Emmanuel Episcopal/Christ Lutheran Adult Mission Trip

2012 trip

2012-01-16T07:57:00.010-06:00

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

2011-09-11T13:20:00.012-05:00

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

2011-06-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

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

2011-06-16T19:28:00.000-05:00

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

Creed of Hope

2011-06-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

I believe in God.
The God of all creeds, with all their truths.
But, above all, in the God
that rises from the dead words
to become part of life.

I believe in God that accompanies me along
every step of my path on this earth,
many times walking behind me, watching me and suffering with my mistakes,
other times walking beside me, talking to me and teaching me,
and other times walking ahead of me, guiding and marking my pace.

I believe in the God of flesh and blood, Jesus Christ,
the God who lived in my skin and tried on my shoes,
the God who walked in my ways and knows of light and shadows.
the God who ate and starved,
who had a home and suffered loneliness,
who was praised and condemned, kissed and was spat on, loved and hated.
The God who went to parties and funerals,
the God who laughed and cried.

I believe in the God who is attentive today, who looks at the world
and sees the hatred that segregates, divides, sets people aside, hurts and kills,
who sees the bullets piercing the flesh,
and the blood of innocent people flowing on the earth,
who sees the hand that dips into another persons pocket,
stealing what somebody needs to eat,
who sees the judge that favours the highest bidder,
the 'truth and justice' of the hypocrites,
who sees the dirty rivers and the dead fish,
the toxic substances destroying the earth
and piercing the sky
who sees the future mortgaged and
mans debt growing.

I believe in God who sees all this...
and keeps crying.

But I also believe in God
who sees a mother giving birth - a life born from pain,
who sees children playing - a new beginning
who sees a flower blooming out of the debris - a seed growing,
who sees the sun rising every morning - a time of opportunities.

I believe in God who sees all this...
and laughs,
because,
in spite of it all,
there is hope.
Gerardo Oberman, Argentina

The Gleaners

2011-06-16T06:20:00.007-05:00

It was the first thing I thought of...as soon as I caught my breath.

I know you've seen the painting by French artist, Francois Millet.
Women in a field, bathed in the golden glow of either early morning or dusk, gathering in what was left behind of the harvest...

poverty made pretty, pastoral and almost palatable.

This wasn't that.

They had startled me.
Actually, we startled each other.

While waiting for my partner to come back to the Habitat house, with the correct plumbing supplies that would signal another descent into the crawl space beneath the house, I decided to enjoy being able to stand upright again and breathe fresh air.

Still wanting to be useful, I began patrolling the property, picking up trash.

The particular HFH house to which we were assigned is separated by a small unpaved alley from one of the towns main grocery stores.

There's a lot of foot traffic and few public trash receptacles so litter abounds.

Minutes later, as I threw a box filled with junk into the grocery stores dumpster, the sound of the lid being tossed open, and the trash hitting the side of the container, caused two men behind it to jump up, drop what they were eating, hurriedly grab their back packs and walk away rapidly.

By appearance, clothing and hygiene, I speculated the men were homeless; possibly living behind the dumpster; at the very least, taking an extended rest there.

As my heart rate returned to a normal rhythm, I looked around and saw evidence which confirmed my initial impression.

I also saw far more.

The men had been eating raw potatoes and uncooked, thawed, previously frozen "Healthy Choice" microwave dinners; meals that had passed the expiration date and were no longer able to be sold commercially.

In fact, the entire right side of the dumpster was filled with items beyond the 'sell date' as well as produce too spoiled to be consumed - at least by 'paying customers'.

I had interrupted Gleaners.

I had interrupted people eating from the garbage, gathering up the leftovers
... and it made me ill.

I was painfully aware that stories of our faith say clearly that these same men will be the very ones invited by Christ to the banquet table in His kingdom.

I was even more painfully aware that I was hesitant to even invite them back to the dorm to share a sandwich with us at lunchtime.

There is nothing the least bit romantic about people having to scavenge in dumpsters in order to survive. There is no golden glow that can pretty it up.

The kingdom is not yet here.

Yesterday morning, I was given the chance to see clearly my role in why it isn't.

There are so many wonderful things about a Mission trip.

This wasn't that.

Wednesday, 06/15/11

2011-06-15T08:24:00.015-05:00

Help us to see the good in ourselves and each other.

Help us serve the spirit of goodness in all we meet.

Help us restore love upon this earth.

May all be fed.

May all be healed.

May all be loved.

Judy Robbins

South Dakota sky

2011-06-15T07:04:00.002-05:00

The following images were all taken yesterday...
I swear I don't know how anyone in this state gets any work done at all.
We walk around all day with our cameras pointed heavenwards...
and maybe these images will give you an idea why.

The sky dominated all.

Like the land, it was too large, too singular, to be absorbed.

The sunrise was swathing the east with colors of golds and oranges and purples.

They dripped and streamed across the entire horizon, backlighting the clouds and shooting rays of yellow sunlight across the land.

The sun was slowly pushing into view.

As it rose, it drove the shadows deep into the valleys and draws.

I felt like I was in an amphitheater of the gods.
Kent Nerburn

Tuesday, 06/14/11

2011-06-14T17:11:00.000-05:00

The people I love the best

jump into work head first,

without dallying in the shallows,

and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.

They seem to become natives of that element,

the black sleek heads of seals

bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge

in the task, who go into the fields to harvest

and work in a row and pass the bags along,

who stand in the line and haul in their places,

who are not parlor generals and field deserters

but move in a common rhythm

when the food must come in or the fire put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But a thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies,

clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil.

Hopi vases that held corn are put in museums,

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water to carry

and a person for work that is real.

Marge Piercy

Monday, 06/13/11

2011-06-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

The time for healing of the wounds has come.

The time to build is upon us...

We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people

from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation,

gender inequality and other forms of suffering and discrimination.

There is no easy road to freedom.

None of us acting alone can achieve success.

We must therefore act together as a united people,

for reconciliation, for nation building,

for the birth of a new world.

Nelson Mandela

Sunday, 06/12/11

2011-06-12T08:22:00.005-05:00

Scenes from the day:

Dear God

Your will is that we may be one.

We thank you that you call us into communion

with You and with each other.

Your generosity and mercy are always

taking us by surprise.

We bless you for the vision of

inclusion, solidarity and compassion

which breaks us open, widens our sympathies

and enlarges our hearts.

We commend into Your gracious care

all those whom it would be easy to forget - -

the homeless and the hungry,

the addicted and the lost

abandoned souls and hurting children.

We thank you for the imagination and generosity

of those who minister

in the name of love and compassion

to those who are most in need.

Let us together

seek to serve the needy, the rejected and the forgotten.

Confront our indifference,

challenge our boundaries, surprise us with joy.

Dear Christ,

look upon us in this suffering and glorious world

and keep our sympathy and pity fresh

and our faces heavenward

lest we grow hard.

Amen

Rev Alan Jones

2011-06-11T20:56:00.006-05:00

Your grace called me and I heard your voice deep in my spirit.

You made it possible for me to have faith and empowered me to respond to your call.

I have no strength that does not come from you, and when I obey your command, it is only because you enable me to do so.

Fulfill your purpose for me and continue to equip me with the faith that leads to acts of obedience.

Enable me to identify your voice and to follow where you lead me.

Loving God, help me to be a faithful instrument of your will.

Help me listen for your voice and guide me in the direction you would have me go.

Give your child a much needed rest from the challenges of the day.

Renew and strengthen me to face tomorrow with more faith than I had today.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen

Left at 0730 and arrived @ midnight!
VERY long trip due to flooding in IA, MO and NB which added over 100 miles and 2 hours to the total travel time.
Hate to complain though about being inconvenienced in the face of the devastation the floods have caused!

We're safe, we have shelter and we're here...

We even received wonderful gifts handcrafted by first timer Missioner, Keith Lissant!

The start to a GREAT trip...but first, sleep!

It's time

2011-06-11T04:30:00.000-05:00

I found a wonderful poem, written specifically for a Mission trip, that feels just perfect for this morning!

I know it speaks directly to my experience for the past decade.

Hopefully it echoes in the hearts of all of us leaving this morning, whether it's our first trip or our twelfth!

Today I get my big break.

A chance to go.
A chance to do.

I strategically fold my life in a black duffel bag,
packing hunger for adventure, opportunity and a blank notebook.

With all the lists checked and provisions in hand,
I claim a space in a maroon hulk.

Who would have thought I would be driving into the heart of the country - with strangers?
God did.

How awesome is the Creator I serve?
He loves the big picture.
And the thought that He chose me to be a stroke in the picture He is painting is beyond words.

My hope is that, for Him, I will be unhindered, unashamed, and set apart;
that our group will be Holy, as He is Holy.

I really cannot imagine what my personal experience will be,
what I will learn, or how I will grow;

I do know it will be
life altering.

My goal is to be constantly aware that I am living out what we have all been planning and waiting for.

This is not the time to be tired or have a negative attitude.
This is the time to truly live;
to breathe in a different culture and surroundings and love.

For the next week, I want to be a giver and a doer - and to receive the unknown blessings that God has in store for me.

Just a note about this years blog.
We are delighted you want to follow along and we're eager to share the work we'll do in a place we love.

There's no denying, however, that 'feeding a blog' takes time...
and we've found that time tending a blog is time away from community - and building community - both with people on Rosebud and with others on the Mission trip with us - is our primary goal.

So, this year, while there will be a post a day, reflections and thoughts will probably be added after we get back.

We'll be posting pictures daily though which should give you a visual impression of what we're doing!

We're glad you're with us...we KNOW we'll have a blast!

24 hours - and counting

2011-06-10T06:28:00.000-05:00

"ROAD TRIP"

Words that, for many of us ‘of a certain age’, conjure up strong, sometimes contradictory, images – of mind and butt numbingly, hot hours trapped between barely tolerated siblings in a back seat (that they were ‘hogging’ by the way) and sporadic, and ultimately futile, parental attempts to interest said sib group in license plate bingo, “EYE Spy” or choruses of repetitive chants about alcoholic beverages – oh wait, maybe that was just me.

By contrast,you were probably blessed with memories of barreling down the turnpike with windows wide open – better yet the ‘tailgate’- legs swinging dangerously inches above hot asphalt or feet sticking out the window, the summer wind rushing through your hair (or toes), the smell of pines and sea air filling the car while visions of sandy beaches and freedom on an island filled your head – oh wait, that was me too.

Whatever your associations are with long trips confined in moving spaces, it definitely colors your willingness to get into a 15 passenger van with relative strangers (some stranger than others!), traveling 12-18 hours (depending on weather, number of rest stops and summer road construction) across 800 miles while going deeper into the interior of America.

Frankly, I’m always amazed when we set the departure date and time for Mission trip, the date arrives – and people actually show up!

‘Veterans’ of our trip will tell you that we’ve been asked why we don’t fly and why we travel together instead of just “meeting up” on site, allowing everyone to get there on their own. Both valid questions and the Steering Committee has heard, and considered, multiple viewpoints.

The long and the short of it is that we don’t go on Mission trip as a mere collection of individuals; we go as representatives of communities of faith.

We go to actually live and build community, specifically the kingdom of God (although most of the time that feels presumptuous, way too lofty – and maybe dangerous - to fully grasp); time in the van gives us the privilege of starting the process of community building, amongst ourselves, before we ever leave town.

All the negotiations about space, use of time, control of the CD/radio, where to eat meals, what pieces of self information to share, when and with whom, become building blocks through which we create a cohesive group. Trust, relationships and sustainable working communities all take time; there are no short cuts. We need to take advantage of every moment we’re given.

Our experience has been that, from the moment of arrival in Rosebud, we hit the ground running. “Van time” allows us to switch gears - from our ‘regular ‘lives and routines to a ‘time set apart”; to transition to another geography and different ways of looking at ourselves, the world and our rightful place in it.

And, oddly enough, getting to know fellow travelers on the journey turns out to be WAY more fun than car bingo!

A Lakota Primer

2011-05-12T07:58:00.000-05:00

and a message that needs to be heard.

A 15 minute TED talk that should be required in history classes throughout the country and before getting in the van for the Mission Trip!

Pine Ridge reservation is immediately adjacent to Rosebud.

The images are the same; the statistics are the same; the pain and suffering are the same.

Countdown

2011-05-11T06:30:00.004-05:00

One month from today and we head back to Rosebud!

In preparing for the trip, I rediscovered a lovely passage from Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn.

I'd like to share it here because it speaks so perfectly to the experience of those of us who have traveled on this journey before.

They were inheritors of something that whispers in the wind and echoes from the land and nothing they as individuals can do will silence these voices that rise up around them.

They search - for common meaning, common understanding and common redemption.

And, because they search, it does not matter that they are on opposite sides of a cultural chasm filled with tears and guilt and broken promises and dreams.

They struggle together to reach across to each other and, finally, they become more than friends – they become brothers and sisters.

The land you walk upon, whether it be city streets, country lanes or suburban cul-de-sacs, is Indian land.
There are echoes beneath your feet that are there to be heard if you are willing to listen to your heart.

In the last analysis, we must all, Indian and non-Indian, come together.

This earth is our mother, this land our shared heritage.

Our histories and fates are intertwined, no matter where our ancestors were born and how they interacted with each other.

Our shared reality, built over a decade, is what makes our return to the reservation feel, on many levels, like going home.

Who needs the Oscars?

2011-02-26T08:44:00.010-06:00

For your viewing pleasure...

from Rosebud Fair 2010.
About 1 minute in to this video, our girl, Iesha, enters the screen in all her orange and blue glory! (enters stage right)

I also wanted to share this video of the group, Nake Nula Waun, a group who's winning national attention. They recently entertained at SGU Founders Day Family Night and, by all reports, rocked the house!

Their music is all dedicated to the Rosebud Reservation where they all grew up and touches on all the hard life issues of suicide and drugs that have ben a problem on the rez.

Their name, Nake Nula Waun, means "Always ready for anything".

When one of the male members entered the Army (currently stationed in North Carolina), Kodi Denoyer stepped in and now sings with the group.

I have an email out to Charlene checking to see if this is her sister-in-law!

I can't honestly say that rap is my favorite genre (ok...not even in the top 5...), but I do think it's an important vehicle to hear what youth are saying.

You didn't think I'd leave Alan out, now did you?
He recently won first place in his division of Fancy Dancing at Founders Day Wacipi...so consider his performance here in August at the Rosebud Fair as a dress rehearsal! He's the dancer with the headdress with green feathers at the very beginning of the clip. (coming in from the left side of the screen)

Updates

2011-02-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

There’s lots of news to report from recent issues of the Todd County Tribune.

Here are highlights:

Don’t know about you, but I LOVE the new modified tipi structure being constructed on the grounds of Sinte Gleska University across from the Administration Building which will be utilized for Lakota studies.

Construction of the more than 100 foot building is planned for completion by August 2011.
It is also said the building will hold an observatory at the top of the tipi for astrological studies.
(January 19th edition)

We’ll have a new option for our listening pleasure as we sweat on the work site.

