Volume
25 No. 6
I
Found My Hope
by Karen Harper
as told to Indian Life
I have lived in
Winnipeg all my life. In 1985 one of my Dad's brothers
did some research into our family background. He discovered
that our family originally came from the Peguis First
Nation. Since then, we were able to register for our status
and I have come to an understanding of who I am as a First
Nations woman in Jesus Christ.
I am the third
oldest of eight children-the apple of Daddy's eye because
I'm the oldest girl. (My siblings still give me a hard
time about that sometimes). Though I have never moved
away from the area of Winnipeg where I grew up, God has
taken me on a journey where I learned to depend on Him.
Our family changed
dramatically in 1960 when I was seven years old. It was
then that my parents gave their lives to Jesus Christ
in a meeting in what is now called New Hope Community
Church. From that point on we were taken to Sunday School
and church every weekend. Of course, life in our home
changed
too as my parents quit drinking. But it wasn't until I
was in my teens that I realized I needed to make a decision
for myself. I couldn't count on my parent's faith to take
me into heaven. In all the pressures of being a teenager
God made me realize how much I needed him. Since that
time, I have always known that He is with me. Even as
a child, Christian people made an impact on my life. I
remember a Sunday School teacher who stood by the doorway
and greeted every child who walked in. Her enthusiasm
to teach young children about Jesus was amazing.
As a Christian
teen, I immersed myself in the life of the church. I got
involved in choices and youth groups. Every summer I went
to camp. It was during youth camp, when I was about 15,
that I was baptized in the Rat River. After I finished
high school, I attended Bible College for a year in a
Bachelor of Arts program affiliated with the University
of Manitoba. I soon discovered that studying was not my
thing. But I completed that year and also met my first
husband during that time. I was in my early twenties and
the attraction between us was so strong that I started
to wander away from the Lord. I began a lifestyle of partying
and drinking almost every weekend. At that time I thought
I was having a good time. We were married in 1977 but
he soon met someone new and our marriage was over by 1980.
My partying continued.
I made friends who also liked to party and we often drank
from Thursday to Sunday. As I look back, I know now that
the Lord was protecting me. My parents and friends from
the church never stopped praying. A few years later, I
met my second husband and we were married in 1986. We
continued to drink and our marriage deteriorated. But
things started to change. I got pregnant-something I had
given up on because of my age. When I knew I was pregnant
the strong desire that I had to go out and drink just
left me. The Lord opened my eyes to see how far I was
from the person I was supposed to be. It was at a service
at church that the Lord spoke to me powerfully and I rededicated
my life to Him. He cleansed my life again. I knew then
that God had always been there for me because His Word
says, "I will never leave you." God became my focus again.
In 1988, my oldest son, Devon, was born. And a year later
I had my second boy, Dustin. Even though I had been trying
to hold our marriage together some very difficult things
were going on. I had to make some tough choices and in
1991 I became a single mom.
An unexpected
path
About the time
that my boys were born we started to attend First Nations
Community Church. I found such a warm welcome there and,
in time, came to believe that it was where God wanted
me to serve Him there. I was involved in music ministry
for several years and, in recent years, have worked with
the children.
In 2001 my spiritual
journey took me down an unexpected path. I was diagnosed
with breast cancer. I had to go through the whole process
of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, being sick and
being tired and struggling with the loss of a body part.
The Lord kept saying to me, "You're okay. You're okay.
You're okay." In one of the cards I got, someone had written
the verse from the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know
the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future.'" I kept reading that over and over. It
just affirmed to me that God does have good plans. I don't
know all of what that means, but I know it is true. He
has been very gracious and helped me realize how much
I need Him for everything. We tend to go to God for the
big things but He wants us to trust Him for all things.
He gave me strength to endure and touched me and healed
me through the treatments. He gave me a fighting spirit.
Without Him, I don't know how I would have gone through
it all. I was rejuvenated and built up in health again
through God and through the prayers of family and friends.
Prayer has been
a big thing in my life this past year. The power of prayer
became especially real in December, 2004. It was then
that I suffered a brain aneurysm and went through emergency
surgery for it. I know that it was God who brought me
through that terrible physical pain. Again I focused on
Jeremiah 29:11 and the plans and purposes that He has
for me. The closeness that I had with God was incredible.
I always felt it was there but somehow, in the last few
months, it was so strong. I know that it came through
prayer from people who believe. Many people joined in
prayer for my healing. It has been humbling to realize
that it was God's will to heal me. What I want now is
to keep my heart and mind focused on Him. An elder from
the church I used to attend said, "Daily, sister, you
touch your head and say, 'Thank you, Jesus, for touching
me." What a way to begin your day!
I've only been
back to work for three weeks-I was off for four months.
I'm trying not to put too much on my plate. I have worked
at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs since 1999. Like any
job, it can be challenging at times. Maybe I don't tell
people about my faith enough verbally but I hope through
what people see in my life they will know. God has given
me a fighting spirit (to not give up) but he has also
given me the gift of laughter and a sense of humor. I
feel that one of my purposes in life is to encourage people.
It doesn't always have to be in words but sometime with
a smile or greeting. God has blessed me with a gift of
making people feel at home whomever I may be talking to.
That's the personality He has given me.
The advice I would
give to other people who are going through tough times
is to find someone who can be an encouragement to them.
As much as possible, surround yourself with a positive
atmosphere. Find a church where you feel comfortable.
Find somebody who can pray for you. Maybe you don't know
where to find strength but keep on looking and the light
of truth will come to you. I know truth is found in the
person of Jesus Christ.
I found my hope
in Jesus Christ. But I also found hope through people
He put in my life-family and friends who care about me
and love me. They walked right beside me every step of
the way, cheering me on and encouraging me. If you can
find that, it will make the biggest difference in your
world as you struggle through any kind of major pain.
