Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome to the CCDA podcast. My name is Rosalyn Hernandez and I am the co-leader of the Indigenous Peoples Affinity Network at CCDA. I am also the Director of Education at Chasing Justice and i am your host for this episode.
Speaker: Today I am joined by two special guests. I am so excited to have them here. They are Dewey Bill and Delaney Hornby from Mending Wings and I'll have them introduce themselves. Hi, my name is Delaney Hornby. I am the Slam Trips Director at Mending Wings, and I have been in this position since September, but I've been with Mending Wings since 2024, and I really enjoy working here.
Speaker: Hi, my name's Dewey. I'm 23 years old and enrolled member of the ACMA Nation. And I've been with Mending Wings since the seventh grade, I think, because I was like 14 years And then now since 2023, I've been in this full-time position as the Dance and Our Prayers director.
Speaker: That is so cool. Yeah. Yeah. So tell us a little about Mending Wings. Where are you all located? what do you do? What is Mending Wings? Mending Wings is a Native youth nonprofit located in South Central Washington State, right on the reservation, the Yakima Reservation.
Speaker: We do a lot of youth, ah specific to youth, cultural revitalization and retention work and just showing up in the lives of kids.
Speaker: and giving them a safe place to be on a Wednesday night and every other night.
Speaker: Yeah, and I know you have several programs. You're leading Dancing Our Prayers, Delaney is leading Slam Tricks. Are there any other programs that we haven't named that are part of many wings but are not represented by someone today?
Speaker: Dewey and also lead the 401 Youth Group, which is our youth group we do on Wednesday nights. And then we also have programs called Footprints of Our Elders, which includes language classes, sewing classes, things like that, just to teach different pieces of cultural life to our kids.
Speaker: can't forget about the ah guys and girls night on Friday night, first Friday night of the month. We just take the kids out and show them like, hey, you know, you don't have to have drugs and alcohol to have a good time. This is a place where you get to be a kid.
Speaker: And most of that involves like midnight bowling, laser tagging, paintballing, lock-ins for some reason. i don't know why we do lock-ins. Yeah. Horrible and cold, but it's just really a good time to get to know the youth more like on a one but one on one level.
Speaker: Who's more competitive, who likes pizza, who doesn't like pizza, you know, basic youth group stuff. Yeah, I think ah if there are any youth leaders listening, they're getting flashbacks to all the lock-in.
Speaker: Thinking about all their kids are like, yeah, that's a competitive one. That's the one that likes to do this. Yeah, that's the pizza eater. Yeah. yeah I'm so thankful that Mending Louise has only done one lock-in so far. So I'm like, I don't know if we'll ever do it again.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Delaney's shaking her head no. She's like, count me out. No Lockins. I've done my share. I'm sure many of us feel that way. i'm not doing youth ministry like actively anymore, but I remember. i'm i think at the end of Lockins, we're always like, what do we why do we do that to ourselves?
Speaker: no but Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Delaney, tell me a little bit about SLAM Trips. There are service learning trips. So we host groups from all over the country, mostly middle school and high schoolers, but we have opportunities for intergenerational trips too.
Speaker: And people can come here. They stay out with us for a week and we do service for our elders while they're here. They learn about our culture. So they're They come in who whichever group it is, they come in, they learn a virtue from the Yakima culture. And then we do service for our elders. We do a lot of different activities through the week, but everything kind of focuses on the virtue that we're learning about.
Speaker: This year, our virtue is going to be courage. So I think it's going to be really exciting. We're going to talk about what kind of courage it took sign the treaty back in 1855 and all the things that kind of went along with that. So I don't want spoil it for everybody, but it's going to be a really fun. um We're really looking forward to it. It's a great experience of a way to do ah missions that don't cause harm when you come in.
Speaker: Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about that, a little bit more about how slam trips are really integrated into the community? What you mentioned just now, of like, i think specifically for youth groups, you know, it's an annual thing that there's a mission trip that's planned. Yeah.
Speaker: how is How are SLAM trips ah like a great alternative or a better way, I would say, a better way of thinking about our missions? Yeah. ah SLAM stands for students learning about missions. The main goal is to teach students as they come in The biggest difference we can make in a week is to serve the people that we're going to serve and to work with somebody who's already established in the community. So one of the differences with us compared to some of the other groups is that we live here. We work here all year, all year round. This is our home.
