We're Back!!

Yesterday we had a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was pretty cool. We all got to kiss the bricks on the finish line (as it is an Indy tradition), stand on the victory podium, pose at the press conference table, and see the media rooms, private suites, garages, and the hospital. There is even a golf course inside the track!

We had lunch in Ohio which was our 9th state in 10 days, and we made it back to the church in Roanoke around 10:00 last night (Sunday). But wait... it's not over yet! In the next few days we will be adding stories from the youth about their experiences this week, and uploading many more photos. Please check back often and see what's new!

A big thank you to our church, our families, and everyone else who has supported us and prayed for us throughout this amazing journey.

Saturday Update

We are now in Indianapolis where we had a great meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. We drove through some pretty intense storms yesterday in South Dakota, but we did make it to Iowa safe and sound thanks to our awesome drivers. Luckily the storms did not start until after we had visited Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wall Drug.

Tomorrow morning we will tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then head HOME!

Thursday Update

Last night we had an amazing hike in the Badlands. Check out the photos on our Flickr site (see the link on the side of this page). Today we finished up our last day at work sites. Two of our groups have been painting a church on the Rez that was originally a one-room schoolhouse here in Kadoka in 1915. It was moved to Wanblee on the reservation in 1969 to be used as a Methodist Church and has been there for 40 years. We met the pastor's wife who helped the church get started, and she and her husband are now leading that church again.

Tonight we had a cookout in the park with several members of the Kadoka community and played some volleyball, frisbee, and on the playground. Tomorrow as we leave camp, we will head to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, possibly Wall Drug and Sioux Falls, and finally sleep in real beds with warm showers in Sioux City,Iowa.

We're here!

We made it to Kadoka, South Dakota on Sunday just in time to unload and have dinner. The drive was very cool even though we didn't get to stop at two our scheduled visits. At one point we were driving in Iowa and could see Nebraska on the other side of the river!
All of the Second Pres folks have been working at Kids Club the past two days where we play with the kids at a school on the reservation. This morning we also got to visit a nursing home here in Kadoka where Wilson and Bob led the scripture and devotion time, Tyler played the guitar, Sam played the piano, and we all played Bingo with the residents. Several of our guys also led the residents in singing several songs. It was great!
Last night we also went to the famous Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota where we had a scavenger hunt. We are hoping to hit it again on the way back so we have more time to shop. If you haven't heard of Wall Drug, look it up - it's really something! Tonight we will have a local native speaker talk about his faith and how it has impacted his life here on the Rez. Tomorrow, as long as the weather holds out, we will get to hike in the Badlands. We have driven by part of the Badlands on our way to Kids Club and it is amazing! Also tomorrow, our groups will be sent to work sites where we will paint houses and do small repairs.
We are all having a great time so far, even with the shower system which is at the pool showers in the park across the street, where there are two stalls in each that shoot out REALLY cold water! Internet access is rare and precious here so we may not be able to add photos or more updates until Friday, but we will keep trying!

Day 2 Update

Well, the bus has been fixed and is on its way back to the hotel to pick us up so we can hit the road. We will not be able to make it to the Arch, and we will more than likely have to change our hotel arrangements for tonight as well as we readjust our travel schedule, so we might not get to the Ice Cream Capital of the World either. BUT everyone is safe and rested and excited about being back on the road and we WILL make it to South Dakota tomorrow. We have a great group and have received several compliments from strangers about our kids' behavior, patience, and positive attitudes. Onward!

Departures and Delays (Day 1)

Soooo.... West Virginia was so nice (especially the Morton Travel Plaza) that we decided to stay a little longer! Actually we had a little setback and had to have the bus towed and repaired, so instead of sleeping in Mt. Vernon, Illinois tonight we are staying in Charleston, West Virginia. Fortunately, Cheryl and Bob pointed out that there were some pretty bad storms in Illinois that we missed, so at least that's a little bright spot.

We're not sure what tomorrow will look like, or if we will be able to get to the Arch or not, but we will be on our way somehow to get to South Dakota by Sunday. Please keep us (and the bus!) in your thoughts and prayers, and hopefully we will be able to update sometime tomorrow and let you know what's going on.