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Thursday, 31 July 2008 |
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It’s quite a moment when the big back doors swing open. It happened awhile ago with John Bush on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota and then again last week with Gary West on the Quinault reservation in Washington. I don’t have to look inside the trailer because I already know what’s in there. Instead, I always look at the face of the person who’s standing beside me. Specifically, I look in their eyes. And, it happened again, Gary’s eyes filled with tears! He couldn’t believe all the groceries that he saw. “Wow! Praise God!” he said, softly.
We had received a phone call asking if we had groceries and could we bring some to Lake Quinault. “Where’s Lake Quinault?” I said. “Oh, it’s not too far. You just go north on I-5 and take Hwy 12 W to Elma and then to Aberdeen and go north on Hwy 101 to Lake Quinault. If you get to Forks, you’ve gone too far!” Right!
Quinault Community Chapel is on the reservation and Gary West is the pastor. He told me that their food pantry has been empty for a long time and they had no way to get food to help the Natives on the reservation and in the community. When we responded with help it sent a message of hope to encourage their hearts and lighten their load. The tears were real and the sentiment was sincere to say, “Thank you. You’ll never know how much this means to us. Thank you!”
As we walked the length of the trailer and I climbed behind the wheel of the Western Star for the return trip, Gary asked me if we would be able to come back and bring another load. “Sure we can. In fact, we could come on a Saturday with a load and then lay over and preach on Sunday morning at your service and tell the Good News of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness.” “You’d do that?” he asked. “Of course we would.” I said and smiled as I shook his hand. “Of course we would.”
So, another trip and another entry in the ministry log here at Frontier Missions. It’s made possible because of the help and prayers from people like you. People who care about God’s work, the message of hope and salvation and the Native American people. You’ve made a difference. And, you’ve made it possible to bring tears to the eyes of a dear pastor who desperately needed help. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rick McPherson
Team Leader
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” |
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Tuesday, 08 July 2008 |
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Salmon Nets & Gaff Hooks!
The scenery is absolutely spectacular! We had driven south from Lapwai, Idaho through White Bird and arrived in Riggins and the Salmon River by mid-day. As we expected, the fishermen were everywhere and just as we arrived one angler pulled a beautiful Salmon out of the white water. Just upstream we spotted Jonas and sat down for a chat. He was netting fish and his 15’ pole was leaning up against a tree as he took a break and talked with us. With our video camera rolling we soon captured him standing knee deep in the turbulence, dipping his net to the bottom searching for the elusive pink meat. He had been successful and had a cooler full of smoked fish for sale.
The history of the Nez Perce and salmon fishing is inextricably connected. Some Natives still use the old Gaff Hook, and if you think that netting is difficult, you can only imagine the challenge of using the Gaff. Be rightly impressed because what they do and how they do it is a fundamental part of their rich culture.
This year we were invited to sit with the Tribal Council and talk about the work of Frontier Missions. Their welcome was a huge blessing and indicated that we were not intruding but rather partnering with them to help the people.
Our Frontier Missions’ team had unloaded the big rig and filled the food pantry to the brim. Workers finished the roof and weather-proofed the building for winter. The chain-link fence around the property was completed and the painting project at the Presbyterian Church was finished. Each day our missionaries were in the community park to present the Family Fest Outreach in the afternoon and evening. Boys and girls, Moms and Dads and single adults all came to receive snacks, prizes, food boxes, sack lunches and most importantly, hear the message of hope and the Good News of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness. Each day people responded to the invitation to follow Christ with joy.
Thank you for your help to make this ministry happen. You have made a difference in the lives of Native Americans! Just like the maid who came to clean one of the rooms in the hotel and was introduced to Jesus by one of our team members. She will never be the same again. Praise the Lord!
Sincerely,
Rick McPherson
Team Leader
“When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants to untangle the knot.”
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Trust me; Martin, South Dakota is a long way from Portland, Oregon. Specifically it’s 2,700 miles, round trip. When you do the math at 5 mpg and $4.75 per gallon, it totals,$2,565.00 for diesel fuel. But, we’re committed to helping Native Americans on reservations and the Pine Ridge is one of the neediest in our land. The reservation borders Nebraska and is the site of the Massacre at Wounded Knee. Our friend and brother, John Bush lives in Martin and Wayne Campbell and I made the trip in our Western Star pulling a 48’ trailer loaded with 850 grocery boxes, a 1986 Ford 4X4, half-ton pickup and 6 sets of king mattresses and box springs. A full load, to say the least! Wednesday evening, I was asked to speak and I brought greetings from Frontier Missions and a message from God’s Word. Several responded at the conclusion to make Jesus the Lord of their lives and said, as Joshua, “but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Jeff Cisco is a missionary pastor who serves in Martin and he and John Bush had invited other Native pastors, including Cecelia Spotted Bear and Stanley Hollow Horn to join us for the meeting. It was a great time and everyone left with groceries and the new prayer magnet for Frontier Missions!