Speaker: And so one when people come in they're working with us to support our community and to be able to serve in our community, but we're serving in our community all year round. So we're not a group that comes in here just for the summer and is kind of tries to establish themselves for the summer here on the reservation. We're here all year working with people and serving our community. So that's what we already do. And so we're just asking groups to come alongside of us and learn the Yakima culture a little bit and then be able to serve with us, not apart from us or
Speaker: in opposition to us, but to serve with us for our people. That's great. Yeah. Thanks for that explanation. I think many times with missions, right, especially in the U.S. as particularly not just white culture or, you know, a dominant culture,
Speaker: you know there's this white savorism that can happen when we think about mission trips, specifically with youth ministry as well, um because they're so short, right? It's not like someone's relocating somewhere else for their life. And they're just, as you mentioned, just there for a week. It's such a great opportunity for people to learn also, because, mean, not all churches do this, in it but it has historically happened you know,
Speaker: as you mentioned, sometimes people want to do really great work, their heart is in it, but the consequences of the work that gets done or the way in which things are done actually end up harming communities. And many times communities that have been marginalized or have been, you know, feeling the consequences of other colonizations, broken systems, and things like that. But i'm so I'm so glad that slam trips are like a great option and opportunity for people to learn, especially young people.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Dewey, do you want to talk about dancing our prayers? Yes. Why not? I'm just... I was going to say, do you want to give us a nine-year history of experience with Dancing Our Prayers?
Speaker: Yeah. So the program I lead, Dancing Our Prayers, is all about like this... merging of faith and culture. And so I take a team of students that travel all across the country to share Christ through our culture.
Speaker: And by doing that, we dance in full regalia, we drum, we share about justice issues in the church, specifically with Native Americans, but then also say, tell the truth with love and care.
Speaker: And also say, that was then, let's be better now. Let's be the family of God and lean into what He's already doing in Native communities.
Speaker: And that's kind of what I do. That's like dancing in our prayers in a nutshell. Yeah. What has been like the greatest moment? I mean, I'm sure they're all pretty great, but what has been something that has really stuck with you in the years that you've been doing Dancing Our Prayers?
Speaker: Two moments that really stick out to me is in 2021, right after COVID, Dancing Our Prayers had the opportunity to go to Universal Studios in Florida and perform on the STARS stage.
Speaker: And so I remember it was our final song. There wasn't that many people there when we started our final song, but we were halfway through and I happened to look up and i kid you not, like the entire talk, there was just massive amounts of people like trying to come down and watch.
Speaker: And I noticed it. One of my other students noticed it. And that was just a moment like I would never forget. It was like, yeah, it was one of the best feelings. Like, I got to share my culture with people from different countries and, you know, just got time be me, in a sense.
Speaker: So there's one. Another one is we recently took our students to Ireland, and they performed at a church in Belfast, which literally sits on the border between Belfast and the rest of Ireland, Northern and the Republic.
Speaker: And even there, there's a feud between Protestants and Catholics. But that Sunday morning, we were all one. Catholics, Protestants, people who were just stopping by. Yeah, just the amount the amount of impact that had in a different country than the United States.
Speaker: That was a big wonder. And those are such wonderful moments of, like you like, I can feel just the awe that I, some of what you're describing and the love, I think, is something that I'm feeling that,
Speaker: Sharing one's culture and and specifically Native American culture and in freedom the way that you and your students do through dancing our prayers.
Speaker: It's such an authentic way of showing such full identity and free identity that people react to it, are so called to it.
Speaker: and maybe even spiritually, there's like some kind of emotion that people feel because of the genuine freedom and experience and love and intention and passion with which you and your students perform.
Speaker: And I'm not even sure if perform is the right word to to say here. How do you view dancing or prayers? Of course, like you do and you perform, i guess, in front of people, but as a spiritual practice and as a cultural practice, which is one and the same, i'm sure. Yeah, can tell me a little bit more about that? how How do you think about it? How do your students think about it as they're doing it, practicing or like going to other places to show their culture?
Speaker: Yeah. So, yeah, performance seems like not the right word to use because we don't want to go and put on a show for anybody. But it's to open the door to say, like, you know, God has given us this form of worship.