Besides KINI out of St Francis, the announcement for a new radio station was made on the front page of the latest edition. (February 16th edition)

“KOYA will broadcast at the frequency of 88.1 and will feature classical rock and oldies music for now. They will also be doing memorial requests and will be open minded to other music also. (Open-minded is good).

The call letters – KOYA – are from a translation of the Lakota phrase for “I call out in search of you”.

The first official broadcast date was set for February 24, 2011.

The opening was accompanied by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and prayers for the station.

The station is located in the old Mission Medical Building located on Main Street.

(For those ‘old timers’ among us – that’s right across from Mission Grocery Store/ACE hardware.)

The other front page article (from the February 16th edition) has to do with Rosebud Sioux Reservation being the first tribe to receive a National Cemetery which will be located on the reservation.

Rosebud tribal planners have meet with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and South Dakotas newest national cemetery will cost an estimated $5.3 million and be located in Mission, SD.
The 80 acre site would be 7 miles north of the Junction of US Highway 18 and 83 on tribal land.
The Black Hills National Cemetery is the only national cemetery in the state.
The next closest national cemetery is Fort Snelling in Minnesota.
“The location of the National cemetery on the Rosebud will relieve the burden of travel on veteran’s families, especially those who live in remote areas in South Dakota”.

And, while it made back page news, I think we can all take some credit for THIS item!

The amount of money spent by travelers in South Dakota jumped $96 million last year!
Overall, tourism generated a record setting total of $1,059,201,417 -breaking the $1 Billion mark for the first time.

Dear South Dakota,You're welcome.

SD EPISCOPAL CHURCH HONORED BY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

2011-01-03T18:30:00.002-06:00

From the Tribune:
pictured from left to right: Rev John Spruhan, Sandy Tucker and Bishop Tarrant.

Sioux Falls:

The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota and the Rosebud Episcopal Mission were recently named as 2010 Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi Habitat for Humanity supporters.

The presentation of awards was conducted during Habitat's 2010 Annual Recognition and Fundraising Banquet on November 13, 2010 at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls, SD.

Certificates of Appreciation were given to both the Rt Rev John Tarrant, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in South Dakota, main offices located in Sioux Falls, and to Rev John Spruhan, priest in charge of the Rosebud Mission of the Episcopal Church in Missions, SD. Making the presentation was Randy Olawsky, chairman, Board of Directors, Habitat of for Humanity, South Dakota.

Rev Spruhan has been a member of Habitat's Board of Directors for eight years, said Noah "Sandy' Tucker, executive director of the reservation based HFH affiliate.

Spruhan, an Episcopal priest has also served many of those years as board treasurer.

The Episcopal Diocese has been a major supporter of the Habitat program, Tucker continued, in that it leases Fr Barbour Hall to the local Habitat affiliate for its offices as well as adjacent Bishop Hare Home property on which Habitat builds houses for qualified families.

Habitats' local service area includes Todd and Mellette Counties.

In addition, a number of Episcopal churches, both local and from out of state (that would be US!), have donated money to the local Habitat affiliate to purchase needed materials for house building projects.

Both Bishop Tarrant and Rev Spruhan expressed their appreciation and thanks to Habitat for Humanity for the work it does for area families who need housing and for acknowledging the Episcopal Church's contributions.

From the 'Family and Friends' section of the latest Tribune

2010-12-18T09:29:00.003-06:00

Bahe Spruhan, 5-year old grandson of Father John Spruhan and Mother Judy Spruhan (both Episcopal priests on the Rosebud Reservation living in Rosebud), has won the title of "Navajo Little Prince 2010" and is tribe royalty in the Navajo Nation (where he is enrolled).
In this competition, Bahe had to demonstrate his fluency in the Navajo language (he attends school in Ft. Defiance where his classes are all conducted in Navajo), by introducing his family and reciting a prayer in Navajo. He did a splendid job reciting "The Navajo Greet the Morning" and was crowned the Navajo Little Prince for this year.

His parents are Bidtah Becker and Paul Spruhan (both of Ft. Defiance).

Congratulations to the proud Prince, his parents and grandparents!

Also from the Tribune:

2010-12-05T16:29:00.002-06:00

In the classifieds, there was a 'Thank You" which read:

Thank you to everyone who helped put out the fire two weeks ago east of Mission: Assman Implement, neighbors, and firefighters, especially BIA and Wood. Thanks to Ed, Chad and Judy Chauncey for help with the livestock.
It was signed Maggie and Jemma Mocassin.

Not sure about the circumstances, the extent of the loss or in what ways Maggie and Jemma might need help.
I've sent her an email to inquire, as well as to let her know we're thinking of her and that they're in our prayers.

Maggie can be reached through the email @ the Art Institute @ Sinte Gleska should any of you want to reach out as well.

Federal Court News from the Todd County Tribune

2010-12-05T07:17:00.006-06:00

David Anthony Lee Marshall, age 50, was sentenced to 180 months of imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Victims Assistance Fund. Marshall was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, Incest and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child by a federal grand jury on March 9, 2010. The charge relates to Marshall knowingly causing a child, who had not attained the age of 12 years, to engage in sexual acts with him between 2002 and 2005 in the Horse Creek Community. Marshall was immediately turned over to the custody of the United States Marshal.

I would ask your prayers for Dave, his victim and all those whose lives have been impacted by the sexual abuse of children.

Prayer of Healing for Victims of Abuse

Praise to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
source of all consolation and hope.
By your Son’s dying and rising
He remains our light in every darkness,
our strength in every weakness.

Be the refuge and guardian
of all who suffer from abuse and violence.
Comfort them and send healing
for their wounds of body, soul and spirit.
Rescue them from bitterness and shame
and refresh them with your love.
Heal the brokenness in all victims of abuse
and revive the spirits of all who lament this sin.

Help us to follow Jesus in drawing good from evil, life from death.
Make us one with you in your love for justice
as we deepen our respect
for the dignity of every human life.

Giver of peace,
make us one in celebrating your praise,
both now and forever.

Amen.
+ John F. Kinney, Bishop of Saint Cloud Imprimatur

"Lead me from death to life.
From lie to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope.
From fear to trust.
Lead me from hatred to love.
From war to peace.
May peace fill our hearts, our world, & our universe,
peace, peace, peace" ~

Mother Teresa

Sermon, Thanksgiving Day, 11-25-10

2010-12-04T21:07:00.000-06:00

Preached at Emmanuel Episcopal Church,

Webster Groves, MO

by Pastor Keith Holste of Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, MO
John 10:25-35

Various joint ministries have emerged in this now longstanding relationship between our congregations. Besides worshiping together at key times and sharing the summer children's ministry, we travel together to Mission, South Dakota and the Rosebud Reservation. It's been my privilege to be on that mission trip a couple of times, including last summer.
It's a long haul to get out there. But one has a sense of leaving one culture and entering another.

From tree covered hills we go to wide open plains.

From straining to see a sunset or an approaching storm from between the treetops, out there one watches the panorama of the sky as the sunsets are on wide open display, and the storms roll in way larger than on an Omnimax screen.

From relative affluence we go to where there is a great deal of poverty and rampant unemployment.

Entering the native American world is a journey into a different culture, too.

It takes time to understand it. Interpreters are helpful.

It is a different way of looking at the world. I know I have just begun to scratch the surface. It would take a long immersion to really get into the way of thinking, and I'm not sure it could ever be completely accomplished, just as I'm not sure a right brained person can ever think like a left brained person. But there are ways to become acculturated.

Last summer on the last night of the mission trip, a Friday, about a dozen of us decided to attend the warm-up powwow at Rosebud.

The bigger community event was going to be the next day, but we would be on our way home by then. It was a chance to get in on the festivities of a powwow, a chance to re-connect with Harold and his granddaughter Iesha who had been away during the week, and an opportunity to see young Alan put on his costume and dance a traditional dance, while sitting with Stacie, his grandmother.

The temperature was great, the sky was big. It was a lovely evening.

I didn't know that we would be attending a naming ceremony which was part of the program. A family from the tribe had relocated to the west coast. The young daughter was

coming back to come into the tribe as an adult and to receive her new name.

A part of this was the grand march around the grandstand parade circle by the family.

There were songs by the drum teams. There were dances in full regalia by different age groups and genders.

Then came something we were much less used to. It was the giveaway.

Representatives from the family had large gift containers the size of barrels, and they started going around the grandstand, handing out gifts to all present.

Some items were homemade, some used, some new. If you were there, you were eligible. You received a prize.

They went around once and had gifts left over, so they went around again.

We put ours together when we returned to our lodging, and we had nearly a barrel full of various gifts. We had attended a giveaway.

Some of you know more about this. I have come to find out that it is one of those ways where the native culture is different than ours, but as I hope we can see today, it may not be that foreign after all.

In native culture, at significant events such as a naming ceremony those involved give things away. Donna Erickson, Andy Ruhlin, and Glenn Dunn went out again in July for the memorial service for a man, Don Moccasin, who had befriended the mission trips and who had died the previous July. A year is the designated time for mourning.

Donna, Glenn, and Andy brought back reports of a huge giveaway.

The family with other community members had spent the year assembling gifts, making quilts, getting huge amounts of things together to give to all who came for the memorial event for Don. It was a giveaway.

It is the reverse of the way we usually go about such events.

If there is a special event in a person's life, a baptism and naming, a funeral, a wedding, a birthday, we normally bring gifts for the one honored. The honored may provide favors, but the larger gifts go to the person.

In native culture it is reversed. The larger gifts go to the ones in attendance.

The giveaway is a way to say that the stuff isn't important; you are.

The stuff I give you is a sign of how much I care about you, how thankful I am you came to be with me at this important time. I can give away all I have, but the important thing remains. What is enduring is the relationship we have. (Some do this to make the point.)

My giving things away to you and in your presence is a sign of our enduring relationship and how much I care about you.

I think of Jesus as we hear him being found by the people. He had fed the crowds with the five loaves and two fishes miraculously multiplied the day before. Now he says that they have come back for more. He tells them, “Do not work for the food that spoils, instead work for the food that gives eternal life.”
(As an aside here, this matches with another idea of the giveaway, in that as the loaves and fishes multiplied, the idea with a giveaway is that the gift will keep giving and multiply. The gift is given in a circle, and the circle will keep expanding. What starts as a giveaway, becomes a circle of multiplication in the community.)

When it comes to stuff, we like to have it. We give thanks for it. As the Pilgrims were glad to have enough to survive, partly by a native American giveaway back then, so do we give thanks for the stuff of life. Without food and shelter we don't do very well.

But wouldn't we agree that the things that are most important are the things that are intangible. The stuff keeps our bodies going, but the the things that bring meaning and joy are relationships, purposeful living for others, and a sense of being in tune with God and thankful for an eternal promise.

In Luke we hear Jesus call the farmer foolish who built bigger barns so he could hoard all his excess grain. Here Jesus reminds us to be mindful of that which builds for eternal life.

This morning we bring gifts. This is “thanks--giving,” (two words). As we give thanks, we do our giving, too. We bring foodstuffs and necessities for life that others may share from what we give away. We do so partly for the sake others that they may have necessities. But notice, we don't take it directly to the pantry. No, we bring it to the altar. We return to God what God has first given us. As we give thanks to God, we return a portion to God for sake of giving thanks to God.

In the early days of Israel there was the tithe. Families brought the first fruits of their agricultural produce to the temple. Later on it was given to the priests or the poor as a way to make use of it. But the initial intent was simply as a gift of thanks to God. Today we give thanks to God. In the spirit of the giveaway, we let go of our stuff.

What is important is that we acknowledge our relationship with God.

Some native Americans who are Christian have begun to see how the native culture can inform Christian understanding. There are a host of ways, but among them is to see how the idea of the giveaway is a way to interpret God's action toward people. At a giveaway there are different levels of gifts. Not every one got a quilt at Don Moccasin's memorial, as an example.
The gift given is a measure of how much the relationship is treasured by the giver.

A way to see what God has done for us, and that for which we are most thankful, is that God has had a giveaway. We are most thankful for it because it is the way to eternal life. God chose to say, “I value my relationship with you to such a degree that I am giving away my own dear son away for you. I give my son's life for you as a way to show how much I care about you, how much I want you to be with me eternally, and how much want you to to have joy and meaning in life.

Of all the things we are full of thanks about, this is the one that makes the most difference of all. This is at the top of the list. What could honor the relationship any more?
In a little while we will be part of yet another thanksgiving ritual. We will come forward for the Eucharist. Eucharist is from the Greek meaning “to give thanks.” Our Eucharist or Communion begins, “Let us give thanks to the Lord.”

Here we see another giveaway at work. We come to the Lords' table with hands empty.
We have little to give to God. But God has much to give to us. We come with hands empty to receive the wonderful gift God has for us. God's son is given and shed for us that we might have life.
In this meal we receive the word from God that the sacrifice has been made for us. Gifts are received. The body and blood of our Lord is given and shed for us. It is God's sign of how important this relationship with him is. “You mean all to me,” Jesus says, “I give away my life for you.”

The people were after Jesus for him to perform yet another miracle for them. Could he provide more bread for them on a daily basis as God had given manna to the Israelites on the exodus? Jesus told them, “It is my father who gives you the real bread from heaven.” He goes on to say, “I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never be hungry; those who
believe in me will never be thirsty.”

When we come to receive the bread and wine of the holy eucharist, the holy thanksgiving, the holy giveaway, God gives it to us so that we know we mean everything to him.
He has given away his best in the death of his son, so that we might have life, life with him, and life eternal. That's what counts, and it is that for which we are the most thankful.

Busy edition

2010-12-02T13:49:00.003-06:00

Front page news from recent Todd County Tribune:

Don Moccasin’s Lakota documentaries project has been honored by a Native Voices grant from the Endangered Language fund at the Yale University. The award funds a Mentor-Apprentice Lakota language and translation training program, which features a mother and son team, Lavina Milk and Gary Antoine, working together on transcriptions and translations of Lakota interviews.
The grant proposal centered on Antoine’s Lakota language studies using contemporary recordings/text assisted by his mother, Lavina, who is a fluent speaker of Lakota and Dakota.
The Native Voices endowment was created for the revitalization and perpetuation of the languages of the Native American tribes and Nations who encountered the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Each year, grants of $2,500- 10,000 are awarded to support projects, programs and individuals dedicated to the study, documentation and instruction of Native American languages.
The Lakota documentaries project is housed in the Great Plains Art Institute of Sinte Gleska University.
It is the largest collection of the 21st century Lakota language recordings made over a ten year period and includes personal interviews, conferences and public events.
Currently the collection is being digitized and translated into English.
In the past, the project received prestigious awards from the American Philosophical Society and Whatcom Museum Society.

In the same edition of the paper was an open forum letter entitled:

Goodbye to the Rosebud:

Dear Friends,
In consultation with Bishop Tarrant, I am writing to announce my retirement plans, which have been developing during the past several months.

Effective December 1, 2010, I am resigning as the Priest in Charge of the Rosebud Episcopal Mission.

