Friday, Day 6

Our last wakeup was much earlier than usual and more abrupt. Fr. Tom and his air horn got everyone moving quickly. We needed it. The morning routine had to be accelerated if we were to pack up, clean up, and get on the road in time to catch the bus to the tubing drop off point. As usual, everything gets done and we are on schedule as we head out of Valentine. As we point ourselves in the direction of the river, we say good bye to a few folks who could not go with us. We have been through so much this week, it was sad that we could not all enjoy the river.

We arrive at Rocky Ford Camp with plenty of time to stretch our legs, check out the river landing, and load up on the bus. In years past, we have been the only party on the bus. Not this year, it is packed with people and a few dogs. Heading out to the drop off point, we are bounced around as the wheels on the bus go round and round over a road that is not very flat. When the bus finally comes to a stop, we quickly get off and begin the mad scramble to grab a tube and a partner for the trip down the river. There was a small panic when we found that our cooler (with lunch) was bigger than the cooler tubes provided. A second cooler tube and some creative lashing and we are on our way.

The first leg of the journey is relatively quiet with people jumping in and out of the water. It is a hot day and the cool water temperature feels really good. Interestingly, the smaller groups soon become bigger groups as more and more kids hook their tubes together. When we arrive at Smith Falls, we pull our tubes out of the water and gathered for lunch. Thankfully, the cooler arrived safe and sound and the food remained dry (there's nothing worse than soggy bread). After lunch, everyone heads up the trail to the Falls. Some take the trail, and others trek up along the creek that runs from the falls to the river. We take the traditional group picture at the foot of the falls and then make our way back to the tubes.

Once on the river, there seems to be a great deal of energy to burn off. Speaking of burning, despite recommendations from the adult team, many begin this leg of the trip without reapplying sunscreen. At the end of the ride we found that not only did we have the youth we started with, we also had a few lobsters. The sun didn't stop the kids, or adults, from having fun. Tube surfing was the rave. Some did very well while others had a moment of glory before making a big splash as they slid off the tubes into the water. About one half way to the pick up point, the energy level began to wain and the mood mellowed.

A short bus ride back to the camp was immediately followed by showers to wash off the river and to freshen up and then one more picture together before gathering for one last prayer before loading up into the vans and heading home. Next came the good byes and hugs and even a few tears. As we rolled out on the highway, the talk was about how much fun we had and how we looked forward to doing this again next year. Before long, the vans were quiet as those who could took a well deserved nap. Back at home base, the vehicles were unloaded, there were more good byes, and finally it was off to our own beds.

Next year's trip to Rosebud will be July 10-15. Our plan is to arrive in Valentine earlier in the afternoon so that we can go up to Mission, SD to watch the closing ceremony of the Antelope Pow Wow. We hope that even more of the youth of our diocese, and their friends, are able to take part in what has been, and what will be again, a life changing experience.





Arriving at Rocky Ford Outfitters

Just making sure everyone has a tube and a partner

Finally, we are on the river. Let the fun begin!

Things start out calmly

After a short break for lunch we all head up the trail to Smith Falls.

Back on the river, the time to relax is over.

Sharon and Ricky try their luck at tube surfing.

One last photo opportunity before saying a final prayer and leaving for home.

Thursday, Day 5

Each morning is a new experience. Today it was a song and a sprinkle to help all greet the new day. The looks of astonishment were priceless. Still, we all rolled out of our beds and began to prepare for what would be our last day on the reservation. The morning routine is now a routine. The kitchen team begins and the crowd waits patiently. Since it was cereal for breakfast, the wait was not as long and this gave the teams some extra time to play cards and chit chat after chores before heading out.

When we arrived at the Church of Jesus, we saw some folks walking around the church checking out our handiwork. When they saw us begin unloading they left without saying anything. Just as with other mornings, ther was a mad rush to begin painting. Nobody wanted to end the day and leave without completing the job. Of course there would be no chance of that.

Today the numbers of kids who attended went down a little. Another group offering VBS had entered the housing area and began to engage the kids in games. When we arrived to pick them up, some of them decided they were having too much fun. Others could not wait to jump in the vans to come to our program. At first some of us were dissappointed that not all the kids came, but it turned out to be more fun as we were able to give the kids who came more personal attention.

