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Ministry Description

The Lummi Reservation is located on the Puget Sound near the Canadian border. The Nooksack Tribe is located in Deming, Washington, just 15 miles east of Bellingham, 12 miles south of the Canadian Border. Short term teams assist the Wadhams and Sproull families in minis-tering to the tribal communities.

Project Description The goal at Lummi and Nooksack is to serve with MTW missionaries Michael & Lindie Wadhams, Todd & Cindy Sproull, and their families in church planting. The focus is on building relationships of trust and giving the Lummi and Nooksack people the opportunity to see God demonstrated in the lives of others. Teams work on home repairs, porch and ramp construction, painting projects, and general neighborhood cleanup. In addition there is opportunity to be involved with VBS at various apartment complexes, sports outreach, home visitation, youth and adult Bible study and mentoring, and ministry to seniors through crafts and music. This is a great mission week for youth, adult, and family teams.

Housing & Travel

Teams will stay at the Veterans Building located on the Lummi reservation. Sleeping bags and air mattresses are re-quired. Food will also be prepared and served at the Veterans Building. Teams will assist with serving and clean up. Both tribes are located in the northwest corner of Washington. Teams can fly into Seattle or Bellingham where vehicle rentals are available.

Lummi & Nooksack, WA

One Week Mission Trip

Estimated 2020 Project Costs & Dates

$430 per person (Transportation not included) Discounts available for children ages 0–12 who are accompanied by a parent. Dates: July 11-18; July 18-25 All team leaders are required to attend Project Orientation onsite April 17, 2020

To register please contact Mike Peifer 678.823.0020 mike.peifer@mtw.org

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Lummi & Nooksack, cont’d

The Lummi People

The traditional lifestyle of the Lummi consisted of the collecting of shellfish, gathering of plants and different species of berries, and most importantly involved the fishing of salmon. The Lummi developed a fishing technique known as "reef netting." Reef netting was used for taking large quantities of fish in salt water. Lummi had reef net sets on Orcas Island, San Juan Island, Lummi Island and Fidalgo Island, Portage Island and near Point Roberts and Sandy Point. The language, custom, and philosophy of life on the Lummi Reservation are unique. Each has survived the ages by being passed down from elder to child. Respect for their heritage and one another are the cornerstones of this community. Few Lummi will profess to believe in anything other than their own native beliefs. Animistic spirit worship is the driving force behind what the Lummi really believe. Non-public dances and ceremonies are held throughout the year to appease supernatural forces thought to control daily activities. They believe that spirituality is central to the health of their youth, adults, el-ders, families, and tribe. For more information on the Lummi people: www.lummi-nsn.org

The Nooksack People

Nooksack Indian history goes back thousands of years. According to Native tradition, the people have been here from

time immemorial—basically since the beginning of human existence on this land. There is nothing in Nooksack tradition

of ever living anywhere else. Studies in linguistics and archaeology indicate

a stable population of speakers of Salish languages, with no migration into

the Georgia Straits/Puget Sound region, for the past several thousand

years. They are a Tribe of approximately 2,000 members, located in their

ancestral homeland in the northwest corner of Washington State. Their

name comes from the name of a place, which in their language and trans-

lates to “always bracken fern roots,” which illustrates their close ties to

the land and the resources they identified with. The Nooksack were one of

many Indian groups which were party to the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, in

which title to the land of much of western Washington was exchanged for

recognition of fishing, hunting and gathering rights, and a guarantee of

certain government services. The Nooksack were not granted a reservation. They were expected to move to the Lummi

Reservation, but few did. In 1873 and 1874 attempts were made to move the Nooksacks to the reservation, but it be-

came clear that they would not move without military force and it was recommended that the Nooksack Indians be al-

lowed to remain in the Nooksack Valley. For more information on the Nooksack people: https://nooksacktribe.org

To register please contact Mike Peifer 678-823-0020

Mike.peifer@mtw.org