Participants: Greg and Jill Morikone (Host), Adrienna Billy, Jovannah Poor Bear-Adams, Loren Fish
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017036A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:06 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:10 Thank you again for joining us as you do each and every day. 01:13 And you know again, we can't thank you enough 01:16 for your prayers 01:17 and your financial support of the ministry of 3ABN 01:21 because if it weren't for you and the Lord Jesus Christ, 01:23 3ABN wouldn't be able to spread the gospel around the world. 01:27 And it's a blessing to be able to join with you 01:30 as team members. 01:31 You know, you have the people here at 3ABN 01:33 that work behind the scenes, 01:35 maybe in front of the camera, some, 01:36 but also you at home are very, very important, 01:40 especially for your prayers, 01:41 and again, your financial support. 01:42 Thank you for standing with us, 01:44 some of you for many, many years. 01:45 Now I love that song, 01:47 you know, you just watch the open 01:48 and it's talking about mending broken people. 01:51 And today, we'll just hear a testimony of the ministry. 01:55 We're actually gonna be talking about a school, 01:57 the Holbrook Indian School 01:59 is really talking about 02:01 really, you can say mending broken people. 02:03 And all of us, 02:04 you know, God can use us in multiple ways. 02:07 So all of us have a ministry. 02:09 We're talking about this school in particular today. 02:10 And, boy, some amazing testimonies 02:13 of how God has worked in people's lives, 02:15 how God is using the school. 02:17 So make sure you don't turn the television off, 02:19 or turn the radio off, 02:20 or if you're watching online, turn you computer off. 02:22 You want to stay tuned and see how God is working. 02:25 But, you know, we're talking about 02:26 how God can use all of us. 02:28 It's easy sometimes to say, "Oh, that's them. 02:32 I don't know what God's given me to do." 02:33 But, you know, God has a purpose 02:35 for each one of us. 02:37 So we want to encourage you 02:39 to whatever talent God has given you 02:41 to use it for Him. 02:43 And you can't go wrong with that. 02:44 But anyway, I don't want to talk too much 02:45 so, sweetie, tell us who we have here today. 02:47 We are excited about our special program today. 02:49 We do have Holbrook Indian School with us. 02:52 And as you mentioned, sweetheart, 02:54 each one of us are broken in some way, 02:57 but the Lord, Jesus Christ came that 02:59 He would bring deliverance to the captives, 03:01 to set at liberty those who are abound 03:04 and to pour in the oil of His Holy Spirit, 03:06 to bring comfort, peace, and healing. 03:09 And so in a special way, 03:10 this school ministers to those who are broken or alone, 03:14 and brings healing and hope. 03:16 And we are so excited to have them here. 03:19 We have some testimonies, 03:21 testimonies right here 03:22 on the set of what God is doing in their lives. 03:24 So we want to introduce them to you at this time. 03:27 Sitting right here on my right is Jovannah Poor Bear-Adams, 03:32 did I get that name? 03:34 Perfect. 03:35 And we welcome you. 03:37 And tell us, what is your role with Holbrook? 03:38 Well, right now, I'm the dean of Student Services 03:41 and Programming. 03:42 And what that means is, 03:44 I just developed different programming 03:46 to encompass and connect bridges at our school, 03:49 and developed a dorm curriculum through this school year 03:52 'cause we get a wide range of students, 03:54 1st through 12th grade. 03:56 And there's a lot of stuff we cover, hygiene, 03:59 and how to brush your teeth with some of them, 04:02 all the way up into coping skills and study skills. 04:04 So there's a wide range of things 04:06 that our kids need in the dorm 04:08 and that's one of the things that I do there. 04:10 Amen. 04:11 Now you have an... 04:13 Jovannah has an amazing testimony. 04:14 And we want to unpackage your testimony 04:16 during the interview here. 04:17 You went to Holbrook and how God used the school 04:20 and other methods to bring healing to your life. 04:23 And now you're giving back, 04:24 so we're excited to hear your testimony. 04:26 And sitting next to you is Adrienna Billy. 04:30 And, Adrienna, you're currently a student there, 04:32 is that correct? 04:33 Yes. 04:35 And tell us what your role is, what your grade is. 04:37 And you actually have a student office there too. 04:40 So tell us about it? 04:44 Well, I am a Student Association 04:46 Religious Vice President. 04:48 And my role there is to help the students 04:50 become more closer to God 04:52 because lots of kids who're in a reservation, 04:57 they really grow up knowing about God, 05:00 and so they grew apparently traditional. 05:02 So most of them may not like it 05:05 when, like, I go out or doing activity 05:08 that has to do something with God. 05:10 But I respect that, so I really don't push them. 05:14 But then, still lots of people like most set of students 05:18 there at the school, they know a lot now. 05:22 And so it's kind of like my job 05:24 to really get them closer to God 05:26 and to let them know that God is there with them. 05:28 Amen. 05:29 Well, that's wonderful 05:31 and we want to hear your testimony too. 05:32 And sitting at the far end is Loren Fish. 05:34 And you and your wife moved to Holbrook 05:36 just a couple of years ago. 05:38 And what is your role there? 05:39 Yes, thanks for having us. 05:40 I'm a clinical counselor there at Holbrook Indian School. 05:43 And it's an honor to be able to work with the students 05:47 and have a counseling center right there on campus. 05:50 It's much more convenient, 05:52 provides Christian counseling for the students. 05:54 Amen. 05:56 It's a blessing, isn't it, 05:57 to be able to work for the Lord, isn't it? 05:58 Got to see lives being changed, 06:00 you're building the relationship with God, 06:01 isn't that neat? 06:02 It's so exciting. 