After much prayer and discernment, I have chosen to take advantage of the Church Pension Fund retirement option for clergy who are 60 years old. I have made this decision for health reasons. As most of you know, I have had several health problems during the last 10 years, some of which require ongoing medical care.

I have served in the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church since 1980.

I accepted the call to serve on the Rosebud Episcopal Mission and began my ministry here on December 21, 1997.

When you called me as your new Priest, I promised that I would serve, with Gods help, until retirement.

I have kept that promise.

Serving our Lord Jesus Christ among the Lakota people has been a rich blessing.
I have seen Jesus in your faces and your hearts in many ways during the past 13 years, in times of joy and in times of sorrow.

It will be hard for Mother Judy and I to leave here, but we will go with special memories, and in the knowledge that, in the Lakota way, there isn’t good bye but the promise of seeing you again.

Mother Judy, Lydia and I will be moving to the Roanoke, Virginia area of Southwestern Virginia. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is an area where we have visited friends for many years. It is an area that we have often considered for retirement so, for us, it is a dream come true.
Please keep us in your prayers as you will remain in our prayers.

Faithfully yours,
The Very Rev. John H. Spruhan

and last but certainly not least - a picture of Rosebud Tribal Police...see anyone YOU know?

(Hint, she's second from the right!)

Must say, I'm loving the Tribune for keeping us in the loop!

Sooner than anticipated

2010-11-05T14:17:00.006-05:00

I learned earlier this week – via Facebook, of all places – that Father John and Mother Judy Spruhan are retiring at the end of the month and will be relocating to VA by mid-December.

Those of us who have worked with them over the years know how dedicated this clergy couple was to the people on Rosebud and how much their presence will be missed.

A retirement blessing for John and Judy:
Thank you for your insight, your guidance, your companionship, your integrity and for all the sacrifices you have made.
May God bless the path you take.
May God bless your future labors with success.
May your newly found freedom bring you great pleasure and deep satisfaction.
May God bless your bodies with health and your souls with joy.
May your work on the reservation continue to flourish in your absence.
May God watch over you and shield you from harm.
May your prayers for the next phase of your life be answered.

May you enjoy the future God has in store for you.

I’m including below a letter which was sent on behalf of the Adult Mission Trip to Bishop Tarrant in the Diocese of South Dakota offering our prayers and willingness to be lead to new ministries on the reservation as he and the Holy Spirit may see fit.

Dear Bishop Tarrant,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters in Christ within the Diocese of Missouri!

I am writing to you with a dual purpose.

The first is to say “Congratulations” to the Diocese of South Dakota and Rosebud Mission for being named the 2010 Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi Chapter /Habitat for Humanity’s Partners of the Year.

As a member of the Steering Committee for the group that received this honor last year- Emmanuel Episcopal/Christ Lutheran Adult Mission Trip- I truly wish a contingent of us could be present in Sioux Falls later this month at the honoring ceremony and dinner to help celebrate your recognition.
Please know we will be with you in spirit.

We were all very encouraged to read of your personal pledge of continuing support for this vital ministry to the Lakota people.

Our parish groups (both Adults and Senior High) have been actively involved on Bishop Hare grounds and throughout the Rosebud reservation for two decades, working not only with HFH but the Reverends John and Judy Spruhan and Frank Gangone with the Jubilee Center. Our adult group built the ball field and arbor on Bishop Hare grounds, helped prepare for Convocation 2000 and was invited to attend the Niobrara Convocation in 2009 during which you were introduced as Bishop.

All of which is to say that our brothers and sisters in South Dakota, especially those on the reservation, have long held a special place in our hearts.

The second reason for writing at this time is that we are aware there are many anticipated changes, both in clergy leadership, with Father John and Mother Judy retiring at the end of the month, and with the ongoing financial constraints of the HFH chapter and possible resignation of its Director.

Please know that if there is any way in which we can be of service or support to you and the congregations comprising the Rosebud Mission, we would love to be informed.

Our Missions Committee and our Rector, Dan Appleyard, have pledged their support in seeking and responding to any additional avenues of service you might identify.

We have many of the constraints facing any congregation in these troubled financial times but we’ve also been blessed with many gifts as well and our commitment to serve, to build homes and to strengthen community on the reservation continues unabated.

It goes without saying that you are all being upheld in our prayers during this time of transition.

We look forward to hearing from you about other ways in which our care and concern can find appropriate expression.

Fellow "Trippers", in this time of transition, please keep all those impacted by changes in South Dakota in your daily prayers.

I'll keep you posted should we receive a reply from the Bishop.

Breaking News

2010-10-26T20:50:00.004-05:00

Posted in this weeks Todd County Tribune:

The Board of Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi/Habitat for Humanity has designated the Rosebud Episcopal Mission and the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota as its Supporter of the Year for 2010. This award will be presented at the annual statewide meeting of Habitat Affiliates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on November 13th.

The Rosebud Mission has supported the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity from Habitats beginning with the leadership of Frank Gangone, late administrator of the Mission, and the first board president of the organization.

The Rev John Spruhan, Priest in Charge of the Mission, has supported the organization by holding several different board positions during the past 10 years.

The Bishop Hare Jubilee Center, jointly administered by the Mission and the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota, has provided office space, storage space, a place to build homes before moving them to their final home sites and a place to stay for visiting church groups who work on Habitat homes.

The Rt Rev. John Tarrant, Bishop of the Diocese, has pledged his personal support for the organization at the Bishop Hare Jubilee Center for the future of this important ministry on the Rosebud Reservation.

As the recipient of this award last year, our congratulations go out to our brothers and sisters in both the Rosebud Mission and the Diocese of South Dakota for this well deserved recognition of support to Habitat!

What wonderful news to hear the Bishop pledge his personal support of this vital ministry.

How I wish we could join the celebration in Sioux Falls!

Anyone up for another road trip?!

Stewardship 1 2010 v4 web vers

2010-10-17T22:35:00.001-05:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Stewardship 1 2010 v4 web vers

View more presentations from Glenn Dunn.

It's time

2010-10-12T06:41:00.002-05:00

Photos

2010-10-09T21:33:00.004-05:00

Should any one be interested in seeing all the photos from the Mission trip, our visit back for Dons memorial service or images from the Rosebud Fair, they can be found at the flickr link below.

Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedsersw/sets/

2010-08-06T11:28:00.003-05:00

Status Hearing for David Marshall is set for 10/22/10 @ 10am.

Jesus, united with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
give us your compassion for those who are imprisoned,
either behind walls or within their own skin.

Mend with mercy the broken in mind and memory.
Soften the hard of heart, the captives of anger.

Free the innocent; parole the trustworthy.
Awaken the repentance that restores hope.

Jesus, heal the victims of crime.
They live with the scars.
Lift to eternal peace those who die without knowing justice for what was inflicted.
Grant victims’ families the forgiveness that heals.

Give wisdom to lawmakers and to those who judge.
Instill prudence and patience in those who guard.

Save us all from prejudgment and preconceptions,
for all of us are in need of your mercy!

Amen.

AND

The RS Tribal Council will be voting soon on the development of a 190 watt Megawatt wind farm located north of the Mission-Antelope area along the White River.
As many as 127 turbines are planned for the 12 mile by 4 mile wide site; each turbine will be 100 feet taller than the one at Rosebud Casino.
The tribe received a $1.5 million grant for assessment and development.
Wind data collected indicated that the North Antelope area has some of the best wind in the Dakotas and is highly financeable.

It is anticipated that beyond the initial development and installation phase, the wind farm would continue to yield over $1.2 million a year in revenue stream for the tribe for the next 16 yrs of the farms operation.

SGU and Mitchell Technical Institute have already entered into an agreement to recruit and train students/workers from the reservation for construction and permanent jobs. Curriculum for potential workers include 'industry standards' like "Intro to Wind", "Basic Turbine Mechanics" and "Electronics Theory", to name a few.

2010-08-01T08:43:00.002-05:00

I've subscribed to the Todd County Tribune, the newspaper that covers Rosebud and, throughout the year, I'll be posting updates of interest to keep us informed and connected to what's happening on the rez!

For instance:
* did you know the Rosebud Tribal Airport is nearing completion?
(Don't get any ideas though; I don't anticipate flying in for the Mission trip any time soon!)

* The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council has been asked to consider issuing a liquor license to Turtle Creek Crossing Grocery Store. This would reverse decades of the policy of 'no alcohol' being sold on the reservation.
Needless to say, the issue was hotly debated among participants, with Rodney Bordeaux, President of SGU (Sinte Gleska University) saying "Being alcohol free will never happen. Let's turn it around and use the money from liquor sales to fight alcoholism."
Mission resident, Conrad Black Bear, pointed to concerns for increased traffic and security problems if sales are allowed but Store manager, Theresa Swalley stated "Having an off-sale license at Turtle Creek will cut back on accidents because people won't be driving so far to purchase alcohol."
The proposal was tabled, further study was requested and the council will meet again in two weeks.

* On a more personal note: at Antelope Community Days, Iesha Charging Hawk took third place in the Miss Antelope Contest and Stacy Charging Hawk took third place in her age division - and what age that is, we won't say!!
Congratulations to two of our favorite ladies!!
They're FIRST place with us!

If anyone is interested in reading the paper in it's totality, let me know; I'll be happy to pass the latest edition along to you in church!

Mission Trip 2011

2010-07-26T06:44:00.003-05:00

Don't forget to mark your calendars now for next years trip!
June 11- 18th, 2011

2010-07-24T06:42:00.005-05:00

The other 'glimpse of grace', if you will, that we saw this past weekend concerned Alan.

Let me say right off the bat that I think all children are gifts from God.

I can say that even after 3 decades of working in a pediatric hospital!

My immediate association between watching Alan last Sunday at the give away and the story of Jesus in the temple talking to the elders is in no way meant to imply that there's anything 'messianic' about this 6 yr old boy.

However for me, the connections of these stories, once made, was very strong in that both scenarios involved a feast, a 'journey' with extended family and being 'found' among men generations older than the boy in question: a boy who seems to exhibit knowledge and skill far beyond his age and formal training.

I can't tell you the number of times Stacy (the grandmother who's raising him) turned to me or Ieshia (his sister), saying "Where's Alan?"

It felt that one minute he was sitting next to us and the next, he'd be gone.
And while other children his age were running around the back edges of the circle, playing in the South Dakota sun, Alan was drawn, as though magnetized, time and time again, back to the gathering of male drummers on the far side of the arbor.

Stacy even had to ask Ieshia to take a plate of food to Alan and remind him to eat, saying "he gets so lost in the music and drumming that he forgets."

A number of us have commented before, over the past two years as we've watched him dance, about the natural ability he seems to possess; how his movements and internal rhythms seem synchronized to the drums we've heard at wacipis (pow-wows).

That night, back in their home, Alan was asked to lead the prayer before we split a pizza.
He took out a wind instrument he received at the give away and said he was going to use that; then several seconds later, he seemed to change his mind and disappeared.

When he returned, he carried a small hand held drum, saying he wanted to use that instead.
For the next 2 minutes, he chanted and intoned in the Lakota tradition and I honestly can't say if he used 'formal' words or not.
I have no doubt that, in his fashion, he asked for blessings on what we were about to receive.
I also have no doubt that his invocations were heard and bestowed.

To those of us who observed him that day, his special abilities, passion and drive seemed divinely ordained.

It's easy to believe we might be witness to a very special gift for the Lakota people.

2010-07-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

Now for the 'what HAPPENED' which is always subjective and therefore more powerful.

(I should probably add here that it goes without saying the views being expressed below are not those of 'the management', i.e. the churches whose names are attached to this blog.
This is a personal reflection, not necessarily the doctrine or belief of the institutional church!)

I'm not even sure I'll be able to find the 'right' words to sum up all we experienced this weekend but I wanted to attempt a post before the immediacy wore off and things returned to 'normal'.

At the moment, the only word that comes close to summing it up is 'magical'.

But then again...

I believe in 'signs'.
I believe that God and the universe He created are not silent and that, even in this age, there are 'messages' and 'reminders' to be received if we open our eyes, minds and hearts.
I believe there are forces at work beyond our understandings of time and dimension and that it can be terrifyingly awesome to be reminded of all we don't know and understand about how God works.

I believe we were allowed to witness several of them this weekend.

It started with the crack of dawn:

beautiful sunrises are nothing new in South Dakota. But this one was followed within 20 minutes by the sky filling with dark storm clouds

and, with no rain yet, a double rainbow filling the western sky.

On a day that was sure to include both laughter and tears, being blessed with a visible sign of Gods faithfulness was an auspicious beginning.

Rain clouds continued to decorate a blue sky even at the cemetery and, while the Episcopal clergy person was praying, fat raindrops began falling. Not a downfall or even a shower, but the definite presence of rain that threatened to build momentum and create a problem.

Minutes later however, as the medicine man began chanting in Lakota accompanied by the drum, burning sage and waving its perfume over the grave and mourners standing nearby, the rain stopped, the grey clouds dissipated and, as if on cue, a lone eagle flew overhead and hovered over the cemetery!

(this is not a picture from the cemetery since it felt intrusive to bring a camera to the spiritual/worship component of the day; I promise however, the effect was no less dramatic than this!)

Don's Lakota name was 'Warrior who stands alone' and the solitary eagle presenting itself to all of us as we stood on that hillside seemed to be incontrovertible evidence that his spirit was still with us. There wasn't a single person who was unaffected by such a powerful symbol.

We reminisced as we drove to Don and Maggie's farm for the giveaway, and talked about the wisdom of the Lakota tradition of mourning for a year and then celebrating the life of the one who died.

The 'give away', while it seems to have changed over the years - in that people no longer give away ALL their possessions, instead making many of the 'tributes' with which they'll honor people who have helped them - is still an important vehicle through which to channel much of the grief of loss.
For this whole first year after Dons death, Maggie and their daughter have been forced to stay engaged with other family and community members, coordinating who's making what, spending nights together working on quilts, planning quantities of food, making lists of who they want to acknowledge and honor, etc. I can only imagine that, during these events, stories and remembrances of Don and his time among them were shared, laughed about and wept over. It seems this tradition allows those in mourning, place and opportunities for sharing that grief and prevents them from sinking into quiet despair within their own dwellings.

It's as if they recognize the sleeplessness, the late nights and the unfocused grief that can plague after a death and intentionally have channeled those realities into productive and creative expression.

The custom of the giveaway and 'feed' is also a very dramatic way of enacting the reality that it is only through our vulnerability and dependence on our 'tribe' - and the grace of the Creator- that we get through the hardest times of life; it's a concrete way of expressing gratitude through feeding those who have fed us.

In the midst of the giveaway, Maggie pointed skyward and there, with a collective gasp, we saw TWO eagles - a male and female, according to those sitting next to me -flying over the farm and arbor.

I can't tell you what a gift that felt like, to me and those friends and family members sitting around me. I can't begin to imagine how it felt to Maggie.

The solitary eagle at the cemetery seeming to reveal that Dons spirit was still present and now two eagles, a 'couple', at the farm where so much of Don and Maggies life had been shared and lived in partnership.

