Hello again! This week has been crazy. God has done a great work this week! Glory to Him!

Last Sunday, I picked up Joseph Juson from Saskatoon and we were going to embark on a crazy adventure up north. We were going to Pelican Narrows and Dechambeault Lake Village. Both of us had never been up there before. Both of us had never been on reserves before either, so it was going to be quite the experience for us and it was!

Here are some stories:

Story #1

Joseph and I were driving up to Pelican on a Sunday and I knew that small town co-op gas stations usually closed around 6. We were coming up to a small town called Smeaton and it was about 4, so we were doing pretty good. So we pull up to the gas station and of course it is closed! Not open on Sunday’s. We couldn’t use the card lock there either. I guess that we would have to drive over to Nipawin, which was about 40 minutes away and get some gas. Just as I was about to drive away this farmer pulled up and asked if I needed any gas. He had a card for the card lock. Just in time! So we filled up and God provided just in time.  I told him what we were doing up north and he thought it was pretty cool. So we continued on our way.

Story #2

We just passed to Dechambeault Lake turn off and were about 30 minutes away from the Pelican Narrows turn off. All of a sudden there is a hitchhiker! It was getting pretty late, so we blew past him. Then a little bit down the road, there was one hitchhiker standing up waving us down. I had to pull over….don’t know how Joseph felt at this point! I got out of the car and saw this one guy laying down in the ditch. His friend told me that he got stung by a bee and he was going to die in 4 hours because he was allergic to it! I prayed for him in Jesus name and they seemed encouraged by that. They needed to get to a clinic in Creighton though and time was running out! I could tell at this point that they were drunk. I thought maybe I should leave them on the road, but I thought I should take them and share the gospel with them. I had compassion for them. It was quite the ride. The guy who got stung by the bee asked for his friend to take his watch before he died, but his friend always said, “Your not leaving me yet!” Then he started to sing a song he knew about Jesus. His breath reeked like beer. Anyways, we dropped them off in Creighton. I made it very clear to them that I picked them up because it was what Jesus wanted me to do.

Story #3

We had a few car troubles this week! When we were coming out the muffler pipe would rattle and hit the ground occasionally. I didn’t know how bad the gravel roads to Dechambeault Lake and Pelican Narrows would be. You see, they put up all these red flags warning you of bumps in the road. The thing is that only one out of ten of these flags is a bump. Now I know the road and when the bumps come, but the poor car took a big beating the first couple days. One day, Joseph and I noticed that the car was a little louder than usual. So we looked at the muffler and it was broken. We tried to fix it with duct tape but that lasted for maybe a minute on the gravel road. Joseph likes the sound of the car now anyways. On Thursday, we were driving to Dechambeault and suddenly there was a sound like something falling off the car. There goes the muffler we thought! So we got out and the tire had right burst! Thank the Lord that there was a spare in the trunk. It was that day at Dechambeault that we met a kid who would trust in Jesus on Friday. Good try Satan.

So there are some stories for you! Teaching was hard this week. I found this verse very applicable:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing – 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me – 2 Corinthians 12:9

These kids on the reserves need love the most out of everything. They do not know what love is or what it looks like. They come from homes of pain and hate. It is very heartbreaking. Some kids don’t go home at night because they are too afraid or just don’t like it at home. Swimming was a thing we did daily at these reserves. This is the real ministry on the reserves. Teaching is very important, but the kids wont listen to you if you don’t play with them.

The kids are pretty mean here sometimes. They can break you down so much with their words that you do not want to do anything. I don’t blame them. It is the only thing they really know. I see adults come looking for some of the kids swearing and yelling at them. Thats all they know. This one day I got out of the water and this kid asked me, “Are you a Christian?” I said, “Yeah, I am.” Then he pointed out all the bad kids and talked about how they swear and smoke and do all kinds of bad things. At this point I was reminded that Jesus said that its not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I told him thats why I am here, to tell the bad kids about Jesus.

The Lord is so good and he did all the work. Lots of the time the kids wouldn’t really listen, but 12 kids came to the Lord this week! All the tough situations that I went through this week were worth it for the sake of these children knowing the Lord. I wrote papers on this verse, but I means more to me now:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us – Romans 8:18

Here are some things to lift up in prayer and also to thank God for:

• We have driven almost 2500km this week. Praise the Lord for safety!
• The 12 kids that came to Christ. Glory!
• Pray that kids would understand why they are going to heaven. Not because of works, but because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Pray for this generation of kids on the reserves that there would be revival in their lives.

Off to Cumberland House next week!

Thank you for all you prayers! God is moving

Darren Goetz

Darren Goetz

Hello friends! My name is Darren Goetz and I am 20 years old. This is my first summer teaching and I am very excited for what is in store. It brings me joy to plant seeds of truth in the life of these children. In the fall I am doing a pastoral internship in BC. Pray for kids to know christ. Pray for the strength to endure all summer.