Testimonies > Kenny
I was born in the Cree community of Mistissini Lake, Quebec (Canada). From early childhood, I remember my mother, Margaret taking care of us. I don’t remember anything of my father, Charlie Blacksmith. I was told he was a gentle man with a big heart and one who prayed a lot and made people dance with his fiddle playing. I had asked one time of my mother how he had learned to play his fiddle. She told me a fur trader had given him his only fiddle during one of the many encounters with fur traders and that often my father would sit by the river’s edge and mimic the many sounds of the rushing waters with his new fiddle. She also mentioned that when he sat down to play his fiddle years later, many of the villagers would come and listen and dance to his fiddle playing. That is all I know of my father, just stories of who he was and how he touched the lives of our people.
My mother, on the other hand is a wholly different memory. She was the community ‘doctor’ using traditional medicine to heal the sick. Growing up, it was my duty to go out to the land and retrieve what she needed for specific medicinal purposes and needs from people who would come to her for help. She too, was a gentle and loving woman who took good care of us. She taught me as much as she could, before I was forcefully taken away from her to attend an Indian Residential School hundreds of miles away. Years later, she heard the Gospel message and she accepted our Lord Jesus as her Savior. I remember then, in my adolescent stage living a wayward life of sin; as a born again believer my mother would unconditionally love me and sit with me in my wayward ways. It was this love, grace and acceptance from her, that I became convicted of my sin and knew my mother had something real in her personal relationship with Jesus. I loved my mother so much and held great respect for her, and I was longing for what she had.
In 1975, I married Louise and together, we began to talk about Christianity. We both were convicted of our own sins and living a life that did not include Jesus. We watched people who professed to be born again Christians and would often talk about, if and when we became Christians it would be a life time decision and a meaningful one to truly serve. In the spring of 1977, Louise gave her heart to the Lord and in the month of July, I too gave my heart to the Lord.
In the fall of 1977, my mother, my step-father, and niece flew out to the bush to spend the year hunting, trapping and fishing for this was the way of our people.
At that time, our community couldn’t communicate with each other. Once they were in their traditional lands, we would not see them again until the following summer. The day before they were to fly out to their fall camp, my mother came to our house and blessed our children. Becky, our baby was just a month old wrapped in our Cree traditional swaddling blankets. I remember she took her in her arms and blessed her. She then turned to me and said to take good care of her and all my children. She told me to honor and respect my wife and then she reached into her old purse and gave me all her money. She told me to spend it wisely. A few days later, I bought my first Bible. It was to be the last time we would see her, as two days after they were in their camp, three hundred miles north of our village, they had a boating accident; she and my niece Jackie drowned. We would only hear of this accident two months later. By that time, in my journey and relationship with our Lord Jesus, my personal Savior, I had learned to intercede for my family, friends and community. Every day, I would earnestly pray for my mother, for her safety as I had missed her greatly.
One day, a small float plane landed where we were camped and we heard of the passing of my mother and my niece. I was devastated and I couldn’t understand why this happened. Alone, I came before the Lord many times, and asked why? Hadn’t I prayed and lived as He wanted me to? I decided being born again, living a Christian life was not worth it, as God didn’t hear our prayers. Anger built up in my heart and soon I stopped reading the Bible and stopped praying as well. Inside, I screamed at God for allowing such a terrible thing to happen to my beloved mother and niece.
For several months, my personal battle with God ensued. In the month of December 1977, while out on the trap-line one beautiful winter day, I stopped by an opening of a river to make a fire, boil tea and have lunch. As I rested, my eyes took in the beauty of fresh fallen snow. It seemed as though the whole area sparkled as gems in the sun light. It was incredibly beautiful and I was mesmerized by the sudden whiteness, purity, and the indescribable beauty of creation all around me. Then my eyes fell on the open water of the river with its lazy flow and sparkling waters, and once again anger began to swell up in me as I wondered how God could create the waters to look so beautiful and yet it was this very substance that took the life of my beautiful mother away!
Then God spoke softly and powerfully into my life, and He said; “Were you there when I created the heavens, and the earth, and all of creation? Were you there when I began to form everything that you would ever behold? Do you know how much my love is for you, your mother and all people? He then told me, everything happens because He alone knows the times, plans and purposes of His will.” I realized then, I needed to come back to my heavenly Father, as there was no one else to go to. My parents had passed on, and my only parent now was our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ - my Savior, and the Holy Spirit was going to be by my side for the rest of my life’s journey.
I asked God to forgive me for all my anger and in the wilderness, and in my loneliness He came to hold me close to him. From that time on, my journey with him was going to be filled with dreams, visions, and encounters with him over the years! He showed me over and over again, his incredible love, grace and mercy, and experienced blessings upon blessings. My wife Louise and I would enter into a deeper relationship with him, and would commit to serve him for the rest of our lives. Under his commissioning, we later helped translate the New Testament into our Cree language; releasing the living Word of our Lord to enter the homes and lives of our Cree people.
After serving my people as President of the Cree School Board; Deputy Grand Chief of the Cree Nation of Mistissini; Councillor of the Cree Nation of Mistissini and other functions, I heard the Lord speak ever softly into my spirit; he asked me if I loved him enough to leave everything for him and to follow him, wherever he would send me. I responded yes, I love you and I will go wherever you send me, and I will do whatever you ask me to do. Shortly thereafter, Louise and I, with our children moved to Ottawa. This was very hard on all of us, as we knew no one and we were once again away from our people and way of life; but this was our call.
In 1997 we founded Gathering Nations International and went world wide to serve him as he led us to. We have held a number of international worship gatherings – calling nations to come together to sit at the feet of our Heavenly Father and to worship him. We continue to build relationship with all nations and peoples who would dare to stand firm in unity as a family under God and to seek after the Father’s heart in all areas of life.
Our heart is to love and embrace all people.
Our vision is to enter into living partnerships with as many who would stand with us and effect life-giving change as only the Lord knows how to!
We live to proclaim the goodness of our Lord God Almighty, and to decree peace and prosperity to the nations, and the witness the prophetic destiny of the nations!