What the prey don’t realize is that they have fallen for a very clever trap set up by the lions. Male lions are slow & lazy and don’t want to chase quarry down. It’s the lioness that chase and attack the prey. The prey are unnerved by the fear of the lions roar and run in the opposite direction – straight into the path of the lioness waiting for them on the other side of the watering hole.

Sometimes we have to ‘run to the roar’ and do the opposite of what seems normal and confront fear. To face a tough situation head-on is often the best choice. Running away can make things worse. It’s really a matter of responding and not reacting! How do we do this?

First we must define what’s causing us fear. Often the ‘roar’ from a tough situation is so loud it creates confusion. Secondly – don’t overanalyze. This can actually lead to “analysis paralysis” as you freeze with non-action. And that’s not going to get you anywhere! And lastly, talk with others. Often just running your ‘challenge’ by another person with a brain will help unlock some new thinking and course of action. Proverbs 24:6 tells us: “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war; and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

When we stand up to fear, faith moves in – and when faith moves in, dreams start occurring. So what’s the riskiest or craziest dream you could run after? You see, faith gives a person the willingness to look foolish, and the results speak for themselves. Noah and his family were saved from a flood. David defeated Goliath. The Wise men found the Messiah. Peter walked on water.

If you aren’t willing to look foolish, you are foolish! Because, when you think about it

– it’s the fear of foolishness that stands between us and our dreams.

Social psychologists once carried out a study making distinctions between two types of regret. First there are action regrets — things you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t. And then there are inaction regrets — things you didn’t do but wish you had. What they discovered is fascinating. In the short term, we seem to regret actions over inactions 53% to 47%. Pretty much a toss-up. But – over the long haul, when we look back over our lives, we tend to regret inactions over actions 84%-16%. That’s huge!

84% of our regrets are going to be dreams we never took action on.

There was once a young high school student whose dad was a horse trainer. During his senior year he had to write a paper about what his dreams for the future were. He wrote about owning a 200-acre horse ranch with stable and tracks plus a large home – he even drew a diagram of the property and the design for his house. He turned the paper in. Two days later it came back with an “F” on the front and a note to see the teacher.

After class, the teacher explained to the boy that his dream was ‘unrealistic.’ The teacher said that if he rewrote the paper with a much more realistic dream, he would reconsider the failing grade. The boy went home and asked his father what to do. “It’s your decision,” said the father. The boy kept the paper for a week and then returned it to his teacher after class. “Here,” the boy said, “you can keep the ‘F’ and I’ll keep my dream.”

Brave kid. He ran to the roar. Tony Gaskins once remarked that “If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs!” So…my final thoughts on this would be a verse from Psalms: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Dreams give direction – God gives direction. Don’t live life without them.

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

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The Soboba Sports Complex was transformed into a bingo hall with festively decorated long tables to accommodate the 400-plus guests who each paid $20 for a delicious dinner of either chicken alfredo or spaghetti with meat sauce plus four bingo cards. There were concessions for sale that included cupcakes and cookies baked by Val Saenz as well as popcorn, nachos, pickles and other sweet and savory snacks.

Proceeds from the event are earmarked for a year-end trip to Legoland for all 57 students. Soboba Tribal Preschool Administrator Lenora “Ponie” Mojado thanked the crowd for coming out to support the school to help them exceed their fundraising goal.

“It was an amazing turnout, and we have a great community,” Mojado said. “We plan to take three or four field trips throughout the school year and acquire new items for the school, such as Cricut machines for the teachers, a pressure washer, staff shirts and children’s shirts plus new school merchandise.”

Soboba Foundation’s Sponsorship and Higher Education Coordinator Andrew Vallejos hosted the event and was the official numbers caller from the stage. The first three games of regular bingo paid $250 cash to each winner and the final Blackout Bingo game winner was awarded $500. Of course, with the number of players in attendance, it was expected that there would be a tie or two. Tiebreaker games, facilitated by Corryn Salgado-Flores, were played with much encouragement and enthusiasm from the audience members.

The fruit roll-up challenge is a crowd favorite, and the first tie included Soboba Tribal Council Chairwoman Geneva Mojado, who came in second by mere inches. The second game was won by Amber Medrano after she completed a donut-on-a-string eating challenge that followed a two-way tie. Debbie Lotman was the sole winner of game three.

The final game, a total bingo card blackout, ended in a three-way tie after about 10 minutes of play. The fruit roll-up challenge between Sally Montoya, Maria Vivanco’s great nephew, Dominick Lara, 5, and Brenda Muñoz’s niece Autumn Ramos, 9, ended with Autumn finishing first and taking home $500.

