#southdakota2019

[betweenandbeloved]

Welcome to Rapid City!

I have to say, blogging as a Chaplain is much more challenging than it is as a participant. Posts might be a little less regular on this trip because I have extra responsibilities to take care of first, but I’ll do my best to get them in when I can.  I love having this extra responsibility and role on the trip for the youth - it allows me to experience the trip with new eyes and I’m ready to learn and explore through the eyes of the participants.

I arrived in Rapid City on Thursday with five other members of the planning team. We settled in with our host congregation Calvary Lutheran Church where we are staying while we are in Rapid City.  After a quick lunch, we went on the first of many shopping trips to feed all 56 of our participants.  It took five people, four carts, and a couple hundred dollars to get the basics that will last us a few days.

(Photo credit to Rebekah featuring: Rebekah, Robin, Emily, Mercedes and me)

I have to say, running around Sam’s Club shopping was SO MUCH fun! The hardest part was figuring out how much of things we needed. Calculating how much coffee we need was definitely the hardest because if we didn’t get enough coffee... well, I think I did the math right. Let’s hope at least!

After getting all of our food loaded into the car and then into the church, we decided to go out for dinner in downtown Rapid City.  One of the fun touristy parts of Rapid City is they have statues of previous US Presidents on every corner. We had some fun taking pictures with the ones we found.

(Mercedes, me, Emily, Rebekah, and Robin. I didn’t take note of who we all posed with)

It was an early night for all of us because we were up at the crack of dawn, and we enjoyed a nice quiet night before the rest of the youth arrived.

On Friday, we took the morning to do whatever we needed to do. I had the opportunity to meet up with my old youth director, the now, Pastor Jonathan Steiner, his wife Laura, and their two kids Lydia and Zeke.  It was wonderful to catch up with them and play with the kids.  I haven’t seen Laura or the kids since I was in South Dakota three years ago and when I saw John at the youth gathering last summer it wasn’t enough time to catch up on a world of adventures.  The Lutheran world is simultaneously huge and small, but it’s always good when it brings people together.

Our first group of participants arrived around noon and it was exciting to finally have them here!  While they were out exploring Rapid City, Pastor Skyle, Nurse Robin and I went off to run some errands and work on final planning for the night.  Around 9pm we gathered for games and introductions while eating pizza. After a long day of running around, that pizza tasted mighty fine.

(The planning team and adult chaperones introducing themselves at our first large group meeting)

Skyle and I ran opening worship which was low key, but a lot of fun. We got the participants together, talked about our theme Faith Wide Open, set some expectations for our time as a large group and as a small group, prayed, and then sent them off to get to know one another.  We had participants all over the place, some had been up since 4am (east coast time) and some had only just arrived in South Dakota. It was quite reflective of the trip to be honest, we are always going to be at different places on our journey so it was fun trying to craft a meaningful worship time that met people where they were, while giving space for people to give what they could. We had an activity where everyone wrote down one thing they were excited for and one thing they were nervous for. More on that later, but it was interesting to read what some of the participants had to say and lift that up in prayer from the beginning.

(Entering into a time of worship together)

It was fun reflecting on my experiences of coming out here to South Dakota and what it means to experience and participate in a Faith Wide Open.  In the Philadelphia area, we don’t have the wide-open landscape like we do out here in South Dakota.  Out here, we quite literally can see for miles and miles, undisturbed. God brought each and every one of us out here on this trip, and God walks with each of us through the wide open spaces in our lives literally and figuratively. From serving as a chaplain on a servant trip for the first time (definitely a wide open space of learning for me!) to being away from home for the first time (which might be the case for some of the youth), to learning and growing in ways a classroom and textbook can never teach us - there are many wide open spaces that God brought us to and that God walks with us through.

I am excited to spend the next (now) 9 days exploring these wide open spaces with the youth and adults, but I’m also excited to see what wide open spaces come up in my own experience as well.  This is my third trip, but the beauty of this trip is that no matter how many times you go, you always get to experience it with new eyes.

Today we venture out to Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and Mount Rushmore. I’m hoping we get to see lots of buffalo but who knows what we might see! Please hold all of the planning team and participants in your prayers as we begin this amazing opportunity to learn and grow while venturing into these wide open spaces.

