Rockin' Da Rez

This weekend I had the opportunity to take part in a fun community event! Leonard Ben, one of the CBTC translators, is also the pastor of Hope Indian Baptist Church here in Pearl River. His church, in partnership with a church group that had traveled down from Pennsylvania, put on a fundraising concert with both Choctaw and non-Choctaw participants. People from various churches came to listen, sing, praise God, encourage Hope Indian Baptist Church, and have fun Rockin' Da Rez. :) Leonard has long held the dream of having multiple churches come together to praise God at one event; he was so excited to see it come to fruition that he sat in the front row for the entire evening!

Leonard is in the neon yellow-green shirt right down in front. :)

The CBTC office assistant, Millie Chickaway, and her husband Chris were helping Leonard by selling t-shirts to raise money for his church. They were joined by Abby Farmer (Wycliffe missionary and the Scripture Engagement Consultant with the CBTC) and they had a tent and a bunch of chairs set up, so I got to hang out with them. :)

Millie, their friend Bam-bam, and Chris at the t-shirt tent.

Much to everyone's excitement, Chief Phyliss Anderson joined us for part of the evening and she gave the opening message. As a fellow believer, she shared some meaningful Scripture passages and welcomed everyone to the gathering. Afterwards, we got a chance to meet her; she was very gracious and seems like a really kind and genuine leader.

Me, Abby, Chief Anderson, and Millie.

Overall, the event was a success, I think. People seemed to enjoy the time together praising God, and I know Leonard was greatly encouraged by it. I too was thankful for the time to continue building relationships with the CBTC staff as well as other community members, and to see some of what God is doing through His people here!

Week #2 in Mississippi

Priska and I have had various projects to keep us busy this week! We have worked with Laura Christel to help organize files/supplies in the CBTC office, and have begun to prepare materials for the upcoming Choctaw Indian Fair, which is one of the main opportunities for the CBTC to distribute materials and gather support.

Because there are some Choctaw elders who struggle to see, and other Choctaws who have not learned to read their language (although they do read English), the CBTC spends a good deal of time and effort putting out audio recordings of hymns and Scripture. In support of this endeavor, Priska and I have had the opportunity to work with some Choctaw pastors to begin recording short audio devotionals, which will eventually be produced on CD. Priska has also been working with Elijah to create an audio recording of the gospel of Matthew in the modern Choctaw translation. They have gotten through chapter 5, with more on the way! :)

Nanih Waiya Cave and Storytelling Update

This morning Elijah and his friend, Buck, took us to visit the Nanih Waiya cave, which is located near the mound. The central Choctaw creation legend says that the Choctaw people (along with several other tribes) emerged from this cave, so it is still considered to be a sacred place. Some individuals still visit the site for religious purposes, building sweat lodges nearby.

Priska, Elijah, and I by one of the cave entrances.

The Choctaw creation legend, per the Chahta Immi Cultural Center. 

Old sweat lodge structure near the cave. 

Later on in the day, we got to sit in on a discussion about Choctaw storytelling, which was born out of the work done during the Arts for a Better Future course. Laura Christel told a story about Ananias and Sapphira to a couple of the CBTC board members/staff, and then led a discussion on choosing the important points in a passage of Scripture and bringing them into Choctaw storytelling. It was neat to see them working toward a goal that may help strengthen Choctaw believers and revive a beloved art form!

First Week in Mississippi

Priska and I, along with our spirited internship coordinators, Del and Jean Archer, drove from Dallas to Philadelphia, MS on Saturday, June 13^th. 

Priska and I at the Mississippi border.
(Photo by Jean Archer.)

That evening we got to meet Vonnie, the kind woman who got us connected with the landlords of our summer home. After giving us a warm welcome, she handed us the keys and sent us off to get settled at our place. 

Our kitchen area

My room

We're so thankful that God has provided this little house for us to stay in this summer!

Additionally, we were greatly encouraged by the fact that Vonnie and some of the other women at her church, First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Philadelphia, have graciously stocked our pantry! We stopped by FPC on Sunday afternoon to meet and thank them.

Meeting the women of FPC. (Vonnie is second from right.)

Laura Christel (in the blue shirt) also came to visit, since she knows and is supported by FPC members.
(Photos by Jean Archer.)

Also on Sunday, June 14^th, we attended Elijah’s church, Pearl River Baptist, where we met some other Choctaw believers and had an opportunity to hear more of the Choctaw language. Throughout his sermon, the preacher fluidly switched between Choctaw and English. Interestingly, as he really got into the heart of his message, he spoke almost completely in Choctaw, falling back into English mainly in the less animated portions of his sermon. Noticing this unconscious language shift, we began to recognize the significance of the Choctaw language to the people here—as well as the importance of having a Bible translation in the modern Choctaw language. (Note: there is an older Choctaw Bible translation, but the sentence structure and vocabulary have changed so much that younger generations have difficulty understanding it, which is why the CBTC is working on a new version.) 

That afternoon, we visited another Choctaw church, Macedonia Baptist, in order to attend the monthly hymn-sing event, where the Choctaw Baptist churches gather to sing and fellowship with each other. 

One of the church groups at the hymn-sing.

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

Part of our job for the summer is to record the Choctaw language as it is being used in various situations, in order to assist the CBTC with building their language documentation files. So Priska videoed the hymn-sing, while I sat near the front with a handheld audio recorder.

Priska videoing the hymn-sing.

