For the past 10 days we’ve had a Korean invasion in our little village in the bush. It happens every summer, and unlike previous invasions on First Nations territories, this one is welcomed by the people. Each summer we have a team of youth from Vancouver Korean Presbyterian Church who come to Ndazkoh to build and enhance relationships with the people here. The team leads VBS with the kids in the mornings and spends much of the rest of the day just hanging out with kids and teens at the lake or in the mobile home on our property at night. They come to show the love of Jesus by just being friends. We’ve worked a lot over the years with the folks from this church to understand what it means to do cross-cultural missions among First Nations people. We talk with our teams about how to avoid the mistakes of the past, paternalism and the assumptions that somehow we ‘have it together’ and are the answers to their issues. Instead the youth teams that come are ready to learn from the people here, listen to their stories and offer encouragement and support wherever they can.
One of the highlights of the adventure is Feast Night. Another whole group of elders from the church drive all day from Vancouver to arrive in the evening and bring a Korean meal to our youth team and our family. They spend the next entire day cooking for the community for a shared feast at the band hall. We plan for some kind of fun or entertainment each year to accompany the meal. The next day the cooks get back in their vans and drive all day back to Vancouver having spent their time and energy in sharing Jesus’ love through food. This week after dinner we had a talent show for the first time. Local people got up and played guitars, sang songs and the youth team led the kids in sharing some VBS songs. The team did a gospel skit and a funky dance. The cooks team sang a hymn in Korean with their beautiful voices. Our Inuit student intern wowed everyone with her throat singing. It was a great evening where all the gifts of Koreans, Nedos (the Dakelh word for a white person) and Dakelh people were celebrated. During it all, one of the Korean cooks gave free haircuts to anyone who wanted one. Her line-up was never empty.
The relationships that go on in a few days each summer don’t end with the team packing up. Facebook and email and phones keep people in touch through the year. When some of our community end up in hospital in Vancouver, our VKPC friends are there to visit and pray with them. While the team was here, one of our church members was awaiting open heart surgery and their pastor was at the hospital to visit her. She was also visited by a former youth team leader with whom she has kept in touch for more than a decade.
While the history of First Nations people has been one of suffering from various invasions, this particular one is a positive one. For weeks before the team arrives I get asked, “When are the Koreans coming?” The teens and kids watch for the van to pull into the village on the expected arrival day and as usual, when the team arrived, we had a camper load of young boys and men arrive to hang out the first night. Cross-cultural ministry has a lot of unique challenges, but when done in the right ways, it is a blessing for all of us. We continue to work on making it the best experience we can for our Dakelh and Korean friends equally.