Speaker: And we invite people just to lean in to that. A big thing that i impress on churches and conferences that we go to is,
Speaker: You don't have to be native to know everything, you know, but you we also want you to be you. We want you to be your genuine self.
Speaker: Cause God made us who we are placed us in our cultures for a reason. And that's to bring the body of Christ together fully as themselves.
Speaker: Yeah. That's. It's one of the ways that I can explain that. Another way is the balance between spirituality and this the cultural practices is, like you said, one and the same.
Speaker: I have been teaching our students, like, when you dance or when you drum, you're not just drumming or dancing. You know, you're not doing it for yourself. You're not doing it for x y and Z. It's not competition, but it's all for for the creator.
Speaker: And we're offering back. our our culture, our language, our heritage back to Him. And we're culture bearers. You know, we're called to do this work.
Speaker: Not everybody is called to do it. It's a tough road to walk. And it definitely takes a certain breed. Yeah. Well, I think it's so amazing that young people are the ones that are involved it in this through Mending Wings, and it is young people that are served by Mending Wings.
Speaker: It is such a great thing to see that the community is being strengthened through the youth. And so in terms of like developing youth, I wanted to ask, ah why is it important to to have these kinds of programs? And why is it important to have the safe spaces for young people, especially in our indigenous communities?
Speaker: I think that it's so important to have safe spots for kids to go with safe people. where they feel comfortable because unfortunately our kids everywhere are exposed to so many things that are just awful at all times. And to be able to provide a place where kids can go, particularly to our native youth, where they can go and and feel like they're loved and feel like people care enough about them to show up week after week.
Speaker: I think it's really important they feel forgotten oftentimes. And i just want to i want to share a story about one of our one of our kids that my husband and I have actually worked with a lot through our church youth group. And we' we've known her for since she was little. She's 15 now. But at youth group on Wednesday night, Dewey was talking about respecting other people. And we were talking about safe people to go to. And she said...
Speaker: When you need a safe person to talk to a trusted person, it has to be somebody who loves God because they're going to steer you back in the right direction. And I thought, this is the reason we pour all these hours into these kids so that they understand that it's time, like when they need something, the people that are there for them are the people that love God. and that are loving them just as we love God, just as God loves us.
Speaker: We love the kids the same way. And the kids, sometimes you don't see the impact right away. And this is a young lady that we've worked with for several years. i think I've known her since she was three years old.
Speaker: But we've worked with her as a teenager. She's 15 now, so three-ish years as a teenager. And she is just starting to like really understand and see that we do actually care. We do love her enough to show up week after week after week after week with her and be there she's when she needs something. She trusts us to actually come to us when she needs something. She shared things with us that she hasn't shared with anybody else in her life. I know that for a fact.
Speaker: And so I feel like when we keep showing up for these kids, it finally gives them somebody who they actually trust, who they can open up to, who they can rely on for some guidance, and they'll actually listen to us.
Speaker: And I think that that's something that something that's important. It makes such a positive difference in their life because they oftentimes the kids don't have anybody else. They don't have parents who they can do this with or a trusted adult family member who they can do that with. they They just don't have anybody else in their life who is consistent enough to that they feel like they can trust them.
Speaker: Yeah, thanks so much for that. sounds like that consistency is really important. And walking alongside students and young people takes time.
Speaker: a lot of time and effort. And it sounds like you or your husband are doing... and i From what you've mentioned before about how you all provide rights for the kids to get to youth group and take them back home. like That's a lot of time and effort. That's money that it takes to pump up the van with gas and and take everyone home.
Speaker: but it's such it's such a passionate work of love that you all are doing, being there for kids, that... really need adults that they can trust.
Speaker: I wanted to ask about the indigenous cultures not just in the U.S., but in all of South America as well, tend to have a ah value of collective living.
Speaker: And yeah, can you tell me a little bit ah about that and how being there for kids is also part of the culture that you're from? You mentioned courage as a value that you're learning this year. Is there any other value that you bring from your culture that...
Speaker: Whenever you're feeling a little bit discouraged or tired, you're like, no, like I'm doing this for the kids because of this. and like My culture and my passion for youth ministry comes from this, or this helps me in to carry on.
