STORMS AND SORROW

Today was a rainy, heavy, gloomy morning; but the scenery on the way to and from Lower Brule is often enhanced by the stormy colors. The blues of the river and the sky become a warmer hue, and the greens of the grass and trees are mellowed in the light. Esther was beginning to wonder if she would ever get home when I kept asking her to stop by the roadside so I could take pictures. I just have a weakness for beautiful scenery, as it often stills my spirit. This week was the wake and funeral of the mother who passed away last week; and we attended both. Ray spoke at the wake on Tuesday night, and several expressed their thanks to him. The funeral was very well attended, and the gym was filled with friends and relatives. Please pray for the children of this lady, as their motherless lives stretch ahead of them.

Water is everywhere this morning, even near the interstate, and there is evidence that it has been over the interstate in spots. We found water in the basement of the church and a leak that we did not know existed in the roof. Funny, the leak was above the pulpit desk, just missing Ray's head. Ha! (Sorry, I have a weird sense of humor)
Surprisingly, we had the highest number of kids that we have had since we started the Sunday School today. It is growing quickly, and others are promising to come. Water on the floor does not daunt them-they play in it, jump in it, run through it, and dance in it. I couldn't share their joy. The dehumidifier is humming away, and we hope that it is better next week.

This week will be a very busy one for us, as Esther is having her senior recital on Friday night. Since she is homeschooled, this is instead of a graduation ceremony. She has been done with her schoolwork for several months, and she and several others have been working hard on this event. Twelve players will be in concert, and there will be a harp and a pianist to help. We have set aside this week to prepare and execute this concert. We hope to get to Lower Brule the next week on the weekend and get more work done there. Esther and I are also planning a VBS in July.

Thank you for your interest in the work in Lower Brule.