Headwaters of the Mississippi

The Assignment

Debbie Smith Ministries invited us to attend the Volunteer State Prayer Assembly in Moscow,

Tennessee where Dutch Sheets and Clay Nash would be speaking. The first night, at dinner, we

met Donita. Later that evening, at the opening meeting, Dutch and Clay shared that the Lord

had showed them a parallel between the 31 kings Joshua defeated in his assignment to claim

the Promised Land and the 31 states in the United States impacted by the Mississippi River and

its tributaries. As Dutch and Clay prayed about this, the Lord showed them which Biblical king

was over which U.S. state. At the last meeting of the Assembly, Clay shared that the name of

the king over the State of Minnesota was Taanach.

The second day of the Assembly, Donita shared a dream she received the night before. She

shared that she felt the Lord wanted Max and I to go to the Mississippi River headwaters and

that I was to release the choice of life over the 31 states in the Mississippi basin, and Max was

to rerelease open eyes, ears, and hearts for the one true God. She saw a skeleton key in her

hand, which she handed to me. She instructed that the key was to go into an ancient padlock at

the headwaters. Donita told me that she felt this should happen before Dutch Sheets’ Reset

2020 meeting to be held the following week in Middletown, Ohio.

Preparation for the Assignment

On our way home from Tennessee, Max and I reached out to our group of intercessors from

Yesuah’s Love Heals and others. We shared the assignment Donita had received and asked if

anyone felt led to come and pray with us. One couple, Tom and Martha, responded immediately. They stated that they would come with us and they felt we were to go Wednesday (the very next day). Another intercessor, Lynda, committed to stand on the Lake Street to Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River to pray while we prayed. We later learned

that yet another couple, Mike and Leslie, were up north and they prayed over Lake Superior.

In preparation for prayer at the headwaters, I had begun researching both the Biblical history of

Joshua and historical events that had taken place in Minnesota. Clay Nash had taught on the

importance of repentance and Donita texted me on the way home stating, “…This tidbit might

have significance in this story, but I don’t know any more about it…Months ago God woke me

up with…1855 and 1948. He’s shown me some things about these dates…”

Early Wednesday, October 7, we picked up our friends and intercessors, Tom and Martha, and

began the beautiful drive up north to Itasca State Park to where the headwaters are located.

History tells that, in 1832, a group of Ojibwa led by Ozaawindib guided Henry Schoolcraft to a

lake in northern Minnesota that Schoolcraft named “Itasca,” a combination of the Latin words

“veritas – truth” and “caput – head”.

In my Biblical research, I looked up “Taanach,” the king/stronghold over Minnesota and

passages specific to “Taanach.” Clay shared this meant “wandering through sandy soil” and my

investigation turned up, “Who humbles thee, who answers thee.” The passages where

“Taanach” appear are:

Joshua 17:11: Manasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its

towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the

inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and

the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns.

Judges 1:27: Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns,

nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the

inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the

Canaanites would dwell in that land.

Judges 5:19: The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver.

1 Kings 4:12: Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean

which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as

beyond Jokmeam;

1 Chronicles 7:29: and by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth Shean and its

towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived

the children of Joseph the son of Israel.

The above scripture reveals how Beth Shean and Taanach are connected. Both cities were

given to Manasseh, one of Joseph’s two sons. Taanach was a royal city of the Canaanites

assigned to the Kohathite Levites, and within the boundaries of the portion of Issachar. The

Canaanites were never driven out of Tanaach. Interestingly, there is no evidence of abrupt

change between Canaanite and Israelite civilization, but instead gradual assimilation and

development.

Max’s parents were born in Beth Shean where they had orchards of fruit and olives. They fled

across the Jordan River in 1948 after a male relative warned the family to leave and they still

hold the deed to this land. Max’s parents traveled back to Beth Shean in the 1980s, visited the

home where Max’s father had lived, and were greeted warmly by the Jewish family now residing

in the home.