Rick McPherson delivers food, clothing and an ’86 Ford 4X4 to John Bush on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota In just a few days we'll be leaving for the Family Festival and outreach in Lapwai, Idaho on the Nez Perce reservation. Pray for this ministry! We'll arrive on June 21 and be there through Friday, June 27. Mark it on your calendar, please! We'll be giving food boxes, toys, gifts, prizes and snacks plus finishing the roof and fence at the food pantry. And, most importantly we'll be telling the Good News of God's love, acceptance and forgiveness! Sincerely, Rick McPherson Team Leader “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes!” |
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Tuesday, 06 May 2008 |
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So, why a magnet? This month we’re sending a free magnet of the Frontier Missions logo as a gift to all of our supporters. So, why a magnet? Well, it’s intended to be put on the most obvious and seen place in our world. That’s right, the front of the refrigerator door! Every time you see FRONTIER MISSIONS you will be reminded to pray for the ministry. By design, we did not put the phone number, address or website on the logo so that it would not be misconstrued as advertising. Rather, it would be a visual reminder to remember us in prayer. I guess you could call it a PRAYER MAGNET. I like that! I was reading this passage in Matthew’s Gospel from chapter 9 and verse 37: “Seeing the people, he felt compassion for them…they were distressed and dispirited…then he said, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.’” The interesting part is the directive, “therefore beseech” which means that Jesus affirmed the fact that believers’ prayers participate in the fulfillment of God’s plans. It’s true! Prayer makes a difference! That’s why we need the prayers of God’s people on behalf of Frontier Missions and our ministry to help Native Americans. Prayer makes a difference and you’re making a difference when you pray. Thanks for praying!! You can pray specifically this month for the trip to help John Bush and the Lakota-Sioux and the Ogallala on the Pine Ridge and Rose Bud reservations in South Dakota. We’ll be on the road from May 19-23. Wayne Campbell will be driving with me and I’ll be preaching on Wednesday night the 21st. Pray for the harvest! So, why a magnet? Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe the picture of the Frontier Missions’ logo will speak many words of encouragement and thanks to you as you remember this ministry and pray for us. And, every time you open the refrigerator door you can participate in the fulfillment of God’s plans! Sincerely, Rick McPherson, Team Leader “Laugh every day. It’s like inner jogging!” |
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Monday, 31 March 2008 |
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Pit Bulls and Milk Bones! It seemed like a really good idea at the time. Fill your pockets with Milk Bones and when the Pit Bulls come close, just toss them a treat! Right! Problem is, a person with a pocketful of treats is a bigger treat than a single Milk Bone. Why trade? Go for the big prize. The rationale for all this had to do with our monthly outreach to the Yakama reservation at Celilo Falls, Oregon. Each time we arrived we were greeted by a gang of dogs, Pit Bulls to be exact. Being a dog lover, I’ve always enjoyed them and gotten along quite well… except for Pit Bulls. Something about them just gives me the creeps. Too many news stories about them attacking children and people in general, have left me nervous, to say the least. So, how do you deliver food boxes, door-to-door in the Celilo Falls village and avoid the Pit Bulls? Remember, the food box itself smells like dinner, let alone the one carrying it. Well, that’s where the beauty of a well-placed Milk Bone comes in. Make that, several well-placed Milk Bones. Scattered around and generously distributed, the Milk Bones become your admission ticket to the Village and they’re enough of a distraction to let you get from the front door of your truck to the front door of the house and give away your grocery box. The wonderful thing about this recent trip was the last house. Not only did they open the door and receive their food box, they also invited our team members inside to visit! After thirty minutes of conversation and questions they knew all about Frontier Missions and the God in Heaven who loves them, accepts them and forgives them! That’s the main thing! You see, we work “hand-in-hand with Native Americans” to help them physically and spiritually. But, at the end of the day the most important thing is for people to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. You might say, it’s the biggest treat of all. In preparation for our next trip to the reservation, we’ll be sure to have prayer, plenty of food boxes, some New Testaments to give away, hearts of love and compassion and of course, lots of Milk Bones! Sincerely, Rick McPherson
Team Leader
“Faith is the ability to not panic.” |
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