Kyle Mission Trip 2008 Report

Kyle Mission Trip 2008

The Kyle Mission effort started with a seed planted by Chuck Baker during the fall of 2007. This effort’s primary goal was to establish a “beachhead” for future work among the Oglala Lakota Sioux Indians of Kyle, SD. The method used to achieve the goal was to be a combination of service projects, seminars and community gatherings.
Our initial contact at the Reservation was made with Steve Hernandez with Pejuta Haka College Center. PHCC is the Kyle facility for Oglala Lakota College and serves as point of communication for the local community. Steve is involved in building this community in a variety of different ways and was very instrumental in the success of our trip. Steve helped us make contact with the Headstart Program and with the Emergency Youth Services personnel.
The projects that we chose to tackle during the mission trip were as follows; a renovation project for the Youth Services Shelter; a deck project for the Early Headstart Program; a collection of tennis balls for the Headstart program and a series of family oriented seminars and gatherings. The projects chosen challenged us by virtue of the short amount of time we were to spend working on them. The variety of tasks and the limited number of personnel that we had on the trip made for long days and short nights while we were working in Kyle.
In addition to the tasks mentioned above we were responsible for our meals and hydration during the trip. Members of the team devoted time and energy to cooking, cleaning and general maintenance of our living area. We also planned to feed a large crowd of people during one of the nights as well as showing a family/Christ oriented film. We also made meals available for anyone from the local community during each of our regularly scheduled meals. No one was turned away hungry from our camp.

Early Headstart Deck
The deck project turned out more daunting than we expected. The scope of the project was larger than we anticipated. We thought we were going to do cosmetic and appearance enhancements to the deck and ended up doing a demo and rebuild project. The project took longer than we anticipated but the outcome was that we have a left a serviceable, accessible ramp that will last for years to come.


Youth Shelter Renovation
The Emergency Youth Facility needed and still needs today a lot of work. The facility experienced water damage this past winter when the pipes broke during a freeze. The break was not noticed for several days and water sat on the floors for quite some time. We were able to take out the carpet in the facility, take up the tiled flooring material and take out all the damaged sheet rock in the ceilings and the walls. Additional, all the cabinets were removed from the kitchen area because of their poor condition. This shelter served as our command center and campsite during the trip. Several children from the Pineridge shelter came down and painted a few of the room in the facility . This project was very successful but leaving the place unpainted and bare to the studs in many places reminded us of the work in many other places that needs to be completed.

Seminars and Community Gatherings

The seminars were designed to provide information in two of the most critical areas of poverty stricken communities throughout the United States. Meth Awareness and Gang Information are relevant for communities all over North American and especially in low income areas with high incidence of addiction. Chuck Baker embraced these topics well and was welcomed by the locals and local law enforcement for the quality presentations that were given. These community events showed increasing attendance each night and increased friendliness by the local population to the team members each night. Our numbers were 31 for the first night, 55 for the second night and 126 for the final night. Chuck made major in-roads, being invited to speak to the local JDC in mates while we were in Kyle and being invited to speak at a Gang Awareness event that is to occur next year sometime.
Tennis Ball Collection
Our efforts in Modesto to collect tennis balls for the Headstart program chairs exceeded the goal of 1000 balls by 300 balls. These balls will give the children in the program a better chance to learn and keep the cost of floor maintenance down at the same time. A cool way to recycle and have multiple positive results.

Summary

The 2008 Kyle Mission Trip has positioned the Davis Park Church of Christ to reach out to the Oglala Lakota people of South Dakota. We met or exceeded the goals associated with this year’s mission trip in every way. I would recommend that we continue our relationship with the people we have encountered during this trip and seek new ways to serve this population and bring Jesus Christ into their lives.

Kyle Mission Trip Photos limk

Here is the link to Mission Trip Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19978632@N05/

Kyle Team Arrives Home . . .

The Kyle Mission Trip is over. We arrived home at 8:30 last night. Two grueling days of driving at the end of an exhausting week. The trip exceeded expectations on our end as we made in-roads into the community in and around Kyle.
Our Thursday night, family night was a big success. We had (20% of local populaion) in attendance from the community. We fed them Indian Tacos, Beans and Rice. The Indian Tacos are made on Indian Fry Bread, a delicacy in that part of the world. We had three local ladies cook the fry bread for us. It was wonderful. Highlights of the trip also include parting gifts from several organizations for our team members. One Lakota man did a song for us and had us dance in a circle to the song as he "blessed" our return home. I will be posting pictures and giving more stats in the near future.

Kyle Update #2

Kyle Update . . .
Tuesday proved to be a very busy day. Wayne, Darren , Art and Shane worked on the deck project at the early Headstart Facility. We finally started building it after revising the revised plans several times. The wheelchair ramp has to be about fifty feet long to meet ADA code. Not that code matters, there are no inspectors watching over our shoulders. Wayne is determined to build it right.
Shelia continues to cook stellar meals. Each day we have more locals for lunch and dinner. I would estimate that we are having more than 30 additional guests each day. Chuck's seminar on meth was great. I hope we can have him do it in Modesto sometime. At the seminar we had 31 adults and 9 children. A good showing in a town of 1000 people. All of the woman are working hard each day, doing a variety of activities. Things are coming along just fine.

