American Faces #77 - Heal the Future

American Faces No. 77

I was introduced to Karen Austin Brave Crow by Dan and Sandy Adler (American Faces #73). Karen (American Faces #77) has endured more in her 58 years than most of us will see in three lifetimes. Her very difficult road started at the age of three when, inconceivably, she was forgotten outside her reservation home, suffering frostbite on her tender hands – the same hands that show the lasting effects of frozen flesh even today. Frostbite was only the beginning. She was eventually adopted by a family when she was 6, but only after she had passed through countless foster homes. The pain of her early childhood years shattered her trust in others. So when she was later adopted by the Austin family, she could not understand the love they showed her. The young Karen Brave Crow, as a deeply troubled teenager, did not know how to live within the love and the structure of her adoptive family. In her struggle she said words to her adoptive dad that unknowingly marred her innocence even more. She told him she wished he was dead. The next day her adoptive dad died. Though his death was not by her hands, his loss crushed an already broken heart.

Suffering an utterly broken heart and self blame, Karen repeatedly ran away from home, from the time she was 11 until she she left home for good at 17. She faced an even more difficult life in the days and years ahead. Cocaine, alcoholism, abduction, rape, and beatings became what defined Karen’s life in the 70's, 80’s and 90’s. In those three decades she was running away from her past, from her hurts and trying to drown it out with everything her brutal world had to offer. She often woke up in a hospital from overdoses and beatings.

But gladly, Karen’s story doesn’t end there. You can now see a certain light in her beautiful, brown eyes in this portrait – a light that says, “My story is still being written.”

The Karen you see in the 1991 photo below may carry the same name, but she is a completely new woman today. In describing her “absolute rock bottom,” Karen says she “slithered in” to a Christian bookstore, strung out on drugs and asked for prayer. People gathered around and prayed with her, they helped her find shelter and safety and a place to heal. She soon found true healing as she surrendered her life and began a journey of amazing transformation that continues today.

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Looking at Karen today, you see a woman celebrating 30 years of sobriety, a mom of two beautiful daughters and a talented singer using her gift to bless others with artistry and beauty. This woman is redeemed, restored and loved by her Savior. She has forgiven her past to heal the future.

Listen to Karen and the Heart of the City Worship Band perform a song that tells her story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGnYkk7cvow

P.S. What’s not written into the lines above is a time when law enforcement helped to free her from her abductees. I include this as a footnote to encourage each of you to be watchful, and if you see something of concern, say or do something. Show love and care for a fellow human in need. You may just save someone like Karen Austin Brave Crow.

American Faces #76 - Wilderness Effects

American Faces No. 76

I am regularly amazed by the people I meet as my American Faces series continues. Paige May #76 is another example of the kind of people I have had the privilege of meeting. Paige, the owner of Wilderness Effects, is an artisan and an avid outdoorsman who makes his home in Babbitt, a small town nestled deep in Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region. When I visited Paige in his little home in Babbitt I stepped across the threshold and into his story. Paige’s story is about a Nebraska born, young man who came to Minnesota following what you might refer to as, “The call of the wild.” He attended school in Ely, MN at Vermillion Community College, where he earned a degree in Outdoor Leadership. That degree was only the beginning for Paige. He is also an accomplished sea kayaker and guide, dog sled guide, as well as a renowned knife maker. Being a knife maker is the artisan side of Paige’s story that caught my attention.

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Paige buys blades made by a good friend and fellow craftsman; Jamiah Mahoney at Subtle Forge and then crafts handles turning them into works of art. While he explores the Superior National Forest that is his home, Paige finds natural materials he can transform into knife handles. Even his dog sled ventures are opportunities to find moose antler sheds and then incorporate that material into his knife handles. It’s like magic to see what he can do with tools and sandpaper to create the handle for a knife from compressed birch bark and burled maple. His hands are so wonderfully gifted in coaxing beauty from what might seem like common materials, even in some cases, throw-away items from wilderness creatures.

When I look at what Paige does to create amazing knives I think about the stories of each of us. Our stories are not done yet. There’s more forming and changing in each of your lives yet to come. Each of you who read this are an amazing addition to humanity. Be open to change. Be open to adventure.

American Faces #75 - The adventurous Stone

American Faces No. 75

I firmly believe if you were to look up the word adventure, there would be a picture of Grand Marais, MN. This town is hemmed in by Lake Superior and the vast forested lands of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota. You might say it is a perfect spot to test what your outdoorsy self is made of. That is what drew Jack Stone of Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply to open an outdoor gear store stocked with high quality products, offering guided tours, as well as sound outdoor advice. As my wife and I sat with Jack during the interview for American Faces #75, I heard a man fondly recall the adventures with family that went all the way back to his childhood. In Jack’s seven decades, adventure has always been a part of his life in one way or another. I saw his eyes light up as he spoke of walks in the vast wilderness of Minnesota as well as heard him chuckle when he spoke of flipping a kayak or two over the years. I heard him speak with passion about the employees and their work as they help provide outdoor gear and opportunities to people who come into the beautifully built and spacious store.

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The focus Jack has for customer service shows in the products he picks, and really surfaces in how knowledgeable he and his staff are. Jack often takes time to help customers with questions on where to find adventure or maybe an item they left behind that could provide a much appreciated creature comfort.

As I close this American Faces installment I guess what most impressed me about Jack is the resolve of this man, the passion for adventure in a man who has lived 70+ years, and a heart for the community of Grand Marais, MN in which his store is perfectly nestled. May we look less forward to retirement and more forward to the adventures that lie ahead.