This is my Council Report for the month of December. November was a very busy month, and I hope each of you enjoyed a restful holiday season with family and friends. As always, my report follows the standard format below.

If elders of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) are involved, Janell Rattler will not be far behind – assisting wherever and however she can.  She is the Senior Games coordinator in the Cherokee Recreation Program and has made it her life’s work to make sure that Cherokee elders have the opportunity to be active and healthy.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s (Mary’s cousin) pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

Looking back on this year’s newspaper, I am so proud of the amazing team that delivers Qualla Boundary news to you. While the headline might capture the focus of the week each week for our community, that is only the tip of what those editions brought to us in community news over the year.

We, as a tribe, have been debating and searching for ways to communicate facts and truth to our people without sharing them with other people.

Yona Wade is a true servant to his people and one who is dedicated to making sure the world knows of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). 

As the holidays have approached, I received several questions regarding this topic and decided to combine them into some next steps.

Heb 10:24-25 “ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” NIV