March through the Valley #5: Indianapolis South Side

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Nick Holovaty:

Now we’re going to the south side of Indianapolis, where Naomi Caneff is the women’s leader.

Naomi Caneff:

Hi, Everybody. I grew up here in Servant Branch, then went to Portland to go to college. After I graduated from nursing school I moved to Indianapolis to be part of the Missionary Company. I’ve lived there now for the last three years, doing mission work of different kinds, and I made the covenant last October. I am now part of the Christians in Mission team living on the South Side.

I want to tell you about a woman who has become a part of my life there, Rebecca. I’ll start by telling you a story that I heard about her before meeting her. The missionaries were cleaning a house we recently purchased, and had invited some neighbors to come and help. Rebecca wanted to join in, but we didn’t have anybody to pick her up, so she walked over four miles in about an hour and a half. I heard this story and was just amazed.

Later we were cleaning another house and she again wanted to help, but we weren’t able to give her a ride, so she rode her eleven-year-old daughter’s bike to the house. She really wanted to join in our work with us. She was standing in front of a wall to clean, and her hands were pruny with vinegar water. She started washing the wall with a rag and saying, “I can’t believe I get to do God’s work with you guys.”

There are more stories about Rebecca that I have heard, and now I’m able to witness them myself. She is in a women’s group with us now and goes to prayer meetings every Sunday. She gives words from the Lord and enters joyfully into praise with us. She is just full of love for him, even though her life has not been an easy road. She often tells us, “You guys are my family.”

A few years ago, Rebecca made some significant changes in her life and said that now all she wants is to “keep following God and doing what he’s doing in the world.” She is also a faithful friend to God in prayer. We often get texts from her on our phone or voice mails, sharing what she read that day in prayer. “Good morning! Read Isaiah 60.”

Rebecca is consistently looking for ways to share more life with us. She once told me that she had been praying and God told her to “come under the People of Praise.” “I want to live my life with you guys,” she says.

In recent news, we have been in conversation with Rebecca about her and her daughter possibly living on Karcher Street, which is essentially next door. As Rebecca often tells me, “God is wonderful.”