Kyle Photos

Kyle Update. . . .

We made the trip with very little problems and it was a blessing to arrive in Kyle safely. We have a lot of work before us, however we have completed many tasks already. Wayne, has learned some old lessons concerning thermocouples, and only has hairloss and sunburned looking skin to show for it.

Our first task was to make our living quarters livable. We were able to do that in a few short hours, next we gutted out all of the water damaged sheetrock and flooring from the house. We are going to start getting the house reading for interior paint next. We have also taken out a large deck in front of a daycare facility and as we speak Wayne, Darren and Art are installing a new accessible deck and handicap Ramp. We have a lot of traffic around our basecamp, people are curious as to why we are here and what do we want? We continually tell them we are here to get to know them and provide assistance to their community while we are here.

Tonight we are having our first seminar at the Little Wound School. We will have three nights of activities, please pray that these go well.


Here are some pictures of Kyle, SD.

Excitement, anxiety, uncertainity, and faith.Kyle SD - Coming Soon, less than 7 days. . .

Excitement, anxiety, uncertainity, and faith. These are the things that make up a mission trip. I am excited about this trip as adventure in kingdom activities, we are going and doing something outside our zone of comfort. We are going to help start a renovation projection on a house to help an organization start helping teens who are having family difficulties. The anxiety is about what the conditions will be like, how we will be perceived and how effective we will be. The great thing about all this is I have faith that God will use the trip to better the kingdom. Pray for us as we prepare.

Tennis Balls Rolling In. . . .

We have collected 675 balls so far. Keep bringing them in. We have 325 to go. I know we can do it. Lets find all those old tennis balls and send them to SD for a good cause.

Tennis Balls needed . . .

The Kyle Early Headstart Program needs 1000 tennis balls (used) for class room chairs, that are damaging their floors. We will take them on our trip if anyone wants to donate them to us. Bring them by the church before June 5th.

Buddy

Kyle Mission Trip Planning Continues . . . .

We are just a few short weeks out from the mission trip. We know for certain some of the things that will take place and we know who the players are.

The medical part of the trip died in a paper work night mare and a whole bunch of federal govt red tape. Thanks to all the medical people who were interested in giving time and effort to this trip.

We are for sure doing the demo/ renovation project at a shelter for the teens of the
Reservation and we may build a deck for a new Headstart facility in Kyle.(if time allows.

Our evening programs are shaping up, we will have to seminars and a community gathering for food and fellowship.

Please continue to pray for us. . .


Buddy Gray

Kyle

Kyle Mission Trip Information

Medical Screening for Headstart . . .

The trip we are preparing for will be occurring June 6-16th, 2008 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala-Lakota people live on the reservation which is among the poorest and most economically challenged area in the United States of America. Many of the statistics ** point to a poverty cycle that is nearly unbreakable. However, we know that through education these people can overcome the obstacles in front of them and their children can mature into productive adults. The Oglala Lakota College Headstart Program is enriching the lives of children 3-5 years old, helping shape the skills for future academic achievement. The obstacle that stands in the way of this great program is the ability of the local medical infrastructure to provide the necessary screenings, medical and dental for the children to enroll in the program.

Building Renovation for Abused Teens Shelter

Our intent is to renovate the former abused women's shelter and make it a livable space for teens that find themselves temporarily out of homes.

Health Living seminars and screenings

Our objective is to work with the local nursing school to provide diabetes and cholesterol. We also would like to provide nightly seminars on several different topics to include meth abuse, suicide prevention and others.

Help Wanted! If you are interested in making the trip with us please contact Buddy Gray @209-522-7226 or e-mail me wlgray2@flash.net

**Statistics

The Pine Ridge Reservation is home to approximately 40,000 persons, 35% of which are under the age of 18.  The latest Federal Census shows the median age to be 20.6 years.  Approximately half the residents of the Reservation are registered tribal members of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Nation.

Recent reports vary but many point out that the median income on the Pine Ridge Reservation is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year.

The unemployment rate on Pine Ridge is said to be approximately 83-85% and can be higher during the winter months when travel is difficult or often impossible.
 

97% of the population lives below Federal poverty levels.

Some figures state that the life expectancy on the Reservation is 48 years old for men and 52 for women. Other reports state that the average life expectancy on the Reservation is 45 years old.  These statistics are far from the 77.5 years of age life expectancy average found in the United States as a whole. 

Kyle Mission Trip. . .

Plans are moving forward for the mission trip to Kyle. We are still not sure exactly what the work will look like but we have a lot of irons in the fire and we are trying to narrow the scope with God's hand involved all along the way. Prayers are still needed for us to have Glenn priviledged or licensed to work at the Reservation. We are getting closer to that goal. We have e-mail a ton of paperwork and have found out the names of the right people to contact.
Pray for God to show us where he needs us to work in Kyle.

Buddy

Survey Trip Info . . .

