About Our Founder

Reverend Henry Norman Dorsey was born in the small western Kansas town of Scott City. His Father was a circuit rider Minister (at that time they had cars) for the Methodist Church. He was brought up under a strict Christian environment.

However, from about twenty years of age, after rebelling, the Lord was not involved much in his life until about 35 years old. God stopped him cold! (He was doing a lot Of things that were not in accordance with a walk with God, including speed, grass and drinking a quart of liquor per day). Once the Lord stopped him, he re-entered college, worked as Clinical Counselor and Chaplain's Assistant for two years, in the Department of Criminally Insane while associated with the Department Of Corrections in the State of Tennessee. Then God, open the door, offering the acting Chaplain spot and Counselor position in a work release center with the Department of Corrections, which he accepted for another two years.

One of the blessings of being a Chaplain is that you have to allow all religions and denominations to minister within the institution. Therefore, you must work with all Churches. God must have been showing him that He was the one and only, and that there are very little differences between what he rebelled from and others. He found early, that when a Minister wanted to bring in a group into the institution to Minister, if he would just let God lead, making the decision was very simple. He simply found that after getting to know the Minister for a few minutes, if he would set down at his desk, reach across, take the Ministers hands and start to pray out loud; Within a five-minute prayer God would give the decision to the Minister as to whether he wanted to Minister in the Institution or not.

There was once that a group came in to Minister, everyone greeted shaking hands etc.. The Assistant Minister got up and started preaching on Gods Love and how Christians loved each other. The Minister slid over and asked how things were going. Rev. Dorsey, simply stated that all prisoners lie and they expect others to do the same. In order to survive in the prison situation, you learn real quick to listen with guarded hearing, watch what people do and you will see the real truth. Rev. Dorsey pointed out that the people had separated themselves to their own and the others (inmates) were left to themselves. Rev. Dorsey, suggested that he and his associate Minister stop by Sunday afternoon to see what the other Churches were doing.

Rev. Dorsey had said many times, "What I am trying to do here, is build a bridge from there (pointing to a bluff across the river where "The Walls" main prison is located) to down there (turning 180 and pointing to the metropolitan area of Nashville). If you are going to keep ex-cons from repeating their crimes and returning to prison, this bridge has to be a bridge built of Gods Love. People have to accept these convicts who have paid their debt and made changes, as they are, forgive them for what they have been, love them for what God will guide them to become, and as Christians, we have to be their support as God does his work within each of them."

Rev. Dorsey set-up the program requiring, on a rotating basis, each Church to bring out pot-luck lunch. Then after Sunday morning services, they would all eat lunch, play volley ball, horse shoes, sing gospel songs, etc. However, as each Church member worked into the group, an inmate would start asking questions, and soon under the guidance of God, they would place another piece on that "bridge". When the Minister and his associate come by that Sunday Afternoon, they simply stopped for a few minutes, then waved and drove-on. They never came back.

Henry accepted counseling youth with drug and drinking problems, in a non-denominational Church Called the Lords Chapel, in Hendersonville, Tenn.. Henry felt it was a great opportunity to work and witness the Lord's work through their Minister, Mike Nelson, taking that Church to 2,400 attendance each Sunday in only 3 years. The basic doctrine of the Church is Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness.

While in Tennessee, Rev. Dorsey attended a Nazarene College in Nashville where the Dean of the Ministerial Department offered the backing of the Church, if he would start a street level youth ministry. Henry felt that it was not the path that he was to follow. The street level Ministry was right in Gods will but it didn't seem to be the right place and time. He felt that God was leading him to South Texas as he was doing a lot of evangelistic work in Texas.

South Texas was just the jumping off place, He came to Mexico. In most places you visit in Mexico, there are children on the street selling gum or other goodies. This is one of the most haunting images one takes home. These children are usually around three to six years of age, they are apparently working to survive. There seems to be a great divide between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Mexico.

However, when first coming to Mexico, Rev. Dorsey was in Mexico City writing a marketing manual. The company who had contracted him had their offices right downtown a block or so from the US Embassy. When thinking about it, he thought, he had seen some poverty. But setting in the plush office building, in a corner office - glass floor to ceiling on two sides, He witnessed something that has stuck in his mind, every sense that day he has been motivated to Create his Ministry in Mexico.

Looking over across the street one morning he saw a group of children inside a vacant lot, which was enclosed by corrugated roofing material. Upon closer inspection he saw children taking a bath under a garden hose type thing. The next day they were gone. Then a week later they were back. This time he really paid attention. There seem to be six or eight, there was a fire going (it was January and really cold), they had to be freezing. They were washing cloths, such as they were, as well as bathing themselves. They ranged from 2 or 3 years of age to, maybe 12 or so. In asking one of the executives about it he was told. "There are groups of homeless kids like that all over Mexico City, the Police won't let them stay in that lot or they will build a shack, so the Police keep them moving, but they returned to this lot once a week to take a bath and wash their cloths."

This brings to memory a quote from one of my many books on Mexico. To paraphrase: "Poverty is more widespread in Mexico than unhappiness." You certainly do see people enjoying themselves. It is easy to watch, in most cities or villages, you can sit on a bench on the Plaza and watch families from all walks of life bring their children out on the town. Toddlers barely able to walk eye each other across the square. Families come out in full force, the Mexican people are warm, friendly and simply do with what they have! That is, the ones you see. The children with no family are like outcast, unless they have some gum or something to sell, you do not see them. It is these Children that the Ministry works with. The homeless abandoned, the people of the street where life or help for that matter, seems hopeless. The Ministry can touch these street people, put some hope in their lives.

We cannot be all things to everyone, everywhere, but we do support the street people and get down in the ditches, building the bridges, with love, acceptance and forgiveness. These people on the streets, the young girls who have turned to prostitution for survival, the glue sniffers, the ones on drug, the drunks, we are leading them, showing them, working to make the difference that the Our Supporters want to accomplish by donating their funds soppurting Our Outreach Programs.