Gail Griner | Finance Director

Ten Years at Diamond Willow

Wow, 10 Years! Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since I arrived here in Fort Thompson, SD. It was May 11, 2008 that we pulled out of Brownsburg, IN headed west. It was a journey that began more than 5 years prior as my first trip out to Diamond Willow Ministries was in May 2003. I came out with a group of 6 guys from Kingsway Christian Church in Avon, Indiana to build a bunkhouse; the first building on the DWM property. I crashed their initial planning meeting and told them I really wanted to come out on that trip, promising I could dig holes, hammer, and I could cook. I came as the cook. After that initial trip, I continued to come out 3 to 4 times each year until I moved here in 2008. With each trip it seemed my heart was more drawn to what was going on with the ministry of DWM; until eventually God opened the door to allow me to move out and work full time with DWM.

Over the years God has opened many doors for ministry in the community. The first year I came out with a workgroup, church was being held in the home of Rod and Val Vaughn, who founded the ministry. The summer of 2004, work began on the Ikce Oyate Christian Center, which quickly became the center of the ministry as the number of people who came on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s increased. By the time I moved here in 2008, there was a horse barn and duplex in addition to the Ikce Oyate Christian Center. Through this journey I definitely have learned to rely on God more intimately and wait for His timing. From the very beginning God began teaching me to wait on Him. My plan would have been to move here in 2005. I spent much time in prayer, seeking God’s will and direction on this. Finally the answer came, and it was not the answer I wanted. The “No”, resonated in my mind for days as I wondered how could I have been so wrong thinking that moving to SD to work with DWM was something God wanted me to do when the answer was “No”. I was unsettled about that. Later that week, it was like God clarified there was more to the answer and it was, “No, not until you can live close by and work full time for DWM”. Well it was nice to know that there was more to the answer, but the possibility of the rest of the conditions being met was next to impossible in my mind. About a year later Val Vaughn called and asked if I was still interested in moving out. I responded that yes I was, but God had not changed the answer he had given me previously. She told me there was a plan to begin building a duplex on the property the following year so there would be a place to live if I wanted it. Then in 2007, Kingsway Christian Church, my home church and one of DWM’s early supporting churches, approved a mission’s budget for 2008 that included support for me to work full time for DWM. It was all in God’s timing.

A common question I am asked is, “What fills up your time?” My official title is Finance Director and, with the assistance of Finance Coordinator Bryan Johnson, I oversee the finances of DWM and TYC. Often I have been able to help people with finance related questions, decisions, budgeting, etc. I serve in various capacities in Women’s ministry. Currently, that involves preparing and facilitating the weekly women’s Bible Study. I am kitchen manager, preparing dinner each Wednesday night for community Bible Study and cooking on other special occasions. One of the biggest jobs under the kitchen manager is managing the kitchen for the Cantemawaste Christian Youth Camps each summer. That entails recruiting volunteer kitchen staff, preparing menus for camp, procuring all the food and overseeing the food prep and service to the camp staff and youth. I am Grandma. Not having children of my own, I never thought I would be a Grandma, but I am. Kryztyna and Defond, two of the DWM youth, who are now in their early to mid 20’s started calling me Grandma a few years ago and it stuck. And I am Great Grandma twice now to Kryztyna’s two kids. So after all my titles… Finance Director, Kitchen Manager, and Grandma, I like to spend time with my dog, Samson, and a couple of years ago, I bought a pontoon boat, so I like spending time on it during the Summer months. It’s very relaxing to spend a few hours out on the Missouri River.

Whew, how do you put 10 years and many experiences into a short story. It’s not easy. It seems like yesterday that I pulled out of Brownsburg. It was Mother’s Day. Many gave me a hard time about leaving my Mom on that day – don’t worry, we had a very nice Mother’s Day celebration the day before and I had lunch with Mom and many more after church that day prior to leaving. One of my biggest concerns in leaving was that my Mother was aging, she was 78 when I left. She was still living on her own, but would eventually move into an assisted living facility and this past fall became a nursing home patient after a stroke in July 2017. Before the stroke she was legally blind and her hearing was greatly impaired. After the stroke she became bed ridden, not able to do much on her own. I returned to Indiana many times after her stroke in July. Her initial optimism about recovery waned as the weeks passed. She told me many times during my last visit in October that she was done with this life and just wanted to move on to heaven. It was beautiful there, she would say, especially the lights. She did not know why God was waiting to take her. My response; it’s all in God’s timing Mom, not ours. On November 15, she got her wish as she met her Lord and Savior face to face. No longer bound to the bed or wheel chair. No longer unable to see or hear all that was around her. She was freed from her broken body and free to dance on the streets of gold. She was once again able to have fun. Mom’s experience these last few years illustrate my desire to live and work in Fort Thompson. We all need Jesus and we all need hope. Hope that this life is about more than our brokenness. He is The Life. Recently, I have been asked by many people about my future plans. My answer has been that my plan is to remain here. My hope is to serve with Diamond Willow Ministries for many years to come, spreading the freedom that can only be found in Christ.