William

My second trip to Pine Ridge Reservation consisted of many similarities and differences with my first trip. Many of the same faces, like my sister and my very old friend, Katie, and many new, like the rising freshmen and my best friend Joe. Part of what made this trip special was the fact that I thought I knew what to expect. Since I went last year, I thought that all last year's surprises would not surprise me anymore but I was wrong. This year brought just as many new surprises as last year. It was much more hectic at the camp due to wakes taking place where we were supposed to eat and sleep. There were only two church groups at the camp as opposed to four last year, and our church group was also much bigger than it was last year. Aside from the differences it was very refreshing to experience the thrill of Kids Club and the satisfaction of painting a house once more. As always, the highlight of the week was the foot washing ceremony on Thursday night. Though I have been to ceremonies like this on other occasions, there is always something about this particular one that continually gets to me. Being with people who have seen the same things and felt the same things as I have completely changes the mood and has now twice brought me to tears. There was one point where I was hugging my two oldest friends, Katie and Joe, that I realized that this was where I was meant to be. God was so potent in that room that you could just about reach out and touch Him. To amplify the sadness ofthe situation, I also then realized this was the last trip I would experience with our fabulous youth leaders, Willy and Angela, who have become so much more than just advisors. Yet amidst all the tears and crying, there was pure untainted joy. We weren't crying because we were sad, but because we felt God's presence in ways that we had never felt it before. We realized that being Christian is not just going to church and staying awake through the sermon, but serving others. In the Gospel ofLuke, it says that the Kingdom of God is in all men, not just ones who live in our town or next to us, but all the people who live on the earth. It was during this embrace with my two best friends that I realized that I had been blessed. I had been blessed with a home, food, water, a family that loves and cares for me, and friends that do the same. On the reservation, there are people who have none of these, and I felt, and still feel, that it is my duty to spread God's love to them through service. So as I sit on the bus, writing this by the light of my cell phone while speeding home, I wonder what it is that I truly want to share with whoever is reading this. I suppose that it is that this mission trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is extremely close to my heart and I pray that it can continue for many years to come so that others can experience what I have experienced and feel what I have felt.