Through tears, when one of the women sitting nearby proclaimed it was Dons way of telling Maggie they would always be together, she didn't need to work hard to convince me!

I don't know how frequently eagles fly around in South Dakota.

My collective time there, accumulated over 2 decades, would amount to no more than a few months.

But I do know that I've never seen an eagle before; let alone 3 in one day - in two places, miles apart, in circumstances and timing so perfectly suited to conjecture and interpretation.

It felt extraordinary at the time; it still does.

WHAT

2010-07-21T06:56:00.025-05:00

So much occurred this weekend during, basically, our single day back on Rosebud that I've decided to split up the post about it into two components: WHAT happened: the events and facts of our day and What HAPPENED: the emotional impact and reflection about those events.

Here's the WHAT:

Because a college group was arriving and staying in ‘our’ dorm, Sandy, HFH Director, was kind enough to let us stay in one of the trailers on the south side of the campus.

No hot water and a disabled refrigerator and stove didn’t bother us a bit…the most unsettling thing for us was being on that side of the circle drive!!

While being grateful for a roof over our heads, I can honestly say that the whole trailer was in perpetual motion!

Between the constant South Dakota wind whipping across the plains, the trailer being spring loaded and the reality that it rocked whenever one of us walked or turned over in bed, it was like sleeping in an out of control hammock – in the middle of a wind tunnel!
Who would have guessed we’d need Dramamine for a night on the rez!

The next morning started early,

with an assist from a gorgeous sunrise.

We helped Maggie with last minute food prep in the kitchen, then loaded up the van with star quilts and headed out to the cemetery for the unveiling of Dons grave marker.

The cemetery, next to the Episcopal Church in Soldier Creek, is a lovely spot on a hilltop where Don was buried last year next to family.

The ceremony honored both his upbringing in the Episcopal tradition, with prayers and words from Webster Two Hawk (one of the clergy on the reservation)as well as Don’s cultural heritage in the prayers and incantations of his brother-in-law, a recognized medicine man in the Lakota tradition.

After the service, everyone headed to Don and Maggie’s farm, Meadowlark Village, for a “Feed and Give away” which lasted for 5+ hours.

(For information about the historical roots of the 'giveaway', this article might be helpful).

Basically, for the past year, Maggie has been working night and day, preparing star quilts, and other tokens, to honor those people who were important to Don and his family during his entire lifetime - including the treatment team who followed him during the medical and physical changes which ultimately led to his death.

The amount of work involved in preparing for a giveaway is awe-inspiring.
Maggie made 60+ quilts; her sister in law made many others and even Jemma, their 9 yr old daughter made 5 contemporary quilts to honor her friends.

I don’t know about you but my past year hasn’t been nearly as productive!

Surprisingly, we were among those gifted with quilts...in yet another example of how much more we receive from our time on Rosebud than anything we could possibly contribute!

Don was a member of the Bigfoot Riders, a group of Lakota who journey on horseback every December and camp along the paths taken by their ancestors on their way to Wounded Knee.
These present day men and women ride to honor their tribe members massacred by Federal troops in 1890. The events and pain of that day, and era, continue to speak to the Lakota reality today and that group was the first to be honored.

The President of Sinte Gleska University, Rodney Bordeaux,spoke of Dons work as Cultural Documentarian, in preserving and defining their language and heritage, his commitment to educating all people about the Lakota way of life, his love of children and, above all, his devotion to family.

Much of the event was accompanied by music of a drum group Don started decades ago in Santa Fe. To see Alan, at his age, playing with the same group was very moving.

Alan’s intuitive love of all things Lakota is truly heartwarming to see.
While guests remained seated in the shade of the arbor, family members served a wonderful meal of fried chicken, ham, roast beef, soup, fry bread, salads and desserts that was enough to last the day, actually the whole week! Food kept being distributed until it was completely gone and friends/family were expected to bring dishes and containers (watecca dishes) to use in taking left-overs home.

After the celebration at Don and Maggie’s, we had a long visit with Stacy and the kids back at their house. (Harold was announcing a softball tournament across the rez and wasn’t able to join us.)

Only the reality of a long drive the next day made us end the evening at 10pm and head back to Bishop Hare.

I should add that, in between all the events of the day, we also managed to deliver another 20 boxes of personal sized toiletries.
Because of how successful the toiletries drive had been in June, we were unable to bring it all with us on the Mission trip a few weeks ago.

This ‘extra’ trip allowed us to bring the overflow…much to the delight of All Nations, White Buffalo Calf Woman Society Shelter and Tree of Life Ministries.
Pastor Russell Masartis told us that Tree of Life serves 160 families every day they're open/four days a week. With unemployment topping 90% on the reservation, economic ‘hardship’ doesn’t begin to describe the conditions in which many people live.

For $1.00 a visit, people become ‘co-op members’ of the Tree of Life; that membership ‘fee’ entitles them to a hot meal, 15 items of clothing, a bag of other items as available (now our toiletries!) and participation in whatever educational or recreational events are being offered.

Tribal EMS/Firefighters also receive items from Tree of Life to distribute when they respond to emergency situations on the reservation throughout the year.

We have NO doubt that the ‘small’ items donated by our two congregations and Webster/ Rock Hill Ministries will have HUGE impact on the quality of life for many people on the Rosebud.

In so many ways, it feels as if things are coming to fruition with our efforts on the rez - which is an odd feeling to have given the reality that so many changes are imminent and things are actually very tenuous.

The inevitable ying-yang of existence, I guess - which clearly won't get altered by me!

So there you have the WHAT!

Your generosity and support of the work of Adult Mission trip ministry is such a blessing and those of us who get to see the fruits of that outreach firsthand are very grateful to be acting on your behalf and in Gods name.

2010-07-18T08:16:00.002-05:00

Found this short video and if it's not the Gospel - the Good News - I don't know what is!

ViralHope from brothers NEE on Vimeo.

2010-07-17T22:08:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share this music with you because, ever since the night I heard it, I've associated it with our ministry on Rosebud.

It's such a beautiful piece of music using the words of a prayer by Mother Teresa as text.

While I initially heard this piece performed by the choir of the college I attended (Wartburg College), this clip is not sung by that group.
This selection has the distinction of being conducted by the composer of the piece - and they do it beautifully.

I can't imagine having this magic, this music inside you...what a relief it must be to get it out, on paper and launched into the world!

I know there's nothing intrinsically "Native American" about the rhythm, cadence or images this music evokes but, for me, the total experience seems to embody what our outreach is all about.

Hopefully you'll like it too.

Help me spread Your fragrance wherever I go.
Flood my soul with Your Spirit and Life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that my life may be only a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me and be so in me that every
soul I know will feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me,
but only You.

Tribute

2010-07-15T14:09:00.004-05:00

I found this tribute on line today and the description of Don matches perfectly with the man we knew!
Had to share it.

Donald Robert Moccasin
Akicita Isnala Najin (Warrior Who Stands Alone)
July 5, 1948-August 10, 2009

Donald Robert Moccasin was born in Rosebud, South Dakota, the fourth child of Stephen Starry Moccasin and Ruth Stella Spotted Elk.
His father was an Episcopal priest.
During his childhood the family lived on various reservations, including the towns of Parmelee, Porcupine, Wanbli and Cherry Creek, where summers were spent on horseback roaming the hills and canyons.
Don loved to dance, and in his youth was a fancy dancer.
He was proud of being a “Hare School Boy”, and had fond memories of his boarding school days, where the Lakota language was spoken.
He was an avid basketball player throughout his school years.
He graduated from high school at the Institute of American Indian Art in l968, attended college in Las Vegas, NM, Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, and later the Great Plains Art Institute at Sinte Gleska University.

Don was a deeply spiritual man and a Sun Dancer for 21 years.
His goal in life was to be an ikce’ wicasa, a humble man, a real man.
He was generous with his time and his knowledge, kind and respectful in his words and forgiving in his nature.
Don led a devotional life, committed to simplicity of faith, and prayer that was focused and powerful.
He had a peaceful and accepting quality that drew people to him.

Don’s life long interest was in Lakota education.
His enthusiasm and ready smile endeared him to both children and adults.
He loved to laugh, and was not afraid to laugh at himself.
Don was known for his spiritual connection to horses, and his knowledge of tipis.
He taught the Lakota component at the innovative Grass Mountain Demonstration School for seven years, guided by his belief in the sacredness of children. The children who attended Grass Mountain School remember his gentleness and patience, and his way of always bringing them back to what was important: how to be a good relative to each other and creation.

He held summer institutes for visiting colleges and universities at Meadowlark Tipi Village, and volunteered in local schools as well as traveled to other schools throughout the United States and Europe as an ambassador for the Lakota people and culture. He served on the Tribal Council, was a traditional wacipi dancer, and singer.
For many years he was a counselor for Indian Youth of America.
During the past several years he enjoyed teaching language part time for SGU Lakota Studies.
Whatever his endeavor, he brought joy to it, and left a lasting impression on all those he touched.

Since 2000 Don has been employed at Sinte Gleska University, interviewing Lakota elders in the Lakota language, and taping their stories. These recordings and their translations will be a living legacy to his respect and love for the Lakota people.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, and two infant brothers.
He leaves his beloved daughter Jemma MacKichan Moccasin, Margaret MacKichan, his traditional wife of 21 years, and sister, Martha Moccasin, as well as nieces, nephews and grandchildren, and nine hunka children.
He was interred at Grace Chapel Cemetery, Soldier Creek, South Dakota, next to his parents and grandparents.

2010-07-14T16:10:00.015-05:00

“We do not know the past in chronological sequence. It may be convenient to lay it out, anesthetized on the table, with dates pasted on here and there, but what we know, we know by the ripples and spirals eddying out from us and from our own time”.

Ezra Pound.

I don’t know specifics; I don’t know the date a group first went there or how it was chosen from among the myriad of options being considered.

What I do know is that Emmanuel has a long history with the Bishop Hare Center on Rosebud Reservation.

We’ve had groups of Senior High students and ‘Adult Mission trippers’ make the 16 hr drive to a place that, in many ways, remains as mysterious as it is starkly beautiful.

We’ve hammered, sanded, 'mudded', painted, mowed, built ball fields and ceremonial arbors; cleaned, sawed, hauled, schlepped and provided assistance with roofs, stoves, gasoline, clothing, toiletries and with prayer and presence.

We’ve worked with grass roots indigenous groups, Diocesan Jubilee organizers and Habitat for Humanity.

In an age known for impermanence and quick fixes, Emmanuel has been referred to, by people on the reservation, as ‘the church that comes back’.

While not minimizing the very real need for social justice and hard labor that exist throughout this country as well as abroad, a core group of Adults made an intentional, almost Benedictine, commitment to people and place and, it feels wonderful to realize how deep those first tentative ‘ripples’ have become.

This weekend, three members of the Steering Committee (Andy, Glen and I) are making a ‘quick’ return trip to the reservation, although that's a contradiction in terms if I ever heard one!.

We’re going out to represent our group at the Memorial Service and ‘give-away’ celebration for Don Moccasin, a Lakota elder.

This week, as I was gathering pictures and my thoughts about our experiences with Don and his family (written about here and here)

Using a child's size tipi, which Maggie painted for their daughter Jemma, Don and Maggie demonstrated how to assemble it, then deconstructed it and had Glen and Andy set it back up.

We had initially declined their generous invitation because, on the night in question, we had already made plans to eat with other groups staying on the campus at Bishop Hare. Groups which included members of a Baptist congregation from TX (doing vacation Bible school in a nearby community), a Catholic woman (a former nun from Ohio), an Episcopal priest (covering congregations for the local clergy couple so they could attend General Convocation) and a few “Care-a-vanners” (originally from AZ, now going cross country, working at different Habitat sites).

When told of the conflict, Don and Maggie, with no hesitation, said to bring them along.

Two nights later, on a glorious summer evening, a group of 25 unrelated people feasted on our combined offerings of fried chicken, pot roast, Caesar salad, fruit salad, baked beans, watermelon and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

We shared stories about our lives, our traditions and our faith.

We heard about a way of life and the struggles of a people while we reflected on the consequences of fearing differences rather than celebrating them.

We gave Thanks to our Creator for bringing us together in this specific time and place and we watched a sunset paint the landscape with more colors than Crayola makes in their big box!

I remember thinking at the time that we had been allowed a glimpse of heaven; that this was the way God had intended our lives to be and, in my heart, I heard the words of Eucharistic Hymn 304:

As Christ breaks bread and bids us share
each proud division ends
that Love that made us
makes us one and strangers
now are friends.

We’re going back this weekend to be with friends as we celebrate and offer thanks for the life of someone who touched and enriched our lives in countless ways.

We know we take all of you with us in spirit.

Reflection

2010-06-27T22:42:00.002-05:00

Tammy Schmitz
June 27, 2010
8:33pm

I’d like to think I set out on these trips year after year to only do good in the community of Missions, but I find a lot of the reason for my going is for me.

It’s hard to believe that only 24 hours ago we were in South Dakota.
Each trip has been different over the years.
On the way home I was asked why I came back this year.
I feel somewhat selfish for my reasons.
I cherish the friendships that have been established over the years.
I love talking to Stacy and hearing about how her grandchildren are doing and seeing what additions she has made to the very first house I helped to build.
She is a wonderful woman who gives back daily to her community.
I go for the friendships established in Missions.
I enjoy having a more intimate relationship with dear friends from Emmanuel and getting to know those from Emmanuel who I seldom see or do not know.
It is refreshing in a way to know everyone struggles with his or her own baggage and to appreciate that I am not the only one.
The part in which I embrace is that we are all able to put all that stress, pain, and anger away and pull together as a team to create something wonderful for another family struggling with their own issues.

One of the homes we worked on was for a family of 14.
The family lived in a small beaten down home with wholes in the walls and reports of frost that covered the inside walls during the winter months. I can’t imagine living in those kinds of conditions. I complain when I have to walk from the car to an inside building in the winter and this family lived winters in South Dakota day and night in these conditions. Seeing conditions such as these reminds me that I need to appreciate what I have. I embrace these reality checks and go on the mission trips for this reason.

Another home we worked on is in the middle of nowhere with no protection from the wind during the winter months.
The owners of cattle build small wooden fences to protect their cows from the bitter wind during the winter. Now that is cold!!

We almost finished one deck and started another at that house.
Don and I worked under the house stuffing the cracks on the frame of the house in hopes of making the new owners a little warmer during the winter months this year. We all worked hard and long hours during the day, but at the end of the day, sunburned, physical drained and tired, we always wished we could have done more to finish the homes.
I always left the site each day wishing I had just one more hour, just a little more strength to complete one more thing.

With all this said I go on these trips for the physical and demanding work.
I love learning new skills and reviewing old ones.
I love power tools!!

