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.