Native Mending the Soul - A Story of Friendship, Provision, & Healing
- Tessa Depuy
- Nov 6
- 9 min read
✜ FROM: The Outlands Response Outpost ✜ R.I.V.E.R.S. Outfit ✜
✜ RE: Dispatch from the Frontlines 0010 ✜ DATE: November 2025 ✜
God’s Provision in the Perfect Time
Over the years, I’ve been on the hunt for two things related to fostering organic, indigenous discipleship: (a) the right resources and (b) the right people. I believe Native America needs a new and fresh opportunity to discover and pursue Jesus!
Which makes what I’m about to share something truly special…
You see, discipleship needs to be contextual and helpful. I think we can all agree on that. Opening the Word of God can be a jarring starting point for most Native believers, due to the bad connotations and bloody history surrounding proselytization. There is a need for a tailored tool(s) to bridge the gap - one that embraces good discipleship, contextualization, and empowerment. You know, something that is approachable and very practical.
Discipleship also needs to be personal and communal. No one should be forced to travel the path of discipleship and sanctification alone. And especially in the communal context of indigenous culture, no decision or endeavor is entirely individualistic. As much as our Western Christianity likes to go it alone, life really only makes sense in community.
That's why we need a good map, and we need good friends.
Good news is I see God is developing these critical resources in the Outlands of Indian Country as well as raising up capable and caring Indigenous leaders who love Jesus and want to serve their community. God is actively and lovingly pursuing Native America, desiring the Nations to turn to Him and to become His children.
The Right People at the Right Time
This is a story of how God is doing exactly that. In the following snapshot, you will meet my new and dear friend, Rose, a warmhearted and vivacious Cherokee woman from Oklahoma.
She is truly a gift! I met Rose this past winter serendipitously when we both found ourselves out of our comfort zone during a long-weekend workshop in Arkansas of all places. She was so welcoming to me, a cultural outsider! And put any anxieties I was bringing along with me to rest easily. Rose is a delight, with a quick wit, a sweet smile, and a great knack for telling a story in the most humorous way imaginable!
Rose, like many Native individuals from reservation communities, has known more than her fair share of hardship. REZ life is a hard life to lead. But God has redeemed Rose’s story for her good and His glory! Unlike many of her peers on the REZ, Rose is unburdened and lighthearted, with a sparkle in her eye.
I am excited to introduce Rose to you all now, so that you all can hear from her directly; you’ll be hearing a lot more from Rose in the future, no doubt about that.
We have some exciting things on the horizon! (More details to come, stay tuned.)
Rose’s Story
"In June 2025, I had the opportunity to attend a facilitator training for Native Mending the Soul (NMTS) in Flagstaff, AZ, with Tessa through her work with Outlands Response. It was an intense three-day training, followed by three months of remote group discussion and processing. This trauma healing curriculum challenged us to dive deeper into the parts of our souls that were unhealed and in need of God’s care and attention. This sounded good in theory, but I was not prepared for the road that God was leading us down! I have participated in other secular programs that were geared towards trauma healing. They were nothing like Native Mending the Soul which far exceeded my expectations and greatly impacted my life! The main difference was the additional faith aspect in the curriculum, purposefully designed to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and emphasize our identity in Christ as an Indigenous person.
Chapter 2 – Wounds the Eye Cannot See: Trauma’s Biological and Psychological Impact was one of the hardest chapters. This chapter focused on God and culture, among other things, a very difficult thing to reconcile as an Indigenous believer in Jesus. I am disconnected from my culture because of various reasons. One reason that I am disconnected from my culture is because my grandma was a Christian believer and took our family to church, which means we did not get the ceremonial aspects of our culture passed down to us. The other reason relates to my past trauma that included serious spiritual abuse from Native Christian leaders who misunderstood the correlation of God and culture. So for a long time, my relationships with any Native person who was considered too “traditional” were forcibly severed because of the misconception that culture and religion could not go together.
Therefore, it was very hard to answer any of the questions that the book asked in Chapter 2, which all surrounded the intersection of faith and culture. I spent an entire evening being counseled by two of my non-native cohorts, one of whom was Tessa. With their kind help, I was able to come to a greater understanding of what the book was asking. This was a very odd situation to find myself in because, as an Indigenous person, this resistance came up in my own heart: “Shouldn’t I be the expert, not them?” I did not realize that I was facing an effect of historical trauma that I had never experienced before: feeling so foreign to my own culture. The sad reality is I should have always been able to possess the dignity of being the expert on who God made me to be as an Indigenous person, but historical and intergenerational trauma denied me that opportunity. This is something I was able to grieve for the first time in this Native Mending the Soul journey, alongside both my Native and non-native brothers and sisters in Christ.
Even though the curriculum was tough, God did provide a beautiful opportunity to remind us of His goodness and His sovereign power. We were able to take a class field trip one afternoon to the Grand Canyon. It was my first time being there! We were able to have a group prayer time and studied the curriculum book with our small group on the breathtaking canyon rim (where the resident chipmunks are a little too friendly!).
