Day 4Ronald and Alpha Goombi

Ronald and Alpha Goombi, missionaries in church and community ministries, are reaching Native American tribes in Nebraska, where the clash of Christianity and Native culture had, in the past, presented nearly impossible barriers. But the barriers are falling.

The Goombis just paid $2 to lease an acre and a half of land for 25 years on the Omaha Reservation where they plan to build a Christian Ministry Center. They are trying to obtain building materials for the project.

In addition to forming relationships with the Omaha tribe, the couples time is divided among Sioux and Winnebago tribes as well.

Were trying to gain trust with the people here, says Ronald. Were trying to be consistent with them, and thats our greatest challenge.

The Goombis ministry stretches over hundreds of miles. While the Winnebago and Omaha reservations are only eight miles apart, the Santee Sioux in Santee, Nebraska, is 250 miles to the north.

During the week the Goombis are able to minister to Native Americans in the inner cities and on local reservations. The weekends are packed with traveling to the more distant reservations where they hold weekly church services and backyard Bible clubs.

One of the hardest groups to reach on the reservations is the young people, Ronald says. They dont really understand their need for the Lord.

The Goombis have been successful in leading many from the tribes out of alcoholism and poverty. As much as 65 percent of the people on the Omaha Reservation are unemployed, and suicide and alcoholism plague many of the young people in the community.

Women such as Dionne Martinez, who had struggled with alcoholism, stopped drinking after she accepted Christ.

In the downtown area of Omaha, Nebraska, the Goombis average about 40 to 45 in Sunday school. On the Winnebago Reservation, the Goombis set up a hospitality booth at the tribes annual powwow. This has become a far- reaching way to share the gospel with people who may never set foot inside a typical church building.

We are trying to show how Christ is as relevant in Native culture as He is in any other culture, says Ronald. This is the way we make a real and lasting impact in the lives of the people were trying to reach.

As the Goombis pray that God would provide the resources to build on the Omaha Reservation, they continue to build on the relationships they already have so that when the time comes, they will have a firm foundation.

We are excited about seeing what God will do in the people here, Ronald says. We know He will provide for what He has purposed, and we are grateful to be a part of it.