It's a missionary story unlike any you've heard before.
Recipient of Concordia Historical Institute's Award of Commendation in 2023, Inashood tells the love story of dedicated Lutheran missionaries and the Apache people on eastern Arizona's Fort Apache and San Carlos Reservations.
In 1893, German missionaries George Adascheck and John Plocher embarked on the very first world mission for their church to the Apache people at Fort Apache and San Carlos reservations to tell them about God and his great love for them in Jesus.
Over time, these men and the Lutheran missionaries that followed after them were called Inashood, the Apache word for "pastor" (literally translated, "man in long black robe").
Pastor, missionary, and author Eric Hartzell weaves together reports, newspaper articles, photographs, and journals from the time period into a single, down-to-earth account of the missionaries and the people they served.
In this book, you'll learn about the joys and challenges of mission work, the Apache culture, and so much more. Featuring a bit of humor and thought-provoking insights for sharing the gospel message with people from other cultures, this book will inspire you to share God's love and the truth of the gospel with others.
Here's what people are saying about Inashood:
"Pastor Eric Hartzell has provided a fascinating history of the Lutheran church and the White Mountain Apache people of eastern Arizona. Utilizing historical documents and other sources, Inashood is a story of devotion, persistence, and God's redemptive work among an Indigenous community in the American Southwest. Readers will appreciate Pastor Hartzell's meticulous research, his personal anecdotes, and his remarkable ability in keeping the gospel at the center of the narrative."
–Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert (Hopi), University of Arizona
"This book is full of inspiring stories which document the first century of Apache Lutheran history. During 100 years more than 70 WELS missionaries and wives, beginning with my grandparents in 1893, shared God's love in Christ with generations of native Americans on Apache reservations in Arizona. Himself one of these missionaries, Hartzell's experience and research provide the inside scoop which makes this not only a monumental historical record, but also a tour which takes the reader on an informative and a memorable adventure."
–Rev. David J. Plocher, author of "Apache Lutheran Mission Beginnings – From the Letters of John Plocher."
