic site, and she asked my advice about it. I discouraged that sort of thing because it would only embitter people if such a thing came to pass because of the breauocratic wranglings that go on after such a designation is made. I encouraged that she put her energies toward publishing a history of the Cache Creek mission which would be written in a popular style so that even young people would want to and be able to read it. I was not thinking that a schalarly work only accessable to PhD.'s would be very helpful. Afterall something like that already exists. Someone in the Midwest Presbytery wrote a paper on the mission as part of degree program of some sort - perhaps a masters thesis or doctoral disertation. I don't remember who has it.
Charles McBurney, a current resident of the RPC home in Pitsburgh, has taken on the project. I talked with the son of Mr. McBurney about 3 years ago. He indicated that the work is progrssing slowly but should be published soon. However it is not published yet. I suspect that Mr. McBurney's health may have something to do with that. I hope he won't give up on it. I would really like to read it.
I too desire to see the children of the church not foresake the bride of Christ.
Well, have good week, Shadow.
-Arwen
This morning I was reading Psalm 44 and thinking about this again. Last night a couple of us in the mission team were discussing the what seems to be a faltering, congregations with only 10 people left, or only 30 in New York! It seems as though we are made the laughingstock of the nations, scattered. I enjoyed that Psalm's prayer, to come and redeem us, for we have striven to be steadfast.
Thank you very much for your comment. I would be interested in seeing that book as well.
You already know my thoughts on the subject.
And after all these years of door-to-door and outreach at OSU, the church's work seems fruitless at times. The church always seems to be tottering right on the brink--though if we collapse, we won't even leave a shell like the Apache Mission. It's so easy to be discouraged when people come and go so easily. I wish I could burst open every door and shout out the Gospel and make everyone believe it. I want to do more. But we seem so helpless. Courtesy and respect, toleration and understanding. Oh, dear.
Of course, I know that you can't look at it always this way. Mr. P himself said that even if only one person came to Christ after all these years, the long, hot afternoons of labor would still be worthwhile. And the CY has definitely been strengthened and matured by the process. I have to keep reminding myself to be thankful for what God has chosen to give, and not to become impatient.
As a technical note: I like your image of CY as burning arrows, sent out to kindle fires where they fall. Combines two Biblical images nicely. :o)
Thanks for the technical comment F.B. :)
I do understand how sometimes it seems fruitless, but then I'm reminded that it often seemed so with the people before the Great Awakening, yet when the Word is faithfully taught, God has (in the past) given increase in his own proper time, and such increase as had never been seen before, so that the power of his Spirit might be made manifest! I do pray for that to happen here. Don't lose heart but keep praying and perservering because God gives the increase. I've been witnessing and debating on message boards for quite a few years now about biblical issues. I have never seen a single person become interested in learning more, nor have I ever had the privilege of being an instrument (as Bruce was speaking of today) to lead someone to Christ. Yet I don't know how my labours mave have affected some one. Perhaps there is someone who never posted who read those and saw the manner and began searching because of that. I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I need to be labouring for the kingdom in any and all ways possible. One of the verses that Pink really liked was
Joh 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
Another, with a different analogy was Rom 13:12
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
And just with the idea that we labour while we can that we might be found faithful. I really appreciate all your labours and your earnestness F.B. and am thankful for that example to others.
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