Uganda : News From The House

 

 

 

 

 

Pine Ridge Out-reach

 

 

 

 

 

 THE WOUNDS OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS-CAN THEY BE HEALED?

 

     Red Cloud of the Oglala Dakota Indians once said of the United States, “They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they never kept but one. They promised to take our land, and they took it.” As the result of broken promises, today our Native Americans are broken people, especially the Lakota Sioux tribe at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

 

     House of Friends mission team members, John and Dianna Gross, Dale and Jeanie Ritter, and Judy Lieser, made their way to Pine Ridge on April 30, 2008 with two truck loads of goods donated by many in the Lafayette County and South Kansas City, Missouri area.  Approximately 65 boxes and 5 large bags of clothing, household items, books, washer, dryer, electric range, love seat, and mattresses were delivered to the reservation.  Many items were barely unloaded before they were gone.  We were also able to give The ABOUT Group, our mission partner on the reservation, a donation of $1,675 from dedicated supporters to help meet some needs of the Lakota’s.

 

     While the men were unloading boxes, Jeanie and Judy put their hands to preparing and serving breakfast to the street men.  They gather in the streets in groups of 3 or 4 (even in the cold) waiting for a free breakfast and for the liquor store to open.

 

 

Dale Ritter  (HOF) and Bruce Bonfleur, The ABOUT Group, unloading the truck.

 

Patchi,in front ,coming through  the breakfast line, has been set free of alcoholism and is rebuilding her life.

  

    

 

 

 

 This trip became a learning experience and a time of building relationships. All of the team members came back with a new understanding of the plight of these precious people and with a passion to help meet needs and heal their wounds in whatever way possible.  One of the greatest things we can do is weep in prayer before the throne of God asking for His mercy, to saturate them with His love by His Holy Spirit, and to work a miracle. We know you will agree as you read the conditions they face.

 

     The Lakota people, according to Bruce Bonfleur of The ABOUT Group, were in the most desperate condition the week the team was there than in the last 10 years. He said, “People are bringing their washers and dryers to sell to the mission so they can have money to buy food.” Is it the long winter or higher prices?  The reason is unknown. 

 

    There are approximately 40,000 on the reservation.  Each family is given a monthly allotment of about $400 from our government for general needs. Because of the broken hearts, the first place many men and some women run to when their checks arrive is the local liquor store.

 

 

Left-L-R sitting, John & Dianna Gross, Judy Lieser, Jeanie & Dale Ritter, and Marsha Bonfleur.; standing, Bruce Bonfleur. Center- Jeanie unpacking boxes of donations at the reservation. Right – John working on a project.

   

  

     The team visited Wounded Knee and the burial site of over 300 men, women and children of the Lakota Sioux tribe massacred under a truce flag. A local full-blooded Lakota Sioux couple shared their pictures and story about the massacre, family, and plight of their nation.  Promises were made and not fulfilled according to Emerson, the husband. Even the land of the Black Hills was given to them and later taken away when it was discovered there was gold on it. They were promised allotments for the full-blooded Lakota Sioux on the reservation. Now anyone with any amount of Lakota blood can live there and the allotment for the 6,000 full blooded is divided among the 40,000 plus occupants. Food stamps are not available to those who have personal property valued over $2,500.  When propane is needed to warm their homes, they must purchase at least $150 worth. Five homes in the area must order propane and have the money to pay for it before it is delivered. There are times they don’t have any heat for their homes for this reason. 

 

     A trip to the grocery store in Pine Ridge Village, gives you a clue why they are desperate-the prices of items are much higher than anywhere else. There are very few jobs on the reservation to earn a wage covering their needs.  To obtain a job elsewhere is difficult; one contributing factor is racial prejudice. One resource quotes that Pine Ridge alone has a 70% unemployment rate.

 

     Pine Ridge has become a place where abuse rages because the people are in a hopeless state. The consequences have resulted in alcoholism, child abuse, and spouse abuse. It is a place where 17 to 25 people live in a three bedroom house. One half of the homes do not have running water, electricity or heat. They crowd together to keep warm.

 

    A Christian Lakota Sioux woman stated that as a child she was abused by her alcoholic parents and tried to commit suicide twice.  Even today, when she is overwhelmed because of seeing children and her nation’s problems around her so hopeless, she has to fight off the thoughts of ending it all. She stands firm, however, knowing that is not of God. She must be strong and trust Him.