One of my forefathers arrived on a Mayflower sister ship and a family tree reveals that my great,

great, great, great grandmother was Iroquois.

As to our intercessor friends, Tom’s relatives settled in New York (consider Jonathan Cahn’s

speech at The Return regarding New York). Martha’s great grandparents emigrated to the U.S.

from Sweden and her great grandparents on the other side left Scotland for Canada. We each

carried historical representation to the headwaters.

We deeply felt the need to repent for past historical events connected to Minnesota land that

caused division, pain, death or destruction. Unfortunately, there was much to repent for.

The Dred Scott case arose out of Fort Snelling. Dred Scott and his wife were taken to Fort

Snelling by John Emerson, a slave master. Dred and his wife lived at the fort and in various

territories where slavery was prohibited. After Emerson died, the Scotts argued that they were

no longer slaves as they had been living in free territory. Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court

sided against the Scotts.

Minnesota’s birth into statehood was not without contention. Divisiveness was first apparent

when Northerners expressed excitement over adding two senators on the side of free states,

and Southerners showed resentment as they did not want to lose power. Republicans and

Democrats were so deeply divided over writing a constitution that there were two separate

constitutional conventions and two separate constitutions drafted. Eventually a conference

committee was formed by the two groups to work out a common constitution. However, the

Republicans refused to sign a document with Democratic signatures on it, and vice versa.

Eventually, “One copy of the constitution was written on white paper and signed only by Republicans, while the other copy was written on blue-tinged paper and signed by Democrats.”¹ Minnesota became the 32 nd state of the United States.

Martha shared, “Clay received the assignment of the 31 states of the Mississippi River Basin

and Minnesota is the 32nd state (31 states, Minnesota is the 32nd state, 31 plus one). This is

“Reset!”. Martha also noticed how part of Minnesota extends into Canada, pointing “Due North.”

Minnesota is pointing to the Lord.

The 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was very important to the Battle of Gettysburg. Minnesota

Governor Alexander Ramsey happened to be in Washington D.C. when Fort Sumter was

attacked. He immediately went to the White House and Minnesota was the first to offer support

to quell the rebellion by sending 22,000 men.

In 1862, Minnesota was embroiled in the Dakota War. They had signed the Treaty of Traverse

des Sioux and Treaty of Mendota in 1851 and were given a strip of land by the Minnesota River.

They were later forced to sell the northern half and crop failures in 1862 led to food shortages

and delays in government money. Four young Dakota men, searching for food, shot a family of

white settlers. The Dakota leadership decided to continue attacks to drive out settlers. Between

300 and 400 settlers and government employees died, leading to state militia and federal forces

then counterattacking. Fighting spread throughout Minnesota and all the way to the Red River

Valley. The war ended after six weeks. Four hundred twenty-five Dakota were put on trial for

their participation in the war. Over 300 were convicted and sentenced to death. Episcopal

Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple appealed to President Abraham Lincoln for clemency.

President Lincoln responded by sentencing all but 39 to prison terms. However, on December

26, 1862, 38 men were hung by the U.S. Army. This was the largest mass execution in the U. S.

Subsequently, the remaining Dakotas, including those who had not fought, were confined in a

prison camp during the winter of 1862 to 1863 where more than 300 died due to disease. The

remaining survivors were then exiled to reservations. Other than an exempted group of Dakota

who had not participated in the war, the Dakota people were no longer allowed to reside in

Minnesota.

Because Donita had shared the possible importance of 1855, we investigated and learned that

the Treaty of Washington took place in 1855, a milestone in the history of the Ojibwe people in

Minnesota. A large portion of Ojibwe land was ceded to the U.S. government to create the

Leech Lake and Mille Lacs reservations and, due to losing most of their land, the Ojibwe were

then mostly confined to life on reservations, relying more than ever on treaty payments that

were often late. And as more land was opened for logging, the Ojibwe had great difficulty in

surviving by hunting or fishing alone. The treaty also divided reservations into individual plots to

create family farms. But many Ojibwe had to sell their land just to survive or lost their land to

dishonest traders and government officials. Their struggle has been ongoing.