[betweenandbeloved]

South Dakota Round 3!

It’s that time again, the year after an ELCA Youth Gathering where the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Youth head out to South Dakota for a servant trip of learning, growth, and exploration.  I’m thrilled and excited to be going for a third time on this trip that has been not only formative to me, but to my family, and to the youth I’ve worked with over the years.

In 2007 my sister went to South Dakota on this trip and came back changed, filled with stories, and determined to share the Lakota story.  I went to South Dakota for the first time in 2013 as a young adult and it was an amazing experience.  As I learned about and explored Lakota culture on the Rosebud Reservation, I realized that the culture was so beautiful and rich, and is what attracted me to servant work, and more specifically, serving in different contexts overseas.

(Learning how to take down and set up a Tipi in 2013)

This servant trip to South Dakota is like going on an overseas mission trip, but we don’t have to leave the continent.  The Lakota people have a rich and beautiful culture, devout respect for the earth, and a connection to their roots that I’ve seen nowhere else in the world. Learning from the Lakota people has helped me grow as a person, in my faith, and in my understanding of the world around me.

When the 2016 trip rolled around, I signed up for the planning team in the hopes of taking a more active role in the planning of the trip. I ended up on the Spiritual Life Team, a funny coincidence now that I am in seminary, and helped bring to life the theme Faith on the Frontier.  To read more about that trip, check out the South Dakota Page on my blog.

(Part of the group at Crazy Horse Memorial in 2016).

Now, I am about a week away from heading back to South Dakota, this time, not only as a planning team member but also, as one of the Chaplains.  Over the last year, the planning team has worked to create our awesome theme: Faith Wide Open, and worked through the logistics of moving 50+ people around South Dakota. Over the last few weeks, Pastor Skyle and I have worked diligently as the Chaplains to come up with our curriculum for the event to find a way to bring to life Faith Wide Open for the participants and allow helpful ways for discussing and processing their experiences on the trip.

We aren’t even in South Dakota yet and I already feel like I’ve learned so much about the Lakota people, their culture and spirituality, and how to create a meaningful curriculum for the participants.

The SEPA Synod South Dakota trip has been so important to me and my faith journey and it’s been an honor and blessing to be able to take such an important hand in making this trip happen. No matter how many times you might go somewhere, you should always go with new eyes and ready for new experiences. I can’t wait to watch this new group of participants explore and grow in their understanding of themselves, the Lakota, and the world.

I land in Rapid City, SD on Thursday, July 11th and will be there until Sunday, July 21st. I hope you’ll follow along for another installment of #WhereInTheWorldIsCourtney. It feels so good to write again, and I can’t wait to share my adventures with you! Thanks for all of your support and guidance over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am without it! 

[betweenandbeloved]

made some new friends on the ranch today #sepasd2019 #equinetherapy #southdakota2019 #horses (at Mission, South Dakota) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0H86ueHA1h/?igshid=mqxhvne470we

[betweenandbeloved]

Rounding Out the Trip

Well, for someone who loves to write and blog, this was not the trip for it! I was so exhausted each night and even now as I’m recovering and getting back to work, everything seems like it was a blur. It was a wonderful trip, and I guess exhaustion is a sign of that!

Thursday was a great workday! We ended the day with our cultural learning activity with Chief Duane Hollow Hornbear at the Sundance Grounds. He explained the ritual to us and talked about Lakota life and culture. The ceremony of the Sundance is the most important one because, as Duane says “The only thing I can offer is this body of mine.” There are many days of preparing the grounds, as we learned from working there for four days. The ceremony begins with 4 days of abstaining from food and water in the wilderness, then a time of purification in the Sweat Lodge. Then there are 4 days of dancing before the actual sacrifice of flesh. Men are pierced with a small bone that is attached with rope to a tree in the center of the grounds. They then pull and dance until they break - they are released from their bond to the tree.  The ceremony ends with 4 days of reflection. There will be more than 100 dancers, but only the men will pierce.  Duane explained that people come to the Sundance because they are crying and hurting.