 

     Few are Christians on the reservation, and people are reverting back to their cultural religious practices. According to a local pastor, they don’t believe they sin. Can they be healed? We believe there is hope through prayer, the Gospel, building relationship, and practical helps.

LAKOTA SIOUX’S FUTURE

 What does the future hold for this little Lakota?  By the grace of God we pray it will be a bright one.   Today, however, it appears bleak.  The school dropout rate of 15 and 16 year olds on the reservation is 80% and teen suicides are 150% higher than the national average.  

 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE AT A TIME

                                                                                                                     

      Our new Lakota friends, Leon  and Belva Matthews, Higher Ground Coffee House owners and Pastors of  The Gospel Fellowship Church, love kids and are doing what they can to minister life to them.  Every night you will see their back yard-a basketball court-filled with teenagers hanging out and reaching out to them for help.  Many have started attending the church and finding hope.

 

MEET YOUR FRIENDS WORKING IN THE HOUSE

House of Friends has been in the plans of God since the beginning of time. It was planted in the heart of founder John Gross of Kansas City, Missouri a few years ago, but could not become a viable ministry until God had everyone in position. 

 

 

 

 

Personal commitments to the vision were made and House of Friends became a Missouri non profit corporation on January 28, 2008.  We are pleased to introduce you to those who are coming along side to fulfill the plans and purposes of God. In this issue of the newsletter we are featuring our Founder and Chairman of the Board, John Gross.

 

     John Gross is the son of retired ministers. In his early years he was a rebellious teen but at the age of 21 he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ and surrendered his life. John offers a fresh look at the mission of the church through the eyes of an ordinary Christian. He challenges the everyday Christian to offer their lives as laborers in the Lord’s fields that are white and ready for harvest. His experiences with short-term mission outreaches will serve to inspire leaders and laymen alike. 

 

     John is employed at a large pharmaceutical company, but he uses his spare time doing inner city outreach and interim ministry where needed. He has worked with state leaders organizing strategic prayer meetings and has been involved with ministry to the First Nation peoples. John feels most at home on the foreign mission field. He has ministered in China, Egypt, Israel, Ethiopia, Uganda, Dominican Republic, and Cayman Island.  Although training pastors and distributing Bibles have been John’s passion, the Lord has deposited a deep love for widows and orphans in his heart, along with a fresh vision to effect physical and spiritual change in the poor of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

     John and his wife Dianna live in Kansas City, Missouri and have two children and five grandchildren.

 

Missionary Grandmother Joins the team

 Alma Jones has officially joined the House of Friends team. We have been working with Her in Uganda as she has hosted many of our teams and we have interacted for years. She has been a personal friend of mine for 15 years along with her adult children. Alma will be helping us develop a children’s teaching program for Abba House. She is already working with ABBA HOUSE DIRECTOR—RICHARD KAAYA.   

Below is an article I wrote about Alma on another blog site called Refired not Retired. She keeps going and going and Her life will inspire you.   

Refired not Retired

Alma Jones hits the mission field in Her 70’s whats your excuse !!! I had just come back from my 2nd trip to Uganda and was sharing about the needs of the orphaned children. I noticed in the back of the church Alma Jones was emotionally moved. As soon as the service was over I checked with Alma to see what was going on. She explained that when She was 18 years old She felt the Lord calling Her to the same east African region that I had been to. In those days a single woman would not have found Her way through Bible college and then sent alone into such need. Life handed Her some curve balls and here She was at 72 thinking of what could have been. I reminded Her that God’s callings are sure. If God called Her then She is called Now.

She took that to be the word of the Lord and a short time later She was In Uganda. She went on Her first stay with Dave and Ruth Christian who spent about 1 year training christian leaders in Uganda. When Dave and Ruth returned home She stayed and has been there for around 4 years. 

 On a past trip I got to stay with Alma and see up close what the Lord is doing with Her. She has been teaching leaders how to study the Bible. While there we spent a lot of time with a young man in His teens who was actually pastoring a church due to the fact that the residing pastor had left in a hurry with big issues. No one was qualified to step into that position so this young man was chosen due to that fact that Alma had been mentoring Him. Here She is after Her ride broke down in the field and had to drive back in the back of a truck.

