Final Day and Fireworks

July 1

Today is our last full day here and really the end of the mission part of our trip.  Morning was the same - breakfast and then devotions.  We didn't have the basketball camp today, so we wanted to help get the guys work projects done so we could take the afternoon to visit some of the local historical sites.  I ended up helping Chris out in the school room.  Flooring had all been finished except for one last piece - the hardest - right at the door jam.  This was nothing new to us, though, having done this in our own home.  Chris has gotten quite good at it.  We work well as a team, thinking through the different angles and measurements.  Chris does all the cutting - those machines scare me.

After the flooring was finished, we started to put the baseboards back up.  I helped him with measuring the studs out (we didn't have a stud finder), and then I did actually use the nail gun some.  That scares me too, but not as much as the machines that can cut off my extremities.  The septic tank was still not working right, and so again at one point we thought no showers.  I felt bad, Tyler looked so tired and worn out.  The room next to us had finished with the stippling of the ceiling, and the mudding was done on the walls.  The room where the laminate had been damaged and molded was replaced.  We had cleaned quite a bit already, so after lunch most of us left to go to Wounded Knee and Red Cloud Indian School.

 At lunch I asked another team member, who was an elementary PE teacher if she would like to do the teaching tonight.  Even though last night had gone well enough, I thought a lot of the same kids might return, so even though it was the same story and the same play, they would get to hear a different person.  She agreed and set to work on preparing.

The drive was interesting - I don't remember much from last time.  We did go through Pine Ridge, which was a regular little town.  The Wounded Knee Memorial is just off one of the BIA roads, standing somewhat alone on a hilltop, simple and a little worn.  We parked on the dusty patch of dirt parking lot and were approached pretty quickly by a young man asking for donations to start a softball team.  Some of our team members talked to him for a bit, while the rest of us walked into the cemetery.  The first grave we approached was that of a woman who was a survivor of the massacre.  She was just an infant and they found her a few days after, was what I was told.  The young teenage girl, who was collecting donations with the young man, affirmed this.  That's pretty incredible when you understand that the massacre happened in the winter and for a few days the dead bodies lay there frozen in place.

Site of mass grave at Wounded Knee

For those that don't know, a bit of background.  Wounded Knee is the site where there were several Lakota camped out, mostly the elderly, women, children, and some younger warriors.  There had been a lot of tension, but this group was waiting to be escorted to Pine Ridge and join the others there.  The soldiers wanted the Lakota to bring all their guns out, and somehow a shot was fired by someone (it's still not clear who or what side), and this started the soldiers firing their weapons.  Women and children were killed along with any of the men.  There are pictures of Lakota who had been shot in the back as they ran away.  In the end over 150 of the Lakota had been killed, needlessly.  Was it revenge for Custer years earlier?  Was it a misunderstanding that  blew up to way out of control?  Overall the most important point is that this was one more big reason to not trust the US government or their army.  Injustice had been done.  It's certainly a dark blot on the pages of American history.  

I believe the tree line is where many of the Lakota ran toward
when they were being attacked.  There is a gully to provide
cover.  A few days later, a photographer captured many of the
Lakota face down frozen in the snow having been shot in the
back as they fled.

There are several other graves there, and graves of veterans who had fought in wars like WWI and WWII.  The middle of the graveyard held the mass grave of many of the dead from the massacre, including Chief Big Foot.  There had been a museum down the hill, but it was boarded up and we were told it had been broken into at some point and many things destroyed.  

After we finished at Wounded Knee, we drove to to the Red Cloud Indian School.  This was a boarding school at one point where the government forced Lakota children to go.  Here they would strip them of their native names, make them learn English, learn “Christian” ways (that really means learn “American” ways) and through the years there was also abuse.  It’s a Catholic school with a Catholic church.  Today, the school still exists, although it is no longer a boarding school.  They do have a pretty great museum with plenty of Lakota artifacts and when we were there, there was a lot of art on the walls created by the Lakota – paintings, photographs, collage, etc.  The piece that made the biggest impact on me was one that was a large brain with a bunch of words or phrases pasted on the brain that all contributed toward the Lakota worldview.  These pieces were all for sale, but most were bought already.

Red Cloud Indian School

When we were in the shop part, Chris overhead the teen girl working in the shop talking to someone about Shiloh La Buff being in Pine Ridge.  Everyone was making a fuss, I guess he was shooting a movie.  I didn’t know who he was at first, but I remembered something about him when I was reminded he was in the movie Transformers.  We never saw him, but apparently some of those on the reservation had gotten pictures with him. 

Inside the Catholic Church at Red Cloud Indian School

We went into the church.  It was fairly new because the older one had burnt down in the 1990’s I believe.  This church had a newer modern look with wood, the stain glass windows were a Lakota design.  After the church, Chris and I walked up a short dirt road that took us to a cemetery.  Grass lined the side and it was constantly rustling, not because of the breeze but because of the grasshoppers.  There were plenty of huge dandelions.  The dandelions here are so much bigger than the ones we have at home.  The cemetery had a lovely overlook of tree lined gullies and low ridges, all green this time of year.  Red Cloud’s grave was toward the back of the cemetery, overlooking this sight.  There were a lot of strips of cloth tied around the fence.  I had noticed this as well at Wounded Knee and I forgot to ask what this signified. 