06:04 And you're talking about too, 06:05 Adrienna, far as, 06:07 you know, building the relationship, right? 06:08 You're talking to other students, 06:10 your fellow students that you're with. 06:11 That is just great 06:14 You can't go wrong with that. Amen. 06:16 Well, we're excited about the program 06:18 and to hear the testimonies 06:19 and stories of what God's doing in the school, 06:22 the Holbrook Indian School. 06:23 But before we do that, we have music, sweetheart. 06:26 And you have a scripture as well, don't you? 06:27 Yeah, you know, that's right. 06:29 Yes, we have Philippians 1:6. 06:33 And this is what Loren especially liked. 06:35 Yeah, there's, yes. Oh, yeah. 06:37 Do you have that one actually, Loren? 06:39 You want to read that actually for us to change it up here? 06:40 I do. I do. 06:42 Philippians 1:6, 06:43 "Being confident of this very thing, 06:46 that he who has begun a good work in you 06:48 will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 06:51 And why is that important? 06:53 Why is that one your favorite? 06:54 I know there's many in the Bible. 06:56 As a clinical counselor there at Holbrook SDA Indian school, 06:59 I don't always get to see the result 07:01 of my work with the students. 07:02 I don't always get to see the fruits 07:04 of even the spiritual seeds they're planted. 07:06 And so for me, it gives me confidence 07:08 that God's in charge of these changes 07:10 that are going on and not me. 07:12 And so this is a promise that I hold dear to, 07:15 I have it on the wall in my office. 07:16 You know, that's great. 07:18 I think, one of the word, 07:19 keyword you mentioned there is promise. 07:20 You know, and God has a promise. 07:22 He is committed 07:24 that, yeah, He'll complete it and finish it. 07:26 Amen, that's a great text. 07:28 We do want to go to music like we mentioned. 07:29 Then we'll get into a full story here. 07:31 And we have Natalia Nesteruk here with us today. 07:34 And she's gonna be singing a beautiful song, 07:36 "Prayer for a Friend". 07:55 Lord, I lift my friend to You 07:58 I've done all that I know to do 08:01 I lift my friend to You 08:09 Complicated circumstances 08:13 Have clouded his view 08:17 Lord, I lift my friend up to You 08:24 I fear that I won't have the words 08:29 That he needs to hear 08:31 I pray for Your wisdom, oh God 08:36 And a heart that's sincere 08:43 Lord, I lift my friend up to You 08:54 Lord, I lift my friend to You 08:57 My best friend in the world I know 09:01 He means much more to You 09:05 I want so much to help him 09:07 But this is something he has to do 09:12 And Lord, I lift my friend up to You 09:19 'Cause there's a way that seems so right to him 09:24 But You know where that leads 09:27 He's becoming a puppet of the world 09:32 Too blind to see the strings 09:38 Lord, I lift my friend up to You 09:47 My friend up to You 10:04 Lord, I lift my friend to You 10:07 I've done all that I know to do 10:11 I lift my friend to You 10:27 Amen. 10:28 What a powerful song, "Lift my fried up to you". 10:31 You know, isn't that great? All of us can pray. 10:32 We're talking about the ministry. 10:34 And thank you for praying for the ministry of 3ABN. 10:35 All these other ministries like 10:37 the Holbrook Indian Seventh-day Adventist School. 10:39 I tell you, ministry is around the world and also our friends. 10:41 It could be... 10:43 This is the powerful thing of prayer 10:44 is that you can be going down the street. 10:46 Sometimes, Jill and I will be doing this. 10:47 And then, ambulance will go by, just sirens blaring. 10:50 We have no clue who is in the ambulance, 10:51 what emergency they're going to, 10:52 but the power of prayer! 10:54 And then we always say, 10:55 "Let's stop and pray right now," as we're driving. 10:57 You can pray and say, "Lord, be with that person 10:58 whatever the emergency situation is." 10:59 So, wow, what a powerful song! 11:01 Thank you, Natalia. 11:02 Amen. 11:03 If you're just joining us, 11:05 we have Holbrook Indian School with us. 11:06 And we have Jovannah Poor Bear-Adams, 11:10 and Adrienna Billy, and Loren Fish. 11:12 And we want to unpackage your story 11:14 and hear more about the Holbrook Indian School. 11:16 But before we go to that, 11:18 we wanted to go to a special roll. 11:19 Terry Benedict was at the school 11:23 some time ago, 11:24 and produced this short film, short documentary. 11:26 It features some of your story, Jovannah, 11:29 and then some other statistics. 11:30 And we want to use it 11:31 as our springboard for discussion. 11:33 So let's go to that roll at this time. 11:42 Just tell it like it is. 11:45 Well, let me try in and do that. 11:53 When the Christian boarding school 11:54 first came into existence here in America, 11:58 the motto and the driving force behind it 12:01 was to "kill the Indian and save the man". 12:05 And that is the part of the stigma 12:07 that a lot of tribes, a lot of native Americans, 12:10 especially traditional native Americans 12:12 carry against schools like us. 12:16 Our school is not about killing the Indian. 12:19 It's not about killing what is native in the kids. 12:21 It is about healing them. 12:23 It is about claiming their identity, 12:27 their culture, their faith, their, themselves. 13:47 I was molested by one of my step dads 13:49 for a year and a half, 13:51 maybe two years before I even knew anything, 13:54 even before I was... 13:55 I was afraid that my mom was gonna be mad at me 13:57 that it was my fault for not saying anything 13:59 or my fault for pretending I was sleeping every time. 14:04 You know, I was raped by my older cousin. 14:07 And I remember telling him that he was hurting me. 14:12 And he said I was getting... 14:14 he was getting me ready to be an adult. 