by Gilbert & Laura Bekkatla
When Gilbert & Laura Bekkatla were interviewed for Tribal Trails TV, they shared about their struggles in life – how God encouraged them, and how He was in control even when they weren’t. We were deeply moved by their stories and we’d like to share an adapted version of their interview in hope that you, too, will be encouraged through their testimony.
Gilbert: I was born in March 1948, the oldest of 14 children, and grew up in two different communities. One was Dillon, a reserve in northwest Saskatchewan, and the other was a nearby Metis community called Buffalo Narrows, home to Dene, Cree and Caucasian people. Because my father worked as a commercial fisherman, trapper and construction worker, I often moved around to places together with him. This was a really good start in life for me because I learned to get along with all kinds of people, which was very helpful when I came to know my wife. We have what you call a cross-cultural marriage.
Laura: We’ve been married for 47 years now, and we’ve had lots of bumps and difficulties along the way. One early example when we thought differently about something was the time we were using a camp stove, and the gas valves weren’t really tight. We came back after being gone overnight and I lit the stove which was inside the tent. The side of the tent was quite close and I was scared it was going to burn. So I rushed outside, pulling the tent flap up. Meanwhile, Gilbert was across the little creek with some other people, watching, and they were just hooting with laughter. I didn’t think it was that funny.
Sometimes it really wasn’t that easy, and we have to grow in that. But God has been really good. A verse from the Bible which supported us was Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Getting to know each other’s cultures was a great learning experience.
I grew up as a farm girl in Dilke, which is between Regina and Saskatoon, and my parents didn’t live out the Gospel at home. But from the age of 12 I have had full confidence that I had become God’s child. I was not walking in God’s ways for a number of years, but I know that I had the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I had a deep desire for God’s Word and a deep desire for Christian fellowship. I always felt sort of uncomfortable living in the world.
What made a significant difference in my life was when our oldest son got spinal meningitis at the age of four and-a-half. Gilbert and I had moved to Meadow Lake and, thanks to our neighbor, I began to attend regular Bible study meetings.
The Word of God, the encouragement of Christian fellowship, prayers and financial help of other Christians, and God working in the near death of our son, drew me close to Him. And so I rededicated my life to Jesus when I was 26.
Gilbert: The hard time we went through when Gilbert Jr. fell sick was what led me to accepting Jesus as my Savior. I had heard about the Gospel from my grandparents and my parents. My mom was a godly woman who used to read the Scriptures in Dene.
So when our son got spinal meningitis, God spoke to me. The doctor said if he lived, he’s going to be a vegetable, that somebody will have to look after him for the rest of his life. I thought we were going to lose him.
But the Christians in Meadow Lake prayed for our son. And because they prayed he got better in three days. I knew there was something special about those Christians. And I wanted what they had. So that summer in July 1977 I accepted the Lord and that’s how it began.
Later we both decided that we wanted to become missionaries. So we sold our home in Buffalo Narrows, gave up our jobs and went to Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute in Lac La Biche, Alberta. We burned the bridge behind us so there was no turning back. I believe that’s the call of the Lord.
We have served with NCEM since February 1988. We first served in northern Manitoba for several years. Then we moved to Prince Albert, and I go on regular outreach trips to the North. I helped translated the JESUS Movie into Denesuline, and Laura and I continue to minister in jails. We were taught as new missionaries to continue to be learners.
Laura: I learned to be more dependent on the Lord. In Psalm 17:8 it says, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” That verse reminds me of a little bird in the midst of the storm. But God is sovereign and it’s for Him to be in control, not for me to be in control.
Gilbert: In 2001 Gilbert Jr. was killed in a car accident. We’ve learned that when you keep on trusting the Lord, He will help you through your grieving. We don’t understand why, but God understands what He’s doing. He’s always in control because He’s God. And He’ll help you through.
So this is the verse that really encouraged me that God will comfort us. And we can encourage others who are going through grief through what God’s Word says: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
This article was adapted from our Tribal Trails video interviews with Gilbert & Laura.
Check in weekly to meet more First Nations whose lives have been changed by Jesus Christ. To view this or other previously aired testimonies, go to: tribaltrails.net/videos and put their first or last name in the Tribal Trails search.