My name is Jose Alvarez. My wife Mary and I are "white people" called

by the Lord three years ago to serve Native Americans in the gospel.

I am a member of this group. As I read today's letters, it is on my

heart to offer my perspective on some of the issues that were being

raised. My feedback comes as a white person who was called by God

three years ago to leave Miami, Florida and to love and serve and lay

down our lives Native Americans. I pray and hope that my feedback

will be taken as a constructive blessing for all of us.

ON THE ISSUE OF HAVING NO MONEY TO EVEN BUY THE BARE ESSENTIALS OF

LIFE:

God called our family of six to forsake all that we had in Miami

Florida. We had a paid off condominium, two vehicles, a job with a

good salary and much seniority in the second largest Hispanic

television network in the world, and absolutely no debt.

Without knowing why, through a process of four years God challenged

us with two scriptures "If thow will truly be perfect sell what you

have, give to the poor, pick up your cross and follow me." The other

scripture was " He who forsakes home, land, family etc. will recieve

one hundred fold...." Nonwithstanding, God had me leave my job, give

away our condo and all the authentic cherrywoood furniture plus the

Suburban truck. We were sent out by our church after confirming all

of our decisions with our pastor. God then called us to get into our

van with nine duffle bags and as Abraham, go out without knowing

where we were going. We had no idea why God had us do what we did.

We had never had a burden for Native Americans. My only experiece

had been with the Misosukee tribe of Miami Florida. They had been

pushed out to live in the swamps of the everglades and fight

alligators as we the white tourists came into their living space and

paid to gawk at them fight such huge creatures as "Tiny Tim". The

Misosukess are some of the most hurt and bitter people that I have

ever met. They walk with their heads down at the sight of white

people. One day God had me go to a Misosukee lady at the reservation

and ask her for forgiveness for the sins of us the white people. She

offered no response to me. God then had me a write a letter to the

tribal president of the Misosukee Nation in Maimi. I got no response

either.

Anyways by faith God led us to New Mexico, where He gave us a love,

and a calling to Native Americans that just grows and grows.

We were out of money when we got to Pena Blanca, New Mexico. God

opened up a little one bedroom efficiency with an old couch and a

shadeless lamp for us and our four kids to live in for two years.

God furnished it and blesssed us in it. Three of our kids slept in

those two years in a semi broken pulled out sofa bed. My wife Mary

slept in a donated futon and I slept on the sofa. Was it painful? yes

it was. Why had God pulled us out of our three/ two condo in Miami

and brought us to an unfurnished one bedroom efficiency. These are

some points that God taught us.

1) How could we serve Native Americans if we came as "rich white

preachers" to minister to them. God knows that Native Americans

don't need another white man to preach at them. The Lord told us. You

cannot come preaching. You must come loving, serving, and laying

down your lives. We must be able to identify even if it is just a

little bit with the people that we come to serve. The Navajo live in

a one bedroom hogan as we did for those two years. The Pueblo

Indians who are our next door neighbors and our friends, have

everything confiscated from them and are likewise booted out of the

reservation when they come to Christ. In a small way we had to

experience what it was to lose everything as they do, and what Native

Americans have gone through in these last 600 years.

My current job when I started two years ago paid me less than half of

what I made in Miami. My wife and I have had no health insurance in

three years, we know a little bit of getting down to flour and water

and scrounging up a dollar to buy toilet paper. I cannot identify

with what goes on at Pine Ridge. I know a little bit of it through

evangelist Norma Blacksmith. It is beyond me to really understand. I

have been to the Navajo reservation and know a little bit of the

poverty there. On this first point let me tell you that God is

touched and knows the pain of reservation life. He called white

people such as us to go 2,100 miles, leave the anglo comforts behind,

identify to a certain degree with the Native life, and use our

giftings to serve and assist in raising up the Native body of Christ

to be worldwide missionaries.

