An Urgency

What if I were to give you appalling statistics of a people group in the world today that are victimized at an alarming rate?

• The female demographic of this people group is raped and sexually assaulted at 2.5x the rate of the country they are found in.
• Of the reported rapes and sexual assaults, 86% of the perpetrators are outside of the women's people group.
  

You would probably announce this as an atrocity, comment that it could only be happening in a war-torn, impoverished, 3rd world country, and then cut the conversation short so you could go to Starbucks before your PTA meeting.

Do you want the answer? I don't know if you do.

These figures pertain to Native American and Alaskan Native women.

Yep, that's right, in our own back yard.

If that weren't enough....

34.1% -- one in three Native American and Alaskan Native women -- will be raped in their lifetime.


thanks for reading,

andy Christo

p.s. source(s) available upon request

Coincidence?

In a couple of days I, along with a couple of friends, will be in Montana on the 'rez' building a home for a family (mentioned in the previous posting). Funds are minimal but enough to go ahead with the beginning stages of construction.

One of the more recent hurdles in beginning such a mammoth project is how to dig the foundation. The nearest town that would have a backhoe is 70 miles away, and with minimal funding to begin with, to rent one would be a big blow from the get-go.

My friend Ronny from Colorado was praying to the Lord, asking what to do about the foundation. In the meantime, the town our project is located in, Lodge Grass, has endured some major flooding in the past couple of weeks. The water reservoir is at its capacity and starting to overflow, and the Little Bighorn River is at flood stage, threatening low-lying homes and roads.

One could only imagine what the tribe brought into town to dig trenches/moats, and to build barriers to protect homes and roads: a backhoe.

Not only is a backhoe in town, but the operator will dig the foundation in exchange for using the dirt removed elsewhere in the city.

Sweet deal,

Andy Christophersen

Crow Indian Reservation

The following is an article I wrote for the Kings Kids newsletter out of Denver, Colorado. For those of you that don't know, it is the organization with which I travel to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.

Indian summer is a name given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. This time can be in late October or early November in the Northern hemisphere. It can persist for just a few days or weeks. Kings Kids has its own version of Indian summer: Crow Indian summer. As the years go by, the King’s Kids Crow Indian summer increases in duration as commitment grows as well as the size of projects.

This summer, a group of young men and women will give up a couple weeks in the summer to build relationships with kids through a basketball camp. In addition, young people will use their construction skills to undertake a mammoth task of building a home for a foster family with 9 adopted children. Estimates for the project are in the six figures.

The questions I ask myself are these: Do I really believe that the Lord can work through our trips to the ‘rez’ to accomplish things we otherwise could not do on our own? Do I think the Lord will ‘come through’, or do I approach the throne timidly as if my requests to the Lord may reach His ears by chance like pulling a lever on a slot machine. Are my pleas to God on behalf of the Crow people and the building project filled with eager anticipation and expectation, or am I going through the motions asking God for guidance and help because I’m supposed to, not expecting my prayers to be answered.

The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous and they please him (Prov.. 15:8, 1Pet. 3:12). Matthew 7:7-12 speaks of petitioning the Lord and receiving what we ask for. As we prepare our hearts for the Crow Indian summer, whether you are a giver of resources or a volunteer of your time, approach your Savior boldly and with confidence, in great anticipation that your prayers will be heard and answered.

Peace,

Andy Christophersen

Sailing and .... Natives?

Michelle and I had our friend Kenny Pretty on Top stay with us for a week. He's from the rez we visit frequently in Montana. He's a crazy good guitar player. We had a great time. Kenny is such a warm hearted man. You know, those people you enjoy being with no matter what you are doing or where you are.




The day Kenny left, Michelle and I went to Lake Michigan to do some sailboating. Our neighbors Chris & Andy Mitchel invited us on Andy's Dad's boat. It was our first time sailboating and we enjoyed every minute of it. We both had a chance to steer the boat with a cold one in hand, pull some ropes, and enjoy the sun.