God’s creation looks so much different in Mission then it does here in Webster Groves/ Maryland Heights.
There is little sound of highways like here at home. Roads are often gravel and less traveled.
There is a consistent breeze blowing through the sweet grass and wild flowers and the night sky is blanketed in thousands of stars.
Mornings are silent and smell fresh and evenings are cool/cold and there is a symphony of crickets and bullfrogs serenading the night sky.
Mission’s environment is a great place for me to reflect over the past, embrace the present and explore ideas for the future. I may not be able to sit as still as some would like, but Mission, South Dakota has a way of calming me down and soothing my rough edges.
So I guess you might say I go on these trips to collect myself and regroup.

I missed the social interaction with the community this year, as it was not as present as in years past.
I look forward to those times to learn more about the Lakota people and the Lakota way, but time seemed to work against us during the week.
I can always hope the interaction within more of the community will be more present next year.

I enjoyed and want to thank everyone who attended this past week.
Each of you taught me something about something whether it was about yourself or myself.
All 15 of you are beautiful, loving people and I feel very blessed to have been able to spend one week with you.

Kudos to Donna for her planning, Andy, Tracy, Keith, and Donna for our safe arrivals and Glen’s soft supportive and guiding hands in teaching. Keith, our communion and intimate service in the Badlands was one I will cherish forever. What a gift.
I love the work and getting sweaty while dirt collects around my neck, ankles and other undesirable places.

I love going home feeling totally wiped out, chewed up and spit out.
I’d like to think I set out on these trips year after year to only do good in the community of Mission, but I find a lot of my going is for me.

How can it be Friday already?

2010-06-25T23:48:00.008-05:00

The work crews were split between two houses today...continuing work on the 5 bedroom but also going up on a plateau outside of town and working on a 2 bedroom for Lisa, a single mom and her two children.

The view out Lisa's back door...

and the road up to her house.
The direction I was given to her house was "get on the unpaved road and keep going on the straight and narrow path until you can't go any further"... which, as we all know, is easier said than done!!

What a wonderful metaphor and I'm sure I'll be reflecting on it at length later, but, truth is, I'm too tired tonight!!

Work today was done under a blistering, unrelenting sun...with little shade and the hottest temperatures of the summer so far.
Clearly God trying to prepare us for returning to St Louis!

Today is the anniversary of the Lakota victory at the Battle of Little Big Horn and the Friday night Wacipi (Pow-wow) in Rosebud was a celebration of that event. It was a small gathering, almost a dress rehearsal, for tomorrow's main dance.We have yet to figure out how it is that every Wacipi we've attended has such magnificent sunsets, but it never fails.

Friday night Pow-wow has become a bittersweet way to spend time with friends that always signals an impending departure.

which, of course, can be handle with humor, no matter what your tribe!!

Someone once said to a mission team, as they were preparing to return home, "Don't think you were here for a vacation, or even for an adventure. God sent you here for a reason, to make a difference here but also to make a difference when you get back home. Go home now and live your life in such a way that you figure out what that reason was; figure out why God sent you to us".

Continue to hold us in prayer, not only for a safe journey back, but for discernment in the days and months to come.

While we now have a glimpse of how God intended to use us on the reservation this week, we trust that he's not finished with us yet!

Making it more bearable

2010-06-25T23:34:00.002-05:00

After sunning themselves in the HOT South Dakota sun, the bears made and donated by Carol Green are halfway to having new homes.

Rosebud EMT will carry the bears with them to use when they transport children for emergency medical care.

Since summer is peak trauma season, they will, no doubt, be comforting someone soon!

Ripples...

2010-06-24T23:05:00.005-05:00

“Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.
Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

Scott Adams

The toiletries were distributed today to VERY grateful agencies/churches all serving the Lakota people.

Heidi Wade and little Angel, the pastors wife and a parishioner at All Nations church.

Pastor Johnny (center) and Heidi are originally from TX and have been serving on the Rosebud for several years.

When we were unloading the boxes of personal items, Heidi saw the bag of knit items in the back of the van and asked, "Are those baby blankets?".

When I said yes, she immediately said "Praise God; you're the answer to our prayers."
She went on to say that, over the winter, the pipe above their nursery had frozen, burst and destroyed everything in the rooms below and they were starting over - with no insurance money or identified donors for basic supplies.

They had been praying for help with re-supplying the baby items just minutes before they heard we were coming with some 'personal items'.

Sorry, knitter ladies, I know the blankets were 'supposed' to be designated for Father John but I made an executive decision, on the spot, that maybe the Holy Spirit truly had intended them for the babies in Heidi and Johnny's care!!

Don't worry, Fr John and his flock are still getting the scarves and gloves!

For obvious reasons, I can't show the building of the shelter (White Buffalo Calf Woman's Shelter) that received a donation but in the back is a playground for the children caught in the middle of domestic abuse. Although under constant surveillance, it is nonetheless an inviting area.

The items should help many women and children throughout the summer.

Tree of Life is another faith based social service agency on the reservation.
Their coordinator was also ecstatic about the items we brought from home.

She reminded me that the federal food stamp program doesn't allow for the purchase of toiletries, so there is a HUGE need for these items among the poor.
They distribute these items every day to about 40-50 people.

Our contributions will go a long way - and will, no doubt, be in the homes of those most in need very soon.

I wish all of you could have been with me during these interactions; to see the faces, some with tearful eyes, all with grateful hearts.

The individual items might have been small but the accumulated boxes and bags made a big difference in the operating budgets of three underfunded and over utilized agencies.

And, of course, that doesn't begin to count the number of individuals that will be assisted in the coming months, all because of your generosity.
So, as inadequate and overworked an expression as it seems in this circumstance....thank you.

Give us, Father, a vision of your world
as love would make it;
a world whose benefits are shared
so that everyone can enjoy them;
a world whose different people and cultures
live with tolerance and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice,
and justice is filled with love;
and give us the courage to build it,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The work continues....

2010-06-24T22:45:00.005-05:00

doing the happy, happy, joy, joy dance after installing a second storm door - in half the time as the first!!

coming out of the crawl space into the light!

drilling...
caulking...
...who knows???
making/arguing about closet shelves...
plumbing...
sawing trim...
and using wood putty and finishing work on the trim.

REALLY want to get this house near completion before we leave!!

'Play day'

2010-06-24T00:58:00.002-05:00

Have to rub it in just a little...

We were here
and you were not;

We were cold

and you were hot!
Sweatshirts and sweaters were in order for much of the day as we explored Custer State Park and the Badlands.
Even had the heat on in the car on the way home 'to take the chill off'.

Gorgeous setting for sunset communion on a mesa, with birdsong as choral accompaniment...church doesn't get much better than that!

Back after midnight; need to be up and in morning prayer circle by 0730 so we can leave for the work site at 0800!

Hard to believe half the week is over!

By whose measure?

2010-06-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

AI/AN (American Indian/Alaska Native) communities face many health challenges including higher mortality rates from tuberculosis, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, accidents, diabetes, pneumonia, suicide, and homicide compared with other racial and ethnic groups .
********** ********** ********** **********
From 1999 to 2004, AI/AN males in the 15 to 24 year old age group had the highest suicide rate (27.99 per 100,000) compared to white (17.54 per 100,000), black (12.80 per 100,000), and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.96 per 100,000) males of the same age.

When compared with other racial and ethnic groups, AI/AN youth have more serious problems with mental health disorders related to suicide, such as anxiety, substance abuse, and depression.
********** ********** ********** **********
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury for AI/AN people ages 1 to 44.
Adult motor vehicle-related death rates for AI/AN are more than twice that of whites and almost twice that of blacks.
Among AI/AN 19 years and younger, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death, followed by suicide, homicide, drowning, and fires.
Among ethnic groups in the United States, AI/AN children experience the highest rates of injury mortality and morbidity.
AI/AN ages 19 years and younger are at greater risk of preventable injury-related deaths than others in the same age group in the United States. Compared with blacks and whites, this group has the highest injury-related death rates for motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian events, and suicide. Rates for these causes are two to three times greater than rates for whites the same age.
AI/AN have a relatively high prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving and the highest alcohol-related motor vehicle mortality rates among racial/ethnic populations.
Among crashes on reservations from 1982 to 2002, an estimated 65 percent were alcohol-related. Nationally, during this same time period, 47 percent of total crashes were alcohol-related.
********** ********** ********** **********

I thought of the story as I read the statistics – and I think it came to me because it holds a truth I obviously needed to remember.

You've probably heard it before:

A group of people, while exploring a remote area, stumbled upon a forgotten tribe whose practice was to throw its ‘unwanted’ children over the side of a footbridge to the rocks and rapids of the river below.
Appalled, the outsiders immediately broke into small groups; one decided to do a ‘root cause analysis’ of the traditions leading to the practice; another started a feasibility project to design a soft sided dam downstream to catch the surviving children; a subgroup worked on details for funding the project; still another group vowed to join the tribe and ‘change the practice from within’.

While the groups were all meeting, one individual waded in and began pulling children out of the river, carrying them to the shore and safety.
When his friends noticed what he was doing, they began mocking him, saying “How can you possibly think you’re doing any good? You haven’t gathered enough information. You don’t know what the cause and effect of your approach will be. The problem is huge. You don’t really think you’re making a difference, do you?”

Looking down at the child in his arms, the man replied, “I made a difference to this one.”

Those of us who journey to the reservation, year after year, are not oblivious to the realities and obstacles that the people of the Lakota Nation face.

We know the laws of averages and probability - and they’re daunting.

But we come back because the law of Love tells a different story.

We come back because we don’t define ourselves by the numbers of walls we put up, nails we hammer, door knobs we install, trim we paint or trenches we dig.
We know that as long as we define ourselves only by these physical realities, we are doomed to see ourselves as failures.

As people of faith, we have been called instead to relationship; to love, to calling by name people who feel invisible and forgotten.

We have been given the privilege of knowing people on the reservation and allowing ourselves to be known and blessed by their presence in our lives, through working side by side, sharing meals, fellowship and conversations that go beyond the superficial.

We may not change statistics…hardship, illness, pain and death will come for us all.

But when they do, we will know that we matter to each other, that we don’t stand alone, that our small lives and efforts have made a difference ‘to this one’...
...and to this one...and to this one…and to this one…

And for tonight, that feels like it will have been enough.

One More "Loaves and Fishes" Miracle

2010-06-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Last year, after occasionally collecting soap, lotion and shampoo while on various business trips and vacations, we delivered one small bag of these travel-sized items to the White Buffalo Calf Woman's Shelter here on "the rez." The toiletries were very gratefully received, which motivated us to do it again this year. So 6 or 7 weeks ago, we asked our fellow Emmanuelites and friends at Christ Lutheran to join us in donating some of these items. We made this request through a few simple announcements and placed one small cardboard container in the dining room. In typical (but no less miraculous) fashion, our fellow parishioners responded to this request with an overwhelming outpouring of generosity (see photos below).

The single bag we brought with us last year turned into 30-40 bags this year. The quantity allowed us to share these items with three organizations serving the people who live here on the Rosebud - Tree of Life, All Nations Church and, once again, the White Buffalo Calf Woman's Shelter.

We are SO thankful to everyone who participated in this endeavor and we certainly intend to repeat it again next year. So start collecting those items! On behalf of those you have helped here, we say "Pilamaya" (thank you very much in Lakota).

Kin

2010-06-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

It took me several seconds to realize he was addressing me.

I was just walking away from a group of children with whom I had been discussing the menu for tonights BBQ when I heard "Auntie, Auntie".

I turned to see two gorgeous brown eyes set in a beaming face..."Can we have brownies with ice cream for dessert?"
Smiling, (as any indulgent aunt would), I replied 'Yes".
"With syrup and sprinkles?"
"Of course."

He gave me a quick hug and then ran to catch up with his brothers and sisters.

Mitakuye Oyasin: Lakota for "we are all related".
It is one of their most deeply held beliefs.

When seeing it operationalized by a 3 yr old heart, it is pure gift.

Dave

2010-06-22T06:13:00.007-05:00

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.

Work begins...

2010-06-21T23:10:00.004-05:00

First day on the job site - and we were very excited to find ourselves working on Sam and Charlene's 5 bedroom home.

During our week two years ago, we laid the I-beams, floor plate and sub-flooring for their home and erected the first wall the day before we left.Now, after completing 500 hours of 'sweat equity', the structure has been moved from Bishop Hare Center 40 miles into the High Plains of SD in a valley, next to a spring fed creek, with views of the surrounding countryside that many of us envy.

Their new homeis situated next to the trailer where they are currently living with their 12 children; a blended family of 'his, hers and ours'. (The ages of the children range from 17yrs to 11 months.)

Several of the more curious children took a break from building a bird house (made with using wood scraps taken from the construction dumpster) to ask us if we would get their new house finished by the end of the week...we certainly hope so!

The end of their journey to home ownership is in sight and it's as gratifying to be with them at the end of the process as it was in the beginning.

We're hosting a celebration picnic on the dorm grounds for their family tomorrow night and the group has expanded to include Krista and members of her family. (Krista is one of the partner families with whom we worked last year.)

So far the count is 44 - and climbing... pray that the miracle of loaves and fishes is also operational for hamburgers, hot dogs and fried chicken!!

Some scenes from the day:

Give us, Father, a vision of your world
as love would make it;
a world whose benefits are shared
so that everyone can enjoy them;
a world whose different people and cultures
live with tolerance and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice,
and justice is filled with love;
and give us the courage to build it,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let it begin with the land

2010-06-20T21:47:00.002-05:00

This morning in the lesson, we heard that God wasn't to be found in the fire, the earthquake or the wind; he was to be found in the silence.

During an impromptu BBQ this afternoon at Smith Falls State Park, we also discovered that he can be found

in the clouds

in the rustle of a breeze in the trees

and in the roar of a waterfall.

It was a day set apart for renewal; for worship and community building; for strengthening friendships and for reconnecting with the earth and the One who created it.

It was a perfect afternoon.

Sunday, 06/20/10

2010-06-20T07:27:00.008-05:00

In order to unite with one another, we must love one another;
In order to love one another, we must know one another;
In order to know one another, we must go and meet one another.

Cardinal Mercier

Worship this morning will be with the congregation of the Church of Jesus in Rosebud at 9am.

Lord Jesus, you prayed that your disciples might be united with each other in a unity grounded in your oneness with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

May your prayer for unity grow in the depths of the hearts and minds of all Christians.
May we be one in our words, that a single reverent prayer might rise before you.
May we be one in our yearning and pursuit of justice.
May we be one in love, serving you by serving the least of our sisters and brothers.
Lord, make us one in you.

Amen

(Mgr Donald Bolen)

Arrived

2010-06-20T00:15:00.002-05:00

Two van loads of 'stuff'
Brave newcomers joining us for the first time
and folks not quite as perky at midnight as they were at 0630.

Safe travel despite apocalyptic thunderstorm outside Weston, MO that had us reviewing hints for driving during tornado

Long day - good beginning!

Saturday morning: 06/19/2010

2010-06-19T06:00:00.006-05:00

After many months of preparation, the trip to South Dakota begins.
We do not go alone.
Not only are we with others from the Mission trip group but we are surrounded by the prayers of the congregations of Emmanuel, Christ Lutheran and Rosebud Mission, as well as our families and friends.
Most of all, God is with us.

