Wiconi - Most Recent Update

smoke signals - Mesa MN1V Report & Misc good stuff
Richard Twiss
Mar 28, 2003

Greetings friend,

At the Many Nations Celebration in Mesa more than 100 men and women, U.S. military veterans, came down the aisles and stood on the stage Saturday evening to be honored as we prayed for the war in Iraq. A veteran and elder from the Onieda Nation prayed and Jonathon Maracle and Broken Walls sang a victory song on the drum. Numerous people wept and commented, in light of the Iraqi war, on how moving this was to honor our veterans in a traditional Native way. A very special thanks to all of you who prayed so fervently for this Celebration. The effect of prevailing prayer was so very obvious as the anointing of the Holy Spirit was so evident and the abiding presence of Jesus so sweet.

1. Mesa/Phoenix MN1V Report 2. Pastor Dave Gomez Annual Holy Ghost Camp Meeting Medford, OR 3. Argentina/Peru Trip April 23 4. Minneapolis-Bethel College Visit 5. Northwest Native Womens Conference April 11,12 6. Culture, Christ & Kingdom Conference, May 9,10 Portland, OR

1. MN1V Report - More than a thousand people attended the Mesa/Phoenix MN1V on Saturday evening from places like Maryland, Oklahoma, Washington, Canada, New York, as well as from all across Arizona and the Southwest. Tribal members from the Pima, Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Onieda, Mohawk, Comanche, Makah, Lakota, Kiowa, Pawnee, Cree, Cherokee, and many others attended. The opening night I gave people an opportunity for people to accept Jesus as savior and two people came forward and were born-again. On Saturday evening a young woman who came with her aunt was weeping profusely in the presence of the Lord and I have the privilege of leading her to Christ. Pastor Bill Gowey reported, Two young women from our native church in Flagstaff had life changing ministry happen at the conference. They were both set free and one, a young Navajo women came away with an emotional healing. She has never felt that it was ok to be Navajo and Christian. The Holy Spirit did some deep healing in both of these ladies. A young woman who has had severe back problems came to the conference on Friday with a wheel chair and a walker, who was prayed for and she walked in Saturday morning standing strait and pain free. She even danced in the round dance Saturday evening.

Norma Quiroz, a planning committee member wrote, My cousin and her daughter attended Saturday evening. The only reason my cousin came is because she met Richard Twiss when we held a pastors luncheon for him at my Aunt's restaurant, which my cousin manages. My cousin brought her daughter to the conference. Monique, who is in her junior year at Northern Arizona University, accepted the Lord as her Saviour there! They were both moved by the worship, and I believe by the anointing that rests on Richard and on Jonathan and Broken Walls. Monique was in tears. I could not have gotten them to come to "regular" church with me for any reason, but they would come to a Native celebration. I am overwhelmed every time I think about what happened to my family that evening. God is so very faithful! Thank you!

So many people who came to check us out left persuaded that the Spirit of the Lord was surely present and the Father blessed all that occurred. Another MN1V is being planned in Phoenix as an outreach to the Salt River Pima Nation in February of 2004. I have been invited to come and speak at several Native communities in Arizona and discussions are underway to host a gathering in Farmington. Prayer changes things!

2. Native American Holy Ghost Conference, April 3rd - 6th, 2003; Hosted by Pastor Dave Gomez & Jerusalem Center, 6 Mace Road, Medford, OR 97501 To register call (541) 770-7086 or (541) 770-2640 - Fax: (541) 772-4530 - Email: actschp1@cybernetisp.net - Website: www.jerusalemcenter.us Location: Jackson County Expo-Olsrud Building - 1 Penninger Road, Central Point OR - Conference schedule is as follows: Thursday: 12pm Special Luncheon with Richard Twiss @ J.J. Norths 1016 N. Riverside, Medford - (Please call us for reservations $6.75 per person) - 7pm Opening Ceremony Jackson County Expo Friday Sunday at Jackson County Expo - 7pm Closing Ceremony Jerusalem Center

