Together for Hope, CBF Rural Poverty Initiative Together for Hope is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s twenty year commitment to community development in twenty of the nation’s poorest counties. These counties are located in five regions of the country: Appalachia, the Black Belt of Alabama, Mississippi River Delta, the High Plains, and the Rio Grande River Valley. Focal counties are in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota and Texas. Began in 2001, the Rural Poverty Initiative is in its sixth year. TFH has been at work in South Dakota since 2002. The four poorest counties there are Buffalo, Shannon, Todd, and Ziebach. Buffalo county is the poorest county in the United States.These four counties are home to three Lakota and one Dakota Indian Reservations. Crow Creek, the only Dakota tribe, is located in Buffalo County. The Lakota tribes are Pine Ridge, Shannon County; Rosebud, Todd County, and Cheyenne River, located in Ziebach County. Per capita income ranges from $5,500 to $7,500. 
Year of Discovery, 2006 This has been a year of orientation for the Kesner’s. After Chris Thompson’s resignation in 2005 we became the CBF facilitators for Together for Hope High Plains in February 2006. We have been working with Chris and Dana’s Warm Embrace organization since 2003, but these new TFH responsibilities still feel brand new, and, at times, are overwhelming.Warm Embrace began in 2003 as a project to provide Comfort Items to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Since then six churches continue the ministry there, with projects in Eagle Butte, Bridger, Cherry Creek, and Red Scaffold. Chris and Dana continue to coordinate the work of these churches through Warm Embrace, Inc. Together for Hope High Plains works in close concert with Warm Embrace and continues to develop other ministries as well on the Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Crow Creek Reservations. Since April, we have made five trips to South Dakota. Our first visit was to Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River in April. The last of May and First of June we pulled our Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer and visited all but one of the reservations over a period of almost three weeks.The last of July we were part of Liberty, MO, Second Baptist Church’s, mission trip to Cheyenne River Reservation. Come September it was time for the national Together for Hope Team Meeting in Rapid City. This meeting concluded with tours of Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River led by Lakota residents Byron and Toni Buffalo, Leon Matthews and Ata Jack.Our final trip was in November, when we pulled a cargo trailer loaded with clothing, quilting fabric, toys, some furnishings and other items to three of the reservations. First stop was at Crow Creek, followed by stops in Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge.
We have learned a lot, met a lot of key Lakota people, and increased our awareness of reservation needs. Most important has been the continuation of some relationships and the beginning of others. Pray for us as we seek to help interested churches and persons channel their resources in the most productive ways possible to increase hope among these descendants of our original American ancestors.
Coats and Blankets for Pine Ridge “You are God’s angels!” He said it two or three times while we were unloading the truck.
This was our first contact with David Lays Bad, a Lakota minister who lives with his family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He, along with his wife, Ella, and their five children; Napoleon, Mike, Esther, Mariah, and Elijah helped us unload twenty-four large leaf bags full of coats, blankets, and other items. It was a delight to get to meet and visit with them . . . along with their eight friendly dogs.
A highlight of the visit was David’s testimony. “I decided they were not getting it right,” he said, as he proceeded to tell us of his decision to follow Jesus as savior. “I go to the Baptist Church at Sharps Corner when I’m not preaching somewhere.” “I’m really more of an evangelist,” he said. “I just want to help people know Jesus.”
Ashworth Road Baptist Church, Des Moines, Iowa and First Baptist Church, Smithville, MO were very generous with the donation of coats. Clay and Beverly Green of Independence, MO collected blankets and toys for the trip. Many of the coats and blankets were new and the rest were only slightly used. Before delivery, we go through all collected items to make sure that none of our donations reflect poorly the presence of Christ.
Women on Mission, Second Baptist Church, Liberty donated two large containers filled with tooth paste, soap, and shampoo. Senior Adult ladies from a Baptist Church in Kansas City gave more than 100 hand-knitted cap and scarf sets. We gave some for distribution on Pine Ridge and the rest we left at Crow Creek Reservation.
New Opportunities on Crow Creek Reservation
“A few days ago, when we decided to do some cleaning at the community building, we discovered eight people sleeping there,” says Lisa Lengkeek, a Crow Creek Tribal member and worker.
We met with Lisa and Lori Traversie on our last trip to the Crow Creek Dakota Sioux Reservation. Lori is also a Tribal employee. This was our first meeting with them and our first trip to Crow Creek.
Desiree Furman made these contacts possible. She sent an email to Kathleen asking for quilting fabric. In a later communication Desiree told us about Lisa and suggested that we contact her. To shorten a long story, we delivered a bag of fabric to Desiree’s home on the 9 and met Lisa and Lori on the 10. We were disappointed that we didn’t get to meet Desiree. Although we made the delivery to her home, Desiree was ill and unable to meet with us. We did have a nice visit with her mother and her mother’s husband.
Back to the homeless people. Tribal officers suggested to Lisa that she ask us if we could provide cots for the homeless. Tribal members do not normally become homeless because other family members make a place for them. It is not unusual for three or four families to live in the same house. “A three bedroom house will often have a different family living in each bedroom,” according to Lisa. Now that they have discovered some of their people homeless, the tribe is providing a shelter for them. “They have heat in the building, but they don’t have any beds,” Lisa says.
They have beds now! The CBF staff in Atlanta chose Crow Creek as the recipient of their 2006 Christmas gift. Their gifts allowed us to purchase ten cots! UPS delivered the cots to Crow Creek in early December, 2006! We pray that God will use them as worthy expressions of Christ’s presence!
