Our Presbytery of Nevada Mission Team returned from Metlakatla, Alaska with hearts full of memories and the gift of knowing that we all made a difference in the lives of our Tsimshian brothers and sisters. Our team of 34 included members from Mountain View, Green Valley, Elko and Truckee Lutheran Presbyterian churches and we worked… we really worked! Together with youth from Metlakata, we helped paint all the trim in the Metlakatla Presbyterian Church, sanded doors that hadn’t been refurbished in 99 years, dug two drainage ditches, organized three craft rooms, cleaned the Sanctuary, held a yard sale, fixed electrical wires, made pies for the Founders’ Day pie sale, and poured a concrete pad. And at the request of the Women’s Association, we installed new faucets in the kitchen sinks and built a handrail for the kitchen door entrance.

But wait… there’s more! We began installing a shower that finally arrived by ferry. And one of the most tender projects was restoring the gravesite of Rev. Marston, a community pastor who was the first Native American ordained as a Presbyterian Minister in the United States.

Superhero Vacation Bible School

And every morning we greeted children from all around the island to our Superhero Vacation Bible School. We taught through skits, games, and crafts the Love of the best superhero of them all, our Lord Jesus Christ! We embodied the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with only “two salmon and a package of hamburger buns”; enacted Jesus walking on water to calm the Disciples as they struggled to “paddle their canoe,”; shared about the four people who cared so much for their sick friend that they cut a hole in the ceiling to bring him to Jesus; and recreated the story of Jesus telling the disciples to “Cast your nets on a different side of your canoe.”

Christians Help In All Cultures

We shared Lexio Divina on the 100th Psalm, had Bible Study in the evenings, and strived to get out of our comfort zones to follow Jesus. Each day more and more of the Tsimshian youth would arrive and become a part of our team, working with us on all the projects.

We also had the honor of learning about the Tsimshian culture from our Metlakatla friends. Each night we were welcomed by a member of the community who shared their history and faith with us. We were invited to a Potlatch feast and given seats of honor at the Founders’ Day Long House Dance to experience traditional dances of the Eagle, Raven, Wolf, and Killer Whale clans. Gavin, one of the island Council Members, sang the Lord’s Prayer while performing on a Tsimshian drum. Johan guided us in a 30′ canoe and sang Tsimshian songs while salmon jumped all around us and Bald Eagles flew overhead.

As we were leaving, I asked one of the Metlakatla youth if she could help us. “We will have a lot of food left over, and we can’t stand wasting it. Will you please help us by taking some food home?” She was silent for a moment, and then said, “All we have at home is dehydrated eggs, I think my family would like the food.” We sent boxes and boxes home with many of the community youth.

Mountain View Covers Expenses

On our last night, the Mission Team from Mountain View presented a check to cover all the mission expenses for all our work projects, a gift from the members of the Mountain View Presbyterian Church.

Thank you for sending us to serve Jesus in Partnership with the Presbyterian Church of Metlakatla. It was an honor to represent the hearts of Nevada Presbytery!

In Christ,
Pastor Jeanie