WHEW! Is it really September already! It is already the end of the summer, which here in our community means the major local pow wows

are the focus of many in the community. The nights now feel distinctly cool and crisp and although

one often still wants to seek shade by day, a jacket feels good in the early morning hours.

This summer really did quite literally blow by on several

occasions. There were severe storms including one that hit late

on Friday night of June 19th with sustained straight-line winds

in excess of 100 mph. One gentleman from our community

was killed in this storm when his small home was obliterated

by the high winds. Several other homes on the reservation

were destroyed as well, and many homes and properties

suffered significant damage.

We are very thankful for God’s protection. Although there

was damage, it could have been much worse and thankfully

nobody onsite was injured. The summer interns here to help

with Cantemawaste Youth Camps got out of their camper

trailer just prior to the winds hitting and flipping the camper.

Others made it to safety as well. There were also forty 4th and

5th grade boys onsite for their overnight stay at Cantemawaste

Youth Camp. Amazingly they all slept undisturbed through

the storm in the comfort of the Mato Family Center!

The remnants of the playground with the

Ikce Oyate Christian Center in background.

God’s Creation The beautiful scenery along the Missouri River is breathtaking. The view across the river from near

Diamond Willow Ministries’ Ikce Oyate Christian Center brings to mind a verse from the Bible,

“I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the

Maker of heaven and earth.” - Psalms 121:1&2.

It is this help, this hope, that God’s handiwork declares and that Diamond Willow Ministries strives to

model and proclaim on the Crow Creek Hunkpati Oyate Reservation!

SEPTEMBER 2015 , (VOL . XIV, NO . 2 )

PO Box 438 Office: (605) 245-2685

Fort Thompson, SD 57339 Website: www.d-w-m.org

E-mail: info@d-w-m.org

“Serving one another in love” — Galatians 5:13

“The Summer is BLOWING past!”

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The Summer at Diamond Willow Ministries in Photos

June 6th Celebration at the Tokata Youth Center

Two of the youth sing a Dakota hand drum song for the occasion followed by Crow Creek Sioux Tribal

Chairwoman Roxanne Sazue expressing the Tribe’s appreciation as families gather and the fun begins.

Baptisms!

There is no more joyous occasion

than taking the short walk from

the Ikce Oyate Christian Center

down to the Missouri River for a

baptism. There have been many

this summer.

Whether it is camp, the youth

center, the job program, classes,

devotions, worship, community

assistance, counseling, or any of

the day-to-day activities we are

involved in, the ultimate goal is to

uplift Jesus Christ and to hold

out the hope and salvation found

through him.

Cantemawaste Youth Camps

The Cantemawaste

Youth Camps were

once again a highlight

for the youth of the

reservation.

Fun outdoor games

and activities, Friday

night sleepover, great

food, Bible scripture

memorization, songs,

s'mores, laughter and

smiles are all part of

showing God’s great

love at camp time.

P AGE 3

Prayer Points. The Crow Creek high school dorm Bible study will be starting

up soon. Praise God for this opportunity to reach the students!

Praise God for the opportunity to bring God’s hope and love

through the platform given by the Tokata Youth Center.

The center is now a hub of activity within the community.

That through all that we do whether through an “official”

program or through personal contact, that above all Jesus

Christ is glorified.

For vehicle assistance: We still could use volunteer

mechanical help in maintaining our vans. We are also in

great need of another small car or mini-van. Since much of

our time is spent with youth and adults that don’t own

vehicles, we travel lots of miles. For example, on Sunday

mornings alone we operate a bus and three to four vans!

As our opportunities to share Christ have increased, so has

staff size and expenses. Ongoing regular financial support

and end-of-the year special gifts are greatly needed and

much appreciated.

Bibles

We are short of Bibles once again as we provide them to anyone that needs one. We use the same

Bible throughout our classes and in worship. This allows us to refer to page numbers and helps

those unfamiliar with the Bible in finding their place. If you would like to help us purchase Bibles,

please contact us or send in a donation and mark it “for Bibles”. Donations can also be made for

the Bibles or for any need online at our secure website: www.d-w-m.org. Wopida (Thank you)!

Come Visit Us At ICOM

There is so much happening onsite at DWM, we don’t have

the opportunity to “get out much”. However we do have a

booth at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

annually. This year the conference is in Richmond, VA

from October 29th through November 1st. For more infor-

mation go to www.theicom.org. We hope to see you there!

The end of the summer means pow wow

time! The colorful regalia of the dancers

is beautiful and varied, an expression of

the individuality of the dancer.

These two photos are of the eagle feather

bustles of the men’s traditional dancers

at the Big Bend Community Pow Wow.

We cook a pancake breakfast each

morning at this pow wow which is on the

far west side of the reservation.

CROW CREEK SIOUX RESERVATION

PO Box 438

Fort Thompson

South Dakota 57339

Office:

(605)245-2685

E-mail:

info@d-w-m.org

Website:

www.d-w-m.org

DIAMOND WILLOW MINISTRIES, PO Box 438, Fort Thompson, SD 57339

Before you move, please send the mailing label with a copy of your new address to

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Pierre, SD

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Permit No. 123

Bryan Joins the Onsite Family The ministry has grown much in all facets, particularly with the addition of the Tokata Youth Center.

To keep up with the growth, an additional staff person was needed to assist our current Finance Director

Gail Griner, with all the bookkeeping, accounting, and financial management. We squeeze the most out

of every dollar, and work diligently to be good stewards of all we are entrusted with. It is a big job! We

also wanted the person to not only serve as a Financial Coordinator, but also have a heart and passion to

do hands-on mentoring and discipling with the youth.

We found just the right person in Bryan Johnson. We

were already familiar with Bryan because for the past

ten years he has been coming to serve here for a week

each summer with a mission team from the Ringgold

Church of Christ of Hagerstown, MD. We already

knew Bryan was wonderfully gifted and fitted to work

with the youth. The local youth look forward to his

return every summer, and he has developed many close

relationships.

What we didn’t know about Bryan is that he graduated

from Townson University with a BS in Accounting.

This education, in addition to his work experience, have

equipped Bryan with just the skill set needed. So we

are excited for Bryan to begin serving here fulltime

beginning in October. Please pray for him as he is

prepares to make the move to Fort Thompson.