14:16 And so what that told me was being an adult hurts 14:20 and it's something that you just have to deal with it. 14:22 It's something that just happens, 14:23 it's gonna happen all through your life. 14:25 You're going to hurt. 14:27 People are going to hurt you. 14:28 They're going to use your body for themselves 14:31 for the rest of your life. 14:33 And that was my reality. 15:03 Jovannah, what are you feeling right now? 15:12 I feel sick. 15:27 I feel like people shouldn't have to go 15:28 through this. 15:34 I know that these kids live in this right now. 15:39 I know that when I go into the dorm 15:41 and I talk to those girls, 15:42 and I tell them about who I am and where I came from, 15:47 I can see it on their faces that they're in it right now. 15:51 And when we call CPS 15:52 because somebody's step dad is sexually abusing them, 15:55 and CPS does nothing about it, 15:57 or the tribe does nothing about it. 15:59 And they still have to go home to that 16:01 and they have to stay with their mom 16:03 who blames them for their step dad having to leave 16:06 or having to go to jail. 16:08 It makes me sick. 16:11 They shouldn't have to go through this. 16:15 And if they do, 16:16 if they have to go through this, 16:18 it shouldn't be normal. 16:19 They shouldn't feel like this is just the way it is 16:22 and this is the way it's always gonna be, 16:24 and that's what you just have to accept. 16:42 I don't want to be stuck on the edge, 16:44 because once you're on the edge, 16:46 you stay on the edge. 16:48 And I want to start something new. 16:51 The one thing my grandpa taught me 16:52 is that God's there for you. 16:55 You just keep looking forward, don't look backward. 16:59 That's why I came to Holbrook. 17:02 And Holbrook's been my home. 17:13 When I'm riding horses, 17:16 it does feels amazing 17:17 because it's silent, it's peaceful. 17:21 The only thing you can hear is just the birds chirping 17:25 and the breeze under leaves. 17:29 I feel more myself 17:33 when I conquered my fears and riding horses and stuff. 17:38 And I have no reason to be scared of it, the horse, 17:42 because they're just horses. 18:02 When I run, it just, it feels like home to me. 18:05 I just like the smell of the trees 18:07 and, you know, I can just... 18:09 I like the feeling of the dirt. 18:12 My brothers, they drink and they smoke. 18:17 I don't like that. 18:19 So I tried to get away from it as possible. 18:23 I decided I wanted to come to Holbrook. 18:26 And when I got there, I noticed it was different. 18:32 I noticed the kids there were a lot more different. 18:35 They weren't so mean or so irritating. 18:39 The teachers too, they were really different. 18:41 They didn't seem so mean 18:43 or they just seem calm and nice. 18:47 They really helped you with all your stuff, 18:48 your education. 18:51 I believe that this school provided 18:53 more that just a 100 percent 18:56 and I like that and it's awesome. 19:02 I've seen kids coming here and trust no one. 19:08 I've seen them coming here addicted 19:13 to anything that you can be addicted to, 19:15 anything they can get their hands on, 19:17 anything that numbs. 19:20 I've seen them coming here homeless. 19:22 We've had kids coming here and stay in the dorms 19:25 because they're too afraid to go home. 19:29 And I've seen them change from that. 19:33 There are people who may want to see numbers. 19:36 They want to see how many people were baptized that year. 19:41 But there is more 19:44 when a kid learns to trust somebody, 19:47 or when they're being abused at home, 19:50 or someone's yelling and they can call. 19:53 They can call me, or they can call the pastor, 19:55 or they can call the teacher. 19:56 And they can say, "Come, pick me up. I'm scared." 20:00 That's worth it, 20:03 because they have nobody before that. 20:07 When I look back at my life, 20:09 I love, I love my experience here. 20:11 And it's where I changed 20:14 and then I changed more in college. 20:17 And then I changed more 20:18 when I came back to school here. 20:20 And I can tell you I am still living my dream. 20:30 I'm living it. 22:03 Thank you so much Terry Benedict 22:05 for putting that together. 22:06 I understand he volunteered his time, 22:09 is that correct, 22:10 to put this together and he did an incredible job. 22:13 Absolutely, he did. 22:15 Heavy duty statistics. It is. 22:16 Yeah, and what amazing testimony. 22:18 And as I sat and watched that, 22:21 I had the opportunity to see it right before the program here. 22:26 And I just sat and cried a minute. 22:28 It's heavy topic, 22:31 difficult thing, Jovannah, that you've had to deal with. 22:37 Is that, I know you said 22:38 it was normal in your home growing up, 22:40 but is that normal, would you say, 22:42 across the board for many growing up? 22:46 One of things that as you cross reservations 22:49 all across the United States, 22:50 and actually, that's more than 500 registered 22:54 native American tribes in the United States. 22:57 But overwhelmingly as you learn about them, 23:01 there is high alcohol, high diabetes, 23:05 high abuse rates across the board. 23:10 There are people who manage and they work very hard 23:14 to create healthy environments for their families 23:16 but it's few and far between. 23:18 And there are reservations, 23:20 as a whole that are doing very, very well. 23:22 But again, that's few and far between, 23:25 across the 500 plus that there are. 23:28 Would say this is generational like, 23:30 this is how I was raised 23:32 and then you pass it down to your kids, 23:33 like that cycle of dysfunction, that cycle of abuse? 23:37 Would you say that continues generationally? 23:39 Definitely. Okay. 23:40 One of the places that it started again 23:42 as the United States was being colonized, 23:46 it was a breaking down of a people. 23:49 First by completely trying to eliminate them. 23:54 And then breaking them down 23:56 like the video had said to kill the Indian 23:58 and save the man, 23:59 to break down what's native in them. 24:01 Their identity as native people, 24:03 to break that down. 24:04 And that is what started this cycle of abuse, 24:07 broken people, raising broken people 24:11 and it continuing down the line. 24:13 And that's what we're dealing with today 24:15 is that long history of abuse and brokenness. 