Saturday, June 29, 2019
Zeba 2019: Mackinac Island
This group rocks! We are a well oiled, efficient, strong team after six days together. We packed up and left the Ford Center I half hour early and made our way to Saint Ignace I had of schedule. That gave us an extra half an hour at Mackinac Island, which everyone loved. The day turned out picture perfect, 70° and cloudy during the bike ride and sunny while we explored the island. The kids enjoyed the independence of walking around together while the counselors enjoyed a quiet adult dinner.
We are grateful for the generosity of the Saint Ignace United Methodist Church for shelter this evening, we will all sleep very well there!
We look forward to returning to our families on Saturday.
Safe travels to all who are out doing good works from our church this week!
North Dakota 2019: paper plate awards
Good morning! With a bus full of groggy teens and adults, we're on the road for our last leg. Last night in Menomonie we enjoyed a fun dinner and then walked to a nearby park for paper plate awards, given out by the seniors (and then juniors hand out senior awards). Be sure to ask your youth about their award! What a wonderful week it's been - challenging work, unfamiliar conditions, tired muscles - but regardless these youth put those distractions aside to do exceptional work for the community in ND and for each other. Let your loved ones sleep in tomorrow, please! A few more pix to come.
Friday, June 28, 2019
North Dakota 2019: Friday - The Journey Home Part 1
It's 5:15PM central and we're nearly at our overnight stop of Menomonie Wisconsin. A bit of stop-and-go traffic thru Minneapolis hasn't dampened our spirits from our terrific week. Our last night at Spirit Lake Ministry was quite special, as Pastor Mike led us in a meaningful devotion which really made all of us even more connected to our work there and empowered to take the spirit of mission work back home with us. We rolled out of the gate around 7:30 this morning. Tonight we'll eat together and finish off our week of fellowship with paper plate awards. We'll continue to post pictures as technology allows! And we'll post from the road tomorrow about our ETA and Green Wood. See you all soon!
Thursday, June 27, 2019
North Dakota 2019: Thursday adventures
We started our morning at Roof site #1, cleaning up the debris and delivering it to the dump. We then headed to historic Fort Totten to see what the paint crew had finished, and to learn the haunting stories of the fort's previous life as a boarding school to assimilate native children. We heard personal stores from Mildred our lovely host, whose mother and elder relatives were school residents. After we finished our lunches we headed to Sullys Hill, a wildlife and nature preserve. We hiked the trails and viewed buffalo and prairie dogs. A much needed stop at the local DQ hit the spot! We're headed back for a busy, final evening at Spirit Lake. More tomorrow as we begin the journey home.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
North Dakota 2019: Wednesday: Projects completed!
We had a very rewarding day today: all 3 worksites finished their projects! The two roofs are done, and the paint on historic Fort Totten's front facade & porch is complete! All the teams are feeling a great sense of pride, knowing how their work will impact the families in the community. A subset of the youth also participated in the Summer Jam program for kids at the Spirit Lake Ministry Center. We had a relaxed afternoon and evening - youth chose to play games with the local youth, make friendship bracelets, play cards, take a walk with Pastor Mike to the burial mound, or just enjoy some quiet downtime and a good book. Tomorrow we'll clean up debris at one of the roofing sites, then we'll enjoy an afternoon of fun and exploring the area. Pictures will post separately.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
North Dakota 2019: Tues eve Cultural presentation
After dinner tonight we were treated to a cultural presentation by members of the Dakota tribe. The dancers, singers and drummers shared several songs with us, allowing us to join in on the final dance. We also learned some of the local history and community. The experience connected us more deeply to the people we're serving.
North Dakota 2019: Tuesday
We continue to work hard on all sites. Progress is really coming along! Summer Jams for the kids was also fun.
Cell service is making it a challenge to upload pix but we're all having a grand time. More updates soon!
Cell service is making it a challenge to upload pix but we're all having a grand time. More updates soon!
North Dakota 2019: Monday on the worksites
Monday our 3 work teams tackled 2 roofing jobs as well as painting at Fort Totten, an historic site. Our teams worked really hard and made great progress despite the wind and rain that threatened in the afternoon. Meanwhile a group of our youth came back to the ministry center to work with the local kids in their Summer Jam program. We capped the night off with a birthday cake for Kate Meader, small group discussions, and some fun downtime for laughs and games — and an incredible double rainbow!
Monday, June 24, 2019
Zeba 2019: more photos!
Hiking to the canyon falls - and a birds nest with beautiful eggs.
Lots of nature today!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)