Prayers for the journey:

Eternal God, You call us to ventures, the endings of which we cannot or may not see; by paths both familiar and those unknown.

Give us faith to go out with courage, not knowing exactly where we go or what we are to accomplish, but knowing only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us: through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

All compassionate and merciful God,
source of life and light;
who knows our weakness and wretchedness,
yet still loves us:

give us wisdom to recognize the connectedness
we share as your people.

Give us the courage and power to speak out
and fight against unfairness and injustice.

Give us generosity of spirit to share our resources and ourselves.

Send your grace upon our partnerships in your holy name,
that together we might learn and do more
than we can ever do alone.
Amen

(Nancy Martin-Coffey; Gainesville, FLA)

On the eve of our departure

2010-06-18T20:06:00.000-05:00

A child stood on her seat in a restaurant,
holding the railing of the chair back,
as though to address a courtroom,

“Nobody knows what’s going to happen next.”

Then she turned, sliding back down to her food,
as relieved and proud to say the truth,
as we were to hear it.

Coleman Barks/Georgia

Are you ready?

2010-06-12T05:50:00.005-05:00

For those of us who know that life isn't always a day at the .... well, you know! Sometimes, it's a week on the Plains!

Next Saturday, 06/19 at 0630!!

If there are any lingering questions, give any one of us on the Steering Committee a call - Andy Ruhlin, Donna Erickson, Betsy Williams, Glenn Dunn or Sylvia Rogers.

And, just in case you're looking for the perfect sign to hang on your door while you're gone...try THIS!

See you soon!

Spirit, "Hidden Heritage"

2010-06-10T07:14:00.001-05:00

This clip, from Peter Buffetts "Spirit: A Journey in Dance Drums and Song", blends ancient and modern images and rhythms as it honors all the indigenous tribes and Nations in America.

The show was first performed in Green Bay, WI and features artists in dance and music who are members of the Oneida and Menominee nations.

As the names of the tribes are intoned, see if you can hear "Brule' which is one name for the Sicangu band with whom we work on Rosebud.

2010-06-01T06:58:00.000-05:00

“Back in the day", I was a Senior High Leader at church.

Planning for, and then guiding the kids on, Mission trips was a huge part of that role and, as daunting as it was (and, I’m sure, still IS) having responsibility for 25 extra teenagers, I LOVED it.

For someone who dreamed of being a Peace Corps volunteer, going to remote places, working under adverse conditions and discovering the universality of human feelings and experience while being within vastly different cultures, is a dream come true for me.

Truth be told, it’s why, when I stopped being a leader for the high school group, I started being a facilitator for the Adults!

One of the places I traveled to, with both the senior high AND the Adult groups, was Caretta, West Virginia - a coal mine community deep in the ‘hollers’ of McDowell County, one of the poorest counties in the United States.

During one of the trips, another leader and I, both avid gardeners, noted huge banks of wild roses blooming along the road side.

We excitedly reckoned that, if they could bloom, untended, in the rocky, shale ground of southern West VA under blistering conditions, with only mountain ‘runoff’ from sporadic summer rain, MAYBE transplants would survive in the dry clay soil, under the Missouri sun in August – in other words, in the outer ring of Dante’s hell.

Using spoons, gloves and reclaimed glass jars, we dug up cuttings to bring home.

I made the mistake of planting the ‘start’ in amended soil, enriched with all kinds of additives and nutrients - and, not surprisingly, my ‘Caretta’ rose promptly died.

As disappointed as I was, I accepted failure, mowed over the poor, dead single stick that remained and forgot about it.

But three years later, I noticed there was a new start of rose coming up in the exact same spot.

I had no idea why, after lying dormant for years, a deep root should start growing again.

Not wanting to repeat my earlier mistake, however, I dug it up and placed in it the crummiest dirt I had – the ‘garden’ in the front, created when a new retaining wall was filled in with dirt from construction sites, with only an inch or two of decent topsoil.

A decade later, this plant specimen has not only grown, but flourished, and has almost completely taken over the area.
It has exquisite clumps of blooms and, best of all, the same plant, the same ‘root’, puts out flowers of different colors!
Deep and pale pinks and every variation in between.

Honestly, I've never seen anything like it - and judging from the comments of people who pass by, neither has anyone else!

The Caretta rose blooms right before each Mission trip now and I love the reminder.

Even if we’re all ‘rooted’ in Christ, our gifts are different.

We don’t look, act or perform in the same way.

We don’t bloom at the same time; some of us are in full flower and others are still buds, waiting for the right conditions before bursting forth.

We don't need special additives; we've been given all we need to thrive, we just need the right circumstances - and some of us do best under adverse circumstances.

And, for some of the ‘quiet’ ones, who might not even know what gifts they have to offer, sometimes a move to a new location is exactly what they need before they can spread out and come into their own beauty.

The Caretta rose always serves me as a vivid reminder before heading to Rosebud Reservation and is a wonderful way of tying together two places that I hold deep in my heart.
For me, the plant is a powerful sign of Gods enduring bounty, grace and blessing.

Unlike Moses, I don’t need a burning bush to tell me that all the ground I walk upon is sacred…I apparently just need a brambling one that blooms!

2010-05-17T12:27:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all of you who braved the weather on Sunday night for the potluck!
I can tell we have a GREAT group ready to jump in those vans in 4 weeks!

Please don't hesitate to contact any member of the Steering Committee with any questions.
And don't forget to get the remainder of the money into the church office by the end of the month!

You don't want to miss this trip!

Another Year begins in approx 6 weeks!

2010-05-04T11:38:00.005-05:00

I'm posting the latest email that went out to this years crop of Mission Trippers: we're gearing up for another GREAT excursion... join us as we prepare!

Since some of you are ‘veterans’ this MAY be redundant but it can’t hurt to refresh and review – and WELCOME to those of you who are joining us for the first time:

Here are the books I would HIGHLY recommend on the Native/Lakota experience:

Moon of Popping Trees by Rex Alan Smith (1980) University of Nebraska Press
and/or
Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder by Kent Nerbern (1994, 2002) New World Library

Both are extraordinary works and should be the foundation for our common understanding of the culture into which we'll travel/live.

Some “dress code” issues for the work site, as well as general requests from the Director of Habitat for Humanity:

"On the job site we cannot allow open toed shoes or sandals. We ask that there be no short shorts, spaghetti strap tanks or tube tops, or shirts with suggestive or offensive wording. Underwear should not be showing for guys or gals when bending over and clothes should be loose enough not to restrict movements when working. It is a safety hazard to have folks pulling up or adjusting their pants/shirts when trying to lift, move or bend while holding lumber or handing things to those working above or below them. We ask that the suggestive/offensive clothing also be refrained from while out in the community.
I would also like to remind folks that the best time to ask questions about the local community or address issues and concerns is at the Habitat facility within the privacy of your group setting. When our volunteers are out in the community and comments or conversations are overheard, it can have a negative reflection on our organization. For those who live here, some things that seem foreign to those from other areas are common place and are not seen as a problem. Comments like "how can they stand to live in all this poverty?" may be offensive to someone who sees beauty in being near their family and would not consider themselves to be living in poverty. I had a local man tell me that while this area may be considered one of the poorest in the nation in money, it is rich in many other things; it depends on what your view of poverty is. I offer these thoughts in hopes of encouraging all of us to think and to have better interactions between folks with more positive experiences for all. Sometimes we don't realize that comments can be perceived in ways they were never intended. Reservation life may be different than most of us are accustomed to and we need to make good relationships in the community by walking in love and understanding.”

I don't think any of this is an issue for us, but we need to hear the concerns being expressed.
Thanks for being mindful of the clothing issue as you pack/get ready.

The money issues are:
$50.00 for deposit to hold your spot was due by March 15th.
Checks are payable to Emmanuel; Adult Mission Trip on memo line.

$250.00 balance by May 30th - - to give Emmanuel enough time to cash them and cut a check for Habitat. Made out same as above.

I know we won't be packing for a while - (if you're like me, not until the night before the trip!) but here are just some reminders.

Don't forget to bring:

1. Layers of clothes: weather runs the gamut from cold (50's) & wet to upper 80's and sunny. (They have had blizzards and over a foot of snow in early MAY. Let’s hope that’s not the case this year, but better safe than sorry!) Pack @ least 1 pair jeans and sweatshirt/jacket. Raingear/poncho in pouch, something to keep you dry in event of torrential rain. Extra shoes in case one/or 1 pair gets sucked into the mire during said torrential rain.

Looking good is NOT the issue on these trips; (we'll have to count on our natural beauty!). Practicality and comfort ARE issues. We usually take 1 "casual, not great but better" set of clothes for church on Sunday.

2. Towels; and shower shoes/flip flops (for those particular re foot stuff in strange showers). The accommodations aren't as primitive as some Mission Trips, but again apply the ‘better to be safe than sorry’ rule.

3. Sleeping bag or sheets and pillow. Most of us have taken a sleeping bag and sheet; if hot, you can sleep ON your bag with only a sheet covering you; if it gets cold, you can climb inside!

4. Medication for the week. I know very few folks over 40 who aren't on SOME Rx. Make sure you have enough....Walgreen’s MAY be on every corner in St Louis, but NOT so much in So Dakota!

5. I'll have communal sunscreen, insect repellant, aspirin, Band-Aids/first aid kit, Kleenex, bar soap and shampoo (1 for men/1 for women's showers). If brand loyalty is an issue, bring your own.

6. FLASHLIGHT! Size/type doesn't matter; whatever you might need/want for trips to loo @ night or walks outside after dark.

7."Spending money" or credit card/debit card. For personalized snacks, drinks etc on the drive there and back and any "touristy" thing you might want to bring back. On previous trips, there have been local craftspeople with items. There IS the bookstore at Sinte Gleska University which is a wonderful source for books on Native American/Lakota culture and there's a higher scale store/gallery (Soldier Woman) with nice jewelry/beadwork.

8. Camera - disposable/digital or 35mm - your preference - - for those who want images for journaling/remembering later. Sunsets can be breathtaking and there will be an outing on our ‘play day’ that warrants pictures!

I certainly wouldn't recommend taking any items that are particularly valuable. We'll be the only group using the dorm during the week and we lock the door when heading to the work site, but many folks have access to the HFH office, partner families may be coming and going to help cook for us etc, so just use some discretion about what to bring. Ladies have locked up our purses in the van/taken them into the houses where we work; guys could do the same with cameras, wallets etc, if you want. I'm NOT aware of this being a big concern but thought I would at least bring it up.

Just a reminder from Glenn....
Don’t forget to include your cordless screw guns, tool belts/ aprons.... for those that already have them.
If you DON'T have one, don't feel badly or rush out to buy one! It has helped in the past that several people DID bring their own and that stretched the ones that HFH had to supply.
There has been past suggestions for knee pads - - no, NOT for praying - - for painting or scraping near the floor!

We'll each have a "prayer booklet" to use for the week, which WILL have some blank pages for journaling/notes, but if you want your own prayer book, Bible or personal journal, make sure to throw that in your bag as well.

There WILL be a commissioning service at Emmanuel to send us off; this year, the commissioning service is on May 23rd @ 10AM. DO try to make it; it's a powerful statement to our faith community to see folks willing to give up a week of vacation in service to humanity in the name of the Lord.

On June 19th:
We’ll meet @ Emmanuel at 6:30AM; hoping to leave by 0730.
Leaving that early helps capitalize on daylight drive time and doesn't inconvenience folks waiting on the other end who have to let us into the building.

Please remember to bring a sack lunch.
We’ll eat together on the road; it’s nicer to eat at picnic tables in a rest area than in a fast food joint.
IF you're leaving your house @ 5:55 am on departure Saturday and realize that you've forgotten to plan ahead and make a lunch, don't worry.... there is always plenty to share (think loaves and fishes); plus you can buy something at one of our gas stops along the way.

Since we’ll definitely be in two 15 passenger vans, after we stop for lunch, be prepared to change vans or mix it up a little! We have plenty of time to get to know each other and we need to use it!
Please be open to some new scenery and new relationships!

I THINK that about covers orientation, ‘stuff you need to know’.

Please don't hesitate to call me (or any other member of the Steering Committee – Glenn Dunn, Kathi Dunn, Betsy Williams or Sylvia Rogers) with questions or concerns.

We’ve scheduled an AMT potluck get together dinner for May 16th .
We’ll attend the 5:30pm service and then gather for dinner, talk about the trip, newbies can ask questions of the seasoned missioners – and there’ll be forms to fill out! Church insurance and HFH requirement ‘stuff’ – and we might as well get them done before we go!

(That weekend is the All Parish Conference but I’ve checked w/Angie in the office and there’s nothing scheduled for that night so we won’t be conflicting with anything. IF you’re attending APC it will be a long ‘church’ weekend but nothing we can’t handle!)

See you then!

2010-02-26T07:48:00.000-06:00

We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming in just a minute, but first for a commercial break.

Our church (Emmanuel Episcopal in Webster Groves) is holding a Lenten quilt raffle for Haitian relief, with all proceeds going to ER&D (Episcopal Relief and Development; the disaster response arm of the Anglican Church).

The full size quilt was made by a friend on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.

It is in the traditional "Lakota Star" pattern, in colors of green and yellow, symbolizing new life and rebirth.

Chances are $5.00 a piece or 6 chances for $25.00.
Chances will be sold throughout Lent, with the drawing for a winner selected on Palm Sunday.
If you are interested in participating, please let me know...I'd be happy to sell you a chance, or 6 or 12...

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T09:34:00.001-06:00

There are so many reasons to be thankful this holiday season; none more so than our relationship with friends on the reservation and with HFH.
Know we're thinking about you and praying that you have a blessed day with all those you love.

See you in just 6 months!

Top 10 List

2009-11-15T14:19:00.005-06:00

WONDERFUL presentation at Adult Ed this morning; if I do say so myself!

Andy and Glenn created a terrific video about reservation life, with voices of some of our friends on Rosebud as narrators. Very effective and moving.

Due to time constraints, our Lutheran 'sister', Sylvia, didn't get to read her "Top 10 list of things to learn on a Mission trip", so I'll share it with you now - - unedited and unabridged!

(Insert your own drum rolls before each item!)

Top 10 things to be learned from a Mission trip:

10. South Dakota is very far away.

9. Sitting in a van for 15+ hours with Episcopalians isn't nearly as painful as "they" say.

8. How to drywall, how to install storm doors, how to hammer the nail and not your thumb - and, my favorite, how to use power tools.

7. Episcopalians will do anything for chocolate.

6. The reservation is an incredibly beautiful and spiritual place.

5. Learn to walk, albeit only for a moment, in a Native Americans shoes.

4. Your life, regardless of its struggles and challenges, is so very blessed in comparison.

3. Learn, or re-learn, life without telephones, cell phones, television, watches and multi-tasking - except for Donna.

2. Sharing this experience will give you friends for life.

and the Top 1 thing to learn on a Mission trip -

1. God does lead us, with love, to love: all we have to do is follow.

HONORING WEEKEND

2009-11-14T09:37:00.011-06:00

Dear Friends
Just to bring you up to date: a small contingent of representatives from the Adult Mission Trip headed back out to South Dakota last weekend (Nov 7, 8 and 9th) to attend a banquet for all state wide chapters of Humanity for Humanity.

