More than that

Here's the video Kathi referenced in the Adult Ed presentation this morning...

2012 trip

Dates are set for this years trip ...
grab your calendars, write it down

and get ready to join us!

June 16th -23rd.




Work for all levels.


No previous experience needed,

although a 'servant heart' is a must!



Join a community of believers,

looking to be the hands and feet of Christ...

in a gorgeous setting,

working with, and for,

the Lakota people.


Check out previous posts for more images

and

a more complete idea

of the work we do...
and give prayerful consideration to joining us.

At this time, participation is limited to members of Christ Lutheran and Emmanuel congregations.

Andy

It is with great sadness that I write of the death of one of our founding members, Andy Ruhlin.

Andy has been an integral part of the Adult Mission trip from its very inception, traveling with us to the 'hollers' of West Virginia and the plains of South Dakota.

His understanding of, and commitment to, community building led to the decision of the Steering Committee to chose Rosebud Reservation as the place for our ongoing ministry.

As I was getting images of Andy together to share here, I rarely found one in which he was not actively engaged in work or surrounded by others; that reality speaks volumes.

He was the heart of our group.

He worked tirelessly every day to bring about the Kingdom of God - by his words and deeds.

He played just as hard - and just as well.

I know I speak for all members of our group when I say we are also profoundly grateful for his friendship.

We were blessed with a friend whose smile made us feel known and accepted and whose words were capable of making us laugh, bringing us to tears and making us think.

We couldn't have asked for a more faithful partner in our work.

His absence will be mourned and deeply felt.

We know he'll be with us as we continue the work to which he was so devoted...

and we won't see a sunset at Ring Thunder without knowing he's there.

Friday, 06/17/11

And then all that has divided us will merge

And then compassion will be wedded to power

And then softness will come to a world

that is harsh and unkind

And then both men and women will be gentle

And then both women and men will be strong

And then no person

will be subject to another's will

And then all will be rich and free and varied

And then the greed of some

will give way to the needs of many

And then all will share equally

in the earths abundance

And then all will care

for the sick and the weak and the old

And then all will cherish life's creatures

And then all will live

in harmony with each other and the earth

And then everywhere

will be called Eden once again.

Judy Chicago

Thursday, 06/16/11

The universe whispers that all things are intertwined.

The Lakota embody "Mitakuye Oyasin" - we are all related.

Yet at times we hear the loud cry of discord.

To which voice shall we listen?

Although we long for harmony, we cannot close our ears to the noise of war, the rasp of hate. How dare we speak of concord when the facts and symbols of our age include Wounded Knee, Auschwitz, Abugrade and Columbine.

The intelligent heart does not deny reality. We must not forget the grief of yesterday, nor ignore the pain of today. But yesterday is past. It cannot tell us what tomorrow will bring.

If there is goodness at the heart of life, then its power, like the power of evil, is real.

Which shall prevail?

Moment by moment we choose between them.

If we choose rightly, and often enough, the broken fragments of our world will be restored to wholeness.

For this we need strength and help.

We turn, in hope, therefore, to a power beyond us.

He has many names but He is One.

He creates. He sustains. He loves.

He inspires us with the hope that we can make ourselves one as He is One.

O God, help us build Your kingdom, one human world, united in heart and soul.

There lives a God:

His presence is the glow in the human heart.

There lives a God:

We meet Him in the joys of human love.

We see Him in our vision of a better world:

when we choose life and blessing and turn from death and destruction.

We hear Him in the still, small voice of conscience.

We sense Him in our unending search for truth.

There lives a God and, in love, we unite with Him as we call Him One.

Gates of Prayer: the New Union Prayer Book