Missions Trips - More Than Just A Week

Mission’s Trips – More than just a week.

Our youth group goes to the Rosebud Reservation each summer on a mission’s trip. We also try to visit at least once during the year. This will be our 6^th summer going. We were told early on that this is no “love ‘em and leave em’” kind of trip. That doesn’t work well anywhere, and is especially true with Native American ministry. So we have built relationships that continue to grow over the years. On our last visit I received my own key for the Native American Community Center in the town we visit. That was amazing to me.

Our national youth conference (Challenge) is every other year. It is a challenging thing to do both a Mission’s Trip and a $500+ national conference during a summer. I am prone to think that the Trip ($200) is worth more – and... – if we don’t go every summer, we’ve wasted years of relationships. We are still offering both this summer, but I can say that I am not sure it’s a great way to do it – especially if I want to be purpose driven.

I’m done Rambling.

Rosebud Visit

I took a few students out to Wood, SD, to visit the kids we work with every summer. We left early Friday morning and returned on Sunday. It was a bit disheartening. The student we had the most hope in tried to commit suicide, stole from a bar, and is now in Oregon for school (probably a good thing). Other students we've known for years have been removed from their homes (some for counseling and a safer home; others because they've started the abusive practices that they formerly endured). So few Native Americans were there.

There was some good. A kid who was gone last summer but who we knew from previous summers was back - and we thought he was doing better. I now have a key to the Native American Community Building (to keep). There were some relationships that were strengthened.

We trust that God, in His sovereignty, still has plans for each student we've spent time with. We plan to head back this summer - and we'll see who God brings our way.