It was a wonderful day, all the way up until it was time to say goodbye. Each participant got a bag of goodies and then they loaded up all the crafts they had made throughout the week. Then there were lots of hugs and high fives and many promises to see one another next year. Every one of our youth wanted to pile in the vans to help take the kids home. Later, during our evening discussion, there was a general consensus that the look on the faces of the kids as they went home made us all feel that the work we did was worth it and we gave thanks for the love of God that was poured out on us through them.

Waiting for Donna, our coordinator, to return with the key for the Bishop Jones building, we entertained ourselves with some games. Then it was off to the showers and back for a dinner that was provided by the people of the Church of Jesus. What a wonderfl dinner. We had Indian Tacos. The main difference between what they served and we have grown accustomed to, is that they do not use a tortilla, but fried bread. It was sooooooo good. But before we could enjoy them, we were told about a custom of the Lakota that required the youth to serve the elders before they could eat themselves. Donna told us how this custom works and our youth jumped at the opportunity to serve our new friends. After dinner and clean up, it was back to Valentine to pack up for the ride home on Friday.

As the evening came to a close, we gathered one last time to share stories of how the day and the trip had gone. It was a really powerful experience for everyone as all shared the blessings they had encountered in and through the kids they worked and played with, the adults they met, and through one another. We learned not everything had gone perfectly, but in the imperfections we still found the opportunity to laugh and give thanks.

Karly and Summer paint, Sarah supervises.

Robin shares the story of Jesus sending us out to continue his work in the world

Another day of crafts

When asked who loves ya baby, everyone points up and shouts God does!

Our gift to the people of Church of Jesus; a quilt of painted cloth squares.

A before picture

After

Our painting crew gathers in front of their masterpiece

Everyone signed the back of the church sign

A cake offered by the people of the Church of Jesus for all our hard work.

Wednesday, Day 4

It was another happy start to the day with a song to get us going. Waking up is half the fun, at least for those of us who are awake before the wake up call. Each day we start out just a little different; one day a song, another a whistle, who knows how each day will begin. For those of us who have done a few of these trips, the lazy start is a bit difficult to get used to. We have grown accustomed to getting up and getting moving with rest something only enjoyed at the end of a long day.

It was pancakes and sausage for breakfast and as usual there was plenty to go around. Nobody stays hungry here unless they choose to be. Once we arrived in Rosebud, we quickly began to set up for the day's activities and start prepraing for lunch. Today was tacos and it is a regualr favorite of the kids on the reservation and our kids too. The painting seemed to progress rapidly today as there was no scraping and more painting. We even found a way to get the peak of the church without getting anyone hurt or hung upsaide down.

We learned that there is a pow wow coming up this wekend (to celebrate victory day, the Lakota victory over Custer) and some of the kids who came earlier this week were not there today because they had to help their family get ready. Something really cool happened today. Some of the kids we have been meeting with taught us a song and one of the kids "Ducky (Ron)" brought his guitar and sang a song for everyone. Even though it was not concert material, the joy that radiated from him while he sang was something to behold. Afterwards, everyone broke into a round of applause.

We tried something a little different today. There was no planned outside activites as the crafts were a bit more tedious. But towards the end of our time together we did take a few outside who needed to let off a little energy before heading back to the church to worship. Our youth have really taken the lead in the trip's program. Each team has stepped up and performed wonderfully. In the process, some friends have been made that will no doubt carry over until our next visit. Speaking of our next visit, Fr. Tom visited with Fr. John about next year;s trip and we learned our efforts have been greatly appreciated and that they would very much like us to return to the Church of Jesus next year. Looking at available dates, it looks like we will be back to this location in early July (around the 11th). There may even be a chance that we could attend a Pow Wow with some of the fmailies we met while here. What a great opportunity to learn even more about the Lakota culture.

Tomorrow we will have a change in plans as we have been invited to dinner provided by the folks on the reservation. This is a real blessing and their way of saying thank you. We learned today that they were going to prepare a favorite dish of theirs, Indian Tacos. We have heard they are really good and we are all looking forward to this opportunity to be served in return for our service.

