Wo’iyopastake Ministry is excited to announce their 8th ministry trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on July 31 – August 6, 2018.  This will be the second time they will bring a team.  They can only bring 5-6 people along, in addition to their Board of Directors.

This year they have decided to put their focus on helping the pastors/leaders of the Pine Ridge Reservation to boost their ministry to youth/teens/young adults.

Why?

• The suicide rate for youth on the reservation is 4 times the national rate
• Alcohol and drug abuse is rampant
• Unwed, teen pregnancies are very common
• Unemployment there is 85-90%
• Without faith in Jesus Christ, life there is truly hopeless

Wo’iyopastake Ministry is a bit different from many other missions ministries. Our main focus is to encourage and help the local Lakota pastors and Christian leaders on the Pine Ridge Reservation to advance their own ministries. That involves a lot of time spent building relationships with the pastors and leaders there, to learn what they are doing, what they need and how we can help them.

So what will we be doing there this August?

• We will spend time with the various pastors/leaders to encourage & help them.
• We will have opportunities to meet with the youth/teens/young adults who they minister to, sharing in meals, music and church services.
• We will have opportunities to teach, preach, counsel…and enjoy the company of the Lakota young people, always learning from them also.
• The Oglala Lakota Nation Pow Wow will be going on during the time we will be there, and we expect that to be a great opportunity for ministry.
• We will visit a few important historical sites.

If you are interested in joining us, after reading through this information, please fill out the application no later than April 20th. Submit your application and any questions to Wo’iyopastake Ministry, 107 Millstone Circle, Clinton, TN 37716. Our email address is wo.iyopastake@gmail.com. We can also be found on Facebook.

Date of Ministry Trip: We will travel there on Tuesday, July 31, be there for August 1-5, and return home on August 6.

Location: We will be staying at the Body of Christ Prayer House in Porcupine SD. This location is pretty central to the entire reservation.

• There are showers available, and use of a large, fully equipped kitchen.
• We will purchase inexpensive sleeping bags & air mattresses when we arrive in Rapid City. We will also do our food shopping for the week in Rapid City. We will share cooking responsibilities for our team.

Cost: Each person will need to pay their own way for air fare, a small donation to stay at the location, and provide funds towards car rental, gas and food for the week. Right now, it looks like that all adds up to approximately $1,100 per person. This will be updated in June, when we know what air fare will actually be, but this has been the average cost in peat years.

There will be a deposit of $250 due no later than May 18 to hold your place in this mission.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Your MUST be a mature Christian, and able to take direction from the ministry trip leaders and get along well with others.
• We particularly need youth ministry leaders and spiritually mature youth/teens/young adults, but all ages are welcome to apply. If you have training in the areas of suicide prevention, alcohol & drug abuse prevention, teen pregnancy prevention or counseling for young people, that would be highly welcomed. This will not be a vacation, though it will be a blessing.
• Absolutely NO DRUGS or ALCOHOL or WEAPONS will be allowed on the reservation.
• Each person will be required to pay their own way, so if you are selected, please begin saving and seeking your funds right away. There will be a deposit of $250 due by May 18 to hold your place in this mission.

Training:

• Connecticut participants will be trained by Dan & Bonnie Licata at Wellspring Church sometime in late spring/early summer.
• Tennessee participants will be trained by Dan & Bonnie Licata sometime in the early summer.
• Pennsylvania participants will be trained by Kelly Milliron sometime in the early summer.

Upon selection, you will receive further details about the next preparation steps for you.

Please pray about your involvement in this ministry trip.