THE OMAHA RESERVATION by LeRoy Campbell

The weekend of October 26 and 27, Charlie Beck, Gerald Meltingtallow (a blackfoot Indian from Alberta, Canada), and I visited the Omaha Indian Reservation at Macy, Nebraska. Macy is located along the Missouri River about 30 miles south of Sioux City.

Our mission was to seek out members of the RLDS church on the reservation. This was quite difficult for me, not knowing where to begin. Charlie Beck's gift from God is his friendliness and ease with people he knows as well as with strangers. It was a pleasure and a challenge to knock on the doors of strangers to obtain information about Saints in the area and to introduce ourselves as members of IMCA. We had been given the names of a few people to contact in Macy. After much prayer and searching, we found a family on our list. Shortly after we entered their home, it became apparent that we were not welcome and were, in fact, asked to leave. This truly dampened our spirits.

The next person we found was Clifton Springer. This visit was entirely different than the first; Clifton greeted us with a big smile on his face. We knew, by the spirit, that we were with a Latter Day Saint. Clifton had recently lost both of his feet from an accident, however, he still drives his car. The day we visited, we found him under the hood of his car working on the engine. We had an uplifting visit with Clifton as we shared spiritual experiences. Clifton gave us the name of Irene Parker, another Native American to visit. Once again we were welcomed and felt a kindred spirit with this sister. While visiting Irene, we learned that the RLDS church building located in town was in ruins. It had been six years since their last church service.

We understand there are about two hundred church members on the reservation, with no place to gather for worship. That evening Irene called several people to let them know that a Sacrament Service would be held on Sunday. Charlie and I were very happy to welcome fourteen Native Americans to the service. Our hearts were filled with joy and the love of God for His people. Some expressed that it had been several years since their last opportunity to partake of the Lord's Supper.

We shared with them our affiliation with the Restoration movement. We also explained the purpose of IMCA and our desire to include them in our outreach. We would like to continue to bring ministry to the Omaha Indians. To this end we ask for your prayers that the Lord will bless and multiply this work.