Bright and early Sunday morning Mark took Jake to the Cornerstone church where he departed at 6AM and headed to South Dakota. In January the opportunity to go on a spring break trip to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota appealed to Jake. I told him he could see if any of the guys in his youth group would be going. He told me even if they don't he still wanted to go. I was so excited for his enthusiasm and his obedience to God calling him to serve. As it got closer he was a little nervous but still excited. The unknown is something that makes anyone anxious. We had him all packed and ready with the agenda and do's and don'ts of the trip. There were lots of instructions about what to bring and not bring along with how to deal with the inevitable head lice and bed bugs. Oh boy!
They rolled out of Ames in 2 vans pulling Uhaul trailers loaded with supplies and gear. It was a long road taking them 12 hours. They did have time to drive through and see the Badlands. Jake told me the ride was long and tight, little leg room and no place to rest your head. Jake got to know people and was one of only 2 freshmen boys on the trip. Most were upper class men. He was well prepared with carharrt coveralls and muck boots. We knew the forecast, there was still snow and temps were around 40 degrees. We also knew there had been flooding and would be mud. Jake said many of the kids were unprepared wearing bright white tennis shoes and sweat pants and sweatshirts, not even bringing coats. The kids spent their days doing service projects, building, insulating, etc. and the evenings they had a youth group with kids from the reservation. That time included a large supper they provided, games, and bible time. Jake enjoyed the kids from the reservation. He was most nervous about meeting them and being around the,, but found that was his favorite part. He got to know some of the guys and spent a lot of time talking with them and made friends. He had many stories to tell when he returned.
A few other details... While at the reservation, a water line broke and many were without water on the reservation including the group center. For the kids it was a minor inconvenience, but for the people living there, it was a big problem. People needed water for cooking, washing, drinking. There was a local church that the group could go to and get water and was also opened up for the reservation families to get containers of water. It was a way for the kids to see on a small scale what kinds of obstacles the people on the reservation face. In addition with so much flooding many of the roads were un-passable and people couldn't get help at their homes.
Jake had one incident with a bully, a kid on the trip who happened to be the son of a leader on the trip. He was older and Jake was in his bunk room with 4 other boys. For some reason he pegged Jake to pick on and each night he locked him out of their room for a half hour before going to bed. After several nights, Jake had finally had enough and got him back. Not sure it was the best idea, but he crawled on top of a fridge nearby so after the bully opened the door he locked each night, he stuck his head out and Jake blasted him with water in the face. As you can imagine it did not go well, in a rage he came out and shoved Jake and all the leaders saw this. Both boys got a long talking too. That night back in their bunks the bully threatened him with his life. So, from that point on, Jake didn't sleep. Jake felt pretty confident about standing up to the kid and not letting him continue to bully him. He just didn't understand why he had to be so mean and it made him angry, scared, and took some of the fun out of it.
On Friday Jake and his crew watched the sunrise as they pulled out of Pine Ridge. That evening I picked Jake up at 11PM and got him to the shop to shower at midnight. He talked nonstop the entire way home. He had so much to tell me and was so excited to tell all. He loved it and wants to go back! Such a praise! I prayed he would have a serving heart and have compassion for others. I hope this is the beginning of big things for Jake. God is working on this boy!
The vans came rolling in and the kids came out of the vans tired and smelly. We bagged every article of clothing and bedding into giant trash bags to prevent any bugs from migrating. There was fear of bed begs and head lice. I headed straight for our shop where I did numerous loads of laundry. Step one, dryer for 20 minutes on high, then do a load of wash, then dry. I kept everything outside in trash bags until I washed. It took a long time. Jake took his shower there and then more talking about his experiences as I laundered. Back at home, all items that could not be washed went into the freezer for 4 days including shoes. These were all instructions we were given to follow once home. We got home at midnight.
Here are some of the statistics that were given to us prior to the trip telling a little about the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is so sad to think that here in the United States a place exists with such conditions.Due to its remoteness, many are unaware.
Unemployment rate 80-90%, the highest in our nation.