(Photo at Tree of Life)

Duane ended his talk by saying something along the lines of this: It is easy to say I am related to everyone and everything, but it is a harder thing to live it. We allow ourselves to become too humanistic but we belong to the earth, we do not own it. No one can tell us how to pray or who to pray to, that is our own decision. I chose to pray here at the Sundance and don’t draw any lines to who can participate or observe as long as they come with respect. Let your spirit dance and use your body.

It was really special to have all the youth present in the Sundance grounds to learn about the ceremony. In the beginning, it was hard to see the significance or importance in the work we were doing weeding, mowing, and preparing the grounds, but I think after hearing from Duane, it made all the work so much more meaningful.

Friday was our final workday and the youth powered through the heat and sweat.  We finished painting a local church, we finished painting the music room and building the stage, we almost finished building a deck, made significant progress in helping prepare for the Sundance, and spent lots of time organizing and sorting donations to Tree of Life.  The youth are rockstars and I am so proud of all their hard work on these projects.

(Group in front of the church we painted)

After finishing up our workday, we had the opportunity to visit a ranch and spend some time with therapy horses. Equine Therapy is so beneficial because it teaches you how to confront your emotions and process them. It’s something I wish I had more access to! The horses could really tell what we were feeling and what we needed, they then responded in the same manner. Some of the kids got to ride bareback on the horses and I got to cuddle a horse named Nala who really did cuddle! 

(Equine therapy is a necessity in life)

We then had some time with a man named Greg Grey Cloud who shared his experiences and the importance of equine therapy.  Greg shared that his experience growing up around horses helped teach him to deal with problems directly instead of trying to avoid them.  He spent a long time talking about feelings and emotions, that once we can communicate our feelings, we have the foundation of any relationship.  It was really a wonderful learning opportunity, and it was great to relax with the horses for a bit.

We got back to Tree of Life and had Indian Tacos, courtesy of the staff. What makes an Indian Taco so spectacular is they are made with fry bread, fried bread. They’re a piece of heaven.  

(Love me some Indian tacos)

While waiting for dinner I had the opportunity to sit with a woman selling her beaded crafts. I bought a cross necklace from her and she said the beading was called peyote, meaning each bead was individually placed and it took four hours to make. The black represents the sunset and death, red represents north and the Indians in the USA, yellow is sunshine and birth, and white is warmth and light.  I’m so in love with my necklace and hearing about the woman’s life made it even better.

(The woman who made my necklace)

After Indian Tacos we had our final cultural learning opportunity with Anne Whitehat who told us about her medicinal plants and herbs. It was interesting to hear how all these native plants that we’ve been looking at, can actually be used to heal - sometimes better and faster than anything a hospital might prescribe.

It was sad to leave on Saturday morning but we had a wonderful goodbye with Linda and we were able to bless her as she continues her work with Tree of Life in the years to come.  It was a blessing to work with her again and she is a blessing to all she meets.

(Blessing Linda)

Back on the road we drove through the Badlands and stopped at Wall Drug before making it back to Rapid City for our Chuck Wagon Dinner.

It was a great touristy day, but my favorite part was our closing worship.  We shared stories and experiences and ended our time together with communion.  It was a blessing to serve as a Chaplain on this trip and I will forever be changed by this group of youth who worked so hard despite the heat, the sun, and the sweat.

(Our communion table with our offering of stories written on post cards to send to each persons church)

[betweenandbeloved]

On the Rez

It’s been absolutely hectic and wonderful the last few days working on the Rosebud Reservation. I’ve had zero downtime to myself really, which is great, but also means I haven’t had too much time to write.

We are staying at and working with Tree of Life in Mission which works to help provide relief assistance to people living on the reservation. They have a soup kitchen, thrift store, and lots of different projects to help create sustainable change and impact on people’s lives.

On Monday, Tuesday and today (Thursday), we put the kids to work on a bunch of projects. We had a group helping transition a gym into a music room at a local school where kids can explore their creativity through music.  We had another group working on a church that was transitioning into a safe space of spirituality and healing for people recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction.  Another group worked on the warehouse going through palates of items to clean out the warehouse and have a rummage sale.  Yet another group worked on construction, working on building walls and decks. We also have been rotating all of the groups to go out and help work on the Sundance Grounds to help prepare for the ceremony starting on Sunday.