24:19 Yes. 24:21 So how did you, I just want to know some of your story. 24:23 How did you first hear about Holbrook? 24:25 And first of all, tell us what tribe you're from? 24:28 I'm in Oglala Lakota Sioux. 24:30 I'm from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 24:33 And if you're not familiar with that, 24:36 it is the tribe of Crazy Horse. 24:37 Okay, we know about him, so. Was actually from that tribe. 24:39 Yeah. 24:41 Good. 24:42 A big, amazing monument, Crazy Horse. 24:44 Yes. 24:45 Right next to Mountain Rushmore. 24:47 Yeah, right next to it. 24:49 In, on our reservation specifically, 24:53 it's much smaller. 24:54 Again, it's one of the larger ones, 24:56 but the Navajo reservation 24:57 is the largest in the United States. 24:59 And that's where our school is just off of. 25:02 But on our reservation I grew up on and off of it. 25:07 It's a, like the properties around it 25:11 are like farmers and ranchers. 25:14 And I had experienced like the video said 25:18 being sexually abused, being raped. 25:21 My mom had been married four times 25:23 and divorced four times 25:25 by the time that I was 16 years old. 25:27 Wow. 25:29 And... 25:30 Did you tell anyone? 25:32 Did you try to reached out to your mom and say, 25:34 "Hey, this is what's going on to me," 25:35 or were you too ashamed to say anything or...? 25:37 I was very scared. 25:39 One of the thing is 25:40 I knew that it was supposed to be a secret. 25:43 And I was afraid, I was afraid of my step dad, 25:47 I was afraid that if I did tell somebody 25:49 that they would blame it on me. 25:52 And the truth is 25:54 when I told my mom, she stood by me. 25:56 Oh, did she? She did. 25:57 She divorced him, we went to court, 26:00 the court didn't necessarily stand by us. 26:03 We got a restraining order and that's a... 26:07 like the extent of that. 26:09 But a lot of our students and a lot of people, 26:12 they either don't report it or when they do 26:14 or they tell their parents 26:16 they might get it blamed on them. 26:18 We've had students who have come forward 26:21 and the parents say, 26:23 "Oh, I don't understand, 26:24 this is, this happened to me and I'm fine. 26:26 I don't know why she is making such a big deal about this." 26:28 Wow. 26:29 And so... 26:31 So it becomes normal. Yeah. 26:32 And it's painfully so or a painful secret. 26:39 And so that's something at our school 26:40 that we try to work on. 26:42 This is not pain that you should have to carry, 26:44 and this isn't something that you should 26:47 have to hide within yourself. 26:48 It's a, something you can heal from 26:50 and you should work for that. 26:53 So, I know we're in the middle of your story 26:55 but it just made me think, Loren, 26:57 you work is specifically with counseling, 26:59 so what are some of the things that you 27:02 and I think you have a female counselor there too. 27:04 So what are some of the things that you all work 27:06 with the students who come in 27:08 'cause they would come in with this background of neglect 27:10 or abuse or trauma, 27:12 obviously not all of them 27:13 but some of them coming with that? 27:15 I would say about 75 percent have PTSD symptoms of some kind 27:20 and that's from various forms of abuse. 27:23 We do have a female counselor, 27:25 she's actually in her last semester 27:28 of getting her masters in counseling. 27:29 Wow. 27:31 And, so she is a case manager right now Giselle Ortiz, 27:34 but she does a really awesome job 27:36 especially with the girls. 27:37 She does things, 27:38 she works with them in ways that I can't. 27:40 Of course, She has girls groups 27:42 with the different age levels, 27:45 elementary, middle school and high school. 27:47 In fact, Adrienna is the member 27:49 of her high school girls group, so... 27:50 Wow. Oh, that's great. 27:51 And she works with them on things like trust 27:56 and especially finding their worth in Christ. 28:01 Because that's, a lot of them come, 28:04 when you have abuse of any kind, 28:06 you get negative beliefs about yourself 28:09 that are produced in those negative events. 28:11 And so, if my negative belief about myself 28:13 is that I'm not good enough or I'm not worthy 28:15 or I'm not lovable, 28:16 then you can say God loves you, 28:19 but if you don't believe that you're lovable, 28:21 then you're not gonna buy it. 28:22 So a lot of times it's helping them see themselves differently 28:25 so that they can allow that perception 28:29 that God does care for you and loves you. 28:31 Yeah. Wow. 28:33 Yeah, I know that's powerful, it really is. 28:35 And I'm thinking that 'cause it's just amazing to me 28:37 how, you know, God, you know, just horrible, 28:40 you know, background, you know, 28:42 as far as, you know, all the pain 28:43 and abuse in your life 28:44 to how God is using you... 28:46 Now at Holbrook to work as a vessel 28:50 that God can pour through to others, 28:52 to help them in their terrible situations that they are in. 28:55 So I'm just curious that how did you go, 28:57 I know you went to school, 28:58 but how did you end up going to Holbrook Indian School? 29:02 Something that... 29:05 On our reservation something that I had decided for myself 29:09 in being with my mom 29:12 is that I would not be stuck there. 29:14 I would not continue there 29:16 and, I wouldn't, I wouldn't drink 29:19 because something that, 29:22 after my mom decided that she wasn't going to drink, 29:24 well, we started going to AA meetings 29:26 and sobriety events and we went with her. 29:29 I went with her to those things 29:31 and so it was ingrained in me 29:32 that this is not the way that it should be, 29:35 this is not something that should continue. 