Pine Ridge Reservation

Today was a good day. We spent the day at the Pine Ridge indian reservation in south Dakota.

Early in the morning we visited the KILI radio station and were able to share Jesus and sing Who Am I on their mainstream station.
The camera crew from a television station that broadcasts to all reservations throughout the country spent the day with us - filming our visits with the people and they also filmed alot of the concert including the gospel presentation and invitation.

We partnered with the ministry: Wings and Eagles. Lori and Gary McAfee. They have been ministering to the people on the reservation for over 10 years. They acquired the land they have been praying for and are now praying for a building that will be called the Dream Center. The Dream Center will be a safe place for kids to come during the day.
It will be a church worship center
Shelter for homeless center
Food distribution center
Job training center
Bible school and training center

Our event was a fundraising effort for their ministry. Their website is
Www.waeministries.com

Amazing trip.
More to say but I'm typing with my thumbs into my phone in the airport. Almost time to fly.

Love them like Jesus
Mark

Comments

[Petra]

I have been singing songs of praise all morning long! I was able to attend this fundraising event and I LOVED it. You see my husband deployed to Iraq at the beginning of May. In June the kids and are were going to go on vacation with my parents. Well the day before getting on the plane to go meet my mom and dad I got a phone call. My mom had had a stroke and she was doing poorly! I flew to Texas and spent the next three weeks with my mom in the hospital. This whole time I have my two kids, 4 and 7 years old, to care for. I had to return home at the end of July and have been in constant contact with my mom. She is slowly recovering. To God be the glory because she was close to death. Yesterday I had the chance to be away from my kids and to be able to worship,thank and praise God for holding my hand thru my storm. God is great and he is always there willing and glad to carry us thru our battles. We just have to let him. Thank you so much for the songs that help express what I feel. My God keep all of you safe and bring many, many blessings your way!

In Christ,
Petra

[Shawn]

Thanks Mark and band for a great day! I'm a youth pastor in Rapid City, SD and was so blessed by your ministry yesterday. Thank you all for being so selfless.

[Troy Brooks]

Our family really enjoyed the concert at Rock the Light in Kansas City. We Love the new song "Slow Fade". Keep up the great work!!!

[Doreen D'Agostino]

Hi Mark and everyone! - I have worked with Lori and Gary for about 3 years. They never stop. Their faith and stamina amazes me. My son, husband and I came in a couple of days ahead of time to help them (my son was Drew who worshiped right before you). Thank you for your commitment to the people of Pine Ridge. I have been there a few times and I am always overwhelmed with the hopelessness and conditions that abound. I so see the hand of God in all that went on this week that ended in an amazing day of worship and outreach on Monday. As you begin to minister to the people of Pine Ridge, we are praying for you and the Band members. The hold that our enemy Satan has on that reservation is tremendous. The Lord put some very mature, beautiful Christian people to come beside Lori and Gary to make this happen. If any had taken their eyes off Jesus for a minute - I don't know what would have happened!! The Lord strengthened us by giving us many opportunities to fall. This is an encouragement to keep your eyes on the Lord at all times!!!! If we all do, I can't imagine the things that He will do on Pine Ridge. Also, you guys are so real. It is a pleasure to be able to say you are as in love with Jesus in person as you are on stage.

[Ryan]

I worked on a reservation in Northern Canada for two years before coming back to the South - an amazing experience that changed me in many ways, though it was not without it's challenges. An overwhelming number the First Nations people we met had all but lost their identity in some effort to become more "North American". Even Jesus, to many of the folks we knew, was essentially an American Jesus.

From what we learned in our time up North, no one ever met them where they were at until much damage was already done. But it's starting ... Thanks for being a part of the solution :-)
Ryan

[Timarie]

Thank you for the amazing experience of seeing you all in concert. I have wanted to attend a Casting Crowns Concert for so long now and was finally able to, out in the middle of a pasture, miles from any town. I grew up in Kyle, SD, just 30 miles from the concert site. After my conversion, your CD was the first Christian CD I purchased. I listened to every word of every song over and over. I cannot put into words how deeply your music has ministered to me, and how it has strengthened my relationship with the Lord through all of the TRUTH contained in your songs. I so appreciate that you did so much more than entertain, you ministered to us. It was so much more than a concert. Thank you for blessing others with the talent God has given you.