We were proud to represent our group which was nominated by the Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi affiliate as their 2009 Supporter of the Year.

We shared a table with Brian, Lacosta and her husband, Greg, and Greg's brother and sister in law. It was wonderful to catch up; they're all doing well and Lacosta even won the drawing of a silent auction for a sewing machine she'd had her eye on!

It was a lovely evening with entertainment, good food and a moving reflection from the very first Habitat family in South Dakota (the Black Hills Chapter) who just had the privilege of burning their mortgage to celebrate full ownership of their home. (It was fun to think of going out for the burning of Harold and Stacys mortgage - assuming all our walkers can fit in the van!)

Glenn volunteered to do the invocation and exceeded expectations with a marvelous message.
So much so that I'm thinking he should be in charge of putting together next years prayer booklet!
I've included his remarks below.

God we invoke your presence at this gathering tonight, knowing full well that you are already here in the hearts of each of us who have been touched by Habitat for Humanity. We ask your blessings on this celebration as we join in honoring the work of Habitat for Humanity here in South Dakota.

We thank you for the opportunity, the ability and the privilege of serving as Habitat workers secure in the knowledge, and in the inherent satisfaction, that we are building homes for your people in need.

We ask your blessings on all Habitat workers throughout the world.

May we continue to work in safety with good skills and good humor.

Bless all the kinds of tools you have given us: phones, filing cabinets, computers and paper; saws, shovels, wheelbarrows and lumber; bobcats, cranes and trucks; committees, family trainers and Habitat partner families.

Bless all Habitat families and families-to-be throughout the world.

Bless our families.

Bless the food we are about to eat to our nourishment and us to your service.

Keep us ever mindful of the needs and the hunger of others.

We pray all these things in the name of the Carpenter who teaches us how to use a hammer to Your glory, and who has taught us how to live and how to love our neighbors.

AMEN

If this lighting thing doesn't work out with the Rep, he should mosey over to the seminary across the street, right?

Did a little retail therapy on behalf of all my girls.
After all, what would a Mission trip be without pumping up the local economy a little?

And had a wonderful time walking and exploring the town. I had never been to Sioux Falls before and was amazed to find a series of gorgeous waterfalls, created by the Big Sioux River, right in the middle of town, complete with a river walk and wonderful system of trails.

We made the loop several times, even taking a night excursion after the banquet. All the walking helped with the 22+ hrs of drive time!

Every time we visit South Dakota, it becomes more dear to us.

It is truly a remarkable state.

Only 6 more months before we go back!!

We're doing our presentation back to the parish tomorrow, 11/15, during Adult Education; try to be there.

Andy and Glenn are putting together a terrific video presentation that will raise the bar for future productions! Oh the pressure!

Have more thoughts after hearing Dans wonderful reflections about "Mission" at the MOE dinner on Thursday, but will save them for another time.

Please know that last Saturday night, we were very aware of the presence of ALL who have ever participated in the Mission Trips; we felt your support and love and knew you were all there with us when we accepted the plaque.

Get your deposits in to the Church office to reserve a spot for next summers trip; seats are going fast!!

Next Years Information

2009-09-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

Loose Ends - and another Road trip!

2009-09-03T06:50:00.001-05:00

Hihanni waste.
(Good morning)

I know you'd all want to know that the mini-delegation was able to see and talk briefly with Sandy, Father John and Brian (Vista Volunteer) while we were in SD.
They were just finishing up an evening meeting as we pulled into Bishop Hare.

Sandy/Executive Director of HFH was on crutches, having broken his leg earlier in the week. He should have been home with his leg elevated, not gimping up the dorm steps on crutches, but what can you do with someone who insists on being a poor patient?? He sheepishly admitted that he broke it by stepping in a prairie dog hole while chasing a cow!
Those little suckers may be cute but apparently their homes are deadly!

We ran into Sandys uncle, Sylvan White Hat, at the graduation ceremonies - and he said that he actually HAD gotten his grass cut - finally - although he was sure we would have done a better job!

Allen came in first place - in our hearts and, while he didn't place in the competition, he was excited about his first large dance opportunity and looking forward to many more.

AND... drum roll, please...

We have been notified that the staff and Board of Directors has chosen the Emmanuel/Christ Lutheran Adult Mission Trip group as the Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi HFH 2009 Support Partner of the Year.

We will be recognized and presented with a plaque at a banquet for all the State Affiliates in November 2009.

SOOOO... everybody check your calendars and see who's available for another road trip back to SD.

The banquet is set for Saturday, November 7th, 2009.
While we don't have any additional information at this time, I would suspect that the banquet will be in Rapid City, or another major population center, since it's for the whole state organization of HFH.

I'm thinking of driving out on Friday, 11/6; going to the banquet the next night and heading back home on Sunday, 11/8.

We'll let you know as we get more information but I would LOVE for another mini-delegation to be present.

Besides, we're getting plenty of experience fine tuning the routes to take - and we have a new 'best time' of 12.5 hrs for the trip!

Peeing and stopping for meals is highly overrated - and can clearly be eliminated with a little more practice!!
Heaven knows Andy, Kathi and I pushed BOTH these limits this last time!! (TMI???)

Check calendars - and let me know who's IN for a fall trip to SD!

A time to mourn

2009-09-02T19:32:00.002-05:00

It was good to spend time, however briefly, with Maggie; to share tears, hugs and memories of Don; to encourage her and let her know that she is, and will continue to be, in our prayers and hearts as she moves through this difficult and lonely time.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Hope grows

2009-09-02T07:34:00.008-05:00

One of our new partner families this past summer was Krista, a young single mom raising 3 children with limited, and questionable, help from her extended family.

Before ever realizing that the house we were working on was to be hers, I had several delightful conversations with her while she was working as a cashier at the local grocery store and I was doing a supply run for our group.
We were both pleasantly surprised when she showed up in the kitchen of the dorm to start preparing dinner for us - with the food I had just purchased from her hours earlier!

Our conversation during meal prep, which continued when she, her children and her sister in law joined us for dinner, gave all of us the chance to get to know each other better.

Kristas house was moved at the end of July, from Bishop Hare Center where it was constructed, to a site approx 8 miles from the center of Mission, SD. While she's not moved in yet due to last minute hook ups and things that have to be 'fine tuned', the end of her and the kids sleeping on the floor in a relatives home is almost in sight!

Krista hopes that her family will be in THEIR home by the end of September. (It's even possible that her fiancee will be able to join them by the end of the same month). She's very excited about all the good things that are to come.

During our talk while preparing dinner this summer, she had wistfully mentioned how much she had dreamed of having her own home as well as a garden and a few flowers; "especially roses; it just seems like there's so much to be grateful for in a world that has roses".

On our trip back to Rosebud this past weekend, Andy and I took several plantings for Krista's new yard.
I took two yellow Knockout shrub roses and Andy donated a cutting from his butterfly bush.

It's a 'garden' in all of our imaginations but the reality is that its a patch of cleared off dirt and shale with some indigenous plant life on it but little in the way of true natural beauty.
The obstacles, when looked at realistically, are formidable.
The winds will be persistent and strong, the heat unrelenting, intensified by the lack of any shade and the winters bitter and snow-laden.

But to cultivate a garden is to know hope.

We broke up soil, we sited the plants away from the house and somewhat protected from north winds.
We hedged our bets with root stimulator, peat moss, a good soak of water and fertilizer pellets.
We will give Krista tips on how often and when to water.

We prayed and laughed about exercises in 'letting go of control' and about the very real possibility that all our best efforts are a crapshoot - like anything else in life!
In other words, we did all we can do.

The analogy of gardening to any form of service or ministry was not lost on us.
All we can do is plant the seed and tend the garden, using the tools we have at our disposal.
God will decide the conditions, seasons and what will grow and flourish and what will wither and die.

I know that - and on most days, I even accept that.

I can't help though but hope that His plans include the flourishing of roses and a butterfly bush in a small desolate garden in South Dakota to remind Krista - and her gardeners - that there is indeed much to be grateful for in a world that has roses.

(The top 4 pictures are of our plantings; roses at either end; butterfly bush in the middle. The bottom 4 views are from the Rosebud Children's garden at Bishop Hare)

"Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart"
Russell Page

Different Drums

2009-09-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

Since so much of our time in the Rosebud community during our annual visits is taken up with construction work for Habitat (and rightly so since that's why we're there!) I had failed to get a good sense of how actively involved tribal members are in traditional cultural events and activities. (Maybe a word more accurate than 'good' would be 'balanced').

However, this weekend afforded the opportunity to see another side of tribal life - and to say it was encouraging would be an understatement. There was a vibrancy and joy expressed symbolically inside the dance circle that hopefully reflects a growing measure of pride and strength in their own community.

When male and female dancers, of all ages, are in the circle at the same time during the Grand Entry, the women and children dance in the center, with the men along the outer rim, re-enacting the tradition of the men safeguarding their families by being the first line of protection against a hostile world. This symbolic action, if viewed enough times, can hopefully stir different thoughts, choices and behaviors for some of the young people in the community who are making some very destructive decisions.

One of the most moving sights of the Wacipi for me was seeing a father carrying his newborn infant in the ceremonial circle, wrapped in the cloth of a beautiful beaded backboard; proudly introducing the next generation to the traditional ways of their people. The beat of the drums no doubt resonating with the beat of her own heart.

This weekend, there were many signs and reasons to hope that a core of the Lakota Nation is alive and well; even while being grounded enough to know the magnitude of the many challenges they continue to face.

It feels important to all of us involved with ministry to this place and people that they not face those obstacles alone.

Lakota women

2009-09-01T08:29:00.002-05:00

Dazzling

2009-09-01T08:27:00.002-05:00

I know I have previously posted thoughts about needing to look beyond the trappings of culture and class to see the individual beneath - and I meant it - however -OMG!
What gorgeous trappings!

This weekends visual input was SO intense at times that it made my eyeballs throb!

The beading, sewing and artistry expressed on the costumes, for both men and women, were extraordinary.

Having previously been only to the intimate (small) Ring Thunder Wacipi, I was in no way prepared for the pageantry and beauty of such a large tribal gathering.

I was immediately transformed into "She who stalks with her camera" and I provided many tribal members with their own taste of dealing with the paparazzi! The majority were very gracious about my inarticulate expressions of admiration and with the interruption of their activities but even the ones whose timing or agendas differed from mine made it clear it wasn't personal.

Hey, no problem man, we cultural parasites have tough skin!

(Clicking on the collage will provide an enlarged image, for my technologically challenged friends who may not know that !)

Celebrate good times!

2009-08-31T20:57:00.005-05:00

The weekend of celebration for Harold continued over at the Rosebud Fair, their Nations equivalent of State, County and community Fairs all rolled into one; think Webster Days on the 4th of July on steroids.

The Fair is held every year to commemorate Lakota warriors victory at Greasy Grass (known to non Natives as Little Big Horn).

People come from all over the surrounding counties and sleep in tents, tipis and their cars on the campgrounds.
The smells, not only from vendors but from continuous food preparation by huge extended families throughout the grounds, is endlessly tantalizing and tempting.

Oh, and while folks from South Dakota might be used to their weather in late summer, I know 3 poor St Louis folks who were freezing for much of each night. The temperature on Saturday night was slated to reach 39 degrees!! Do you know how close to SNOW that is!!

The dorm at Bishop Hare was never more warmly welcoming!!

Allen

2009-08-31T15:59:00.003-05:00

Harold's grandson, Allen, has been dancing for the past year (he's only 6) and this was the largest gathering in which he has participated. The size of the crowd, which honestly felt overwhelming to me, didn't seem to phase him one bit.

It's impossible to describe how talented this child is; think Billy Elliott in terms of raw energy, the need to move and the ability to lose himself in the rhythm of the drums - conveying something both natural and other worldly at the same time.
I'm not sure I ever really understood the concept of 'becoming your art' before watching Allen; it's amazing to behold.

Even when not dancing, he moves and seems to embody the beat of his culture in a way that's captivating. Clearly he has a gift.

Since they bent the rules for him in the first place - his category of 'Youth' dancers technically started at 8 yrs old -no one expected him to win a prize - and we were all disappointed not to be able to stay thorough the whole competition, which ended on Sunday night - to see if he pulled off an upset. (Harold should be emailing us this week about the result).

No matter the outcome, this child's one to keep your eye on; he's definitely going to make a name for himself on 'the circuit'!

How exciting to see dancers at the Wacipi and have a particular one to root for!!

Transitions

2009-08-31T11:53:00.003-05:00

Returned back home last evening from a long weekend on the reservation, so the next few posts will be filled with images and notes from that trip. The reason for going out was to join friends and continue relationships established with our 'partner families' through our work with Habitat for Humanity

A day filled with joy, pride and celebration.

Ceremonies were scheduled throughout the day, starting at 8am with Anpe Wi Hoyekiyapi (Calling the Sun to Bring Good Energy and Health to All Creation); Tiazilkiyapi (Purification of the Multi Purpose Building), Wasiglaki Istamni Yanpi Wicakci Pakintapi (Wiping of Tears Ceremony), Graduation at Noon and ending with Wiyaka un Wicayuonihan in which relatives of the graduates who have previously received a feather/degree tie a feather in the hair of the current graduate.

Harold's son, Joe, did the honors for him.

While Harold received a BA in Lakota studies, it was also a day of recognition for his wife, Stacy, who received a 1yr certificate in Office Technology. (Although she was reluctant to call any attention to herself and away from Harold's BIG accomplishment; she was even reluctant to have her picture taken).

Harold had a stroke several years ago which resulted in permanent left sided hemiparesis and which completely changed his life.
He has been receiving Social Security Disability and could have continued to remain unemployed. Unfortunately that is the choice that many in his position would have made.

Harold chose to re-evaluate his options and move in another direction - and we are SO proud of him!

He laughingly told us about calling the Social Security Office to tell his caseworker to discontinue his payments for Disability. Apparently it is such a rare occurrence for someone, especially on the reservation, to get a degree and a job that she spontaneously burst into tears and then called her colleagues over to the phone where they all shouted "Congratulations" and sang "For he's a jolly good fellow".

Stacy will continue to work as the Liaison between the University and Tribal Headstart.

Harold has already begun teaching Lakota at the high school at St Francis.
Ironically this is the same high school that he attended, in which, if the students were 'caught' speaking Lakota, they were physically punished. The fact that the school now employs a teacher in Lakota Studies is a hopeful sign of how things are slowly changing.

It was so much fun to concentrate on the good things that are happening, especially in a place and time in which obstacles and challenges can seem insurmountable.

It was a blessing for us to be with the Charging Hawk family on such a special occasion.

2009-08-23T15:58:00.004-05:00

Our friend, Harold, is graduating this Friday, 08/28/09, from Sinte Gleska University with a BA in Lakota Studies and a mini-delegation from the AMT is making the drive back out to South Dakota to celebrate and let him know how proud we are of him.

