Day 5

What a wacky day. It started out normal enough, but some of the strangest things happened today. After our morning wake-up routine, the team gathered in the parish hall for breakfast. However, they had to wait for our special guest to arrive. Shortly after 7am, Bishop Barker arrived and after welcoming him and his staff, the kids almost dove into the food. It was as if they had not eaten in days. After breakfast, with only one prompt for chores; our teams were hard at work getting things ready for the day. Guys had to reposition their bunks and put away any valuables as St. John's had their doors open for their weekly food pantry today. We didn't want visitors to get a unhealthy opinion of the church because of our presence, so we did the best we could to get things straightened up. In what seemed record time, the youth had the place straightened up nicely, had all their chores done, and seemed happy about it. I wondered if we were  in the twilight zone?

Off to the reservation for our last day and again, everything went smoothly. Once there, things came together as we finished the sub-flooring and cleaned up the chancel area, cleaned and mopped the church, painted the front doors of the church and the railings on the ramp red, and continued our work in the basement. The whole time, our youth seemed to really enjoy themselves. At the end, the chancel area didn't look any different, but remembering the state it was in after tearing things apart and knowing its flooring was now solid, you could tell the youth were very proud of the work they had done. By the way, Bishop Barker was very proud of their work too.

We had a good turnout for our last day. You could tell that relationships were forming and strengthening as now, youth and adults alike, were no longer sitting with old friends, but new. An interesting dynamic we often see, is that on the first day, reservation youth and our youth sit in groups. They interact, but sit closer to those they know then those they do not. By the end of the week, they are so intermixed that they sit in almost every other chair. The laughter, the smiles are abundant, everyone knows each other's names and there is talk about next year. It is always interesting for me, as I drive kids home after our last day, to hear them ask about different youth members of our team, especially if they are coming back next year. This year they had another hot topic, they were so thankful for the fresh ice cream Kelsey and Sarah Conrad made for their last treat. It really was a nice finishing touch for a great time together. The relationships our youth enjoy are something Bishop Barker noted as one of the most important and blessed things that come out of trips like these because they lead to understanding, not only culturally, but spiritually too. He agreed, that the relationships formed help us realize we do not take Jesus to the reservation, but meet Jesus who is already there; and that seeing Jesus in others helps us to know Jesus in ourselves.

With goodbyes said, the doors locked, we headed back to Valentine for our last night with the people of St. John's. Not only did we enjoy our annual feast with them, but all enjoyed a special treat as the Bishop celebrated the Eucharist. The church was filled with happy voices and smiling faces. Passing of the peace took a little while. One parishioner was heard to say, that one of the things she enjoyed about our annual service together, is that there is somebody who sits in front of her; another said how grateful they were to have so many young people join them for worship, and another, that it is nice to be around so many wonderful people.

We did have a little unexpected excitement on our last night. One of our youth was a bit dehydrated after her day on the reservation and was not feeling well. A short visit to the local hospital where nurses and doctors ran a few tests and offered a comforting presence, Gatorade, and some welcomed air conditioning, our youth was back with the team ready to go. We finished up the evening with our end of trip discussion sharing high points and low points, times Jesus made himself known through the people or things we were doing, and reflected on how much we learned and were changed. While many of our youth had been on this trip 3 or more years, it is always a blessing to hear how and where they encountered Jesus and the change in their lives the current trip made.

One final Compline as a team and then it was off to bed. Busy day tomorrow.