Between the games, raffle winners were announced. There were three long tables, each filled with 25 or so wrapped baskets filled with a variety of gifts ranging from cookware to gift cards from local eateries and toys for kids to self-care baskets for parents. Guests were able to purchase a dozen tickets for $10 and place half of the ticket into the box corresponding to the prize they hoped to win, guaranteeing everyone whose number was called got the gift they really wanted.

Teachers and staff from the preschool, along with other volunteers, delivered baskets to the winning ticket holders that were seated throughout the room.

“I want to give a huge shoutout to all the families and the community for their incredible support! Many of you have a family member—be it a cousin, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, or niece/nephew—who attends the preschool, and your contributions were essential in helping us reach our goal of 75 baskets,” Ponie Mojado said. “I especially want to recognize my team of teachers who made everything possible. And thanks to my assistant, Maria Hernandez, for coming in during such a busy tie and helping to get everything done.”

Another popular attraction of the three-hour long game night was a 50/50 drawing. At about 7 p.m., nearly an hour before the games were finished, it was announced that there was $967 available to the winner. Soboba Tribal Council Treasurer Mike Bentiste stepped up and bought enough tickets to take the total to $1,000 for the winner’s half. His granddaughter Natalia Girard attends the preschool, and 16 of his family members joined in the evening’s activities.

The winning 50/50 ticket was drawn by preschooler Love Salgado-Flores and the lucky ticket holder was Myah Saenz, who works for the gaming commission. She said her grandmother, Lynn Saenz, invited the whole family to support the preschool.

Many volunteers contributed their time and efforts to making the fun-filled event a smooth-running operation from beginning to end. Those included members of the Soboba Youth Council who served the food and helped out where and when needed.

The support from everyone who attended was appreciated. Along with Soboba Tribal members in attendance, there were others from the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians as well as team members from various departments at Soboba. Local community members also participated.

“A special thank you goes out to Leland and Yesenia Razon, Tara and Joey Placencia, Brit Covington, Nette Escalante, Taylor Bentiste, Hope Chacon, Carrie Garcia, Daise Burton, Beth Hamilton, Andy and Noami Silvas, the Silvas Family, Denise, Dondi, Ms. Yvonne, and Mr. Mojado for donating his casino giveaways. I also want to recognize our wonderful teachers, Julissa Garcia and Alaina Adkins,” Ponie Mojado said. “The outpouring of basket donations, time, and effort from our families has been truly remarkable. If I missed mentioning anyone, I sincerely apologize, but I want you to know how grateful I am for having such a supportive community that contributes to our preschool. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!”

In addition, she extended her gratitude to the following departments for their donations: Tribal Admin, Soboba Casino Resort, Tribal Family Services, Soboba RX, Soboba EDC, TANF Riverside, Noli Booster, Noli Beading Club. Gratitude was also extended to outside organizations Morongo Casino, Hadley’s, RossCo Promotions, Nike, and Stadium Pizza.

“Your support for the preschool means so much to us,” Ponie Mojado said.

The post Bingo fundraiser supports Soboba Tribal Preschool appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Soboba Indian Reservation school also invited students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside to interact with vendors throughout the afternoon. Students were asked to create a schedule based on their interests, spending 15 minutes at each table, throughout six rotations.

Noli chooses to hold this annual event early in the school year so students have exposure to different colleges prior to open application month in October.

All Noli students, in grades 6 through 12, have a 20-minute Advisory Class prior to their fourth period classes where they discuss their current grades and challenges as well as their future goals. Sonia Modesto, who teaches Special Education and serves as one of the grade level Advisory teachers, said the annual fair plays a huge part in the students’ guidance process as they explore all options and opportunities.

“I think it is so amazing and inspiring that these vendors take the time out of their day to share it with our students,” said Modesto, who plays a key role in organizing the event. “During Advisory, we do encourage our students to reflect and discuss the day, what they learned, what they are interested in, what they enjoyed and what they may not have cared for. It is both engaging and interesting to get their feedback. It also helps us to plan for the next year.”

Students sat in the gym’s bleachers to be welcomed by Alex “Panda” Armendariz, Admissions and Outreach Specialized Recruiter for California State University San Bernardino. “This event gives you the opportunity to learn about what’s available. Take advantage of having the chance to talk to those who are making time to be here for you today,” he said.

Four other colleges were represented, sharing what each campus offers in terms of Native American studies and student life. Mt. San Jacinto College is a local community college that shared information about its adult education courses and non-credit programs for career development as well as its Native American Student Success/Support Services. Representatives from The University of Redlands and California State Universities located in Fullerton and San Marcos answered many questions posed by the students and had lots of handouts for them.

To further help students make the right decision, Cal State Fullerton is offering a Fall Webinar Series during its open enrollment period of Oct. 1 through Dec. 2 and a free campus tour on Oct. 26. Seniors were encouraged to visit calstate.edu/apply or Fullerton.edu to learn more.

