One family leaves everything familiar to take the light of the gospel to Native Americans lost in darkness.

The Way to White Earth

by George Lemelin

The Journey Begins

On May 8, 2003, a new ministry began among Free Will Baptists—a unique and challenging mission to the Native American Tribal People of the North. God had placed a burden for the Ojibwe people on my heart and also the heart of my wife Kathy who embraced this work as her own.

We left Dunn, North Carolina, with our three children and started the long journey to White Earth, Minnesota. Supported only by our church (Fellowship FWB Church), we left with $2,700 in hand, $1,500 provided by the church. The children did not fully understand our reason for leaving but followed obediently and did so with adventure and excitement. In time, they too caught the vision of the work and have become a vital part in planting a church among the Ojibwe.

A Family Ministry

As we began the work in White Earth, I soon realized how important it was for the children simply to be good examples. They already had been trained to behave in church and doing so with a yielded heart made it easy to start the work of planting a church.

Josiah and Marie had already accepted Christ as Savior, and Isaac was saved during our first year on the field. Together, God used our family as a ministry team. As the years rolled by, the purpose of each family member became clearer.

Seven years later, they are vital to the work. Kathy, Josiah, Isaac, and Marie teach Sunday School classes. Josiah and Isaac preach for me when needed, lead singing, and run a van ministry with Marie’s help. Marie is invaluable as a secretary.

As I look at our family, however, I must say the most important aspect of our maturity in ministry is the heart to serve people who are difficult to serve. Our daughter Marie expressed the following about our work here on the reservation:

“He (God) has turned my heart towards my home and family. He has given me a renewed love and respect for my parents and the vision they have. I am content to help this vision come to fruition. Our vision and goal is to see a thriving, Bible-preaching church, school, and Native American college planted and growing here in the village of White Earth. If the Lord allows, we would love to see other Bible-preaching churches planted in each of the villages here on the White Earth Reservation, and one day branching out onto other reservations.

This is a multi-generational task that God has given us, and I know it requires willing laborers to complete it. This is not to say that I’m setting my own dreams aside in favor of my parents’ dreams. Rather, their dream has become mine, and I’m sure it will only become more of a reality as God plants it deeper into my own heart.”

Josiah is pursuing law enforcement in the local area, and Isaac seeks a pilot’s license so one day we can fly into the remote areas of Canada to the Tribal People of the North. I am grateful to our children! They have suffered with us, labored with us, rejoiced with us, and have filled the responsibilities of ministry faithfully.

A New Path

Establishing Narrow Path Christian School will be the focus of our ministry in 2010. Kathy, Marie, and I will work as teachers in the school until the Lord provides mission teachers. The purpose of the school will be geared toward missions, using A.C.E. curriculum. The school will impact a generation of children, teaching them about God while providing sound academics. Please pray with us about the school and all we can accomplish for the Lord through this ministry.

Recognizing the value of working together as a family has strengthened the influence of our ministry to Native Americans. More importantly, as a father and leader, I believe more than ever that my ministry is to my family first, and I have never allowed the mission work to come between us.

The Lord has been gracious to us, and we are grateful to you, the body of Christ, for praying for us and supporting us in our labor for the Lord among the Native American Tribal People of the North. Thank you for partnering with us. We do not stand alone.

About the Writer: George Lemelin and wife Kathy are associate missionaries to the Native Americans living on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. The tribe has more than 20,000 members. To learn more about their ministry, visit www.homemissions.net.