Chuck wagon Cookout

Hayride

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake

Heading out to Custer State Park

Going to Jeep ride, horseback ride, and kayak today!

Painting the girls room

And now this. He didn't plan on moving

What a morning

I've been humped by a dog while Roy and Earl unloaded backpacks, been to a place that is remote even by Rez standards, met REAL work campers, seen real cowboys on a cattle drive and passed a field of sunflowers and it's not even noon yet.

The middle of nowhere

Christ Church, Red Shirt

Delivering backpacks

Backpack delivery

Backpack Day

Looks like we'll be spending 4-5 hours driving the Rez delivering 900 backpacks today.

Slumber party with 3 girls tonight

Hanging out at the laundromat

Double Rainbow

Breakfast

Roy

Linda will enjoy this - Roy has been running up and down the basketball court with the kids - even in 100 degree heat. I had to threaten to call her if he didn't take a break. He's doing great!

Charlotte

It's 5 am here and I appear to be the only one awake. Do far all is going well. The kids have been great. The team members are all great. Everyone seems to be having a good time. It's HOT but we are making the best of it ...as you can see in this pic - even grandmas can slip and slide.

Hillbilly Golf Prep

Of course there's a horse at the kitchen door

Roy

Bailey

Jess

Slip and Slide

So hot the crayons are melting

Sunday

Leaving the Super 8 and heading to the Wounded Knee Museum, then through Badlands National Park to Wounded Knee, then to Allen to unload the truck. Everybody is doing great!

Let It Rain

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9UzZV9G9k&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone

Loading the Truck

Tentative Itinerary for 2012

We plan, but of course ..... everything is subject to change.  :)

Saturday, July 21
Meet at church NO LATER than 5:30am for last minute instructions, donuts, coffee, and prayer with our family/friends
Hit the road ASAP
Drive to Sioux City, IA and spend the night.

Sunday, July 22
Breakfast at the hotel at 6am.. Leave the hotel at 6:30am.
Drive to Wall, SD and visit the Wounded Knee Museum.
From there, drive through Badlands National Park, stopping for photos for a short time.
Drive to Wounded Knee and see the Memorial.
Drive to Pine Ridge and have dinner (probably at Big Bats)
Drive to Allen, unload the truck, get orgainzed.

Monday, July 23- Thursday, July26
Breakfast at 7am
Work project in the morning
Pick up the kids about 11:30
Lunch with all the kids
VBS
Take kids home around 3:30
Pick up teens at 5pm
Dinner with the teens
Teen Night
Take teens home at 9pm
Devos at 10pm

Friday, July 27
Breakfast at 7am
After Breakfast, Amber, Roy and Earl leave to deliver backpacks to other villages.
Pick kids and teens up at 11:30
Lunch
Game day!  Water fights, watermelon eating contest, field games.
4pm - Give out backpacks and take kids home.

Saturday, July 28
Breakfast at 6am
Leave for Custer State Park asap
Picnic lunch at Custer State Park
Groups leave for Horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, and Jeep rides. by noon. (Must be there by 12:30)
Meet at State Game Lodge in Custer State Park at 5pm to go on the Hayride Chuckwagon Cookout
By 8pm - head back to Allen.

Sunday, July 29
Pack up, Clean grounds, trailers, church, bathrooms, etc.
Church
Right after church - hit the road.  Lunch somewhere on the road.
Arrive in Des Moine, IA late that night and check into hotel

Monday, July 30
Breakfast at hotel at 6am
Leave hotel at 6:30am and head home! 

Something to Think About

“One of the really interesting stories to me is the story of Chief Joseph and after they’d cheated him out of everything, and they’re putting him on a reservation, they said “Why don’t you want to go to the reservation? If you go to the reservation, we’ll give you schools.” And he said, “We don’t want schools.” And the government of the United States said “Why don’t you want schools?” And Chief Joseph said “If you give us schools then churches will follow.” And so the United States government said “You don’t want churches?” And his father, Chief Joseph’s father was a Christian and Joseph was baptized in the church and rejected Christianity, and he said, “No, we don’t want churches.” They said, “Why don’t you want churches?”

And this is a very telling statement, he said “When we have churches it will teach us to argue about God.”
And we can argue about a lot of things, I know, but we shouldn’t argue about God.

It’s very difficult for me to understand why the church has been so reluctant to speak with Native Americans about Christ in whose name their land was stolen. Maybe there’s a little bit of shame or something. Which might even be appropriate. But the past is past and people need the Lord. And I think when an injustice has been done, people need to go the extra mile. You can’t undo what’s been done, and there’ve been injustices done to people of all races and all creeds and etc. But I think that there has to be some kind of healing. And I want to be a part of that.” - Rich Mullins (from an interview)

Yeah Baby!! (A peek at this year's stuff)

 The shirts are ordered!  I have white cotton tee-shirts on their way and yesterday I picked up some tie- dye kits at Michaels (I had a 50% off coupon).  One of the crafts this year will be making tie-dye shirts.  Yeah, giving dye in squirt bottles to little kids ... always a good idea.  Oh well, its not like we've not been painted before. 

This year our "Crew Shirts" will not be the typical shirts that we've had in the past.  Nope, this year we'll be tie dying plain white t's along with the kids and those will be our team shirts. 

Along with the wild and crazy shirts we will give the kids neon bandannas and some snazzy looking neon shades.  (modeled above by one of my favorite people)  Oh and I think we'll decorate neon flip flops again this year too. 

Its gonna be fun! 

Introducing the 2012 Crew !!

Once again we have a GREAT crew lined up for the 2012 trip to Pine Ridge!

Here they are ..

Charles Jackson
Cathy Jackson
Vicki Jones
Ericka Buchanan
Bailey Cartwright
Roy Hauser
Charlotte Johnston
Ralph Johnston
Angie Coffey
Carrie Pruhs
Laura Camardo
Jessica Camardo
Tim Hall
Debbie Hall
Linda Baker
Earl Baker
Rhonda Greely
Amber Buriff

Oh yeah ... its gonna be a fun year!