29:38 And after my mom had taken my step dad to court 29:42 and divorced him 29:44 and it crashed on her and it crashed on us. 29:47 She left us and she left us with my grandma 29:51 and she lived two hours away from us. 29:54 So your mom was broken because of that... 29:55 Yeah. Okay. 29:57 Look, she's definitely experienced 29:58 her own trauma, severe trauma and I believe 30:02 that this triggered in her that and so she left. 30:06 And we lived on the reservation on Treaty Land with my grandma. 30:10 And it was there on the reservation 30:13 that I experienced hunger, like I had never in my life 30:16 and never since then. 30:19 There were times 30:20 that my grandma would get her meals on wheels, 30:26 lunch thing and we would all crowd around her 30:29 and she would open it up and choose the one thing 30:33 that she was going to eat out of it 30:35 and then pass it to the rest of us. 30:36 And we'd be standing around her 30:37 and we take, to get to choose our one thing out of her meal. 30:42 There was another time I sat out on the lawn 30:45 and I started eating a weed that was growing in the lawn 30:48 because I was hungry... 30:49 So hungry. 30:51 And I start eating... 30:52 Final one, there was another time 30:54 my stomach was so tight 30:55 and there was such a pain in my stomach 30:57 and I was so young that I just, I was so smart I knew 31:01 that if I started swallowing the air 31:03 and I just expanded my stomach, it would stop hurting. 31:06 And so I just started taking big copes 31:08 to make the pain stop in my stomach. 31:11 And just... 31:12 I'm sorry. 31:14 You know, I mean, I'm sorry for what you've experienced. 31:16 That's a lot of pain. 31:18 I sincerely believe that this whole process, this, 31:23 the life that I grew up in the way 31:25 that I grew up prepared me for the work 31:28 that I'm in right now. 31:29 And it's one of the reasons that I work so hard 31:31 at what I'm doing. 31:33 The reason we try and my families where we are, 31:36 it's because God was preparing me for this work, 31:40 to work with native people. 31:41 Yes. Yes. 31:43 When I was in the eighth grade, I had started drinking, 31:47 I started getting high and going out. 31:51 And it wasn't until my little sister had told me 31:53 that she hated me 31:56 that I realized I had become what I had feared. 31:59 Yeah. 32:01 What you had seen growing up, you're turning into that. 32:03 Yes, I was just continuing that process. 32:07 And a friend of mine, her uncle had actually gone 32:10 to Holbrook Indian School 32:12 and he was Seventh-day Adventist 32:13 and which I had not even heard about. 32:15 I didn't know that he was even Christian 32:18 because there's not very many Christians 32:20 on the reservation. 32:23 Adrienna is very fortunate 32:25 to come from a Christian family. 32:27 Her mom has taken them to church, 32:30 and taken them and taught her family about God, 32:34 but that's not very common on the reservation. 32:37 What would be the religion of most of the Indians 32:40 on the reservation? 32:42 Most of our students, well, 32:44 a lot of them come from traditional beliefs. 32:46 Maybe not practicing very much, 32:49 but they come from a traditional understanding. 32:52 And a lot of people don't think, 32:55 the nicest way to say, 32:57 very fondly of Christians or Christianity. 33:00 When I had actually become Seventh-day Adventist 33:03 and I was baptized, I had told my mother 33:05 that I could no longer do ceremonies, 33:07 I couldn't participate in the ceremonies. 33:12 And what she had told me 33:13 was that I had turned my back on my family, 33:16 and on my people, and on her. 33:19 And she had told me that she loved me so much, 33:24 past tense that she had loved me so much 33:27 and that everything that I was to her. 33:29 Everything I was gonna do for my people and my family 33:32 that my younger sister would take that. 33:34 That was her place now. 33:35 Wow. Oh, boy. 33:39 That's difficult, I mean, that's, 33:40 did your mom ever changed or is it still that way? 33:44 My mom is actually, probably she's grown so much then 33:47 and we have grown together. 33:49 We didn't talk about it for probably two years. 33:52 Wow. 33:53 And I would go home and be made fun of 33:56 and sometimes we still do, we still do. 34:01 But when I graduated high school, 34:03 in our culture you get a new traditional outfit. 34:08 And so she had made me a new traditional outfit, 34:10 new bead work everything. 34:12 And so when I graduated from Holbrook, 34:15 I wore a new outfit and she showed me the moccasins 34:18 and on the back of the leggings was a cross beaded into it. 34:22 And it... 34:24 she did never said anything about it 34:26 but what it was a huge identity thing for me. 34:31 It was my traditional moccasins, 34:34 my bead work with a Christian symbol, 34:37 a symbol of Christianity in there. 34:38 And so it ties in who I am, 34:41 I'm Native American and I'm Christian. 34:43 Amen. Amen. 34:45 I love that. So you went in eighth grade...? 34:48 Ninth grade. Ninth grade. 34:49 You went to Holbrook 34:51 and then you were there all four years...? 34:52 Yes. 34:53 And where in that process, what year were you baptized? 34:56 It was during that or was it after? 34:58 I was baptized when I was 16 years old 34:59 so I was a sophomore in school. 35:02 And I actually went to the school 35:04 not wanting to be Christian. 35:06 My mom had said before I left that she didn't want me to go, 35:09 but that if I was going go then, 35:12 if it's what you have to do, then go but know this, 35:16 that school, it's a Christian school 35:18 and they will lie to you. 35:20 They will tell you anything that they have to, 35:22 to get you to believe the way that they do. 35:25 And so when I went to the school I fought it. 35:27 And I tried hard in everything that I could, 35:30 but I also tried hard not to be Christian. 35:33 And I had A's that first quarter 35:36 in all of my classes except for Bible. 35:40 Except for Bible. 