After seeing the beauty that God created in the Canyon, I was reassured that I could survive this healing journey because I knew that He was going to turn the pain into beauty!
The past few months, since the intensive part of the training in Arizona, have consisted of weekly virtual small group sessions to complete the remainder of the book and continue to process through our trauma. I was so thankful that God provided me with this group of sisters to heal with, which includes Tessa. I now know how to be comfortable and accept my identity as an Indigenous person who follows Christ! I can recognize the stronghold that shame had on my life. I know that God created me for so much more! I deserve to have good things in my life. I do not have to stay in an unhealthy environment because of my old belief that mistreatment is all that I deserve.
If God can paint the Grand Canyon an array of beautiful colors, imagine how much beauty He can paint in my life if I will let Him! We all need to learn how to give God the paintbrush and see what masterpiece He can create. Thank you for listening to my story."
A Sweet and Sacred Experience
[back to Tessa] Wow, is that not incredible?! As Rose would say, “Only God!” And it is so true. I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend the Native Mending the Soul (NMTS) facilitator training with Rose in Arizona in June. It was a major leap of faith to make it happen, but with Rose’s eagerness and courage bolstering my obedience, we did it.
What a beautiful thing that we did!
This facilitator training was graciously hosted by Indigenous Bible College (IBC, website here) in Flagstaff, AZ; their dedicated team of Indigenous creators worked tirelessly over the last 4 years to adapt and contextualize this high-quality trauma-healing curriculum to resonate with Native American participants. And I saw the difference firsthand!
It was an honor. In the sweet and sacred time following our time in Arizona, I had the privilege of learning from and being a companion to three delightful Native women (pictured above), including Rose, from all across America as we all chose vulnerability and trusted God with our healing journeys. How the Lord used this experience to bond us as sisters, even across states and cultures, sharing in both the heartache and the triumph!
Our experience reflected what we saw in the colors of the Grand Canyon: God is sovereign and good, so we can be confident He will transform pain into beauty. Praise God!
I am happy to report that Rose and I are now certified facilitators for the Native Mending the Soul curriculum, thanks to IBC, which will enable us to walk alongside others and companion those who are hurting on their own healing journey to the heart of God.
Not only that, but the bonds of friendship deepened throughout the experience. I’m so glad to have done it alongside dear, new friends.
The Right Resource at the Right Time
Mending the Soul (MTS, website here) is a long-standing, respected, and well-tested “therapeutic approach that combines spiritual and psychological practices to help individuals heal from trauma, emotional wounds, and brokenness”.
The Native American contextualization of Mending the Soul is a gamechanger.
It is the collaborative work of the team of Indigenous artists and writers at Indigenous Bible College, who masterfully interwove their unique cultural perspectives with the Jesus-centered MTS Model to offer from the labor of their love an approachable and revolutionary healing journey rooted in both tradition and faith.
"NMTS explores stories of resilience, the importance of cultural identity, and the deep spiritual restoration that is part of Indigenous life in Christ. This resource helps us confront the wounds caused by trauma, abuse, and broken relationships and offers tools for healing rooted in both Native values and the Christian faith. Join us as we discuss ways to mend our hearts and spirits, strengthen our communities, and reclaim our strength as Indigenous people. We believe in walking this journey together, united in hope and guided by a Creator who deeply loves and values every person."
[a note from the Indigenous Creators at Indigenous Bible College]
I am eternally grateful for the path trailblazed by this group of dedicated group of Jesus-loving Natives, as there is nothing I’ve found quite like Native Mending the Soul curriculum.
Here's what counts! Native Mending the Soul is:
BIBICALLY SOUND
RESEARCH DRIVEN
PSYCHOLOGICALLY PROVEN
CULTURALLY CONTEXTUALIZED
Here’s the thing: we want the freedom and empowerment of all Native America. A healed Native warrior can serve as a healer for their community, sparking a movement of love!
I genuinely believe this resource will serve as a critical component of our efforts through Outlands Response to empower Indigenous leaders. This tool will serve as the first step in discipleship for recruits to the R.I.V.E.R.S. teams. This is a major development.
You see, I believe anyone who reconsiders the ways and remedy of Jesus is embracing healing in their heart. We can see the evidence of this before our very eyes in the testimony of Rose and other Native individuals. This is a proof of concept that is readily welcomed.
So I praise God for all of His provisions – the right resources in the hands of the right people at the right time. And I thank God for YOU and for all the ways in which you enable this endeavor to blossom. God is working mightily in the Outlands – decisively for His glory and for the abundant good of Native America. May we meet Him in the wilderness, helping and healing all those who are hurting along the way!
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 from these small but mighty efforts.
Let's connect! Please reach out to engage together on any of these topics in greater detail. I would love to sit down for coffee (tea for me please!) soon, I'm excited to hear from you.
PRAY — Prayer is and will always remain my biggest need. Calling all folks who take prayer seriously and desire to participate in this powerful way. Let me know if you'd like to receive text notifications of all major ministry developments and in-the-field prayer updates.
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.
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.
I welcome your active partnership as this task should only be done together. Thank you so much!!
God's servant for your sake,
Tessa
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