Speaker: You know, one thing that just helps us to carry on is... there's There's some of what Bible verses, but one that I keep going back to is do not grow weary in doing good because you will eventually see the fruits of your labor.
Speaker: But like Dewey and I were talking this morning and sometimes we don't see our investment payout. You know, you invest a lot of time, sometimes a lot of effort and a lot of heart into the kids. And sometimes we're not going to see that while they're in youth group. We may not see that.
Speaker: that difference made. But years later, we might see a kid come back or see where where in their life, see what they're doing and see that some of that probably was because of the investment that we made.
Speaker: And my husband and I have done youth ministry for a long time now. I think we're like at year 12. And so now we do start to see some of the kids that we put a lot of time and effort in at the beginning, and now we're seeing them as adults.
Speaker: Maybe they're leading a youth group, or maybe they're serving in some other way in their communities or with their church. So you start to see that now, but sometimes you don't see that investment actually pay off anywhere. you know Sometimes we you don't see that fruit come back in even in your lifetime, you know but it may It may be something that you just have to know that this is what God's called me to do and this is what I'm doing and I'm not going to give up on it because I know this is where I'm supposed to be.
Speaker: And God's going to bring it around for a good whenever the time is right for him to do that. And I think that that's just a really important thing to remember is that oftentimes we may not see, you know, those those kids who really push your buttons or or try your patience or whatever, because we all know if anybody's been in youth ministry, you all know you have that one kid or that little group of kids that do that. And You know, if we just keep bringing them back in and keep working with them, it will pay off, but it may not be the way we think it's going to look that it does. And it may not be right now.
Speaker: It might be something that happens down the road a long ways that we're not going to see right now. you may not see the completion of that work, I guess. It may be something that you just start and somebody else brings them out to finish it.
Speaker: And I just think it's important to remember that when we're when we're doing work like this with youth, especially that it does matter. Everything that we do does matter. And the kids do take it in. Even if it doesn't seem like they are, they do take it in. They take it to heart and they appreciate what we're doing, even if it seems like they don't at the time.
Speaker: Yes. And I think sometimes maybe even in youth ministry and in ministry in general, what we might be called to is a ministry of presence. And that's an in the moment thing. And that's not waiting to be like grow the fruits that are going to come.
Speaker: And that's really hard to do, to kind of just give of ourselves without expecting something in return. That ministry of accompaniment, of walking alongside young people because they need us, just because they need us, and because we love to walk with them, and because we love our communities, and because we see the need is something that is so important.
Speaker: So how are you seeing communities flourish because of you the presence, the time and the investment that you all are Mending Wings in general doing in your community?
Speaker: Yeah. I think some of that flourishment is, it goes back to, like what you said, presence and really developing the youth to be good leaders.
Speaker: I'm going to still want to de delay these lines that she always says to the students. You know, you're you're a leader and kids, ah students, your peers are going to follow you, whether you're doing good or bad, you know, that's on you.
Speaker: And so like finding those kids who have that leadership potential and who are already leading kids, you know, down a bad way, just pulling them aside and like speak in life and like trying to help them see like, come on, let's do better. Like you need help.
Speaker: Here I am. And some of our students that we work with now, they're, They're that. They're leading kids down the wrong way. And it's like every week, refresh, refresh, refresh. Come on, let's let's let's get this ball rolling.
Speaker: And sometimes it works and sometimes it's a little harder. But yeah, even just, you know, getting the kids to youth group is is the flourishment, you know?
Speaker: And if it's just 15 kids on a Wednesday night, you know, or less, that that's where it is. Yeah, that's such a beautiful, like, also, like, as presence, you know, like, the fact that they feel safe to come back, even though you're saying, you know, like, you refresh every week, but they're coming back every week.
Speaker: That means that... they They like being there. They feel supported. They feel safe to do a little bit of mischief sometimes. But this but they are, that that already says a lot that that kids keep coming back to a youth ministry.
Speaker: So I'm a little bit jealous that I am not a youth. The money that could experience some of your some of your presence and your ministry.
Speaker: But yeah, Delaney, do you have any other anything to add to that? No, other than you're invited every Wednesday if you want to come, Roslyn. We'll take you. I think like Dewey said, though, just continually pouring into the kids, even the ones that every week you have to remind them who they are and who God's called them to be.