35:41 And I was determined, 35:44 I was gonna have perfect grades, 35:46 so I needed to take a Bible study 35:47 so that I can learn how pretend to be Christian 35:51 and get an A in this class too. 35:53 And when that Bible study was finished, I want it more, 35:56 and so I went to another Bible study with just me 36:00 and a friend of mine with the some of the staff, 36:03 a husband and a wife. 36:04 And after that Bible study I had to be a part of this, 36:09 I had to be a part of the church. 36:11 And I wanted more of Christ in my life. 36:14 Amen. 36:16 So... Go ahead. 36:17 I was just thinking, So, Loren, 36:19 so then just describe what Holbrook is 36:21 because, you know, it's actually 36:23 where you would learn reading, writing and arithmetic, 36:26 so they say it's not just as like a center for, 36:30 I mean, there' healing there obviously, you know, 36:32 all the emotional and all that healing. 36:33 But this is actually an academic school 36:35 plus you add in all this, 36:37 I guess the counseling would be a good... 36:39 Yeah. 36:40 Way of describing it. 36:42 We have a holistic approach there 36:44 at Holbrook SDA Indian School. 36:47 The new U program, nutrition, exercise and wellness 36:52 that really kind of undermine, 36:55 undergirds a lot of what we do there. 36:57 We have a horse program as you saw on the video 37:00 and that can be very healing for students. 37:04 And we have a garden program, a garden to play 37:06 where the students can actually work in the garden, 37:09 get their hands dirty 37:10 and then they get to eat the product in the cafeteria 37:12 afterwards so... 37:13 Well, that's fun. 37:14 It's very, very, yeah, very rewarding for them. 37:17 And the counseling department is just a small part 37:19 of that holistic approach 37:21 where we try to help them to learn to trust 37:23 not only the staff there but also God as well. 37:27 And I would think trust would be a big deal, 37:29 because really when think about home 37:31 and we think of home as the place 37:33 where you have the highest trust for your family. 37:36 And here that's been, I mean, 37:37 totally just ripped out from under you. 37:40 And so how do you deal with that 37:42 as far as the whole trusting 37:43 because here they are coming to school, 37:44 they probably don't know the staff, 37:46 they're trying to know, 37:47 learn some of the students maybe... 37:49 How do you deal with that? 37:50 It's very interesting, actually my wife tells a story 37:53 that we'd been there a few months 37:55 and a student came up to her and said, 37:58 "So when you guys are leaving?" 38:00 And so there is, there is... 38:02 Oh, what a question. 38:03 "So when are you leaving?" Yeah. 38:04 And there was a staff just recently came too 38:07 and they were asked the same thing, 38:08 "When are you leaving?" 38:09 So there is a level of trust that needs to be build. 38:13 It was very fortunate for me as a counselor 38:16 that we had the case manager, Miss Ortiz already there 38:19 because she was able to establish that trust 38:21 and then sort of hand some of the students to me 38:24 and say he can help you, and so that was a huge help. 38:29 But it takes time, literally it takes time 38:32 and so we have to be very patient 38:34 and sometimes the students come there 38:36 and then their parents take them away 38:37 and then sometimes they come back. 38:40 But one of the things I like is that we work with the students 38:43 just because they mess up, 38:45 we're not like, "Okay, you're out of here..." 38:46 That's good. 38:47 We really take the time to work with them individually. 38:50 We have individual plans for each student 38:53 that gets in trouble. 38:54 We say this is the best way for you 38:55 to get to where you wanna be 'cause a lot of times, 38:59 I mean even when I was in a Adventist academy, 39:03 when I was in high school, you know, 39:05 we'd send the kids, we're bad apples, 39:07 we'd send them away. 39:09 Yes. 39:10 And to me even as a sophomore in high school, I said, 39:13 "Man, I said, when I grow up, I want to be a counselor, 39:16 and I want to live right near an Adventist academy, 39:18 and I want to work with those kids to help them. 39:21 And so it's really awesome 39:22 that God is kind of fulfilled the desires of my heart 39:25 to be in this role where I'm at now, 39:27 and I know that I'm exactly where God wants me to be. 39:30 Amen. 39:31 God put that in your heart, I mean, that's incredible 39:34 and then God fulfilled the desire of your heart. 39:36 Yeah. And that's beautiful. 39:37 Yeah, He's awesome, isn't He? 39:38 You were gonna say something, Jovannah. 39:40 Yeah, I'm sorry. 39:41 The family is so huge, 39:43 it's such a huge part of Native American culture 39:46 and a lot of cultures, 39:49 so tight and so much love like, 39:54 and responsibility to each other. 39:58 And so when the trust is broken 40:01 and when the hurt and the pain comes from family, 40:06 it's so severely internalized 40:09 and like what you're talking about a break of trust, 40:13 it's like a break of human, like, of self. 40:17 And so one of the ways and one of the biggest ways 40:20 that our students are able to learn to trust us 40:23 is we try to become family to them. 40:26 Oh, that's great. 40:27 And it's a small community, I mean, 40:31 our student body is about 70 students 40:34 on our campus and then may be 15 to 20 40:36 in our Chinle School 40:38 that's actually on the reservation, 40:41 but we have faculty families. 40:43 So in my family I have about five students 40:47 that come into my home and we spend time with them. 40:50 And we pray together and we eat together 40:54 and we spend the Sabbath together. 40:57 So each staff is assigned as you could say 40:59 certain students to become a family. 41:01 Yeah. I love that. 41:02 And that's a part of what builds trust in them. 41:06 As we become closer to them 41:08 and we allow them to become closer to us. 41:11 Our ministry means more. 41:13 We show them the kind of love and the kind of connections 41:18 that you can have with God. 41:19 Yes. 41:20 So, Adrienna, you came from a different background 41:25 than Jovannah, is that correct? 