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

The rest of the week was filled with learning more about Choctaw culture and life on the reservation! Elijah took us on a tour of the Pearl River portion of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ reservation. As the largest of eight Choctaw communities in this area, Pearl River contains the government offices, medical center, and schools, and provides various other services that are available to the Choctaw population in Mississippi. We also had the opportunity to visit the Chahta Immi (“the things belonging to the Choctaw”) cultural center, as well as the Nanih Waiya site, which preserves an ancient mound that plays a role in the Choctaw origin story, and Lake Pushmataha, which commemorates a former Choctaw chief.

Traditional Choctaw Clothing

Choctaw Basketry

Choctaw Legends

The Nanih Waiya Mound.

More about the mound, for the curious. :)
(www.choctaw.org/culture/mound.html)

Priska in front of Lake Pushmataha.

  

Additionally, we were able to see the Choctaw Bible Translation Committee (CBTC) office, which is located in the Pearl River community, and begin our work there. On a couple different occasions, several of the CBTC board members came to office to have dinner with us, as their schedules allowed. In preparation for these dinners, we were given further opportunity to learn about some very tangible (and edible :] ) parts of Choctaw culture. Between his other responsibilities, Elijah helped us make the traditional Choctaw staple, hominy, which consists mainly of cracked corn, with some chicken added for flavor. Later in the week, Laura Christel got one of her friends, Joshua Lewis, to come teach us how to make another traditional Choctaw food, banaha, which is made with cornmeal and bean mush that gets wrapped inside corn husks and boiled (resulting in something like a bland tamale). It has been a wonderful time of learning and getting to meet Choctaw individuals who are dedicated to the work of Bible translation!

Dinner at the CBTC office.
From left to right: Jean Archer, Elijah Ben, Pam Smith (back), Priska (front), me, Becky Richarte.
(Photo by Del Archer.)

  

Midway through the week, we also were given a chance to spend some time resting in Jackson, MS, where Laura Christel lives. We had dinner and went to the zoo with her family, and spent a couple nights with a friend of hers, Quita, who graciously welcomed us into her home. God has provided so well for us this summer—even giving us ways to rest in the midst of a busy time!

Wycliffe Orientation and Training

Our first week consisted of an orientation to Wycliffe Bible Translators in a week-long program called TOTAL it Up, with TOTAL standing for a "Taste of Translation and Linguistics." During this week, I got to meet Priska, who would be my teammate for the summer, as well as the 6 other interns who would be remaining in Dallas. We were also joined by a number of other individuals who were looking into Wycliffe as a possibility for future ministry.

The TOTAL it Up crew.

The Choctaw/Dallas interns and leaders.

(From left to right: Priska, me, Emery, Andrew, Olivia, Ryan, Dayton, Del, Jean, Victoria.

Del and Jean are our dedicated internship coordinators--we're very thankful for their work!)

During the following week, Priska and I were able to attend a course, Arts for a Better Future (ABF), on how to encourage people to use their cultural arts to glorify God. Joining us for the week were a few representatives from the Choctaw Bible Translation Committee (CBTC): Elijah Ben (Choctaw translator), Pam Smith (Choctaw CBTC board member), and Laura Christel Horlings (SIL exegete assigned to the Choctaw Bible translation project). It was great to have that time getting to know them before beginning our work with the CBTC in Mississippi!

Our table during one of the ABF sessions. 

(At our table, from left to right: Priska, Laura Christel [holding her son, Kinsley], Pam, me, Dayton, Del. Photo by Jean Archer.)

During several of the ABF sessions, we were encouraged to think through how some of the Choctaw art forms could be used to build God's kingdom, strengthening believers and glorifying God. It was a fun time to talk with Pam, Elijah, and Laura Christel about Choctaw culture. 

As with many Native American groups, direct questions about beliefs and customs are not necessarily welcomed by the Choctaw people. However, Pam and Elijah were very gracious and allowed us to ask a boatload of questions that week, as we worked through the ABF curriculum. We spoke about Choctaw dancing and beading, songs and drumming, traditional clothing and family gatherings. Landing on Choctaw storytelling, Pam and Elijah thought that a revival of that art could deeply encourage believers. Together, we made plans to promote the telling of Bible stories in a Choctaw form, praying that the use of this art would cause Choctaw believers to grow in Christ in a way that embraces their cultural heritage. We may even get to see some of this take shape while we are working with the CBTC this summer!

Pam presenting our group's storytelling ideas at ABF. 

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

Regarding another meaningful part of the Arts for a Better Future week, every morning we opened with a short time of worshipping God in a way that allowed us to tangibly express our thoughts and prayers through various art forms. It was a great exercise for me, since I have rarely connected creativity and worship in my own life. I have seen others do it with excellence! But it was a challenge (of the most encouraging, rewarding sort) for me to create as a way of worship.

One of our most simple yet meaningful worship/prayer exercises involved a circle of cardboard, a tangle of ribbons, and a collection of tacks, clips, tape, etc. We had been told to think and pray about what God was doing in and through us at present. Then we were to choose ribbons (which symbolized us) and attach them to the circle (God) in some way that represented His current work in our lives. Some ribbons dangled away from the circle, yet remained firmly attached to it. Others curved away from the circle but returned to it, securely clipped at both ends. Some were a mess of knots, shreds, tangles, zig-zags--yet they were still held tightly to the circle. Still others weaved their way between and around various other ribbons, tacked to the circle wherever they met.

The results of our ribbon activity. 

(Photo by Priska Lamera.)

Through a straightforward activity using inconsequential bits of plastic and fabric, people revealed struggles and joys that were difficult for them to put into words. To anyone else walking into the room, it would have looked like a muddle of colorful scraps. Yet to those who had created it, the tangle held great meaning and beauty.

Our Creator's intentional involvement is evident in the midst of life's messiness, and I was reminded to take note of His beautiful work in the lives of His people and in the world at large.