"I Will Hear From Heaven...."

This last month we’ve been taught a lot about protocol and healing the land. Last weekend Streams Canada got to experience the power of protocol.
The Bible states four things that defile the land:
1. Idolatry-Jeremiah 16:18
2. Immorality-Leviticus 18:22-26
3. Broken Covenant-Isaiah 24
4. Innocent Bloodshed-Numbers 35:33
When the land is defiled it defiles the people.

God gave the stewardship of North America to the First Nations people. When the settlers came over from Europe, instead of asking for permission to come on the land, they stole it. All over North America the land is scarred by broken treaties that our governments made with the First Nations people and with their innocent blood. The land is defiled.
In 2nd Chronicles 7:14 the Bible says ‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my name and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’
When we go to protocol the land we do the exact opposite that was done by the settlers. We ask permission to be on the land instead of taking it. We love instead of hate and mistrust. The whole process of protocol is all about honor and respect.
Tom and Nadine Zawacki’s church in Washington did protocol with the First Nation there. They asked permission to be on the land and repented to them for all the things that the settlers had done to that tribe. They did what 2nd Chronicles said to do and within six months after the ceremony 26 churches joined in a 40 day period of praying, fasting, and repentance.
Streams Canada felt like it was necessary to ask permission from the Tsawwassen First Nation to be on the land since God had entrusted them with it to begin with. John Paul got in contact with Linda Prince, the former Grand Chief of Canada, about the idea. Through prayer and God’s grace, things fell into place perfectly and within two weeks Linda and John Paul were sitting in our living room explaining the importance of protocol.
At first the ceremony was to take place in the home of one of the chiefs and only John Paul, Eric, and Joni were invited. By the weekend that had changed and it was being held in the Long House and all the interns were invited.
The ceremony took place Sunday afternoon. Tom and Nadine Zawacki joined us from Kennewick for this occasion. We stood in the Long House entry way while we waited for the ceremony to begin. We entered, following the drummers, with John Paul, Eric, Joni, Tom, and Nadine in the lead. They sang the ‘Welcoming Song’ while we walked in a long procession around the Long House fires twice before taking our seats. The ceremony began with explanation about the Long House and the Tsawwassen First Nations culture. Then John Paul, the Coopers, and the Zawacki’s presented the elders with gifts of blankets and oil and some of the interns presented gifts they had brought. After that John Paul asked permission to be on the land and repented for our ancestors sins against them. The request was granted and the elders presented our five leaders with gifts.
So this last weekend all of us at Streams Canada got to witness first hand an act of healing the land. We can’t wait to see what will happen next!

~Hannah Stinton