41:27 You came from, you had food when you're growing up 41:30 and you came from a stable home 41:31 or what was your home life growing up? 41:35 My home was kind of like comfortable a lot, 41:40 and I will come home after school 41:42 like wanting to be home 41:43 but wanting to play outside with my friends. 41:46 And so my mom, 41:48 my parents were really nice too, 41:50 they will provide me the things 41:53 that I need and all that, and so, yeah. 41:57 So Holbrook is a boarding school, correct? 41:59 But you also have day students 42:01 that come or it's only boarding? 42:02 It's actually only boarding. Only boarding. 42:04 So yeah, you're boarding there then, 42:05 you're staying there? 42:07 How long have you been at the school? 42:09 I've been there for like about three years, 42:11 this is my fourth year, so. 42:12 Okay. 42:13 So you came in elementary school 42:15 then if you're... 42:16 No, I came as a seventh grader in junior high. 42:20 Junior high, okay, perfect. 42:21 So what would a day in the life of a student be like? 42:24 If you were to walk us through what a normal day looks like, 42:28 what would that be like? 42:29 Like what time do you get up and get ready for school? 42:32 You know, it would kind like be, 42:33 like be pretty normal again at the same time 42:36 as I do that every time a lot 42:39 and I think like there's really nothing different about it 42:43 'cause that's what I've been doing 42:45 like most of my whole life. 42:47 So really then you probably have there's a... 42:49 do you have a chapel time or devotional time as a group 42:51 as a whole student...? 42:52 Or do you meet with your individual families 42:54 for year for that or how is that? 42:56 No, what we do is like we have worship 42:59 in the chapel in our own dorms, 43:00 so all the girls in the dorm 43:02 would all go to the chapel together 43:04 and all the boys in the boys' chapel 43:06 all together. 43:08 That's great. 43:09 And then do you do, is it a work study program, 43:11 Loren, or is it just... 43:13 Because you're talking about like the garden and... 43:14 Do you do some of that? 43:16 The garden is and the horsemanship 43:17 are classes that the students take, 43:19 so it's more considered classes. 43:21 We do have some students working in the cafeteria 43:24 and in this ration building and stuff like that but... 43:27 Is that you? I said, if you like that. 43:31 Adrienna says, "That's me." 43:32 Well, just, you know, when I was going to school 43:34 I worked in the cafeteria too so... 43:36 I enjoyed that. It was fun. 43:39 I'm sorry, go ahead, you're... 43:41 Describing the work study in... 43:43 Yeah. It's more classes. More classes. 43:46 We also have wielding which is very important... 43:51 It's a good trade, isn't it? Class, yeah, yeah. 43:54 Some of the students go on to trade school 43:57 and get their wielding degrees. 43:59 Oh, that's great. Yes. 44:01 So how is Holbrook then supported then 44:03 is it supported by donations strictly or the tuition... 44:09 How do you guys fund or funded? 44:11 About 20 percent of our budget 44:13 comes from the Pacific Union Conference 44:15 as we're under the Pacific Union. 44:19 But 80 percent of it comes from donations 44:22 and from support to the school. 44:24 We have a tuition of $87 for each of our students... 44:30 Per... 44:31 Per month? Per month. 44:32 87 dollars for a month. Which is extremely low. 44:34 Yeah. Yeah. 44:35 It's... 44:37 Does it include the board? 44:38 I'm just... It includes everything. 44:39 Everything. 44:41 All your academics... 44:42 Wow, it's wonderful. Yeah, it includes everything. 44:43 And in all actuality 44:45 there are a lots of our students 44:46 and probably most of them do not pay that. 44:49 Okay. 44:50 Because if you imagine a home without running water, 44:55 without electricity 44:57 and sometimes even like a dirt floor, 45:01 $87 a month is huge. 45:05 And so many of our students don't pay that 45:07 because they can't 45:09 because that is food money or this is the gas money 45:12 we used to get them to school. 45:15 And so it's more a matter 45:18 of if you can invest in your school, 45:21 be a part of this. 45:23 The kids that apply for scholarships and stuff, 45:26 so it's an introduction to continuing 45:29 and valuing your education. 45:31 It's good. Yeah. 45:32 So then I know that we're going to the address break soon, 45:35 but I'm wondering then as far as sponsors 45:37 or the people who sponsor then students. 45:39 Do you do that or more it's just like worthy student 45:41 where people can actually donate. 45:42 We're gonna be talking about that here surely 45:44 where you can if you feel a burden that well, 45:47 you can may be part of the ministry 45:49 even in your local area, but you say, 45:51 "Man, I just feel impressed 45:52 the Holy Spirit to support this." 45:53 You accept donations from those that are viewing on 3ABN, 45:57 correct, to support the students 45:58 to continue to support this wonderful school. 46:01 Yes, of course. 46:02 There's a wide variety, if you go to our website 46:05 you can actually donate right on the website 46:07 and go on there... 46:09 Oh, that's easy. 46:10 Yeah, really easy and that's new too, 46:11 that's again something 46:13 that Terry Benedict has helped us 46:14 to start with our school 46:16 and a part of his ministry for our school. 46:19 But there's, we do have sponsoring kids 46:22 where you can decide we have a worthy student fund 46:24 where you can put towards it for students 46:27 that can't pay the $87. 46:29 And that's where a lot of the tuition comes 46:31 or goes to the kids for that. 46:34 But then there is sponsoring students 46:36 through our development director, 46:38 she has students that she knows are very high need. 46:43 This year we had a five year old 46:44 coming to our dorm. 46:46 Oh, wow. 46:47 As in the first grade and five year olds 46:49 are typically in the kindergarten... 