About Us 2

Nape Na Si means Hands and Feet in the Sioux language. We chose that for a name because that’s what we’re trying to do, to be the hands and feet of Christ on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

We are a grass-roots, non-denominational, non-evangelical loose affiliation of churches and individuals who know how blessed we are and feel the need to share the good news of Christ with the native peoples of Pine Ridge. We try to do this through works and not preaching.

We are not professional missionaries. We are plumbers, electricians, students, teachers, factory workers, office workers, housewives, etc.

Our History

It all started back in 2002 or 03. Ray Vance the minister of Whitewater Christian Church in Whitewater IN wanted to do a short-term mission trip to get folks more involved in missions. Sarah Roberts, niece of gospel musician Rich Mullins, had some connections on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, so the decision was made to go there.

In June, a small group trekked out to Pine Ridge. They camped in a field at Lost Dog, near the village of Potato Creek, and spent a week doing a VBS for the kids. It was not a particularly comfortable trip. The heat was ferocious, horses ate their tents, and most of them came down with something very much like dysentary. Fortunately, they all survived and returned home with a real passion for native ministries. They began friendships with many natives that last to this day.

Since that first year, some incarnation of that group has returned each year. We have learned from our mistakes, and no longer make it so tough on ourselves. The group has expanded and contracted over the years as churches and individuals have come and gone, but has never wavered (at least not significantly) in its commitment to help the natives of Pine Ridge.

For the first few years, the trip (particularly the construction part) was largely funded by grants from The Kid Brothers of St. Frank, and for the last several years has been entirely funded by contributions and the participants.

Our Future?

The dream we all share is to one day own land out there, to build a church and community center, a bunkhouse and campground for mission groups, and establish a year-round presence on “the Rez.”

We have experienced ups and downs, but our presence has expanded from the initial one-week a year trip to 2-weeks a year for the past 4 or 5 years, thanks to the dedication and commitment of Morrison Hill Christian Church and the leadership of Tim Green and John Pryor who have been inspired to make the second week their own.

In addition to Morrison Hills, there have been numerous churches and individuals who have participated in our trips over the years, and every one has contributed to making this group what it is. Check out our “Thanks” page for a list. Also, if you check it out and notice any omissions, please let us know! We don’t want to exclude anybody, and any omissions are our fault, and are purely the result of faulty memories.

We hope that more churches will decide to get involved and stay involved so that we can keep adding weeks throughout the summer.

Whether you are a church group or an individual looking for a short-term mission trip that is affordable and really gets its hands dirty spreading the word, check us out.

Also, if you like the idea of going to Pine Ridge, but we don’t look like your cup of tea, then go without us! If you have questions, or would like information on the Sioux people, Pine Ridge, weather conditions, what to watch out for, then give us a holler, and we’ll help you out in any way we can. We all feel that the work out there is not about us, but about them and the Lord.

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Sincerely,

Dave McCoy, President, Nape Na Si Ministries

Lloyd Mullins, Treasurer, Nape Na Si Ministries

P.S. Don’t get too hung up on the titles. We’re not.