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Our Standing Stone

Yorkminster Park's Oneida Mission Team, July 2016

"Shekoli, shekoli, shekoli to you…" These were the first words of a song that the children of Oneida sang to our mission team from Yorkminster Park. The word shekoli means "Hello" or "Welcome" in their native language. The happy strains of this song welcomed us to their community.

Last week a team of twenty volunteers from Yorkminster Park traveled to the Oneida Nation of the Thames - a First Nations reserve near London, Ontario. We partnered with First Oneida Baptist Church to run a day camp, using the facilities of the elementary school on the reserve - Standing Stone School.

The Oneida people are part of the Iroquois Nation. They are descendants of Oneidas who migrated from New York State in the mid-1800's, and formed a settlement in Southwold, Ontario. They are sometimes referred to as the People of the Standing Stone. There are stories handed down through the generations which tell of an upright stone that would appear near Oneida villages. As villages would relocate to better land and conditions, shortly thereafter the upright stone would appear in their area.

Like many First Nations reserves, Oneida struggles with issues of economic disparity, poverty, racism, lack of resources, addiction problems, illiteracy and a sense of hopelessness among its youth. For the past two summers, we have had the privilege of running a day camp for children and youth. While trying to be sensitive to the native culture, we seek to bring a ray of hope and light into this community by sharing God's love with the children. It has been a wonderful experience for the children, as we see them engage and respond to our group. For our team, it has really been transformative in many ways. Many of us were moved by the stories and things we experienced. Our faith was deepened, as we both gave of ourselves to the children and yet also received much in return.

Let me share some stories and anecdotes which touched me profoundly during this week:

• A young girl named Emma, whose mother had never heard the stories about Jesus. She said she asked her daughter to share with her each night everything she had learned about God at the camp.

• Kids on the bus crying on the last day as they waved good-bye to us.

• Great action songs and participation by the children.

• Lots of hugs.

• A Zumba dance night, where the older girls could learn about fitness and nutrition, followed by healthy snacks.

• Kids signing my "Arise" team T-shirt on the last day.

• Preaching at the First Oneida Baptist Church, and seeing a family attend who came with their children because they knew we were holding the day camp the next day. They hadn't been to church before, but came because the kids remembered us from last summer.

• Singing "Jesus Loves Me" in the Oneida language.

• Listening to Mrs. G (Shirley Gleadall, pastor of First Oneida Baptist and a teacher at the school) share her heart for the children and people of Oneida.

• Seeing our team work together - learning about native culture; seeing the beautiful children; hearing about the needs of the families.

• Seeing transformation within our team, with hearts breaking for the children and the many challenges they face on the reserve.

• So much despair - out of 70 eligible high school students on the reserve, only 7 will continue school after Grade 8.

• One young mother who sent her child to the camp. She wants to go to law school so she can give back to her community.

• Hearing about the racism and prejudice toward our First Nations people, and all the barriers they face.

• Also seeing signs of hope - the smiles of children; listening to their hopes and dreams.

• Delivering baby clothes, knitted goods, and prayer shawls from our Dorcas group and other knitters. These will be given to young moms and seniors in the residence.

• Having some older Oneida youth teach and demonstrate native dance and culture.

These are but a few of the vignettes that come to mind after spending a week in Oneida. As I was reflecting on our experience, a Bible passage came to mind. I thought of the prophet Samuel, who referred to another kind of "Standing Stone." In 1 Samuel 7, Israel is facing oppression from her enemies. God delivers the nation, and Samuel sets up a memorial in gratitude to God. He names it Ebenezer, meaning "Stone of Help." 1 Samuel 7:12 reads: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said: ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.'

As a team from our church, we very much felt the presence of God in our midst each day at Oneida. We sensed your prayers and continuing support. We truly felt that God was our Ebenezer - our Stone of Help - in the midst of the busyness of ministry at Standing Stone School. We continue to pray for the Oneida people - the People of the Standing Stone.

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