46:51 Kindergarten, oh, yes. 46:52 But she, her family, she's with her grandparents 46:56 and she needed help, her brother was at the school 47:00 and I interviewed with her 47:01 before we accepted her into the first grade 47:04 and I had her sing the ABCs with me 47:07 and see how high she could count. 47:10 And then I asked her where she sleeps 47:13 and that was intentional 47:14 because of the dorm especially when little kids, 47:17 it's very hard for them to be in the dorm. 47:19 Of course. 47:20 And she had said, 47:21 "Well, I sleep on the floor with my grandma." 47:25 And... 47:26 On the floor. 47:28 Yeah, on the floor with her grandma 47:29 and so we knew during the interview 47:32 that we had to take her not that she need to come, 47:36 she sees her grandma all the time. 47:39 So and, but that she needed help. 47:43 And the environment 47:45 that she would be in would be much better. 47:46 Yes. And so she has a sponsor. 47:49 Oh, wow. 47:50 And so there is someone who sends her some clothes 47:53 every now and then and some letters... 47:56 That's precious. 47:57 You know, just that almost like taking her 48:00 as a part of themselves 48:02 and so through our development director 48:03 she helps sponsor kids as well. 48:06 But overall the overwhelming need is to support the programs 48:11 that these kids are part of 48:12 to send money for the counseling 48:14 or for the horsemanship program or for the general fund period. 48:19 Yeah, operational. Yes. 48:20 Yeah. Loren? 48:22 Please don't be discouraged 48:23 if you can't financially support the school 48:26 because we need prayer warriors too 48:28 and I know that 3ABN has some awesome prayer warriors... 48:30 That's right. 48:32 We literally can see the great controversy 48:33 play out there almost every day at school. 48:36 So we really need to be backed up 48:38 with some prayer warriors, 48:40 yeah. Amen. 48:41 Do you have prayer warriors there 48:42 who are part of the staff, who, I mean, 48:44 do you guys gather and do that or...? 48:46 Yeah, yeah. 48:47 But we would like to do it more regular 48:48 but we have, we meet every day as a staff 48:52 and we have specific prayers and then we have some people 48:55 that are really good at it that we could say, 48:56 "Hey, could you pray especially for this." 48:58 Now I like what you said earlier 49:00 and I know we're just running out of time, 49:01 it's amazing how fast this hour has gone 49:02 but you mentioned something about a program called a New... 49:05 New You. 49:06 New You and I know you touched on just briefly, 49:08 but again describe that real quick 49:09 what that is 'cause I like that, you know, 49:11 we're used to is it Newstart, 49:13 you go through nutrition and all that 49:14 but I like the New You. 49:15 New You. 49:17 Yeah, it's something that we use as a wrap around 49:19 for all of the extracurricular holistic approach 49:22 to helping the students 49:25 become more well-rounded, you know, 49:29 a lot of times you know, 49:32 people think that the first effort should be 49:33 what we need to make Christians out of them first. 49:36 I say the first effort should be to help them 49:39 restore their minds to health. 49:43 And so that would be with exercise and nutrition 49:46 that would be getting outside 49:47 working in the garden, exercise... 49:49 In the fresh air. Yeah. 49:50 Running is a big part of the Navajo tradition 49:52 and so we like to allow the students 49:55 to do a lot of running for PE program. 49:58 And then you have the counseling program, 50:01 you have Jovannah working with the deans 50:04 to incorporate some life skills into the dorm program 50:08 and so it's a really a team approach. 50:11 And my wife likes to tell the staff 50:14 as the development director, 50:15 she says, "Everyone here is a development director." 50:18 And so as a counselor I like to tell the staff 50:22 you all are counselors, 50:23 we all need to be working on this together, 50:25 it's a team effort. 50:27 Amen. Amen. That's wonderful. 50:28 Well, we're gonna go to your contact 50:29 in just a moment 50:31 but Jovannah we did not even finish your story 50:32 so you left Holbrook, you went, 50:35 after you graduated you went to Union College... 50:37 Yes. 50:39 And you got your degree in... 50:40 English education. 50:41 I'm a certified English teacher. 50:43 And you met your husband there at Union? 50:45 Yes, I did. 50:46 I love theater 50:48 and so I was a part of Union College's dram... 50:52 Sorry I love drama. 50:54 I was a part of the drama department 50:56 and my husband built sets. 50:57 Oh, yeah? 50:59 And so we met on the set of Union College. 51:02 And now you have a precious little girl. 51:04 I have three precious... 51:05 Oh, really, I didn't know that. 51:07 I just met the one, so... 51:09 I'm starting my own tribes. 51:11 I've got two boys and one girl and my son is seven 51:16 and he actually goes to our school, 51:17 he is in the second grade. 51:19 Well, it's just been an incredible journey 51:21 hearing each one of your testimonies 51:23 and hearing about what God is doing in 51:26 and through the ministry of Holbrook Indian School. 51:29 So we want to encourage you, may be you know a young person 51:31 who would be interested in attending, 51:33 may be you wanna sponsor and help out financially, 51:36 here's how you can get in touch with Holbrook Indian School. 51:45 If you would like to learn more about Holbrook Indian School, 51:48 you can do so by writing to PO Box 910, 51:52 Holbrook, Arizona 86025. 51:55 That's PO Box 910, Holbrook, Arizona 86025. 52:01 You can call them at 928-524-6845 Ext. 109. 52:06 That's 928-524-6845 Ext. 109. 52:12 You can also find them online at HolbrookIndianSchool.org. 52:16 That's HolbrookIndianSchool.org. |
Revised 2017-06-19