SnOW

It has been two weeks since I have been here to update our happenings. I just didn't know how to record the fact that we were sent so much snow that we spent last weekend in our house in Mitchell, and barely stuck our noses out, except to shovel the sidewalk around our house. We miss our time here in Lower Brule when circumstances rule out our coming, but we rest in God's complete wisdom. The quiet time at home was not a bad thing, as we can 'recharge' during these times.

One of the joys of getting out again is that we often get to see those whom we have missed, and they have missed the times of worship together. We had a larger-than-usual group that gathered this morning for worship service, and we had several eager children for Sunday School this afternoon. How we love the people!The children's special artistic abilities always impress me. I give them a little something to do, and they take so much interest in them and create the nicest things.

Tomorrow I will meet with the English classes, and we have not met for two weeks now. This will put a little extra pressure on us to catch up with our lesson plans. Hopefully, the papers that were assigned will be done. We have missed two class periods due to snow up to this time, and it is mandatory that we have 15 class periods during this semester.

This morning was a beautiful morning to travel, as the snow had settled beautifully on the trees and fences, and the landscape was sculpured white. I really wanted to stop and take a picture of the buttes, as they were white frills against a blue, blue sky that was scattered with a few fluffy white clouds; but I told Ray that I would refrain since I had taken a picture of those buttes about five different times. They are so expressive in their beauty! The frozen river at Chamberlain was lying silent, blanketed in a white fluffy covering of snow, and the hills surrounding the valley were stark white before a backdrop of baby blue sky. The beauty of the snow dimmed a little when we found a four -foot pile of hard snow plowed up from the street that had to be dug through before we could enter the church. We had it done in a short time, though. :)

Thank you for visiting the blog today. May God bless you this week!

HEART LOVE

Road to Lower Brule. Lower Brule is just behind the buttes.

LOVE!!

Heart designed by one of the Sunday School girls.

I read many years ago why the traditional heart that is so used around Valentine's Day is a symbol of love. That particular author stated that the traditional heart design is the blending of two human hearts (which are in actuality shaped like half of a 'love heart'), and it depicts the idea of two hearts meeting and knitting together. It makes sense, and I'll accept it as an explanation. 'Love' has so many connotations that it is used widely and loosely. The Bible states that God is the essence of love, and all there is no love apart from God. God is not a depiction of love, a definition of love, a representation of love; but He is love. There is never any love without God. I have seen relationships used as vehicles to make one of the persons (or both of them) appear better to others, or to gain profit in some other manner. I have also seen a relationship used to meet the emotional needs of one or both of those involved, including the need for importance, or the need for a social status. True and complete,unselfish, and pure love is rare in a sinful world. Her little heart is special, too.
We have been studying the life of Christ in Sunday School, and Jesus has set the precedent that we are expected to follow. Because Jesus loved His Father completely, He passed his test by satan in the wilderness, received His Father's voiced approval at the time of His baptism, and worked miracles without expecting special treatment in return. Jesus never accepted popularity, though it was offered to Him. Only true, unassuming, undemanding love will echo the love of Jesus to a hating world, and we are required to give this to everyone we meet. This is the pure love of God in our hearts, and every true Christian will possess it at all times.

Speaking of love, we were so happy to host the Spring Creek Camp Rally here at Lower Brule last weekend, and we enjoyed mingling with missionaries and Native American Christians who live love every day. We have attended these rallies since we moved to South Dakota in 1991, and we have never left a rally without a sense of love for these people. They truly enjoy getting together, and the refreshing conversations and light bantering are healing for the emotions and the soul. These are people who are authentic in their love for God and others. Jordan Satterfield, missionary at Little Eagle, SD, was the speaker; and he spoke from his heart. Everyone took part: some shared bits of their lives, some sang (all of the Lakotas sang a hymn for us), some brought wonderful dishes to share, and some just brought a smile and a handshake. Thank you for sharing your love by showing your interest in the work here in Lower Brule. May God bless you!

SNOW CONTROL

It is frigid in South Dakota. Though the forecast promised a wind chill of -39 degrees, it only dropped to around -12 and the wind was mercifully less than was expected. Last weekend was pretty much controlled by the snow and blowing wind. A couple of brave men faced the weather and showed up for church Sunday morning to worship with us. Ray went and picked up a few children who were willing to bundle up and get out, and we had a nice time together. When we have only a few children, we spend time talking about the story and relating to our lives. They have good input, and I feel that the learning curve is great. We also spent longer than usual doing crafts and projects. They left happy, and Ray and I were satisfied. We left the church to drive over to Fort Thompson to worship with the people there, but we didn't get far out of town when we realized that it was a rather foolhardy venture and turned around and came back to the church. The roads between the two places were twisty, hilly, snowcovered, and slippery. Monday morning we opened the church door and took a deep breath: Snow, wind, and threatening clouds. I loaded my computer and my teaching bag into the van and Ray piloted me through the snowdrifts over to the college. It looked quiet and empty, but someone was in his office. He informed me that a decision was being made whether to hold classes, or not. Soon the decision was made: no classes. I called Ray, and we loaded up and started back for Mitchell. The trip was a little stressful, but we made it safely home.

I started receiving emails from my students apologizing for not making it to class and asking for the assignment. Did I ever mention that I throroughly enjoy teaching these eager students? I look forward to classes with them. They are willing to think, happy to learn, and very respectful of learning. One of the Indian virtues is respect, and they teach their children to respect animals, human life, the earth as God gave it, and knowledge. The students recognize, and have stated, that they cannot improve the lives of their children and their community without understanding and knowledge that comes from education. Though education is not an end in itself, it is recognized that it is a tool that will help them to change the tide that is sweeping the reservations into ruin. Many of the students are pursuing human services majors, some are working on education degrees, and a few are working toward legal degrees. One promising and ambitious young man is working toward a political science degree with an eye to improving the lives of his people in his community. He is soon to leave for a state college where he will finish his studies. Some students have shared that they do not know which direction they will pursue, but they are getting started with their education. Some of the students are fresh from high school, while others are young mothers, grandmothers, young fathers, grandfathers; and most have jobs and responsibilities that they are balancing as they study. Please pray for us and our friends in Lower Brule. Thank you!

Just sharing a few pictures with you: First, Cup o' coffee on the Deck? Second and third, Fairyland on the Windows; Last, Comfort.