Chuck and I had a great day at the Rez today. We met a bunch of delightful people who are interested in improving the life of the people of their community. We have a lot of opportunities to pursue. Steve Hernandez spent the day with us showing us around Kyle. Kyle is a small town with a lot of potential. One potential opportunity is to help renovate a shelter for children. Another possibility is to help with a health fair. We also may have nightly seminars concerning gangs and meth to inform parents about the growing problems these drugs are bringing to rural communities. Pray for God's direction as we try to assemble the team and select the projects to have the most impact on this community as we respond to it.

Buddy

Rapid City here we come. . .

In just a little while I'll board a plane for Rapid City, SD. Chuck Baker and I are going on a survey trip for the June Mission trip. In a few hours we will be near the heart of America and just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore. Oddly enough this monument was built on sacred land of the tribes of the region. As we launch toward helping another cultural group we have to be sensitive to their cultural peculiarities. Chuck has lined up several meetings for us. The people we will meet with will direct us to a place where we can lay a foundation for future mission efforts. Pray for our efforts . . .

Connections to Christ

Everybody has the need to be connected to something or someone. The rage it appears in culture is to try to "connect" to find intimacy and blot out the loneliness that the single life offers in the world. The internet offers all kinds of connections to all kinds of activities, most of them are rooted in the flesh. We are presently trying to form a new minsistry in our current response to Christ in Modesto. It is a connections ministry, better yet it is a ministry about connecting people to Christ.
We have spent a lot of effort teaching ourselves the importance of inviting people to events at church. Now we are following up with the next step. That is assimilating these people who have responded to our invitations. We will need this to be a congregational effort, all are invited to be a part of this effort. We want to start in the parking lot and make people feel wecome their entire visit with us. I am excited about this new adventure. Please pray for this effort.

Buddy Gray

Two Souls Added . . . to the book of life!

Praise God! Two souls were added to the church this week. One of the people that was baptized has been attending for some time. She dropped by the office and when she could be baptised. We offered the water immediately and with a few hours the rescue was complete. Tears streaming down her face as she sought the forgivenness of God and God gave her what she needed. The gift of the Holy Sprit.

On Sunday night I recieved a call from one of my close friends and he asked if we could baptize his brother-in-law. No hesitation we met them at the buidling, talked for a little while, opened up God's word, prayed and then my friend took His brother-in-law down into the watery grave and new creature came up from the water. The angels rejoiced as we did Sunday night. Another soul claimed from the grip of Satan. That is what response is. Taking people away from a world that has them in their grips.

Go! Make a difference today!

Buddy Gray
Modesto, Ca

Inviter Event Success Story. . .

I am asked all the time how effective our events are in relation to people making a decision for Christ to become their Lord and Savior. Honestly, I cannot wait to go to Heaven to see the difference it has made in God's Kingdom. However, it has been difficult to name the specific people it has impacted in this manner. I always want to remind our skeptics that evangelism is process oriented not event oriented. Here is some anecdotal evidence for these types of events.

One of recent converts asked a family member who was away from Christ to come to her baptism. The person chose not to come fearing pressure would be applied to get their life right with God. A short time later the new convert asked the family member to a movie event. The family member said yes, because it seemed like a less threatening enviroment. Four months later the family member came forward for restoration with Christ and a friend came for salvation. Praise God!

Finding ways to allow people to come back to God or find God in non-threatening venues works. It's not the venue that changes people, it's not anything we do as we host the event that changes people. What changes people is the word of God. Bringing people close enough to hear the truth that God has given us to share with friends,family or whomever will come with us to one of these events.

Thank You God for bringing this story to me today. Make it be used for your glory a thousand times over!


Buddy Gray

Family Promise Day 2. . . .

Kudos to our first two night food hosts. The Walls cooked up some great fried chicken and made a great pot of green beans. The wings were among the best I have ever had, Sheila Walls knows how to fry up chicken. The Kelly Small Group outdid themselves tonite. We had Pork Butt cooked several different ways, the meat melted in our mouths. Pork Butt in crock pot with taco seasoning cooking all day long. Wow! It was great. Joan Ortloff shared her sticky buns with us. She made 5 pans of the delicacy for us for desert. Sticky Buns are like monkey bread just not as sweet. Last night was very uneventful and the families all seem to pull into their rooms around 9:00 p.m. Matthew, Krista and I were here last night and are here tonight also.
Pray for us as we continue on in this effort. The hardest part of this ministry is getting people to stay overnight as night hosts. The discomfort really is minimal. I hear all the time about how it is outside people's comfort zone. It is outside mine, but I continually like to go there to increase the places I can go where I have limited myself from going in the past.
Good Night!

Buddy Gray

Family Promise

4 families arrived at the church today, total people 14. 9 Children and 5 adults. It is always an interesting tranisition to get things up and running. Its like 0 to 60 in no time. It is always good to have people here for the program, however it is bad that life situations are such that they lives end up in disarray and children are left without homes. I pray that these folks find jobs and homes in the near future. It is weird in many ways to not be sleeping in my own warm bed, in a place that I am most comfortable. I know I have a home to go to tomorrow. This program allows us to have touch with alot of good people who are down on their luck. Pray that we make the best of the week with them.

Buddy Gray