Well, since I am doing so many web sites for ministries out here, (OK, so three), some of my “clients” (OK, one), decided that I should do this as a business. So here it is: webconsult.favand.net. Visit the site to learn about what I do, what makes it different, and how to get started.
Well, guess who showed up on the prairie! It really shouldn’t be a surprise, because we have been planning this for about six months now. This evening we met up with the Clinton Wesleyan Church team in Rapid City, and traveled down to the Oglala Rec Center in Oglala, Pine Ridge Reservation. We are getting set up as I type, and will be starting work tomorrow.
Sleeping under the stars
We had a great time this week with the camping trips to Deerfield Lake in the Black Hills. The second trip was a Teen Camp. We had three guys and two gals come along for a two night stay. They were all eager to go conoeing, so we took many excursions on the lake. We also took a five mile hike half way around the lake. No, we didn’t then have to walk 5 miles the other way! Half of our group conoed across the lake and parked the conoe, and started walking. The other half walked towards the conoe and paddled back across the lake.
We didn’t have any smores, but we did enjoy roasting marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire on sticks which the boys whittled down to a point. Some chose to sleep out under the stars, while the rest of us slept in our trusty tents.
The one thing we missed was fishing, as we forgot to pack fishing poles and bait. Maybe next year!
He Sapa Camp
This week we are doing two camping trips with He Sapa New Life. The first trip was from Sunday evening to Tuesday morning. We went up with a few families from the Church to Deerfield lake in the Black Hills National Forest. We all enjoyed kayaking, swimming and hiking around the lake. In the evening we all sat around the camp fire and toasted marshmallows and sang worship songs to the accompaniment of the guitar.
Feather Ceremony at He Sapa
Yesterday night we finished up VBS at He Sapa. A special part of the evening was when Pastor Larry put on his Lakota headdress, Pastor Ron put on his Norwegian Viking helmet, and Pastor Art joined them to bestow feathers upon the kids who had learned the memory verses for the week.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a picnic outside with the kids and their parents.
Painting a hallway at He Sapa
During the day this week, most of our crew is working with Pastor Larry Salway at He Sapa Church/Life Initiatives’s buildings. These buildings were formerly divided between the Wesleyan Native American Ministries offices the Lakota Christian Academy. We are painting, pulling up carpet, fixing small scuffs in walls, and soon, putting down carpet.
The ministries that will occupy these buildings include a counseling center run by Pastor Larry, a Head Start center, a training center, and a Lakota Theological Extension.
Keya and Mastincala
This week we’ve been working in the evenings with the He Sapa New Life Church in Rapid City on their annual Vacation Bible School. He Sapa partners with Black Hills Community Church to put together the program, and we have been blessed to be a part of it for three years now. Each year for the past couple years, we feature the puppets Mastincala and Keya. “Mastincala” is Lakota for rabbit, “Keya” for turtle. Mastincala is always read more…
We’ve been pretty busy this week. We left home after Church on Sunday (July 5), and got to Whiteclay, Nebraska on Wednesday. We stopped in at the ABOUT group to see what we would be doing this week and when the Clinton Wesleyan Church comes out. Bruce Bonfleur, the director of ABOUT, had plenty lined up for us. Because it was late in the day, he briefly went over what most needed done, and showed us the progress that had been made over the year.
Working in Green Tipi Gardens
The next two days followed a basic pattern. We got up and out to the Green Tipi Garden around 8am, pulling weeds and mulching around the plants. This year they are doing less food production, and planting more for arts and crafts, such as broom corn, gourds, etc. These will be used with the Lakota Crafters Co-Op. read more…
This week we’ve been working at the ABOUT group in Whiteclay, Nebraska. Most of us have been working on various building improvement projects around the place, as well as in the Green Tipi Garden.
I have been working on their websites, bringing them up to modern standards, making them so that they can easily be updated and extended. You can look at the first one at www.aboutgroup.us. It is mostly complete, look for updates in the next few weeks. The other site is for the Lakota Crafters Co-Op, and is in production. It will take a bit more effort, because they would like to be able to sell art on it.
Sharon Altaras wrote up an article about the ABOUT group on her blog, www.americanroad.us. Sharon is a traveling freelance journalist who happened to be in Whiteclay this week.