(Top: kids painting the outside of a church. Bottom: working at the Sundance Grounds)

It has been a lot of hard work but I am so proud of the youth.  My favorite part of being a chaplain has been going around visiting all the groups and giving out little pieces of joy. Pastor Skyle and I take popsicles to the people working at the Sundance Grounds because it’s so hot with no shade, and we took candy to everyone else. It’s been enjoyable to see the joy on their faces when they see us drive up and know they get a little sugar to keep them going for the rest of the day.

(Handing out candy and popsicles)

On Wednesday (yesterday), we went out to Milk’s Camp about two hours from Mission where we worked with the Youth Development Camp out there. Marla Bullbear built the camp as her contribution to help the community and the youth learn skills and about the Lakota tradition.  We did some backbreaking work in the heat of the sun helping to put up fencing, clean up and build at the pow-wow grounds, weed and garden, organize the office, and braid sweetgrass.

(Group Photo at Milk’s Camp)

It was an exhausting but wonderful day. We got to hang with the campers and make some new friends. I had a six-year-old friend named McKenzie who helped me build a bench. She was so sweet and her energy kept me going throughout the day.  Milk’s Camp is a beautiful place and it was awesome to get to help out there for the day.

(Posing with McKenzie on the bench we built together)

My favorite moment from the day was when I was hiding in the shade after helping weed and reset the rocks for a Medicine Wheel Garden (which made me very sunburnt... oops). One of the Elders came out and looked at the hill where the wheel was and the garden would be planed with joy in his eyes. He said we did a really good job and then told me that the Medicine Wheel is the circle of life and we travel through the different quadrants at different times. We start in the white when we are born and take our first breath. He said he spent a long time in the red section before he finally learned all he needed to which prepared him to move into the yellow section, signifying that he is preparing himself for an eventual end to his life. It was a beautiful moment and I could see how much it meant to him to have the wheel so prominently visible, as a reminder of life and death.  It was sacred and special to hear his story and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and listen.

(The Medicine Wheel with the camp in the background)

At the end of our day at Milk’s Camp, we had story time where an Elder told a story about Iktomi, the trickster, and the Buffalo Nation. It was really fun because there is no way to replicate Lakota storytelling - it’s an art and it was a joy to be able to participate.

So far we’ve had two other cultural learning events. On Monday we learned how to play traditional Lakota games. It was amazing how engaged the kids were. It really was a reminder that we don’t need smartphones and all the technology - we can be so entertained by a few sticks and a ball.  

(Kids playing the Buffalo game - kind of like spinning a top but you have to whip it to keep it spinning)

On Tuesday we had a young man named JR talk to us about what it means to be Lakota.  He shared that Rosebud is the second poorest county in the United States with 90% unemployment, only falling behind Pine Ridge which is only about an hour and a half from Rosebud.  JR also shared a bit about Lakota history and how they have gotten to where they are today.

(Group Photo with JR who is in the front row, second from the left next to Eman)

One of the most interesting things he told us related to the alcohol problem on the Reservation. In 1953 President Eisenhower approved the sale of alcohol to Native peoples. The problem was, their bodies had never had such a substance and so many people got sick and died because their bodies couldn’t handle it. He explained that white people have had alcohol for a very long time and have built up the ability to drink it without being affected, but Lakota people have had it for less than 100 years and their bodies just can’t process it the same way. This explains why so much about addiction problems on the Reservation.

JR ended by saying “we don’t need pity, we need jobs, skills, education - all the things promised to us when our Elders signed the treaty and gave up our land. If the Elder’s knew that the accommodations would be this awful when they signed the treaty, they would have fought harder.” I am grateful for his words and thankful we had the opportunity to learn from him.

I believe tonight we are all going to the Sundance Grounds to learn more about the ceremony but as with everything here, that could change. It’s been a long and tough week, but I am so proud of the youth for powering through and being open to these new experiences.  Now, it’s time to go shower and then visit groups to give out candy and popsicles!