Alma has just been given word that she would have to move from the house she rents in Entebbe. We all thought it would be a good time for Alma to come home for a visit and see her children and grandchildren. At the same time she will be developing a children’s version of her “learning to study the bible” series she teaches adults. She will be returning to help us out with the Abba House orphanage we are pioneering with Richard Kaaya in Entebbe. http://houseoffriends.wordpress.com/abba-house/

 We are raising the funds to get a round trip ticket for Alma if you would like to help out financially and need a tax deduction you do so with the information below. Also If you would like Alma to speak on the missions topic and encourage your group that God doesn’t retire you but refire you She’s your lady at 77 years young, contact below.

If you would like to join in the journey by helping Alma out financially, please make your checks payable to House of Friends, and send your donations to P O Box 228, Alma, MO 64001 along with a note for Alma Jones.  All donations are tax deductible. If you would like more information call ·  660-674-2222 or

Email:  info@houseoffriends.org      web pages:   http://houseoffriends.wordpress.com/      http://www.houseoffriends.org/ 

Abba House

 ABBA HOUSE DIRECTOR—RICHARD KAAYA

I was born in 1960 and remained in Uganda during the Idi Amin era. I was born again in 1981 and after one year I felt the calling of God to ministry. Four years later I joined the Assemblies of God theological college in Nairobi, Kenya and received a B.A. in theology. I came back to Uganda in 1988 for pastoral ministry. In 1991 I married my wife, Debra, who was also from Uganda. In 1993 we pioneered a church in Entebbe. We were challenged by the great need of the poor and underprivileged children. Many of the children were not in school because their parents had died from AIDS or from the war.
 Debra had worked with an orphanage and had also toured with the African Children’s Choir, which gave her wisdom and insight for what was ahead of us. Debra and I have five children of our own and twelve more that we have adopted as our own.  

We have worked with Richard and Debra for years and through our relationship we are partnering to birth Abba House. At this time we are caring for 35 orphans.

If you would like to join in the journey by helping out financially, please make your checks payable to House of Friends, and send your donations to P O Box 228, Alma, MO 64001.  All donations are tax deductible. If you would like more information call ·  660-674-2222 or

Email:  info@houseoffriends.org      web page: ·  http://www.houseoffriends.org/ 

House of Friends

MISSION STATEMENT

House of Friends is an international nonprofit Christian mission organization releasing God’s heart of compassion through the discipleship of nations by caring for widows, orphans and the destitute around the world and equipping them physically and spiritually to reach their potential and destiny in God’s family to do the works of the Kingdom.

VISION STATEMENT

Our vision is to be a community of friends, knit together by love for Jesus and for one another, while allowing Him to live out His heart of compassion through us, both at home and abroad. 

We desire to release God’s heart through the discipleship of nations, by caring for widows and orphans, and operating in a lifestyle of night and day prayer.

The vision is also for the friends of Jesus (John 15:15 “…but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”) to join in this journey in doing the works of the Kingdom with hands-on mission work, financial assistance, and prayer.

GOALS STATEMENT

 

In the journey of the mission abroad, our goal is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ in three distinct paths back to Jerusalem-Silk Road from Asia, Nile River/Rift Valley from Africa, and Spanish/Columbus path from the Americas. Recognizing the Jewish ‘thread’ in what we are doing, having a heart for Israel and the Jewish people, we know that God is not finished with His covenant people.

Our goal is to also establish Abba House, a children’s home model, in villages along the routes of the journey abroad. Abba House will consist of homes in community, ideally with 1 widow and 12 orphans.  At their locations, there will be a food COOP/food distribution, medical care, well projects, primary and secondary education, adoptions,  trade school, Bible college,  missions base, evangelistic outreaches, church planting, rural training and the printing of Gospel material.

In the United States, our goal is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Indian Reservations, inner city peoples, and other areas as determined by the board, ministering through outreach projects.

The mission will be accomplished through the development and workings of a mission training school, administrative center, prayer center, mission store, food COOP, and the printing/distributing of Gospel material. 

Through these means we will effect physical and spiritual change in the poor of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God will then be expanded with new disciples, equipped to be productive citizens of society and the Kingdom. The new disciples will then duplicate the expansion of the Kingdom as they begin to do the works of the Kingdom.

House of Friends  P. O Box 228 ·  Alma, Missouri 64001 ·  660.674.2222