[Sonja Waddell]

Mark, I'm so thankful you went to the north to minister to the Indians. I am from Montana. I belong to Eagles Landing FBC and got the email about your trip there. I sent this to my cousin in Montana and she said they minister there in Montana and are familiar with the WAE ministries.

Here is a story from the web:— The body of a toddler found in the trunk of his mother's car may have been there for months as she drove around town, evaded questions about him and was even arrested, police said.

The mother, Summer ManyWhiteHorses, was charged Monday with deliberate homicide. Authorities say the body of her 2-year-old son, James, was found Friday in the trunk of her car — more than six weeks after it was towed to a wrecking yard when she was arrested.

Deputy County Attorney Joel Thompson said authorities have yet to determine how or when the boy died. An autopsy is being conducted. According to court records, ManyWhiteHorses told police the boy's death was an accident, and that she placed his body in the car's trunk on May 29.

ManyWhiteHorses was being held on $250,000 bail. During a brief court hearing, she appeared without an attorney and was provided forms for a public defender.

Personnel at the Cascade County Detention Center turned away a reporter's attempt to speak with her Monday because it was outside visiting hours.

ManyWhiteHorses was first arrested July 21, after authorities said she was driving erratically. As police attempted to pull her over, she drove through several stoplights and crashed into a parked car. Her 11-year-old daughter was in the back seat and, unknown to police, the toddler's body was apparently in the trunk, authorities said.

Police officers did not search the trunk, and the car was towed. ManyWhiteHorses was arrested, and child welfare officials began looking into placing the daughter into state custody.

ManyWhiteHorses was given misdemeanor citations in connection with the crash and later released from jail. Authorities said she did not retrieve her car even though she was free to do so.

Child welfare officials moved for custody of the daughter in August and were trying to determine the boy's whereabouts.

During the investigation, authorities learned that ManyWhiteHorses told relatives the state had taken the toddler long ago, that state officials were told initially the child was in Browning and then later that he was in Portland, Ore.

"Her stories varied based upon who she was talking to," said police Detective Bruce McDermott.

Police were brought into the case last week after child welfare agents could not verify the toddler's location. A short time later, ManyWhiteHorses told officers the toddler, who had autism, had died in late May, according to court records. ManyWhiteHorses told police she put the body in the trunk, wrapped in a blanket inside a garbage bag, the affidavit said.

Officers went to the wrecking yard and found the boy's body in the trunk, authorities said.

ManyWhiteHorses' aunt, Ernestine Small, said she had taken care of the two children during ManyWhiteHorses' prior run-ins with the law. Small had been hoping to take custody again this summer, but was told by ManyWhiteHorses that the toddler had been placed in foster care.

"Nobody expected this," Small said in an interview at the courthouse. "I know she gets violent, but never thought she would do this to her baby."

Both prosecutors and police said the officers followed the law by not searching the trunk after ManyWhiteHorses' July 21 arrest, saying legal cause and a search warrant would have been needed.

"Police had no reason to believe there was anything of evidentiary value in the trunk," McDermott said.

Small, ManyWhiteHorses' aunt, said the officers could not have known to search the trunk.

"Why would they?" she said.

[Kim Luzader]

Hey, Mark! I was so encouraged when I read that you had gone to Pine Ridge to help them out. I have so many fond memories of Pine Ridge and a camp that I was a counselor in for 3 summers for children off Indian Reservations. It was held in the Black Hills and we had children from several tribes and reservations. It always broke my heart to learn of the conditions they lived in and the broken families they came from. Bless you for all the wonderful work you do for God's kingdom!

[darla.whiteley]

I juss got of the hodpital. i went to myrtle beach in vavcation, My lung collapsed and had to hav esurgery, I praise the Lord it happened in Knoxville Tenn. I dered your x-mas cd and the card. THe card got ruined. can you please send me another? you do not know haow much it would mean to me. I could not got back to college this semester and not to menton no insruace. But, God pulled me through!

[Mona Sammarco]

I'm so excited to see Jesus move in my home town. I am from Pine Ridge but now live in PA, I am a believer and have been praying for the move of God to come upon the Indian Nations, hallelujah! I am great fan of casting crowns, you all rock!

God Bless and prayers of protection over you all!

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