Late Tuesday night, the Lord told Martha, “Ancient Prophecy – What did Native Americans say

about Minnesota land?” After a quick Google search, we located the Seven Fires Prophecy of

the Anishinaabeg that marks phases in the life of the people on Turtle Island, a Native American

name for the North American continent. “The seven fires of the prophecy represent key spiritual

teachings for North America and suggest that the different colors and traditions of the human

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Minnesota

beings can come together on basis of respect. The prophecy was to guide the Anishinaabe into

the future and this prophecy is still in the process of being fulfilled.”²

“Originally, the prophecies were given by eight prophets in seven different time periods.

According to oral tradition, the Mi'kmaq Nation heard the first Prophet. The remaining seven

prophets appeared before and were recorded by the Anishinaabeg. A prophecy of each of these

seven periods were then called a "fire". The teachings of the Seven fires prophecy also state

that when the world has been befouled and the waters turned bitter by disrespect, human

beings will have two options to choose from, materialism or spirituality. If they choose

spirituality, they will survive, but if they choose materialism, it will be the end of it.” We were

drawn to the seventh prophecy:

“The Seventh Prophet that came to the people long ago was said to be different from the

other prophets. This prophet was described as ‘young and had a strange light in his

eyes’ and said:

In the time of the Seventh Fire New People will emerge. They will retrace their

steps to find what was left by the trail. Their steps will take them to the Elders

who they will ask to guide them on their journey. But many of the Elders will have

fallen asleep. They will awaken to this new time with nothing to offer. Some of the

Elders will be silent because no one will ask anything of them. The New People

will have to be careful in how they approach the Elders. The task of the New

People will not be easy.

If the New People will remain strong in their quest the Water Drum of the

Midewiwin Lodge will again sound its voice. There will be a rebirth of the

Anishinaabe Nation and a rekindling of old flames. The Sacred Fire will again be

lit.

It is this time that the light skinned race will be given a choice between two roads.

One road will be green and lush, and very inviting. The other road will be black

and charred and walking it will cut their feet. In the prophecy, the people decide

to take neither road, but instead to turn back, to remember and reclaim the

wisdom of those who came before them. If they choose the right road, then the

Seventh Fire will light the Eighth and final Fire, an eternal fire of peace, love,

brotherhood and sisterhood. If the light skinned race makes the wrong choice of

the roads, then the destruction which they brought with them in coming to this

country will come back at them and cause much suffering and death to all the

Earth's people.”³

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Minnesota

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_fires_prophecy

³https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_fires_prophecy 

Carrying Out the Assignment

When we arrived at Itasca State Park, we learned that the headwaters were closed for

“restoration.” We could hear heavy equipment in the background and then heard loud dumping

of what may have been heavy rock. The guide told us the site is under construction to

strengthen and rebuild the headwaters due to erosion. Does this parallel the state of our nation?

Later, while we were praying, the Lord showed Tom, “This is the time we were to be there to

pray…the rebuilding is happening.” The guide shared that there were two paths – one that would allow us to see the river but not the exact headwaters, and another that would allow us to

put our feet directly in the water.

Max felt led to first go down the path that would allow us to see the river. As we walked, we

passed an elderly lady, walking very slowly, accompanied by a younger man. We subsequently

saw various people and groups of people along our walk. It was stunningly beautiful. There

were large pine and birch trees, it was sunny, approximately 60 degrees, and the path we were

on was littered with birch leaves. Martha commented that it looked like a bridal aisle but instead

of rose petals it was birch leaves and pine needles. The smell of pine was strong in the air.

We stopped at a lookout point. This was the actual entrance to the headwaters, but it was

closed off. We then continued down the path and came to another bench. In front of the bench

was the Mississippi River, and across was a beautiful home. The fall colors were on grand

display. Martha sat on the bench while Tom and Max were praying quietly in the spirit. Martha

stood up and we noticed, carved in the bench, “Jesus is the Son of God.” Martha showed this to

Max and Tom, and we decided that this was where we were to pray as the headwaters were not

accessible. We had asked the Lord for privacy, and it happened that there were no people

around us when we began praying.

