During one of our meals, Kaze Gadway, youth minister, Spirit Journey Youth, from the Diocese of Arizona asked me “What do you think God wanted you to know or learn from WinterTalk?” I could have chosen to summarize information from the many workshops that I attended, sermons I heard, cultural night, and even from the presentation Cohen McCall and I led together on domestic violence and dating violence intervention advocacy. Instead, I answered that I thought God wanted me to still know that my Native ministry family was still here for me, still caring, still supportive.

WinterTalk provides a wealth of sharing of information. We each have expertise. We have knowledge that we can share from event planning to what the Gospel is saying to us to Asset Based Community Development to digital story telling.

WinterTalk is a time of retreat and renewal and affirming our relationship with one another and with Creator. We meet and re-establish friendships with those we may see just once a year. We meet new people. We make new friends. We learn new information to share and use. We are a network of Native people and supporters. We are a family.