Worship and dinner with the folks of St. John's was awesome. Instead of a sermon by one of the three clergy we had on the trip, the youth offered reflections on a key word that described their experience so far. These words were faith, unity, trust, and friendship. I wish you could have heard them. It was great to hear each member of the team share why their team's word described their experience. During the announcements, we let the rest of the parish know that with the help of the Dean Fricke Food pantry, and the hard work of our team's youth, we collected nearly 1500 pounds of food for their food pantry. Add to this the generous donation of $500, provided by the people of All Saints, Omaha, for use to procure needed items here and on the reservation, the parish was overwhelmed with thanksgiving. We then learned that this unexpected gift of our thanksgiving came just at the right time as the need was quickly outpacing their ability to serve.

During the group end of day discussion, it amazed me at how quickly this group has become a team. From six communities across the diocese, we have become one body in Christ. Do we have our ups and downs? Sure we do, but together we are much more than we are by ourselves. I know that when it comes time to say goodbye at the end of the week, it will be hard for us to do so. But the good news is that there are so many more opportunties ahead to get together again.





The calm before the storm

Picking up kids in Marshmellow Housing

We gather to worship

Smiles like this make all the work we do worth it!

Craft time

Shark Song

It's time to go get a snack and head home

Preparing for the next day

Tuesday, Day 3

Despite the slow and lazy start this morning, we quickly (sort of) began to build up energy for what lay ahead. The first team to hit the ground running was the day's kitchen teeam. With 5 dozen eggs with ham to scramble and hash browns to stir up, there was no time to waste. The rest of the teams sat sleepily waiting in the parish hall for when they could dig in. Once the food was served the conversation moved from I'm tired to the daily tasks. The service project team made plans as they knew they would be painting more than scraping; the fellowship team was working on some new games to play with the kids outdoors; and the VBS team discussed the crafts they would be helping the kids with; and everyone wondered if the crowd would be bigger and which kids would return.

After breakfast it didn't take us long to pack up and go. Everyone was anxious to get to the reservation. Once there, and everything was set up for the day, there was a little time before we left to pick up the kids. Keith and Greg found they did not have enough paint brushes as the paint team and many others wanted to make their mark on the church (and each other). But when the kids arrived, most of the paint brushes were set aside and the kids became our focus. It was another wonderful day working and playing with the kids. What made this day even more special is that we already knew one another and the new kids that showed up could see how much fun we were having and that helped make the day more special for them too. Something our teams thought really cool was the fact that today almost every kid participated in the singing we do after lunch. With the help of Hope and Sarah, the kids have learned a silly song that really gets them pumped up and is perfect just before beginning the day's activities.

By the end of our day, it was ssad to see the kids go hime. There were even a few kids who made such a connection with some of our team members that they didn't want to go home. But knowing we would see each other again on Wednesday helped a lot. Once the clean up in the parish hall was done, we sat ther looking across the street at the church. We are all amazed at how far the paint team had gotten and how good it looked. The bell tower was impressive and the fresh coat of white and red paint on the church made a real difference. As Crystal was putting the finishing touches of the bright red paint on the front doors, we couls see that the church was no longer looking sleepy, but was ready with renewed energy to take on the world.

We can't wait until we see it when it is finished. Weather permitting we should get close to finishing on Wednesday. All we have to do is figure out how to safely complete the front face peak. Several ideas floated around from hangng team members upside down by their feet to throwing paint in balloons to give it a more modern look. Since we have a few kids who like to climb (we've had to chase them out of the trees in front of St. John's) we even throught we might let them climb some of the trees near the church and hang from a branch or two. You'll just have to check in tomorrow to see what the winning idea was.

Back at St. John's, the team hit the pool to cool off and we had another adult member arrive from western Nebraska. Everyone was hungry at dinner and then they were off exploring the town and even found a neighbor who let them play on the family's trampoline. We once again gathered at the end of the day for Bible study and Compline. With all the fresh air and the sound of a passing storm, I think this is another night during which the team will get a good night's sleep.