It's hard to convey all the obstacles that people on the reservation have to overcome to obtain any kind of formal education.
This is a terrific feat - and a tribute to Harold's determination and courage.

We'll also stay to watch Alan compete in fancy dancing at the Rosebud Fair.

We're leaving on Thursday morning (08/27) and returning late Sunday (08/30).

Keep us in your prayers, asking for safe journeys and join us in thanksgiving for all God is doing in the lives of the Charging Hawk family and on the reservation through HFH and our ministry in partnership with them.

ps: our presence will be a surprise - don't tell them we're coming!

2009-07-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Childrens chalk drawing speaks for all of us -
Sicangu Tikaga Okiciyapi Chapter of HFH - you're the BEST!

2009-07-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

Sandy , Exec Director of HFH, and Glenn sign pact allowing us to return next year - - only kidding!
But return date for 2010 has been reserved.
JUNE 19th -26th, 2010.
Space limited to 20 participants.
Get the dates on your calendar NOW!

Mitakuye Oyasin

2009-07-05T22:06:00.006-05:00

"Re-entry" - the feeling that you're back where you belong and that you've regained the 'rhythm' of your routine after an absence - has been particularly difficult for me this year. Actually, as each successive trip deepens the friendships and the ties we have to the community on Rosebud, there's an acute awareness that, when we leave, we leave part of our hearts behind.

And OH, how I miss the South Dakota sky!

Throughout the day,in the midst of work, laundry and grocery shopping, I kept reviewing conversations and experiences from the past week - and one made me smile with each remembrance.

One of the greatest gifts the Rosebud community gives me every year is a vivid reminder of how 'connected' and inter-related we all are; both to other people and to all life forms. In fact the Lakota have a phrase to describe it - Mitakuye Oyasin - which translates to "All my Relations" or "We are all Related".

On the reservation, it seems you literally cannot go to the gas station in town without running into someone at the next pump who's related to someone we know. (That actually happened to me on Thursday. A man started a conversation w/me when he saw our MO license plates; then asked where we were staying and then said that he was the uncle of the Director of HFH. He asked me to tell Sandy he needed someone to come cut his grass!)

A short time later, as we were leaving a store in town, we also mentioned to the owner that Sandy had sent us in. She laughed and told us she was his sister; she told us to tell him to comb his hair!

Our friend, Harold, told us a funny story about the 'downside' of being so connected. He said that,in high school, every time he began dating someone, he would have to bring her home to meet his mother; not to get her approval per se, but for her to ask the girl about who her people were to see if she and Harold were biologically related. Laughingly, Harold recalled too many times when she'd basically say, "Nope, take her back, she's related to you!" He claims that's why he had to 'hook up' with a woman from a different tribe in Oklahoma!

It seems to me that when you define yourself as being intimately connected to ALL others in your community, whether through genetics, marriage or other ties not formally recognized, the level and quality of your responsiveness changes. If each person is literally seen as being part of your immediate family, it makes their well being, needs and concerns more intimately connected to you; how they're doing MATTERS. Even if circumstances prevent you from honoring a request (to my knowledge Mr White Hat hasn't gotten his grass cut - and Sandy didn't comb his hair!)the whole interaction is treated more tenderly than if there was no acknowledged connection.

I think the difficulty with re-entry for several of us is that we're increasingly aware of how much we're related to the people on Rosebud; we matter to each other and it's always hard to be away from family you love.

Upon arrival home - 7/4/09

2009-07-05T18:30:00.002-05:00

Upon my arrival home and after my shower I read through the next prayer in the booklet used during our circle time. There is such meaning in the prayers easily related to specific days. The realities of home are starting to set in as I finish the wash from the past week, run to the pet store to purchase more crickets for the reptiles, and catch up on the world news since I've been gone.
I woke up this morning with mixed feelings. Happy to be home as I missed my daughter and mom, but missing the sweet grass smells of South Dakota. I carefully planted my sage and wild rose dug from the sandy grounds of South Dakota this morning.
As I enter the coming week I expect memories of this past week will trigger times for written expression and meditation. I want to thank my drivers, Andy and Donna for a safe trip and the encouraging words and team work of the whole group this past week. I hope those of you who followed our trip will give much thought to attending next year's trip.
Words can not express the beauty of the land, meaning of friendships made and to be made, renewing spiritual faith in God and finding inner strength and a peace of one's self these trips provide for me. Each trip has its own face and personal experience unlike our everyday life experiences. This just might be a trip for you.

No skill required.

peace,
Tammy Schmitz

Final chapter - until the next one!

2009-07-04T22:48:00.003-05:00

All safely home; trip only took 14 hrs.
Too many thoughts and feelings to process now.
Will post 'after trip' reflections in several weeks.

Thanks for following along - and for keeping us in your prayers.

Peace - and good night.

Donna

2009-07-04T06:28:00.001-05:00

Group T-shirt design by Andy Ruhlin.

Prayer circle;then packing the car and heading out:(

Remembrances

2009-07-03T23:52:00.003-05:00

While working on our final day of this year's Mission Trip, I pulled out a hack saw from my bucket of tools. The saw was handmade almost ninety years ago by my grandfather - a wonderfully kind man who spent much of his life as a machinist and inventor. Etched into the tool are his initials, E.H.H. I'm lucky to have inherited several of his tools, each of which carry his mark. Whenever I use one of these gifts, I recall that gifted man and the patience, generosity and encouragement he always offered me.

This week, I've been privileged to hear the stories told by Lakota friends as they describe their grandfathers. In all of my readings about Native American culture, it's very clear that they held their elders in high esteem. That tradition of respect and reverence has become even more evident through my experiences living among the Lakota. They've reminded me of the importance of looking back to honor the generations that came before us.

For me, looking back here on the Rosebud has its risks and rewards. Often times, I'm celebrating traditions I admire tremendously. Frequently, however, I'm also filled with regret and anger for the injustices inflicted on a people I love. But, above all, I'm here not just to remember; I'm here to re-member, in my own modest way, the body of Christ. As we build homes and friendships, we seek to mend what has been broken, to promote reconciliation, and to witness to the oneness of God's creation. The days spent with my Lakota friends and my fellow trip members knit us together in God's love and forgiveness. It's a powerfully-transforming experience that I cherish.

Andy

Friends

2009-07-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

The Charging Hawks - with the gang!

2009-07-03T23:32:00.000-05:00

HFH Office Manager, Lacosta Jackson with daughter, Lillieca and husband, Gregory

Final thoughts

2009-07-03T22:37:00.004-05:00

Wacipi canceled due to rain; disappointed but dry!
Some of us spent time with Stace and Harold at their home for a brief visit while others volunteered to stay back at Bishop Hare Center and clean - willing hearts and hands; gotta love it!

"This has been a week of contrasts: soft beds and hard floors,work and play, plenty and want, frustration and satisfaction, strangers and friends, the familiar and the unknown, but all with an underlying unity.
I am thankful for it all".
Mary Jane Crews

Tonight's Circle Prayer:
I pray for the strength to accept that lives most often end in tragedy,
that quests don't always work,
that understanding is a lonely road,
that I can't reason my way to love,
eat gold or live forever
and that none of this matters.
I pray to understand that I am here to find my way back to God, whatever that takes: and that all the rest, save love and duty, is an illusion.

I set out on this trip like every other year - prepared to help a community of friends. As I reflect over the week, I feel it has been a lot about myself.
I left my crazy world back home for mom to handle (thanks mom) and regained my inner strength.
I walked away from a beautiful deck I helped to build, walls I helped scrape, and a storm door I finished installing, feeling proud of my accomplishments.
I rekindled past friendships and made new friends and even helped cook dinner without a microwave. I worked out frustrations, regained my spiritual faith and feel like I can come back home ready to face anything.
Mission trips often feel like retreats to me because, although hard physical labor or the compassion of a listening ear is many times required, the experiences cleanse my soul, clear the cob webs and is a reality check of how life could be and is for others.
I hope my work helps Krista and Heath feel as good about themselves as it has made me feel doing it.
I look forward to next year's 18 hour trip with my Emmanuel and Lutheran family as we travel to Mission, South Dakota.
Embrace the Ministry,
Tammy Schmitz

THE DATE FOR NEXT YEARS TRIP HAS BEEN RESERVED: JUNE 19-26TH.
Give prayerful consideration to joining us.

2009-07-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

Wacipi tonight!
Alans 'practice' outfit;
Samanatha showing us 'shawl dancing' and 'dancing shoes'

Prayer shawls

2009-07-03T09:15:00.003-05:00

Prayer shawls and other knit items created by our Knitters group will be delivered to Father John this morning for distribution amongst his parishioners.
Hopefully the recipients will know they're being wrapped in our love, and better yet Gods love, as well as the shawl!

Deeper chord note

2009-07-03T09:02:00.002-05:00

For all our descriptions of the beauty of this place and the graciousness and hospitality of the Lakota people, I would be doing us all a disservice not to mention what several of us have felt since our first trip to the reservation.

There is a heaviness here that at times is palpable; a sadness that seems to seep up from the ground itself. It is the deepest note of the same chord which holds so much beauty for us.

I never knew how to describe this sense until I read "Neither Wolf nor Dog" by Kent Nerburn - and he so exactly captures it that I'll let his words serve for us.

"I have never met an Indian person who didn't somewhere deep inside struggle with anger and sadness about what has happened to their people, and I have never met an honest and aware non-Indian person in America who didn't somewhere deep inside struggle with guilt about what we as a culture have done to the people who inhabited this continent before us. We can like each other, hate each other, feel pity for each other, love each other. But always somewhere beneath the surface of our personal encounters, this cultural memory is rumbling. A tragedy has taken place on our land, and even though it did not take place on our watch, we are its inheritors, and the earth remembers."

Loose ends

2009-07-03T08:36:00.003-05:00

There are two important things about our trip which we feel still need to be said and I'll do it in two posts so as not to overwhelm with 1 extra long one!

Forget the packing lists, the reminders about bringing medication and tool belts: the MOST important thing to bring on Mission trip is a servant heart.

We have spent a good part of this week re-doing work done by a previous group.
It was reported to us that they had their own agenda and their own sense of how things should be done and they wanted the 'glamorous' BIG jobs that were clearly visible,although they were not particularly open to how staff wanted it executed.

Don't get me wrong, all groups love to have projects that are camera ready, where huge differences can be seen - for themselves to experience a sense of accomplishment and for the folks back home.
The problem is that here, as in most of our lives, it's the little things which support and help the bigger things get done that frequently need the most attention.(They had been asked to help organize the tool shed - and they refused, saying it wasn't important enough)

I won't tell you that there weren't times when I was scraping off drywall texturing that I didn't think to myself "Just rent a sander; this would be a whole lot easier and quicker". Being a member of the dominant culture and thinking we've cornered the market on how things should be done, how finite resources (such as money)should be spent and what other peoples priorities should be is a very difficult habit to break!

Prayer time and intentionality about service kept bringing us back throughout the week to being present, being flexible and honoring the requests of a community that is embracing us and allowing us the privilege of being even a small part of their lives.

2009-07-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Sun finally going down, after a rain tonight - @ 9:45pm!

Museum pieces

2009-07-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

Exquisite Lakota Handiwork

Vista Volunteer

2009-07-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

Brian Laurent, VISTA volunteer @ Habitat.

Purple Church

2009-07-02T22:08:00.004-05:00

This afternoon, on our 1/2 day off, we went to a local RC church in St Francis, SD which is painted lavender!
The story we were told is that years ago, the then new RC Bishop made several missteps in the beginning of his tenure on the reservation; mistakes which seriously jeopardized the continuing ministry of the church. In an act of contrition, the Bishop agreed to let the children of the parish pick whatever color they wanted when it came to repaint the building.
When he heard they had picked PURPLE, he was going to refuse to honor his promise - until the tribal elders convinced him that if he failed to honor his word, the church would be damaged for generations.
Hence, purple.

It is nearing the end of a complete renovation; stained glass windows are out being cleaned and re-leaded and the main altar is being refinished.
It's a lovely worship space and there's a museum on the same ground - Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum- which we also visisted.

One last day of work - BIG push tomorrow to get things finished before going to Wacipi (Pow wow) - and then headed home early Saturday morning.
Difficult to believe our time here is almost over!

The Purple Church

2009-07-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

aka St Charles Borromeo Church in St Francis, SD

2009-07-02T19:32:00.000-05:00

WWJB= What would Jesus Buy

On our half day off, we helped pump up the local economy!

2009-07-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

Thought for the day:
If the path you're on isn't straight,
don't blame obstacles....
maybe it's of your own choosing.

Sky

2009-07-02T11:05:00.002-05:00

One of the ‘rewards’ of being on a Mission trip is the opportunity to indulge in the luxury of ‘just being’ after a long day of physical labor; to enjoy those brief periods of time in which to simply sit; to be; to let your thoughts wander while listening to the sounds of the ever present wind, grasses and birds; to look at the sky.

The sky in South Dakota is unlike the experience of sky anywhere else that I have ever been. I know the skeptics among you are saying, "Please, there's sky everywhere".
But I swear to you it's not like this.

South Dakota sky is omnipresent; its on top of, and surrounding you, at all times – and you know it. There's a 'nearness' to it that makes you reach up, as if you could touch it. It has personae, and moods, all its own and it commands your attention.
You simply can’t ignore it; it's a landscape in itself.

I’ve given up trying to figure out why that’s true; if its’ because there are no buildings of two stories or more anywhere within a hundred miles (and not even many of those); if it’s simply that there are no chores or routines like laundry, cleaning or the distraction of TV and computers to entice me to stay inside or if while we’re here, in a place that has such ‘absence’ of those 'things' that our culture says are valuable, I’m aware instead of the overwhelming abundance and beauty God has given us from the beginning.

In this ethereally beautiful land, it's easy to see the sky as the gathering place of spiritual forces.

How blessed we are to have the chance to be here.

2009-07-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Images of South Dakota sky

2009-07-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

Images from celebration with friends; 07/01

2009-07-01T22:45:00.002-05:00

Just back from a perfect summer evening at the foot of Haystack Butte celebrating with Don and Maggie, their family and friends.
(Don is the cultural documentarian at Sinte Gleska University; Maggie is Head of the Art Department at the University.)

Don was hospitalized from mid-March until 1 week ago waiting for a heart transplant.
He still hasn't gotten one but was sent home with an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) implanted in his chest to keep him alive while he waits.
His birthday is in 2 days and they decided to celebrate the fact that he's still alive - and back on the Plains, able to sit around the drum and sing the sacred songs of the Sundance.

A wonderful feast of stews, soups, fry bread and wojapi (a 'fruit soup' made with chokecherries, perfect for dipping fry bread in, if you like; I like my fry bread plain!)

There was a timelessness about the evening; watching the children running across the fields, playing on the brush piles and hay bales as drums and chants provided background music that was breathtaking.

Please keep Don and Maggie and all who love them in your prayers.