Chatting about Crisis + Care Pt IV: The Outlands Response August 2024 Newsletter

AI artistic portrayal of bombed-out trailer homes on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming

I am just so glad to have had the opportunity to sit down for a lovely conversation with one of my closest friends. Thanks Nic! What a fun time to reconnect and chat about all the things connected to my heart and work on the U.S. Indian Reservations alongside Native America.

This newsletter is part of a mini-series, where I share snapshots from this conversation.

Today, I am sharing the final Part IV of our conversation in this post. Here's Part I, Part II, and Part III of the conversation if you have not had the chance to read the series yet; I think you'll really enjoy it!

I wanted to share the final snippet of our conversation here, as I think it will provide an excellent perspective into what makes Tessa and her heart tick for Native America.

Grab some coffee or tea; let's finish up this lighthearted and engaging sibling banter!

**Tessa's Note: the word "REZ" used throughout this conversation refers to the 326 U.S. Indian Reservations, government-allotted swathes of land held in trust for Native American tribes. Learn more.

Nic: What I find so interesting about your vision is how creative you have to be in your approach. Tell us: Why does it not work to just build a church in the REZ ** context?

Tessa: Well, there have been hundreds of years of less-than-successful mission efforts among Native Americans. A lot of bad history and bad blood, more gruesome than what most of us learned in elementary school!

Most of the historical tension is associated with Christian tenets such as 'church', 'sin', 'Jesus Christ', 'gospel', 'convert', and 'missions' -- all of which are considered bad words and have a fairly negative connotation to the Native ear.

In addition to the negative history, Christianity is largely considered the "white man's religion". Often, the superficial dressings (stained-glass brick buildings, choir-robes worship, preaching from the pulpit, deviled-egg potlucks) on the substance of God's redeeming message do not resonate culturally. These additives taste strange.

A conventional missions model (i.e. where a foreign missionary teaches the native disciple to mimic him in all things — belief and practice and appearance) finds very little success among REZ communities. It feels institutional and mechanical rather than personal.

This is because the Western packaging around the gift of the Gospel is rejected as supremely foreign and unnatural. Then once the gift is unwrapped, the content of the Gospel is absorbed as hurtful and offensive because of massive past failures.

Honestly, most church buildings on the REZ are empty and abandoned. And this is after 400 years of conventional missions efforts among Native peoples on the American frontier!

All this adds challenging elements of nuance and complexity to any discipling endeavor on the REZ to share the love that I believe can only be found in the sacrifice of the cross.

My prayer is that:

an organic, indigenous-led, community-based crisis response resource will bridge the gaps that stained glass decor cannot.

We need to be particularly innovative in the "how" of energizing a people movement to Jesus. Thankfully, our savior is also a storytelling tribal man from the outlands, from a minority-people displaced from their traditional land and outcasted by civilization.

Nic: Seems like a lot of this idea revolves around successfully recruiting and training a team. So how can you build up to launching the first response team?

Tessa: Knowing how to create and launch the first team was my biggest prayer voiced over the last decade. God is faithful in answering our prayers in ways we would never expect.

Just recently, the opportunity presented itself to become certified as a community chaplain (read more about that providential trip here) in Montana of all places! The trainer, Chaplain Tracy, really inspired me with her stories of how she spearheaded the creation of a chaplain corp in her own midwestern community almost 30 years ago. Someone has gone before me!

So what felt like an impossible gap not too long ago, I can confidently say it is possible now.

The GOAL is to develop and launch the first response team in the first reservation community by the conclusion of 2026. (See my newly developed prayerful timeline above!)

No small plans here! This is a tremendous, terrifying task.

Because Native America is largely considered an under-reached people group (less than 3% firm born-again Christian), the pool of interested individuals is minimal, to say the least.

But I continually ask and trust the Lord to stir up and equip the right indigenous people at the right time, who are wholeheartedly courageous to face this daunting task: reaching a forgotten, embittered people group demoralized in the wilds of the outlands.

I am confident, through the Lord's good mercy, that we will see this vision come to fruition.

It will take faith, prayer, and partnership.

Let me just say, from my current perspective, the most pressing component of this foundation is securing and strengthening a sturdy supporter base through financial and prayerful partnerships with the local church in Denver.

My advisory board recommends postponing a full ministry launch until we can secure 100% of the needed operational funds. To give you a sense of where we're sitting right now, we are approximately 40% of the way to the full-time salary mark for me (Tessa). Then, of course, past that metric, there's a lot more to consider and fund: we need to determine the specific money needs for this first operational volunteer team such as vehicles, supplies, certifications, etc., and the administrative support the team will need in the background.

(I'm working on getting more defined business figures for supporters as soon as possible.)

Thanks to everyone who is praying alongside me for the fulfillment of these people and provisional needs. God will satisfy these needs in a way we cannot alone or without Him.

Right now, I am focused on day-to-day mile-by-mile obedience -- building the organization and discipleship infrastructure we will need in the future. One baby step at a time!

For example, I am actively researching and writing a curriculum to implement in the training of our future teams. I am supplementing this by attending a couple of local trainings. I am asking for personal partnership referrals from my early adopter supporter base. And I’m praying about a potential late-2024 REZ trip to Wyoming, to reconnect with old friends.

Nic: Your vision is beautiful! But this kind of pioneering work can be so challenging! When it gets tough: What is your WHY that makes your heart keep returning to this vision?

Tessa: I've been learning how to tell my own story fully, and I realize I too need healing. Thankfully, Jesus rescued me! He is my good shepherd who found me in my own inescapable desert ghetto and led me to the healing water for which my soul thirsts.

I deeply desire to share that same message with whoever needs to hear the same encouragement. I especially want my Native companions to hear, in the desert ghettos they find themselves: there is healing available! Even in a barren, desolate landscape, there is water to be found that can quench the thirst of our souls. Here's my why: let us go together to the good Shepherd who can lead us to that living water, springs welling up to eternal life!

Nic: Wow, how awesome is that! I know I for one am behind you and your dream. May God bless your endeavors on the REZ, for His glory and for the good of Native America and beyond. Thanks for sitting down and sharing with me from your heart, Tessa.

Tessa: Yeah of course, so grateful for you, and for being curious. Thanks for having me, I loved talking about something so close to my heart!

Eagle Spirit Singers and Dancers, Wind River Reservation. Photo: Wyoming Office of Tourism

How to Partner

I am so honored and humbled to have the support of so many wonderful people. Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for coming alongside me in this bold endeavor.

May God the Father be praised for the fruit produced by these small but mighty efforts.

Let's connect! Please reach out to engage on any of these topics in greater detail. I would love to sit down for coffee (tea for me please!) sometime soon, I'm excited to hear from you. 

PRAY -- Prayer is and will always remain my biggest need. Sign up for in-the-field text prayer updates! Send a text message to the phone number 81010 with the code @rezupdate in the message to opt into text notifications of all major ministry developments.

GIVE -- I invite you to partner with me financially in this important work. Please prayerfully consider a treasured monthly partnership or a welcomed one-time gift – whatever the Lord leads you to provide will be a tremendous blessing to this blossoming work. All donations are tax-deductible through the 501c3 non-profit organization, Urban Skye.

SHARE -- Please share your excitement with those closest to you (plus this newsletter and my website!). Encourage your friends and family to consider partnering with Outlands Response, multiplying the impact and scope of this endeavor. I appreciate your referrals.

Click Here to Partner Financially

I welcome your active partnership as this task should only be done together. Thank you so much!!

God's servant for your sake,

Tessa