Pray that Together for Hope will find other ways to be the presence of Christ to these wonderful people. We are exploring the possibility of helping the tribe begin a combination food pantry/soup kitchen as our next project.
~Kathleen & Ray Kesner
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Together for Hope is part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Rural Poverty Initiative. CBF is a fellowship of churches across the United States who value traditional Baptist beliefs including salvation by grace, through faith; the priesthood of all believers, local church autonomy, and sharing the gospel through word and deed with people throughout the world. Rural Poverty Initiative is the Fellowship’s commitment to offer hope in and around the nations poorest counties. Together for Hope is the mantra which drives this commitment. Four of these poorest counties, located in South Dakota , are Buffalo , Todd, Shannon , and Ziebach. These counties are the focus of Together for Hope, High Plains. TFH is CBF’s twenty-year commitment to offer hope by listening to local leaders and others who work among the poor in the nations poorest counties, building relationships of trust, learning about existing resources, and walking alongside them to find solutions.
ABOUT THE FOCUS COUNTIES
American Indian Reservations are located in all four TFH, High Plains counties. Crow Creek Reservation comprises approximately half of Buffalo County . Rosebud Reservation is in Todd County . Shannon County is a part of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and Ziebach County is in the Cheyenne River Reservation. High unemployment and low income are present in all four counties. Per Capita Income averages from slightly over $5,000 in Buffalo County to above $7,000 in Todd County . Alcoholism, diabetes, teen suicide, and alcohol related automobile accidents are also significant and continuing problems. Being the presence of Christ while respecting and relating to the age old Indian culture of Lakota people who live in these counties is a major concern. Past failures to respect the Lakota culture must be overcome. We seek to live out the gospel while celebrating with the local people their traditions and their culture.
April 26, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Hi,
Please send me a little more information if you can. I am looking to partner with a Native American Ministry and would love to know more about you and your ministry.
Thanks,
Joe
October 26, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I greet you all in Jesus name.
For introduction,I am Pastor Jeremiah Nimely,the Senior Pastor and Director of the International Disciple Training,Inc/ Living Waters Fellowship Church,Liberia,West Africa,P.O. Box 1779,1000 Monrovia,10 Liberia,I am married to Mrs. Roseline Nimely since 1989,March 5th and we have two living children,a boy and a girl,all of them are with us in the ministry,the boy is about 14 and the girl is about 10 years.
We write to let you know that,we are interested into this wonderful program and also of affiliating and networking with you or to becoming one of your networking extension partner churches in Liberia,this has been our 5 to 6 years of praying and fasting since 2000,and we want to believed that,with a networking of partnership with you,many things will be accomplished by the grace and the provision to gathering His harvesters and to reaching the unreached with His great commission and also want to be a part of your International Leaders Association or network,because I am a LEADER and want to make a difference in Liberia,West Africa,therefore,I am interested,see how you can assist in this direction.
And again,we believe in christian charitable business by providing for the poor among the poorest freely(James 1:26-27),because when we are involved with this,the church will affect the society and also its members,and will diffinitely support the work of God with their tithes and good offerings through the blessing of the Lord for doing these things to His people,so the church can not be a begger to those who she suppose to have witness to,but to give hope to those that are outside of the church and to bring them to the fold and also to those that are within the church wall to still hold to the faith and keep the faith,this is our vision,mission and value and we do hope that,this will go down well with you also,and if so,we would love where you to consider and give it your timely consideration for the furtherance of the kingdom of God and the gospel.
We would love were you to please sent us your phone number, here is ours:
00231-5656930 and 5497099(Pastors Jeremiah and Roseline Nimely,senior pastors and directors.
Our address is:( International Disciple Training,Inc/Living Waters Fellowship Church,P. O. Box 1779,1000 Monrovia,10 Liberia,West Africa)
We want to bless God for you and that you will give this request your timely consideration as this will enable us to help undergird and promote the vision and mission of this ministry of yours also along with us in Liberia and the surrounding boaders of Liberia and the entire of West Africa by the grace of God and with His joy,strength is provided.
The women of this ministry also are eager to be train and be educated to also help their husbands to carry out the work of the ministry,the are in a despite need,because the war of Liberia 14 years have carried them backward.And also want to engage into home business in order to be self-substainable and to support their homes and the church as well,and to stop poverty and gain their values back again of what they have lost during the 14 years of civil war in Liberia,this also goes to the men also too and youth in the community and the church and also we have a subsidy scholarship running for the street,unfornate,destitue and the vunorable kids who have suffered just becuause of the 15 years of civil war in Liberia and whose parents were killed,who are made orphans in so many ways,we are seeking help in helping these kids get a sound and a solid christian education.
Hope to hearing from you.
And I want you to be informed that,I am interested of becoming one of the students and with some of my leaders/ministers of any of your great leadership and development of training,we are greatly in need of training if there is any that you have.
We are also desirious of attending any training and teaching conferences if there be any you are having ,or if not we still want to benefit from you in some way,so we will be looking forward to hearing from you ,remember that,we need training most,because we are just from war and are destitute and lacks training and development and you are the one who God will use to help impact our lives and ministry and others in Liberia respectively and through His grace and provision.
Please salute all the brethren for us and know that we are with you in prayers and all of your endeavor.
Because of His infinite grace and love!
Hope to hear from you by the special grace of God.
Most of all,we want to be one of yours by extension Ministry networking of your organization through networking and that you will also help many of our pastors and ministers and that this family will be an established networking partnership in Liberia as a partnership ministry to help you and us in the West Africa region.
Yours in Christ,
Pst. Jeremiah Nimely
Your humble servant and son in the Lord