"First He mingled with people, with the good of all in mind. Second, He sympathized with the people. Third, He met their physical needs. Finally, He won their confidence. Only after this was done did He begin to share the plan of salvation.”

And so began the orientation for the five seniors from Grand Rapids Adventist Academy (GRAA) as they started their mission trip to the Yakama Indian Reservation in central Washington state. The group traveled to the northwest reservation during the first week in May to work on service projects and conduct Vacation Bible Schools among the children of the Yakama Nation.

Most days were spent painting the interior of the church. The pastor and his wife were in tears as they saw the transformed sanctuary. A primary objective of the trip was to help build cultural bridges between the Adventist All Nations Center and tribal leaders. The painting project was one step in the process. The students discovered that we have much to learn about the Yakama people. We found many of them to be very dear people who have not only been misunderstood, but for the most part, neglected. Unfortunately, many of their experiences under the banner of Christianity have not been positive. We realized what an incredible responsibility we have as a church to reach the 2.5 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives with the hope of the gospel. We hope the unselfish work provided by the GRAA seniors is a beginning.

The seniors saw the value in Christ’s method of reaching people and were given first-hand practical experience in applying those methods. In addition to the service project, they conducted a Vacation Bible School in one of the housing clusters on the reservation.

The students began to identify with the heart of Jesus as they learned of the challenges that many Indian people face. They were eager to express love and acceptance and to share a sense of value and worth.

The week went by quickly. Too soon it was time to return to Michigan. Yet, the seniors came away with a new view of our responsibility to all people and how Christ would have us relate to them. They are now equipped with new and effective tools to minister to the basic needs of people and to give them the hope of salvation in Christ as they demonstrate His love.

Participating seniors were Shayna Butler, Josed Estrella, Rewel Estrella, Jordan Grove, and Andy Leffler. Their sponsors were Phil Engelman and Marilyn Leffler. Students funded the trip by using their Senior Trip Fund and by selling school shirts they designed in their economics class. The Muskegon Church also made a significant contribution. In addition, each senior was responsible for a portion of the trip cost. They are grateful to those who purchased shirts and to all those who donated, making this trip possible.

Phil Engelman is a teacher at Grand Rapids Adventist Academy in Michigan.