3. Argentina/Peru Trip - Twelve of us are leaving for the Chaco Region of Northern Argentina, April 23-May 5. In addition, I will spend a few days prior in Lima, Peru, with missionaries Rett & Sherrill Bragg, to formalize plans for our Dancing Our Prayers National Ministry Tour for August of this year. The Argentina leg will be an outreach to a five-tribe region in N. Argentina called the Chaco Region. My friend Tom Fitzgerald has worked there for several years and a truly remarkable opportunity has opened to the tribes. On Thursday, April 24, we will be in the city of Tartagal for a city-wide gathering for "Ethnic Reconciliation and Healing the Land." On Friday Sunday we will teach workshops, plenary sessions at a large regional missions conference with COMIBAM in Salta. In the evenings we be ministering in the sports stadium. On Monday, April 28, the team departs on a 350 mile trip visiting in 6 major native population centers, participating in cultural exchange and teaching and leading in public acts of reconciliation for the healing of the People and their Land. Part of this time will be spent in an area called "The Impenetrable", a classic biblical example of a cursed land. The people are excited that Native North American brothers and sisters would come and serve them. Please pray for Gods grace and the needed funds to come in.

4.Minneapolis Trip - I will teaching at Bethel College and Seminary and Northwest Bible College, Monday thru Wednesday, April 5-8. For more information call our office at 360-546-1867.

5. Northwest Native Womens Conference April 11,12 - Just three weeks away, ladies have registered from across the western US and beyond to attend our first annual Northwest Native Womens Conference, April 11,12 at the Daybreak Star Native Cultural Center in Seattle. THIS CONFERENCE IS OPEN TO ALL WOMEN, not exclusively Native ladies. We can only accomadate 300 people MAX, and more than 80 have pre-registered with many saying they will register on site, so please call to reserve your spot. We have grandmothers from the four regional tribes, Muckleshoot, Yakima, Tulalip who will be welcoming us to the land, including a Duwamish elder, a relative of Chief Seattle. Speakers include Mary Glazier/Haida, Honorary Grand Chief, Lynda Prince/Carrier-Sekani, Rita Bear-Gray/Cree, Richard & Katherine Twiss/Lakota and worship with Michelle Clark/Cherokee and Horizon Ministries. There will be awesome times of worship, healing and deliverance as our focus is discovering wholeness in Christ, spirit, soul and body. We need your help to get the word out for this important gathering so please forward this info to your friends who might be interested in joining us! For a brochure you can download it from our website at http://www.wiconi.com/calendar/graphics/NW_Conf4.pdf . You can call our office for registration, lodging and cost information at 360-546-1867. (Make a note that Rita Kallappa is part of hosting a "National Native Women's Conference" in Phoenix, May 14-17. For more info call 928-475-2808).

6. Wiconi International and Multnomah Biblical Seminary's Institute of Intercultural Studies: New Wine, New Wineskins have joined together to present our "Culture, Christ and Kingdom Conference" in Portland, Oregon, May 9th and 10th. New, New Wineskins' motto is "Bringing Christ to contemporary culture." Multnomah is a highly respected evangelical institution with its stated mission "... summed up in three essentials: the unchanging Son of God, the inerrant Word of God, and the immeasurable value of people." We have invited three dynamic national First Nations Bible teachers to assist in presenting the materials. They are Terry LeBlanc/Mi'kmaq, Ray Aldred/Cree and Cheryl Barnetson/Carrier. In addition, Dr. Paul Metzger (PhD) of Multnomah Biblical Seminary and I will be presenting. Paul is the Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Theology of Culture at the seminary, and the Director of New Wine, New Wineskins. We have a professional video team to record the event with the goal to produce a teaching video series with syllabus that can be used to assist in teaching Native leaders. Topics to be discussed will include the development of a theology of culture, biblical worldview, syncretism, critical contextualization, the emerging indigenous world missions movement, changing paradigms in Native ministry and the impact of a First Nations worldview in a postmodern culture. The cost is $20.00 and the schedule it forthcoming. Call for more info Contact the Wiconi office at (360) 546-1867 or New Wine, New Wineskins at (503) 251-6767.