Our Story

Helping indigenous people of the Pine Ridge Reservation with urgent needs since October 2015 from Spokane, Washington to Pine Ridge, South Dakota!

Our Story:

In 2015, Gail Lesperance of Spokane, WA saw a social media post about a young man from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota who had tried to commit suicide.  He would have been the third in his family to commit suicide, but he survived. Pine Ridge is the poorest county in the United States. In that moment, crying while viewing the post, God whispered to Gail, “Go tell him I love him.” Gail was unable to get ahold of the family on Facebook, so Gail decided to help his community, by sending a care package to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As she was taping the care package to mail, God whispered “You are not mailing that care package, you are taking a U-Haul.’’ Gail immediately replied out loud “I can’t do that!.” God replied “Okay then, you're taking two!” Gail got ahold of the person who made the social media post and said “Thank you for making this post for prayers. I am going to the Pine Ridge Reservation to help this boy’s community.” The poster said “Let me talk to this family and get back to you.’’ Then she got back to Gail and said “This family wants to meet you.” Gail asked the boy's name, and she replied “It is Skyler.” Within 6 weeks Gail made the trip, met Skyler and told him “God loves you.”

That was the beginning of Beautiful “Sky”s, named after Skyler.

Since then, in partnership with other Spokane non-profits, Gail has been raising money and collecting goods to help people on the Pine Ridge Reservation facing dire circumstances. Twice a year Gail and her assistants travel to Pine Ridge to deliver huge truckloads of items families need—such as food, clothing, household supplies and other essentials, impacting countless lives.

Gail Lesperance

Gail is from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe, who have long considered the enemies of the Lakota. The feud between their tribes is a painful and violent history. When asked why Pine Ridge is important to her, she answers, “ God has called me into the camp of my enemies, to bless them, to love them and to tell them God loves them. It is humbling and healing to be a part of it.”

From Gail: “After 30 years of drug, mental, physical abuse I started calling out to God that I never knew. “Please God help” is what I would say and think. In 2009 I walked into the doors of a faith-based discipleship program. My little sister Leaha told me I was gonna stay there for a year and some of the girls called it rehab, but my sister told me differently. Within 10 minutes of walking into the doors I accepted Jesus Christ into my life. And on December 1st 2009 I was born again. I completed the program in 2010 and learned a lot about who God and Jesus are. When I came back home I had to learn how to live a sober life for the first time, learning to make better decisions. Through many trials and tests, when God knew that I was ready, in 2015 He gave me an assignment. To go and tell that young man that God loves him.”

Skyler

Right now Skyler is doing okay. The last 11 years have been a struggle. He is trying to find his way through life like the rest of us and keeps in touch with Gail.