South Dakota - Day 3

We’re here and getting started on several work projects.  Ministry on the reservation is tough … and the burnout rate is fast – usually 1-2 years for a pastor on the reservation.  As I told the team, wer’re here to encourage the pastor and do whatever she needs.  There are several things that we’re working on this week that she isn’t able to do herself. 

Our first project today was to begin tearing out and replacing a sidewalk.  We are still in the process of breaking apart concrete – it is a slow process, but going smoothly.  We have all taken turns with the sledgehammer today and will continue to do so tomorrow after church.  We have also been helping Sonya with her home – trimming, weed wacking, mowing, scarping, and painting her garage.  Tomorrow we’ll continue to work on those projects!

Today we were working on Sonya’s yard and one of the teen girls on the team realized that her neighbor was having a ton of trouble moving around, so she took the initiative to go and talk with the neighbor and ask if we would be able to help her in anyway.  The neighbor was more than thankful for the help and tomorrow we’ll be mowing her lawn for her!

As a special treat, Mark and I loaded up all 9 of the kids and took them with us to Mobridge to buy supplies.  I was thinking it would be good for them to see more of the reservation and take a small break after a long morning of work, I wasn’t thinking that meant we would be shopping with 9 kids!I’m not sure what we were thinking taking all 9 of them, but we did it and no one got hurt or in trouble!  After 3 stops at hardware stores and a stop at a grocery store, we made it out alive, but having gotten many strange looks from the townspeople who were out shopping today!

This is quite a special group … they are having a ton of fun and getting a ton of work done, yet experiencing things that they would have never seen in Indianapolis and allowing God to work in their lives during the trip!