Glory BannerLewis Photo

Next | 1. New York | 2. Virginia | 3. Ohio | 4. Kansas | 5. California | 6. Dakota | 7. Africa | 8. England Contact Ron | Foreword | Preface | Index | Tellout

6. Sioux Brothers Evangelize in South Dakota blue flower

SiouxThe streets rang with the raucous cries of a brawl. As Sister Daisy Martin rounded the corner, there before her was a human pile of flailing limbs and at the center one very fat squaw. Taking a deep breath, Daisy lunged forward making a bee-line for this round tottering Rapid City tribesman. Just in time, she stopped her falling heavily in a drunken sprawl and their eyes met. Looking into those deep brown eyes reddened with beer in a pitch black frame of unkempt hair, Daisy consoled her, "I love you, and God loves you."

Annie Horner

Sioux Dancer

Daisy could do her work among the Sioux Indians because of a strange turn of events in another Sister Annie Horner, many years before. Having completed a lifelong ministry in England, she had supposedly retired to Philadelphia, when God had awakened in her a new vision. She wanted so much to settle into the backwaters. God called her to pioneer missionary work among the Indians, who needed the Saviour's love. Her remaining years she gladly devoted to this task. On her deathbed she expressed this hope, "If only we could train some young Sioux men and women as evangelists to their own people!" After her death, the bishop heard about Annie's last request and was deeply moved. The bishop contacted Church Army Headquarters and Sister Daisy Kitchens. Her aggressive brand of evangelism was widely known.

Chief Material

The End of the Trail

Sister Daisy established the work in Rapid City and Church Army sent me to do the recruiting. "Recruit only CHIEF MATERIAL" was the bishop's stern command. I traveled the dusty roads from one reservation to another for seven months. I enlisted eight recruits, all married men with large families, who were interested in joining up. Their response thrilled me. When our New York Headquarters heard all about it, they hurriedly sent a telegram saying, "Please, no more Indians for now!" the mammoth medical costs for wives and sometimes seven or eight children worried them! There were other considerations of a different kind on the Indian side too. I wanted to send application forms in right away. Our new recruits were not about to sign another white man's treaty, until they were sure we were not forked-tongue Christians. They had been tricked so often before.

Forked Tongues

Brussels World Fair

Years before during the world fair in Belgium, a white promoter had enticed a group of Sioux to travel half way around the world. They showed off Indian craft, customs and dances to the curious French and Dutch visitors. He had rashly promised, "I'll provide for every one of your needs!" Somehow the arrangements broke down and it was many weeks and much heartache before the disheartened Sioux arrived home. Despite their own initial caution, our candidates eventually agreed to begin our training course for them on a Reservation.

Burning Bush

Sioux Warrier

From the very beginning, however, there was some sort of blockage in our fellowship. Somehow the Sioux and the whites couldn't seem to accept each another as partners. Ill at ease, we suffered each other like this for the first few days. Then, quite by chance, I happened to mention a little "skit" from "Green Pastures" someone had once shown me. It was based upon the life of Moses. In a very southern Negro drawl I began, "Look at dem Egyptians, hittin' dat pur Hebrew mamma!" My Sioux listener was so amused by this that he hurried upstairs to tell his friends. Soon peals of raucous laughter bellowed out. Then, so that we could all enjoy the joke, the Sioux men came down to perform it in their own comical accents to everyone's amusement. "I'd like ta take your shovel and pat it over his head!" one exclaimed. Then, with his eyes wide open and full of astonishment he blurted, "Da bush was burn in' an burnin', an' never burned up!" Having found a real brotherhood at "da' burnin' bush" we soon began to work together as a team.

tellout line "You've gotta have a glory in the things you do, an alleluia chorus in the heart of you" tellout line

^ top of page | next | previous xhtml valid css valid