Day 6

As is our custom, it was up early on the last day to help clean the church and pack up the trailer. It was amazing to watch as teams that struggled to work together (if even slightly) on the first day, now come together to get the job done quickly and nicely. After breakfast, teams managed to finish organizing the church areas we used and by the time they were done, it was as if we had never arrived. Of course we know that we were there, and so does St. John's. Their dumpster was filled to overflowing and the pile of recyclables was pretty high.

Karl came to wish us a fond farewell and he thanked us for once again including them in the work our youth do. We reminded Karl, that if not for the wonderful support of the people of St. John's, our trip would not be nearly as successful or enjoyable. Before leaving, we planned the dates for next year's trip and then said our good byes.

Unfortunately, some of the adults could not join us on the river and had to leave. We offered a prayer for their safe travels, thanksgiving for their time with us, and then it was then off to Sparks, Nebraska and our tubing adventure down the Niobrara. The morning started out a little cooler than expected, but this did not deter us from our journey. Taking a quick picture phot to show we all began the journey, we tied tubes together to make a couple of islands and it was off we went.

There was a lot of excitement as this part of our journey began, which means lots of noise. As we traveled down the river you could hear us coming as youth sang, tube surfed, and generally had a great time. However, by the time we got to Smith Falls, the sun had still not broken through as we expected and once out of the water, the slight breeze made it feel a bit chilly. After lunch, this chilly day did not stop all of our youth from walking under and playing in the falls. Some did stay up on the deck, but most made the annual trek into the falls and got their picture at its base.

Taking a picture up on the deck, that included everyone, it was back to the river. Following a little time just having fun near the landing, it was back on the tubes for the short ride to our pick up point. As we exited the river, dragging our tubes against the current was a challenge. Mike Gearhart lost a water shoe as he slipped helping Fr. Tom pull the last island of tubes to shore. We took one more picture before getting on the bus to show we all made it and then it was back to Dryland Aquatics to change, say one last prayer together as a team, and say good bye to those heading off in different directions.

Sad to see our friends depart, we all had the long ride back home. For a time, it was somber. I am not sure if it was the departure of friends, or the fact that for the first time in a week, our youth had time to just sit and rest. Either way, the vans got quiet and people slept. Stopping in Norfolk for dinner, we made calls to let parents know what time we were returning and before we knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot to waves and smiles. Once the trailer was unloaded, we said our good byes (again) and a cry out to do this again next year, a strange quiet slowly came over the parking lot as youth headed home. Thank you Jesus for another great, and safe trip.

Pictures - Day 6

Day 5

Slow start to the day. Everyone got to sleep in an extra 30 minutes today. With the project near completion, and the VBS prep complete, all that was left for us to do was head up to the site and get to work. A few of the team still woke at our regular time, and a couple others enjoyed a cup of coffee and the quiet for a while. This morning, in addition to the blog notes, Fr. Tom was running a slide show of many of the pictures he has taken over the week. Some were rather funny, some showed us hard at work, and others showed us just having fun. During the night, a pretty good size thunderstorm moved through the Valentine area. Besides water and a little thunder, it went largely unnoticed. I think the team was just plain tired. I can't blame them, it has been a long week.

By the time we were ready to head up to the Rosebud, the rain had long since quit and the day looked like it might begin to clear. As we neared Mission, SD, we started seeing some sprinkles on the windshield. Fortunately it was just that and when we started to survey the site it had stopped and we began to plan out the final finishing touches. Everyone pitched in today to make things happen and by the time the vans left to pick up the kids for VBS, everything was ready to go. Our numbers were down a little today; on the one hand we were disappointed, and on the other relieved. We were afraid that if we had the numbers come we had the previous two days, we would not have enough of the central craft for everyone of our guests to receive theirs. But wouldn't you know it, we had a number arrive that allowed everyone who came to receive their special craft and gift with only a few left over.

The last day is always the hardest. During our discussion time tonight, we heard stories of big hugs, tears, requests to go home with us, and requests to have us come back next year. One of the youth who rode with the kids back into town after VBS said, in the past, it was always sad to see the kids leave, but that once the door on the van closed, and it pulled out of the driveway, it had always been time to clean up. Yes he was sad, but there was work to do. Today, it affected him much differently as he got a hug and watched them go up the driveway to their house.

By the time the vans returned, everything was packed, and after one last walk through by Fr. Tom; we piled into the vans to the ride home. However, we did not go straight home. The team went over to visit the Sinte Glaska University Native American Museum in Mission, SD. About half of the team had been before, and admittedly weren't so excited to go again. The pool sounded like a much better use of the time. We were all in for a big surprise; they had completely revamped the displays with beautiful clothing, crafts, and artifacts. The curator gladly visited with us, not only to hear about our work over the last week, but to share with us things about the displays. He was a very interesting man.

With the visit behind us, we headed off to the pool and our end of trip bbq; hamburgers and hot dogs. We almost lost track of time after dinner. The kids were playing, the adults were chilling, and Sharon was busy repacking. Yes, the team sat while Sharon worked, again. During the nightly discussion, everyone thanked her for her hard work and vowed to be better helpers next year. Something else about our discussion tonight. On the first few nights, when we discussed how we could improve, we heard a lot of he could or she could. Tonight, it was about what we could do. Without knowing it, the team had become a community in relationship. Not only with their new friends on the reservation, but with one another.

We could go on and on about all the wonderful blessings we came to know on our journey to Rosebud, but instead we will let our pictures tell the story for us (we will load them as fast as we can once we get to a place with reliable internet). We still have one more day. This one will be all about us, enjoying one another's company and sharing in the sunburns we will likely all know as we take some time to tube down the Niobrara River. Hopefully everyone will use sunscreen and the burns will not be too bad. It looks like it will be a beautiful day tomorrow for the river. We will be up a little early tomorrow, we have to get his place as neat and orderly as we found it (not too worried about this, our teams have done wonderfully to date) and we have to say our goodbyes as our team is sent forth to share the good news we found while working on the reservation. What is that good news you might ask, it is that we did not come to bring Jesus to a people as some thought, we came and met Jesus who was already here. Now that was a blessing.

The last entry to this bog will take a few days to enter as life will be a bit crazy for the blogger. But once the dust settles, the final day's story and pictures will be uploaded. In the mean time, join us as we keep looking for those blessings. While they may come out of nowhere, or at least from where we might expect them, we might find that God's grace and mercy are forever available to all who would receive it.

Pictures - Day 5