The electricians’ union offered demonstrations about the type of jobs available in this field and AUMT Institute shared the career of phlebotomy. Temeeku Midwifery and the California Nurses Educational Institute shared details about medical field careers and several branches of the military explained recruitment to the students.

Coast Guard recruiter Caleb Svitenko served in the U.S. Navy for six years prior to joining the Coast Guard six years ago. He said those who enlist have often already done research and come in prepared to serve in this very specific branch.

Eastern Municipal Water District has a plethora of career paths for students to consider as does GRID Alternatives who shared the various jobs available in the rapidly growing solar industry.

Entrepreneur and Realtor David Borja Castaneda was able to explain different aspects of the real estate business to students who asked many different questions. He shared that he was working a full-time job with an automotive company and was not making the income he wanted so he switched careers. He said he enjoys being self-employed but that it isn’t easy. He added that it’s important to be a “people person” and to have compassion and great listening skills to be successful. Chloe Trosper, a junior at Sherman Indian High School, is interested in being a designer so Castaneda explained what stagers do and how they have a big impact on the sale of a house. “Real estate and designing go hand in hand,” he told Chloe.

Anthony Luna Trujillo always has one of the most popular presentations with his Stylish Culture business. He discussed how he started his graphic design business with the support of his family while he was a senior at Noli in 2015. He is a self-taught artist and graphic designer who comes up with creative designs that he recreates on items such as decorative boards, T-shirts, hats, stickers and his new line of coloring books. Although he has been a firefighter for the past seven years, he has always found time to keep up with his many orders on his days off. “I started Stylish Culture with my family when my parents invested in me. It started with an image and ended with a legacy,” said Trujillo, who now has a son, Tukut Trujillo, born June 29. “I love doing this.” He is active on Instagram @stylishculture15.

Funeral Arranger Robert Young with Inland Memorial Funeral Care in Hemet explained the different jobs that exist in that business. With a strong tie to the Native American culture, the company is well-known among local students.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Tyler Topping brought purebred bloodhound Leia to the event, and she was an instant hit with students and staff alike. He explained that his K-9 partner is trained to search for missing people – not drugs, guns or bombs – and that she is extremely good at what she does. Leia was super friendly, eliciting hugs and tummy rubs from the crowd. Topping explained that when it’s time to trail, he puts on her vest and she completely changes, transforming into working mode.

California Indian Manpower Consortium provides employment and training services and other related services to Indian and Native American people. Hemet’s Coastline Beauty College offers certification in cosmetology and manicuring to anyone 18 years or older that has a high school diploma. Instructor Mina Price is also a former student and Jessica Crane from admissions said the school has hired quite a few students to work there. They also shared with students that the college offers discounted prices for salon services and specials for prom and homecoming events.

Noli science teachers Jay Dagostino and Sabrina Sobel Smith discussed all the different types of jobs that are available in the field of marine biology as both had previous careers at Sea World. Smith shared scuba diving equipment and how it works and Dagostino had many sea life samples and photos. He said there are many internships and entry level jobs at aquariums and other places where workers can learn the business from the ground up.

Branch Bankers Rosa Guardian and Tracie Bannister are with PNC Bank, the sixth largest bank in the nation but new to Hemet. Their message to students was mostly about the importance of financial literacy and the fact that PNC offers internships for college students to learn more about the banking business. “It may not seem important to them now but having a good relationship with your bank is important,” Bannister said. Guardian said banking offers all kinds of positions from the business side to the customer service side and shared that PNC is really big on expanding from within. Bannister agreed, stating that career development is huge and that the bank offers lots of incentives, sharing its motto of “employee driven, management guided.”

Members of the Soboba Casino Resort shared details about what is involved with marketing and the different skill sets they seek. Several departments from the Soboba Indian Health Clinic were available to share what it takes to work in the areas of dental, optical, pharmacy and wellness/behavioral health.

 Cecilia Tsai is an optometry resident and had lots of equipment available for students to explore the world of optometry. She answered questions about eye function and diseases and what it takes to get into the field.

Dental Assistant Liz Martinez explained that being a hygienist offers lots of flexibility and freedom because they can work as often as they want and at different dental offices. “It’s been very rewarding for me; I love it and I enjoy my patients,” said Martinez, whose table offered smile kits that consisted of toothpaste, a toothbrush, floss and lip balm.

Students left with lots of other freebies from the vendors, such as candy, water bottles, pens, T-shirts, notepads, stickers and more.

“I would have to say that the main highlight for me at this event each year is to see our students really engage,” Modesto said. “They become so inquisitive and interested in what the representatives of the colleges and careers that attend have to share.”

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