Dave

We were visited last night by our former construction manager, Dave.

It was a difficult and painful meeting.

 
He spoke intensely of the trials he and his family have endured for the past several months; trials that are the result of poor individual choices and the brokenness of the human condition.

He bravely spoke of his faith, his doubts and moments of great despair.

It was time of openness and vulnerability, for the speaker as well as the listeners.
It was a shared ministry of presence.

One of the greatest privileges that comes from the intentional choice of returning to the same work site, year after year, is the loss of illusion.

You can't construct and maintain some fantasy of 'the Lakota people' that is romanticized or one dimensional.
You are forced to see them as individuals with all the contradictions and complexities that implies.
It is a blessing that allows you to see them as fully human.

Kent Nerburn, in his book Neither Wolf nor Dog, describes interactions between the two cultures beautifully:

It is about acknowledging differences while seeking understanding; about standing on the angers and sadnesses and broken dreams and promises that separate us and reaching across to become brothers and sisters and part of the common human family. It is about allowing ourselves to be seen and trusting that those who see us will honor what they see, and treat it with gentleness and respect. In short – it is about faith – in ourselves, in others, and in the common humanity that lies beneath our many differences.

Our brother, Dave, and his family are in need of our prayers; please hold them tenderly in your hearts and ask that they be upheld in the difficult days still to come.