My name is Buster Beatty. My home is here on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains of Arizona. I want to share my story with you. I believe that every human being is born for a reason and that there is a purpose for each of our lives that is planned by our Creator.
When Faith Leads Through Fire
My home is the small community of Cibecue on the Fort Apache Reservation. Our White Mountain Apache people have lived here for many generations. We still speak our language.
No More Wandering
My name is Joyce Becenti. I was born in Crownpoint, New Mexico. I am Navajo belonging to the Sagebrush Hill Clan and am born for Standing House. I’m not young anymore, and I’ve experienced a lot in my life.
Look to the Hills
Daagot’ee! My name is Pastor Leroy Elgo. I was born and raised on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.
Standing Firm in Life’s Battles
My name is Rhonda Juarez. I am from Antlers, Oklahoma. I am a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I have always loved the land of my Choctaw people, where the land is green.
Out of the Darkness
My name is Jasper K. Jones, and I am from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. I was born on May 6th, 1941, in a small community called “Farm Station” in Upper Peridot.
The Lord is My Helper
My name is Naomi Colelay. I’ve lived on the White Mountain Apache Reservation all my life. As a child, I had both parents in the home.
Transformed
I am a living story of generations transformed by hand of God. The journey begins in 1780’s when the Queen Ann of England built the first Chapel for the indigenous peoples of Canada known as “The Mohawk Chapel.”
I Should Be Dead
Before I became a Christian, I was wild and didn’t respect myself or anyone else. I was a pretty ignorant person. I had begun drinking and smoking heavily at a young age.
Finding the One True God
I am happy to share my testimony (Revelation 12:11), to give all the Glory, Honor, Power, and Praise, in the name of Jesus, to my Lord my God. I am Apache from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.
Anchor for the Soul
I come from a family with a long history of military service. My father was a WWI veteran with the U.S. Army (17th Cavalry) under Commander Lieutenant Patton. My brothers were in WWII and the Korean War respectively. My Uncle James Maloney was a WWII Navajo Code Talker with the U.S. Marines.
The Blessed Life
My name is Merritt Youngdeer. I’m a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, North Carolina. My grandparents, like many tribal members from all across our country, attended Carlisle Indian Boarding School.
My Call of Duty
I grew up greatly admiring all those who have served in the Armed Forces. I knew that many Native Americans (including my father and uncles) had served this country with distinct honor and fulfilled their call of duty.
Recounting God’s Blessings
I am a member of the Choctaw Nation. Our Nation is headquartered in Durant, Oklahoma, and is the country’s third largest tribe. I want to take this opportunity to share with you what God has done in my life. When I was fifteen years old, I had been attending a Bible study for teens on a military base near my home.
No Turning Back
The year was 1934, and I was six months old. My father, mother, and I lived in a small settlement in the foothills of the mountains 100 miles northwest of San Carlos. Our home was a wickiup that my father had built for us.
Which Road Are You On?
Life wasn’t easy for me. There were temptations and troubles in my home. There were tears and sorrows in my heart, and my pride was very hurt by my failures. But I tried to keep faith in the Indian religion of my fathers.
Pursued by Hope
I stood before the judge as a desperate 24-year-old, overwhelmed by the consequences of my life choices. I felt completely defeated by addiction, and the word “hope” had no meaning in my life. All of society’s efforts to reform me had failed.
Freedom From Addiction!
Before Christ, my life was a mess, and I grew up a screw up. My life went against all society’s standards of normality. I grew up off-reserve in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I had a decent family and attended a religious school. I excelled academically and athletically as an urban Indian. But growing up as a marginalized, stigmatized Indian caused me to experience great shame and unnecessary oppression.
Bright Hope For Tomorrow
It was the winter of 1979. My wife Kathy and I were rejoicing in the birth of our first-born son. We named him Nathaniel Ara Ross. I was working in a factory on night shift to make ends meet. At night when I came home, I would check on Nathaniel. Those precious days were filled with joy and wonder.
My Search For Acceptance
My name is Jack Cochise. My birthplace and home is the beautiful town of Mescalero, New Mexico—home of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
An Apache Prisoner Finds Freedom
I was born on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. My parents raised me in the traditional ways of our Apache people, and we worshiped at a place we called “holy ground.”
An Apache Warrior Chooses a New Name
Cochise, Geronimo, and Naiche were warriors. They will remain legends in Apache history. The Apache fought against the Spanish, Mexican, and United States governments for hundreds of years to keep their way of life in their homeland.