THE ISSUE OF CHRISTIAN INDIAN TELEVISION:

Part of our calling is to build Christian Indian Television. As I

mentioned at the beginning of this letter, I have worked in broadcast

television for fifteen years. When we got to the Southwest, the Lord

showed me that there is literally no Christian television by Native

Americans and for Native Americans. We formed a corporation to that

end. I was not to be in front of the tv cameras. My job was to give

Native American ministries accross the nation a platform for them to

go nationwide. I beleive that funding would increase as national

exposure is given to them. Please realize that no Native American

ministry has national exposure today! I am a firm beleiver that only

through the media airwaves of television can this be accomplished.

Another vision of ours is a partial solution to the Pine Ridges of

today. Our desire is to promote a daily tv program that would

broadcast nationally the plight of the Indian people, the needs of

the reservations, the needs for Native pastors, churches, and

monies. I never aske for money! I decided however to go to the

biggest Anglo, Hispanic, and Afro American ministries in the nation

to appeal towards this pioneering work. Not only did I not recieve

one penny from any of them, but a portion of them worte back to me

asking me for money!

Likewise I have gone to the largest Native American ministries.

Knowing that their financial pockets are not nearly as deep as as

other ministries, I desired more of them to get contacts, spiritual

and moral guidance, and doors that could be opened to us through

them, since we were the newcomers on the block. The result has been

the same as with all other ministries. We got no help, no contacts,

and no open doors. I think that ministries whomever they are, appear

to be too much into their own ministry and agendas to really hear the

Holys Spirit on many occassions. Ministers are very insecure and

threatened in helping out other ministers. I am now working with

Jeanie Greene in Native Christian TV. We have begun the process of

trying to get programming out nationwide in areas close to Indian

reservations. I wrote a recent E Mail to maybe thirty or forty

Native American ministers requesting that they would take out twenty

or thirty minutes of their time and E Mail me back possible names of

tv stations or contacts that I could talk to. I think I got less

than a ten perecent reponse rate!

We as Native American ministers and ministries must take the

nationwide lead as model ministries and churches that really care and

go the extra mile in hearing the voice of God and getting past the

red tape of our agendas and programs. It is time that we start being

first. Let us do it through example. Much of the Anglo church is

complacent; Let us be different, let us be models!!

My second point concerning Native American Christian television is

this. We had the honor of filming the Navajo revival at Ganado, AZ.

While we had been viewing tapes at the Comfort Inn in Gallup, some

Navajo housekeepers came to clean up our room. They were glued to

the power of God amongst the Navajo people on the videotape. These

ladies could not stop watching! God had told me, "Jose, film the

faces of the people, film them laughing, film them crying for joy.

Show my poeple that the medicine man cannot produce such joy. Show

my people that I have come to heal them and restore to them the joy

of my salvation." Folks, Native American Christian TV when it is by

Native Americans and for Native Americans is a powerul tool. I can

tell you that when the people on the reservations will start seeing

the joy and freedom that peyote, and the medicine man are unable to

produce they will want to come to the Lord.

ON THE NATIVE BODY OF CHIRST

Coming out of from an anglo church setting of eighteen years I can

tell you that the anointing in Native Christian churches is usually

greater than in Anglo churches. However I have seen that the Native

body is still in the bounds of being spectators, being passive, and

having things given to them. I beleive that the potential for the

Native body to be used mightily worldwide due it spirituality,

humility, and sincerity is tremendous. The mentality of the white

pastor or missionary coming to teach us about God must be done away

with. It is vital that every Native believer must take hold of the

great calling that God has for him or her. We must stop seeing

ourselves as victims. God surely does not sees us in that way. As a

matter of fact God's timetable for the Native church is at hand!

As white ministers our position must be in the apostolic to the

Native body to assist it fulfilling its God given destiny to the

nations. The Native body can no longer afford to be inactive and

have the mentality of "the white man will give usal things." It must

arise be healed and go abroad and into all the nations.

OUR MINISTRY

Apart from the television ministry, part of our family calling is to

minister to Native Americans and the Native body in the supernatural

so that they can set free to go and fulfill their God given

callings. We have a unquenchable burden to do so. Wherever we go

God has us repent in front of Native people for our sins towards

them I beleive that is another part of our ministry. Let us arise!

Jose Alvarez

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