Hello, Minnesota! I am writing to let you know that we made it, safe and sound, and are enjoying a little bit of free time (and showers) after a full day at our ministry sites. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be in touch before now; my cell phone does not work here (neither the reception for calls/texts nor the data....argh). Anyway, I managed to borrow a laptop from one of the Youthworks staff to send a quick update.
Everyone spent the day getting to know the community here, either by working with children in Kid's Club and a tutoring program, or through painting homes in a nearby neighborhood. The kids are adorable and very hungry for attention. One huge challenge is seeing firsthand how different life is here from at home. Kids learn to be independent and tough at a very young age. Spending time in the neighborhoods highlights the contrast between the experience of living in Pine Ridge vs Dakota County and what most of us have known. We'll be doing a lot of processing these next few days! Being here provides a great opportunity to grow in our understanding of the world and in our faith - really wrestling with what this experience means for us, and how we understand God's work in the world.
Tonight we hope the weather holds, allowing us to have our evening worship in the Badlands. What a beautiful area this is! A blessing to be immersed here for a week with your kids - they are awesome :)
I'm not certain when/if I'll get a hold of a laptop again for sending you additional updates, but you can be confident that no news is good news - and we have access to communications for emergencies! Use the phone number for Colleen that I sent home to you if you need to get in contact with us.
Blessings to you all! We'll have lots of great stories for you when we get home.
-Katie
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