Slow start











Breakfast Crew - Scrambing eggs with ham and stirring hash browns

Eating it up

Sing to Jesus

Matt scaping for Jesus











Paint for Jesus.... Okay ring my bell

Crafty kids

Making ready for tomorrow

Play time thanks to a great neighbor

A time to reflect

Tuesday Night

Following the storm we had Tueday evening, the internet on our connection has not been realiable. We will post updates as soon as we have a strong enough connection that will enable us to upload copy and photes.

Monday, Day 2

Great News!!!! Today already started out better than last year's trip. We had 22 kids arrive for lunch and VBS. Add to this some wonderful weather and we could not have asked for a nicer day. Of course what made it such a great day were the kids we met. It seemed like our youth bonded with them very quickly and by the end of the day our team was exhausted; in fact, several of our youth slept all the way back to Valentine.

Once we got back to Valentine we learned some other great news; The Pool was Open!!!!! Of all the things our team prayerd for, clean showers and hot water were at the top of the list. About half of the team took advantage of the pool while the other half took long showers (because they could) before heading back to St. John's and dinner.

Following a wonderful dinner (chicken and baked potatoes) our youth had some free time to explore the downtown area of Valentine and purchase a supply of junk food. Despite their cravings for junk food, it was good to see so many of our youth eating a salad at dinner. Once our free time came to a close, we gathered in the parish hall for bible study and then we got ready for the next day's crafts. With this behind us, all that was left was some prayer and then bed. Many will sleep very soundly tonight.








Lunch is served as the local youth arrive











Hope and Alyssa point to who made us as they lead opening worship.









Ali and Travis, supervised by Keith, scrape away years of old paint in anticipation of adding another coat on Tuesday.

Virginia gets almost as much paint on herself as she does on the railing.

Team four: Kali, Sarah, Karly, and Rickly, along with a dozen youth from Rosebud play a game of kick ball. Nobody knows the score, they donn't really care. Too many folks are having too much fun watching.

Andrea, accompanied by Mother Karen and Matt lead the day's story time. Ken makes a great chicken.

As our day comes to an end, Team 2: Alyssa, Travis, Summer and Kate, accompanied by Keith and Mother Ellie, lead the group in Compline.

Sunday, Day 1

Well, it rained last year when we arrived in Valentine, this year it rained as we loaded up and headed out. Several folks had to use alternate routes due to NE roads that were closed due to water. However the rain did not appear to dampen any spirits. The excitement was high as we began to converge on St. John's in Valentine.

Oncce we arrived, and the trailers and vans were unloaded, it was dinner from Pizza Hut. What a pleasent surprise, the local Pizza Hut was running a special and the pizzas were 30% off the regular price. There was plenty for everyone.

After dinner and a few short meetings, the youth had an opportunity to explore the area around St. John's before gathering in the parish hall to prepare for tomorrow's activities and to get to know one another.

I think we have a great team this year and I look forward to seeing what God is going to do through us for the youth of Rosebud and what they will do for us. We are reminded that this trip is not about us taking God to them, but meeting God through them and sharing the wonderful experience of his love.

Throughout the week, we will try to post a brief update on the day's activities and provide a few pictures to highlight the things we did and experienced. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed being in them.

1,000 pounds of food donated by the Dean Fricke Food Bank for the food banks in Valentine and on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Youth from across the diocese collected several hundred pounds of additional can goods and dry goods as their way of saying thank you to St. John's in Valentine for hosting them and the people of Rosebud for sharing the love of God with us on our visit.

Ready, set, load! The crew from Omaha begins to load up supplies that will feed us and the kids from Rosebud. There sure is a lot of stuff. It will take a little creative packing to get it all in the trailer.

Before heading out on the road, the team from Omaha get a blessing and a farewell from one of the local parishes. Several of the youth are returning to Rosebud for the second year in a row.

We are safe and sound in Valentine from Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, North Platte, Scottsbluff, and Mullen. Our team of 26 is excited and ready to get to work.

Deacon Robin and the girls are doing it

Even Greg and the boys are doing it

Here we are, all doing it...we are busy cutting out patterns for use during tomorrow's crafts. It was a great way for everyone to get to know one another.