History Part IV
1992-2007
By Teleka Dewing
George Hollingshead died: 6-10-1979
Ora Hollingshead died: Nov. 1994
In 1992 Mike and Diane Luker left to return to their home town Muskegon, Michigan after serving for 7 Years. Don took over the pastorate of the Stonelake Church
Larry and Shirley, faithful financial supporters of the MIM desired to serve the Lord here on staff. They applied to the mission and were accepted by the board in March 1994.
They raised their support and arrived on the field in Sept. 1995. Larry began as the pastor of the Stonelake Church and the Carter Church and Shirley worked in the New Hope Christian School Library. Shirley also started a library at the Lake Lucerne Gospel Chapel. They resigned from the Mission in June of 1999.
Since there were three pastors and three churches Don was not pastoring a church now. The people from the Zoar Presbyterian Church on the Menominee reservation called and asked Don to fill the pulpit for them every other week. We enjoyed traveling to Zoar, which was about an 1 1/4 hours drive, and getting to know the people there. After Larry resigned in 1999 Don took over the pastorate of the Carter and Stonelake Church. He told the people at Zoar that he would no longer be able to preach there.
In the fall of 1989 Don spoke in his home church in Warren Center, Pennsylvania. His Uncle, Emerson Abell, came to Don after the service and said he felt God’s burden for a gym to be built for the New Hope Christian School.
Emerson formed a group and raised the funds to begin the work. In the summer of 1990 he and Donnie Painter came and did the dirt work. Each fall and winter more fund raisers were held and each summer until 1993 a group from his home area came and completed another phase of the gym. We praise the Lord for His leading in Emerson’s heart and for the hundreds of people who gave financially and of their own time and labor to make this dream come. When the gym was dedicated Mary Wensaut named the gym building, Wasmogishek, which means
Lightening Sky in the Potawatomi language.
Dick Ramsey was a pastor living near the Sioux Indian reservation in Standing Rock, North and felt called to help in the existing Indian church. He heard of Midwest Indian Mission through the Mission newsletters and called and asked to work with the Mission.. Dick and Candi met with the Mission board in Dec. 1992. They were accepted and began working in three communities among the Sioux.
In 1993 Trevor Gilbert came as a summer intern and worked in the Mole Lake community with the children and youth.
Clarence and Kim Wagner applied to the mission to begin a one year internship. Kim is the daughter of Dick and Jean Zoellner. They raised their support and served from Aug 93 to May of 1994. They worked with New Hope
Christian School.
In April of 1997 Renee’ Saint Antoine applied to the mission for a 1 year internship. She was accepted, raised her support and arrived here in Crandon. She lived upstairs in the gym facilities. She worked with the children and youth in Carter and Stonelake.
In 2002 Harvey and Jessie Davids moved here from Seattle, Washington, They are Teleka’s parents. After their son Ron passed away in 2001 they decided that they were too far away from family as Teleka was the only sibling
left. They moved here in April and immediately began to help with the ministry. Harvey and Jessie went door to door with Lucille Brown in the Stone Lake community and held Bible studies with people and also prayed with most
everyone they met. They led several people to the Lord in the first few months. Jessie also met with several women and had Bible studies with them in their homes. Harvey also started taking care of the mission grounds in the summer months mowing the lawns and fields at New Hope Christian School and at the Lake Lucerne Gospel Chapel. Many people came to their home to also study the Word and they received gifts from the people of their winters firewood and such. Jessie passed away on Nov. 4, 2005 at the age of 86. Harvey continues to work here
in the SL community and still keeps the grounds at the school and the Stone Lake church.
In 2000 Richard and Cheryl Jensen made a trip here to Crandon from Baltimore, MD where they were living at that time. There had been a ministry group from their church who had come to serve with us for a week in 1999. Their
leader came back to their church with talks of their time here. Richard believed that the Lord wanted him to serve full time and became interested in mission work among Native Americans. Richard and Cheryl stayed with the
Dewings for a week and looked over the ministry. They applied to the Mission, met the board and were accepted. In Sept 2003 they had raised 100% of their support and moved here with their 4 children . Richard began
pastoring the Mole Lake church and is still there in 2007.
Cleve and Donna Mugford met Don Dewing at a missions conference that they both were attending. At the time Cleve was ministering in Canada with another tribe of people. Don and Cleve talked on the phone several times and talked about the possibility of working here. In June of 2004 Cleve called and said that they needed a place to live as they were not able to stay at their present location in Canada. They moved in on June 28, 2004 upstairs in a bunk room located in the gym facility. They applied to the mission shortly and were accepted on staff with MIM. Their support was already raised as they were in a faith supported mission situation in Canada. They began pastoring the Sunnyside Community Church in Carter, WI.
In February of 2007 the mission celebrated it’s 40th year in existence.