Speaker: Sometimes that can be, it can be frustrating, you know, as a leader and it can be, it's tiring to go back week after week after week after week with the kids. But like you said, they keep showing up, they keep coming. And so we just keep pouring into them because if they're going to keep showing up, they're doing their part.
Speaker: And so if we keep showing up for them too, then we're we're doing our part. And, you know, we all don't learn things the first time we're told. Most of us, it takes time. multiple times and examples for us to learn. um And so I think that that's something to remember too, is that when these teenagers are coming in, they do feel safe enough that they can act out because if kids don't feel safe, they're not going to they're not going to act up. That's just kind of a general rule. You know, people always say, oh your kids are great for me. And, you know, when they're at home with their parents, they're little terrors running around or whatever.
Speaker: And I always try to keep that in mind that the teenagers, it's kind of the same way, you know, the teenagers that don't feel comfortable, they'll just sit quietly and won't really do anything. And the teenagers that are really comfortable, they're really comfortable. Yeah. We have a few kids that we work with, especially some of the teenage boys that have these amazing leadership qualities that we just are looking at them like, can we harness this somehow into having you guys lead into a good, on a good path here instead of like leading all your friends to be ridiculous? Yeah.
Speaker: But they they have these awesome leadership qualities that we see. And I think part of that is the culture. I'm pretty new to the Yakima area still and the Yakima culture, but i'm I'm learning as we go here. But I think that part of it is the culture. We we see a lot of great leadership qualities in a lot of people.
Speaker: And so teaching them how to use that to... like Dewey said, to be culture bearers and to be to help people to understand where they're where they're coming from, but not just where they're coming from, where they're headed.
Speaker: You know, when I look at these youth, I think this is where we're headed. And this is where, these are the these are the future of the tribe and the culture and our area and our community and our church. You know, these are These are the people that are going to bring, that are going to be leading this soon. And so if we can be there to pour into them and let them know you have this quality, we see this in you. This is something that is amazing about you and speak that life into them. You know, they they might be someone who really turns things around for their community.
Speaker: Yeah, that's so great that those leadership qualities that you're able to see in them, that sometimes it takes leaders who walk alongside young people for a long time to be able to see that.
Speaker: who And who see the, oh, you're very energetic. Oh, you're you're very charismatic and your friends follow what you do. That's leadership. Even though though some other people might say like, oh, this person's a troublemaker and want to like tamper that down.
Speaker: It seems like you're really developing that and... helping them hone those characteristics that they have. And and they are, you know, as you mentioned earlier,
Speaker: the future of the tribe and it's wonderful to see and and so hope-filling I think maybe not just for them as teenagers they might not understand it quite understand it yet but maybe for their parents or for other people who are around them that notice that their kids are being invested in i think it There are a lot of ways in which I can see the benefits of the teenagers being invested in the way that you all are doing it. Yeah. And so kind of have been talking about like asset-based thinking, like looking at what is already in the community and the teens. I'll go to the question that we ask in every episode. and How do you see the CCD philosophy at work in your community? Yeah.
Speaker: When I was looking at the CCD philosophy, ah specifically with reconciliation, because we talk a lot about reconciliation here, or more specifically, we talk about conciliation.
Speaker: And on the CCD page, it says the answer is not just a job or a decent place to live, but the answer is a true relationship with Christ. And we truly have to love our neighbor as ourselves to be able to live out that true relationship with Christ.
Speaker: And I think that Mending Wings is doing a good job of loving our neighbor as ourselves, of going into the community and and working on that, but also by bringing other people into the community and inviting them into that conciliation.
Speaker: i i believe that that's where we're going to see things change. And I think that's what really fits in with CCD philosophy. Did you want to add anything to You know, me and Delaney are like living proof that Mendy Wings inhabits the CCD philosophy.
Speaker: We, you know, I wouldn't, I certainly probably most likely wouldn't have been where I am unless I had a good leader who, who understood like, Hey, I gotta invest and I gotta, you know, work with this kid because there was some leadership potential and, know,
Speaker: And Corey Greaves is all about you know just being there, being present, loving his neighbor, and you know thanks to his mentor and thanks to his mentor's mentor and thanks to Jesus. And you know just we're living proof of it.
