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North Dakota Regional Division
Fall 2007 From Harold Gessner: Our volunteer workers meet each Friday at the warehouse and process used clothing. We have been delivering used clothing to contacts domestically as well as those in Liberia, Africa. A Christian congregation on the Spirit Lake reservation has been the recipient of clothing for some time. A few weeks ago, Northwood, N.D. was hit by a tornado which did damage to the entire village of 1,200 people. All homes were damaged from minimal to completely destroyed. A call for quilts came to us from Lutheran Disaster Response.
Tornado damage in Northwood, N.D. Photos by Avonne Gessner. We answered the call with some 300 quilts and with the help of local volunteers we drove from house to house delivering them. Many volunteers have entered the town and have cleared debris, broken trees, tossed about automobiles, houses and the like. Restoration is well in progress.
Volunteers distributing quilts.
Distributing quilts. It warmed my heart to visit our local hospital, upon request, to witness and speak to a group of long-term residents in wheel chairs who gathered to put together sewing kits to be distributed to needy women in Liberia. A new facility for the loading of containers in Minot, 80 miles from our Bottineau warehouse, will permit us to place our containers on rail and ship to the east and west coasts. Our prayer is that all things work together for the good of the Kingdom. ND-OGT Harold Gessner. April 2006 From Harold Gessner: We continue to work at the Bottineau warehouse each Friday, as needed, sorting and packing clothing in uniform boxes. We have eight to ten volunteers that are regulars each week. We receive many blankets made by several LWML units across N.D. for which we are very grateful. We have been delivering some clothing to two reservations. There has been a call for warm winter jackets as many children on the reservation are getting on the school buses insufficiently dressed for winter. We have had a very limited call for food boxes. Liberia, West Africa, has new challenges as their world returns somewhat to normality. Sam Freeman and his people struggle to find employment so that they may once again become self sufficient. We hear much about President Ellen Johnston, the first women to serve as a national president in Africa. Many prayers are being offered that she may lead their nation back to self sufficiency. We continue to support the Freeman family and the orphanage and the Christian school. Don Brandenburg of Edgely, N.D., has gathered 33,000 lbs of beans, together with clothing, blankets, etc. and will be hauling this load, providing his own semi and driving it himself, often accompanied by his wife Marlene, to Ysleta Lutheran Mission. These gifts to needy people are helpful when declaring the love of Christ to those living in Mexico, near the border. Avonne and I will attend the Montana District Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) convention in Missoula, where we will have our display and make a presentation. Avonne has been working the Thrivent Giving Plus program which has been helpful in producing additional income for our regional division. November 2005 Orphan Grain Train's North Dakota Division has been very active with a number of different projects. The division's warehouse has a corps of regular volunteers who process used clothing and packaged food on a weekly basis. LWML groups from around North Dakota have also been active volunteers for the division. Projects in the past year include:
As the agricultural economy takes its toll on rural American and North Dakota, church closings are the order of the day. A Lutheran church in Ruso, ND closes its door as its rural population dwindles. The building continues to stand only as a reminder of the past and a landmark. However, it's inner being shall have rebirth as the altar, lectern, baptismal font, pews and other church furnishings will find a new home in a newly constructed Lutheran Church in Liberia, Africa. The new 30' x 60' church was built with cement blocks made by the hands of its own people. The Liberian people also built the rafters. North Dakota Lutherans purchased the metal roof covering. Additional pews are being built presently, and eventually will be paid for by the ND District Lutheran Women's Missionary League Rev. Sam Freeman, pastor of this church, continues to struggle with limited resources. We continue to support him with $500 per month. We pray that we will be able to continue to do this with our limited funds. Anyone with a heart for this "White Unto Harvest Mission Field", can contact us at 701-228-5102. The North Dakota Division of Orphan Grain Train also administers support for Christ the King Lutheran School in Liberia, West Africa. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the address below or to the Norfolk, Nebraska International Office of Orphan Grain Train. On July 28, 1999, North Dakota Orphan Grain Train teamed up with Books for Africa in shipping 30,000 pounds of educational books and 16,000 pounds of food, clothing, and hospital supplies to Liberia. Because the books were in Minneapolis two trucks with trailers brought the other supplies from our warehouse in Bottineau to Minneapolis to be loaded for further shipment. Also included was a mud pump and water cylinder for Lifewater International who is producing safe drinking water in Liberia. |
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