It is good to hear testimonies of how God has saved people. Sometimes conversion is dramatic like Paul’s on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1-22). Other times it is incremental like Timothy’s having learned the Scriptures from his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 1:5).
I found a testimony that was a more dramatic sort. It was the conversion of an Indigenous man whose name was Kai’sui-tsinamaka, or as he was also called, “Not Afraid of the Gros Ventres”, and “Small Eyes”. He was a tough character, but he eventually came to faith in Christ.
The account recorded by the historian Hugh Dempsey illustrates how dramatic Kai’sui-tsinamaka’s conversion was. Dempsey writes:
“It was hard to believe that the transformation could be so sudden and so complete. One day, Small Eyes had been a wild, woman-chasing gambler who was utterly devoted to the religion of his people, and the next day he had cast it all aside to join the Christian church. He began taking instructions from the missionary and a short time later he was baptized. He was given the name of Paul Little Walker– Paul after the apostle, and Little Walker in honor of his beloved mother. His brother, Takes a Handsome Gun decided to be baptized at the same time, taking the name Timothy Little Walker” (The Amazing Death of Calf Shirt and Other Stories, 229).
This account reminds me of the reaction to Paul’s dramatic conversion:
Acts 9:20-21
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”
If there is someone we know who seems to be the most unlikely candidate to believe in Christ, we need to pray. God is able to save Paul or Timothy. He is able to save Kai’sui-tsinamaka, you or me.
For more of my articles on Indigenous gospel testimonies, you can look at The Gospel Coalition Canada:
