Closing thoughts

Well, its about that time of night when I take a few moments to reflect on the day and give you all an update...I was typically blogging right after I crawled into bed around midnight-12:30 AM (the blog-post was time-stamped CST which made it look like 1:30 AM), which was after the youth went to bed and I was then able to shower myself and unwind a bit. But tonight I am home (still up just as late, this is normal for me!) and the youth are gone. It feels SO different tonight...

It was awesome to have such a big welcome back party waiting for us at IHM, thank you for being there! We unloaded quickly and everyone took off. I got into my own vehicle and drove away, just me, for the first time in 7 days! I felt like I didn't know what to do with only myself to worry about! All the emotions rushed in of what an amazing week it had been and that I was now alone and kinda missed all the chatter, laughter, chaos and fun that we'd had. I called Wes (husband) to let him know I was on my way home, and he asked, "are you crying? is everything OK?" I just laughed amidst a few tears while trying to explain everything I was feeling at that moment...

All there is to say is that this was an awesome group of kids. I know that you all know that already, but I got to experience each of their unique personalities, the dynamic of the whole group together, the challenges and accomplishments of the week, their friendship, their inquisitive minds, and to witness the growth that comes from all of these things.

A good friend of mine says that, "God always works both sides of the miracle," and that's truly what I've experienced this week. I went to "give" my time driving and chaperoning but I "received" far more in return. I was challenged and grew personally, spiritually by having the priviledge of being with your kids this week.

Thank You to all the families for the gift card - what a generous gift!

Your thoughts, prayers and praises from the week are greatly appreciated! I look forward to growing the relationships from this week!

Pics...
...a one lane tunnel that we drove through in the Mt. Harney area
...the girls writing "happy fun notes" before leaving

Pics...
...a one lane tunnel that we drove through in the Mt. Harney area
...the girls writing "happy fun notes" before leaving

Friday...on the road!

Today started bright & early with packing, loading & cleaning. We were on the road by 8:15 AM and soon out of Montana!

We weren't able to climb Mt. Harney as storms had moved into the area, but we saw it and then went for a great walk around Lake Sylvan admidst intermitent showers! The rock formations in and around the lake were featured in the movie National Treasure II - ask the kids to see thier pictures of the area! Everyone climbed up, down and all around as we released our couped up energy from the first part of our trip.

We enjoyed great food at Sanford's Pub & Grub in Rapid City, SD tonight and are currently unwinding back at our host church in Lead, SD. The feedback from the youth about their week has all been great and they say they'd go again. I call that success!

We'll be home tomorrow night and ready for a good night's rest.

Ahhh..it's Thursday!

Tonight was an amazing experience...during "club," which is when we sing songs of praise, give recognition (snaps), thanksgiving (yeah Gods!) and reflect on the week's theme of "FREE," we closed with a foot washing ceremony. At first, the youth thought, oh yuck! But I believe they were really moved as the three of us adult leaders washed their feet and prayed over them. For me, it was moving personally, as well as challenging to try and convey in prayer what I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to say to each of them. I know that we all, youth and leaders alike, have grown so much on this trip. I wish I could have taken pictures of the service, but we were all involved and it was perhaps to personal for photographs. This might be a great event to ask your child about and dialogue on. I know they all participated in song more tonight than before - after 4 nights they had really warmed up and opened up. Truly, an awesome thing to see! I also heard from several of them that they discussed it later and thought it was pretty cool :) yay!

So, thats the most important part of today and of this entire trip -- seeing the growth and development in the individuals.

But, if you really want to know about the rest of the day, ok!

The work crews finished another house and shed - amazing what they can do by working together! Kids Club had water day which was a blast! Much fun and laughter and everyone was soaked from the games. We ended the day by relaxing with a community cook-out. The families of our Kids Club'ers came as well as some of the homeowners we have helped during the week. It was a great chance to relax and unwind together.

Tomorrow starts very early, 6:30 AM everyone will be up and have the vans loaded by 7. Then an hour of cleaning the building to restore it and prepare for their next group. We close with prayer and hit the road by 8:45 AM.

We do plan to climb Mt. Harney weather pending (heat?), today was very hot here!

We'll see you Saturday night!

Wednesday

Whew! Today was a hot one! Right around 90 degrees and boy did we sweat! Kids Club was awesome and the new crews that were out on the worksites had fun painting, more scraping and a bit of yardwork.

The youth have been involved in making every aspect of "Youth Works" happen. We do all the meal prep and clean-up (yes, washing dishes by hand) for breakfast and supper. Lunches are made ahead at breakfast time and then packed to be eaten at the worksites. There is also a clean-up crew in the morning that cleans all of the bathrooms - yuck! With 60 youth using tiny bathrooms and a gym shower system, cleaning those is no laughing matter! Everybody gets their turn at each job as they rotate the groups each day for their responsibilities.

Tonight's activity was going to Wales Bulltail's house (see photo of him) for storytime. Wales is an elder of the tribe and tonight he talked to us about the method the Crow used to hunt Buffalo on horseback with bow & arrow, although he hadn't experienced that himself. He does hunt buffalo a couple times/year on the reservation using a gun.

He also showed us his Sweat Lodge he has in his back yard (see pic). The lodge functions like a sauna although much hotter, he said. The purpose of the lodge is to cleanse both the body and the soul/mind. They do 4 rounds (5-7 min. ea.) of prayer while in the lodge with 4-10 people total. They give thanks for their blessings and they pray for upcoming events as well. Seeing the Lodge (8-10ft diameter) and hearing the incredible meaning and importance it has in their tribe and their personal lives was awesome!

Tuesday at Youth Works

Today was a great, warm & sunny day in Montana! I think that all the youth had a great sense of accomplishment as we finished work projects and had a 2nd day for those with Kids Club. Tomorrow the groups switch and get to do the other thing - either painting homes or Kids Club.

The children at Kids Club are just loving the time the youth spend with them; you'll see pictures that will melt your hearts! The children love all of the attention and they feel so important and loved to have an afternoon of constructive fun! The Kids Club participants also went to an assisted living facility and were so excited to share with the rest of us about the interesting people they had met and the stories they had heard!

Tonight we went to the Little Bighorn Battlefield and learned about Custer's Last Stand. It was very interesting to learn about how the Crow had partnered with Custer as scouts against the other tribes in the area.

The youth are better adjusted to the environment and schedule here today; I look forward to tomorrow!