19 years - but who's counting?

 A small group of us headed back to Rosebud yesterday,

continuing a tradition that started 19 years ago for the adults of our faith communities.

Back then, in a world of hurting places,

we made an intentional commitment to return, again and again, to one place;

to know and be known beyond stereotypes and cultural divides;

to immerse ourselves in one, frequently forgotten, corner of our nation

and to serve 

in whatever capacity we were asked.

We leave our judgments about what 'they' should do to change their lives

back home.

We listen, we learn 

and we try to respond in loving and constructive ways.

The reservation is as complex and complicated as any community in our country;

as broken and as beautiful as the towns in which we live.

We acknowledge the beauty

and we grieve the brokenness;

we see ourselves in both. 

We recognize that all parts of the human condition are what make our lives whole.

 The land through which we traveled has been devastated by flooding.

Whole swaths of farmland, homes and pasture under water.

Conversations in the van were frequently muted by the alterations in the landscape

and our own deep thoughts.

From the looks of things this morning, 

the rainfall might not be over.

 But there was also the reminder,

as there always is, if we look for it,

that storms and destruction aren't the only story

there are new beginnings.

There's morning; there's light.

It's good to be back.

 It's good to take time away from the routine of our 'normal lives'

 and see ourselves, our faith and our opportunities for service

 in changing ways

 We're eager to see what the week holds for us.

Where we stand changes what we see.

Changing what we see changes how we think.

Changing how we think changes what we do.