Per capita income of $7880
8 times the United States rate of diabetes
5 times the United States rate of diabetes
2 times the United state rate of heart disease
8 times the United State rate of tuberculosis
Alcoholism rate as high as 85%
1 in 4 infants are born with fetal alcohol syndrome
teen suicide rate is 5 times the national rate
Life expectany is the lowest in the US, average is 48 for men and 52 for women
School teacher turnover rate is 800%
School drop out rate is 70%, the highest in the nation
They rolled out of Ames in 2 vans pulling Uhaul trailers loaded with supplies and gear. It was a long road taking them 12 hours. They did have time to drive through and see the Badlands. Jake told me the ride was long and tight, little leg room and no place to rest your head. Jake got to know people and was one of only 2 freshmen boys on the trip. Most were upper class men. He was well prepared with carharrt coveralls and muck boots. We knew the forecast, there was still snow and temps were around 40 degrees. We also knew there had been flooding and would be mud. Jake said many of the kids were unprepared wearing bright white tennis shoes and sweat pants and sweatshirts, not even bringing coats. The kids spent their days doing service projects, building, insulating, etc. and the evenings they had a youth group with kids from the reservation. That time included a large supper they provided, games, and bible time. Jake enjoyed the kids from the reservation. He was most nervous about meeting them and being around the,, but found that was his favorite part. He got to know some of the guys and spent a lot of time talking with them and made friends. He had many stories to tell when he returned.
A few other details... While at the reservation, a water line broke and many were without water on the reservation including the group center. For the kids it was a minor inconvenience, but for the people living there, it was a big problem. People needed water for cooking, washing, drinking. There was a local church that the group could go to and get water and was also opened up for the reservation families to get containers of water. It was a way for the kids to see on a small scale what kinds of obstacles the people on the reservation face. In addition with so much flooding many of the roads were un-passable and people couldn't get help at their homes.
Jake had one incident with a bully, a kid on the trip who happened to be the son of a leader on the trip. He was older and Jake was in his bunk room with 4 other boys. For some reason he pegged Jake to pick on and each night he locked him out of their room for a half hour before going to bed. After several nights, Jake had finally had enough and got him back. Not sure it was the best idea, but he crawled on top of a fridge nearby so after the bully opened the door he locked each night, he stuck his head out and Jake blasted him with water in the face. As you can imagine it did not go well, in a rage he came out and shoved Jake and all the leaders saw this. Both boys got a long talking too. That night back in their bunks the bully threatened him with his life. So, from that point on, Jake didn't sleep. Jake felt pretty confident about standing up to the kid and not letting him continue to bully him. He just didn't understand why he had to be so mean and it made him angry, scared, and took some of the fun out of it.
On Friday Jake and his crew watched the sunrise as they pulled out of Pine Ridge. That evening I picked Jake up at 11PM and got him to the shop to shower at midnight. He talked nonstop the entire way home. He had so much to tell me and was so excited to tell all. He loved it and wants to go back! Such a praise! I prayed he would have a serving heart and have compassion for others. I hope this is the beginning of big things for Jake. God is working on this boy!
The vans came rolling in and the kids came out of the vans tired and smelly. We bagged every article of clothing and bedding into giant trash bags to prevent any bugs from migrating. There was fear of bed begs and head lice. I headed straight for our shop where I did numerous loads of laundry. Step one, dryer for 20 minutes on high, then do a load of wash, then dry. I kept everything outside in trash bags until I washed. It took a long time. Jake took his shower there and then more talking about his experiences as I laundered. Back at home, all items that could not be washed went into the freezer for 4 days including shoes. These were all instructions we were given to follow once home. We got home at midnight.
Here are some of the statistics that were given to us prior to the trip telling a little about the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is so sad to think that here in the United States a place exists with such conditions.Due to its remoteness, many are unaware.
Unemployment rate 80-90%, the highest in our nation.
Per capita income of $7880
8 times the United States rate of diabetes
5 times the United States rate of diabetes
2 times the United state rate of heart disease
8 times the United State rate of tuberculosis
Alcoholism rate as high as 85%
1 in 4 infants are born with fetal alcohol syndrome
teen suicide rate is 5 times the national rate
Life expectany is the lowest in the US, average is 48 for men and 52 for women
School teacher turnover rate is 800%
School drop out rate is 70%, the highest in the nation
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