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A Desperate Voice from the Heart of a Nation

Hello,
My name is Pamela and I am a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibway. I wanted to write to you and let you know what it is like on my reservation. The youth are lost they are floating with nothing solid under their feet, as a result they are grabbing on to whatever seems to offer some sense of security, things like gangs, drugs both prescription and illicit, alcohol, sex and violence. We are losing them daily; suicide is on the rise, murders, overdoses and many other ways. Many of our youth have the "gang mentality" they are angry all the time and the sad thing is that they do not know why, they are disrespectful to anyone who dares to cross them, and at the drop of a hat they will lash out.

I don't know whether you know about the "Boarding Schools" and what happened to us in the name of progress, but it has caused wounds that will not heal. Some call the"Boarding School" era the " American Holocaust",my people were sexually abused, physically abused, and emotionally abuse; there are elders on my reservation that will not speak of the time that they were in the "Boarding Schools" because it is to shaming. I know that Jesus is the answer for our youth and that they need to get to the "Revolution Conference" in October.

There are those on the reservation that practice "Midawin" which is a native American religion, and they are dead set against our youth being involved with "Christianity" because it was in the name of progress and Christianity that our children were put in the Boarding Schools. The Christianity that they speak of is not the personal walk that I share with my Lord Jesus. There were many things that were done in the name of Jesus that were not Christian unfortunately this has cause many to turn away and not hear the salvation message.

I know that you are coming to Minneapolis in October and I am asking you and all to pray for my people and especially the young people,they need Jesus, they need to be in the Grace Church in October.

Please pray for our youth, in Cass Lake, Minnesota.

I heard you on Focus on the Family today and I heard Laura too give her testimony. I believe that many will come to the Lord if they get there like Laura. Witchcraft is also here, Wicca and Satan worship. Please, please, please remember my people in prayer.I used to work a lot with families and young people( I did Social Work) but I hurt my back and cannot work now, I am waiting on the Lord to show me what is next in my life.

Iknow this is a long email, thank you for your time and your service to young people.

Love inJesus (who makes all Love perfect)
Pamela

Update:

Hello Again,
I just wanted to tell you that a friend of mine committed suicide on Monday. This hopelessness is nothing new here. He was 45 years old and a Native American. Wayne was older but he is not any different from our young people on the reservation. I had a young person ask me once....."Why am I here, am I just living to see my friends die...is that all there is in life, what is the point?" The hopelessness is rampant - this young man went on to get charged with drug possession and is now in jail. He said that he went to church and all that it did was scare him; he was not aware of the devil's existence and he went on to say that he woke up one night and saw what he thought was the devil in his bathroom. From that day on he would have nothing to do with church. How sad that the one place that he could have found the peace and know why he is here.....was a place that only scared him and drove him from Jesus Christ.

The phone just rang...it was one of our friends............their son committed suicide in the cities...........I am in shock.

Thank you for your work,
Pam