Speaker: And you know we're we're very thankful that then we have some support um to continue the work that we do. yeah As I was thinking about what you all have been mentioning, the holistic approach really comes to my mind.
Speaker: You all are working with the community, with the teams of the community. You are going to other places with dancing our prayers and taking your culture and the message to other areas around the world. Yeah.
Speaker: And when youth ministries or other people come to Mending Wings to do slam trips, there's also another aspect of not just the community aspect with how people come and learn from the community, but also people.
Speaker: But it's also that conciliation part that it's it's so holistic and integrated. that theology, the spirituality, the the culture, and the lives of young people who benefit from having mending wings and from being around Delaney and Dewey and Corey and everyone else on staff who are, I'm pretty sure,
Speaker: so loving and patient and and compassionate and just willing to give so much of yourselves too to to accompany and walk along these young people but also to lend a hand or open you know open up your arms and tell others like hey this is something that you can learn from too and this is a work that we can do together it's i I was looking through the philosophies and I was like, wow, this Mending Wings is just so integrated in this work.
Speaker: Okay, so last question. This is Indigenous Heritage d Month. And so i just wanted to see if you wanted to say anything, any words of encouragement, any message, any hopes or dreams or any just thoughts that you have about about that.
Speaker: To all my indigenous people out there, don't be afraid of i love the unknown. Because I know that something as indigenous people, that's what we're scared of, is what's going to happen next. That's why we always want to know why, how, what about this, what about that.
Speaker: Be curious. Live life. you know The creator's got your back. Your people have your back. Don't stop just because it gets hard. Continue on.
Speaker: Win the race. Bring your culture and your faith together. It's hard work, but you got it. We got it. I wanted to add, because I am, i don't know, maybe you can tell, you know not Native American from the U.S. I don't belong to a tribe.
Speaker: So I'll say for for people that are Latin American that are reconnecting with their indigenous roots, That in some of our countries, our indigenous identities are are very much mixed in within the culture.
Speaker: This happens a lot in Mexico, specifically with the Nahuatl language and culture, which is one of the cultures that my family is from. It might be in the culture, it might not, but I think that in many of us, there's something that calls.
Speaker: There's our ancestors, there's creator, there's memory it in our blood that calls to us. And I would say to any Latina, Latino who is...
Speaker: hearing that call or sensing that call to learn, to be curious, like Dewey said. Be curious about your past. Be curious about your ancestors. Be curious about your countries of origin for your parents, from your grandparents,
Speaker: And be curious not just to to say, oh, I'm indigenous or I'm part of this, I have ancestry from this culture, but be curious to unlearn colonized ways of thinking.
Speaker: Be curious too learn indigenous ways of living and of caring for each other, for the earth and for one another.
Speaker: For me, the process of decolonizing, indigenizing, family history, ancestry, and all of that stuff has been ah process of becoming more fully myself.
Speaker: And so I think maybe well that's one of the reasons why I do when you explain what it's like to do Dancing Our Prayers and be so fully and authentically you my heart just fills with so much joy and and happiness for you and for like all the people that are able to reconnect and to and not just not just people who have Indigenous ancestry, but for people who are learning Indigenous theology from Indigenous theologians or from people like you, Indigenous practitioners.
Speaker: Institutions have done us a great disservice in silencing our indigenous wisdom and people for a very long time.
Speaker: And we have the opportunity now, more than we have before in the United States and in other places, to be able to recover and reclaim and and really integrate healthier, better ways of living. And so, yeah, I just encourage people to not just claim or reclaim, but also just learn with humility two integrate indigenous thoughts and wisdom into our lives.
Speaker: Yeah. Any, any other thoughts, any complaints before we, just kidding. Look, if you didn't like anything in this podcast episode, was all Rosalyn's idea. so
Speaker: yeah Okay. I'll take it. I'll take it. Well, everyone, thank you for listening to the CCDA podcast. And thank you, Duann Delaney, for joining us today.
Speaker: If you want to learn more about CCDA and mending wings, check out the show notes for this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And this episode is produced by Sarah Kalin in association with Christina For.
Speaker: We will be back soon with another episode featuring CCD practitioners who are committed to seeing people and communities experience God's shalom. We'll see you then.