Max exclaimed, “This mirrors the fifteen visions the Lord gave me where I sat with Jesus on the

bench in front of the Sea of Galilee! Jesus is with us on the bench (in the spirit) and carved in

the bench itself by the Mississippi. *Please refer to the fifteen bench visions by the Sea of

Galilee located on Yesuah’s Love Heals Watchman page.

We prayed in the Holy Spirit and as the Holy Spirit led. We repented for the greed, wickedness

and division that took place in Minnesota and against the Native Americans. We prayed against

spirits as the Lord led including the Jezebel spirit, rebellion, fear, and many more. We declared

oneness. We declared a new sound from heaven over the headwaters, Minnesota, and the

United States. We declared what God says in opposition to the enemy’s plans. We specifically

declared choice of life over the 31 states in the Mississippi Basin, and rereleased open eyes,

ears, and hearts for the one true God. We gave the skeleton key to the Holy Spirit and asked

Him to insert it into the ancient padlock at the headwaters. As we were praying, Max was

recording the prayer on his iPad. Twice the screen changed to red, the blood of Jesus.

Max heard, “It is done. It is broken. The water is cleaning the 31 states downstream.” The

Lord showed Max that the water was red with His blood. Max felt the same presence and

sensed the same anointing that he experienced during his fifteen visions on the bench

with Jesus at the Sea of Galilee.

As we were preparing to leave, we saw the younger man who had been walking earlier with the

elderly woman. Martha asked him, “Was that your mother you were walking with?” He said,

“Yes, it was a bit much for her to walk this far as she is 80 years old, so I continued down the

trail to take photos for her.” Martha asked, “Where are you from?” The man replied, “Ohio. My

mother has been to all 49 states except Minnesota. This was the last state on her bucket list.”

Wow! We were at the headwaters of the Mississippi, completing our assignment before

Dutch Sheets’ “Reset 2020” was to begin the following day in Middletown, Ohio.

Minnesota was the last state on this Ohio woman’s bucket list. Mission accomplished!

After the Assignment

As we drove home and regained cell phone reception, we received a report that Derek Chauvin, the officer charged with George Floyd’s death, was released on $1 Million bail. We immediately

prayed against rioting.

Martha shared that the Lord showed her the following when she returned home from praying:

• She saw from heaven, on the right, an arrowhead on a large stick (“javelin” and the Lord said that the prayer “pierced” the heart of heaven. God’s javelin (spear used as a weapon) is being used to “take back” our nation.
• The Lord told her, “triage” (to break into three pieces). Tri – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Triage came into use after World War I when people went to the battlefield to assess and prioritize the wounded and those that should receive treatment first. The Lord told Martha that the church is tired and wounded. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are treating the church.
• The Lord gave her II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV) However the Lord told her to look it up in different translations and He showed her the following:
• God’s Word
•  and Names of God translations (these were the only translations that stated “heal their COUNTRY”: Heal their COUNTRY (God’s Word speaking over our nation);
• Voice 
• translation: Save their land from DISASTERS (God’s voice speaking and saving our land from disasters); 
• Good News Translation (“good news” – “prosperous”): make their land PROSPEROUS again (“Make America Great Again”); 
• International Standard

 Version (like the international standard, gold standard – it is restored to us – that God’s restoration is the international standard and that the U.S. is restored to the international standard with God at the helm): RESTORE their land (the translations God gave Martha were prophetically related to the specific word);

• The Lord told Martha that we drove up to the headwaters one way and returned by a different way – “

reset.”

Lynda shared that she prayed on the bridge for about an hour, during her lunch break. She felt

led to take two photos, one of the Mississippi facing north and one of a single cloud going by.

She was struck by the cloud’s resemblance to a running lion.