Our return to Oyate Concern was uneventful, and our hamburger dinner was soon ready for us to eat.  We were told it was possible that tonight could be very small because it was the 1^st of the month, meaning the adults had money that came in and sometimes they take it and go to Rapid City or elsewhere.  The kids like to go because they know that means they could get clothes or other things.  Plus, it was a holiday weekend coming up, and now we knew a famous person was in Pine Ridge.  I thought this meant for sure we would have small numbers.  I just hoped my group of 6 kids or so that I had bonded with would show up. 

They did all show up.  In fact, 55 kids showed up, so that was a pretty good night.  My little boy in his green plaid shirt, which was a bit more disheveled, and maybe even buttoned unevenly, came in and grabbed my hand.  He wanted to read the Bible with me again.  That just melted my heart.  I went with him, but he was being kicked outside, so we grabbed a Bible and headed out.  We found a seat and he started to open it up.  I decided to show him that I had my Bible on the phone, but that was probably a mistake.  From there, he became fascinated with it, and began to take videos and pictures.  My little girls from the night before were there, although the little one had misplaced her glasses, but a new little girl had attached herself to me as well.  She was with us, as we moved to a new seat on the logs.  I showed my little guy the Endless Alphabet, which he then was really enjoying, but it wasn’t too long until we were being called in. 

After Ayren opened up with the same stool/balloon idea, Diane took over.  She is clearly a natural elementary teacher, and did a great job.  We called up the actors, and I went up and narrated, and we did our play again.  The kids were great, my “actors” got into it even more this time, adlibbing a bit more.  After we were done, Diane continued and I went to sit in the back with my little girls and the boy in the green plaid shirt.  He wanted my phone, but I told him not right now. He did not like that the little one who had lost her glasses moved back to sat on my knee.  He tried to push her off.  She gave him a dirty look and looked at me for help.  I showed my little guy he could sit on the other knee.  He did, but he still lightly pinched her a few times, I finally got him to stop, and though he was restless and squirmy during the rest of the talk, he at least did stop harassing the other little girl.  Oh how I would take them home with me. 

When we finished we took the kids in to get their hot dog and watermelon dinner.  I helped put ketchup on those plates of the kids who wanted it.  Then we pulled out the ice cream sundaes and my job was to squirt on the syrups.  Overall the kids were really polite and grateful.  You can tell the missionaries have done a great job setting the expectations high over the last 13 years there, a really great atmosphere has been established.  I went and sat by my little girls for a few minutes, and one of them reminded me I had said I would sit by them.  It’s a good reminder to me that they are listening to you and really are hoping you keep your word.  I didn’t have long enough though, because all too quickly they were then being called to board the bus.  Blowout for the kids is very quick.  I walked them out to the bus and my little boy in plaid grabbed me and hugged me and wouldn’t let me go.  He really wanted me to go on the bus.  My heart strings were tugged and I almost started tearing up, but we had plans to drive into town for fireworks, so I knew I couldn’t do both.  Besides, I’m not completely sure he wanted me or he wanted my phone to play on!

The bus left, and I returned inside.  A very influential Lakota woman who lives across the way came over with her star quilts and patterns.  She had earlier that day brought by caps and gowns of her children and grandchildren that were beaded.  One of the caps was incredible!  It was covered in beads.  This is a traditional craft of the Lakota.  She also had some adorable little moccasins for a small child.  She was very proud of her star patterns.  She had designed so many with horses, eagles, turtles, roses, and more in the center of the star.  I don't know what they all stand for, but I do know turtles represent long life.  She said she designs them and then sometimes has them made.  I didn't get a chance to see the quilts because we were ready to go get our fireworks.  I believe she is the lady I had bought a red beaded necklace from, some shell earrings, and a little red/white/blue beaded bracelet on Monday.

A few of the team members sent money with us, and five of us piled into the van and headed into town.  In another car was some of the Lakota natives who were part of the original group when the mission began.  One, Kia, is a missionary now working for Oyate Concern.  She lives in a room on the second level by the school rooms.  The other is now of mother of two with a third on the way (all three children will be two years and under when the third is born…) and her mother came too.  We pulled in to a small shop with the store front rolled up.

There was already a small crowd of people there buying their fireworks.  We pooled our money and decided to go big with a whole variety pack.  Chris really wanted a little one that shoots out a parachute.  I picked a few packs of the little flowers that spin on the ground.  We had about $100 of fireworks to shoot off back at the missionaries’ grounds.  We piled back in the van and as we headed back we saw lightening in the distance.  This wasn’t just any kind of lightening…this was the kind where you see three or four arms of lightening stretching across the sky and down to the ground.  It was quite exhilarating and beautiful, but I was hoping this wouldn’t ruin our plans. 

We returned and our team came outside.  Ayren is really the one so excited to shoot off the fireworks (I think she may have been more excited than any of us…though Chris and I were pretty excited too), her husband took their two little kids back to their house for bed.  A few people (including Chris) got a few of the fireworks set up between some cinder blocks (I think this was so nothing would get blown over and the shoot at us or the buildings or cars).  Lightening was still off in the distance.  We were able to shoot a few mortars off (I didn’t realized these were legal anywhere in the US by non-professionals, but in SD they sure are).  It was kind of funny – it was like we’d shoot off a firework into the sky, and then lightening would strike and we’d hear thunder.  It was almost like God was showing off his own fireworks. 

Then the rain came.  First just some big drops, but then it didn’t take long for a downpour.  We ran inside, as lightening was coming closer.  We checked our phones for the weather radar and by now it was probably around 10:30 or so.  We were hoping the storm would end soon…but it started to look like it wouldn’t end until after midnight.  Some of us stayed up talking.  I found food to snack on.  Some of the team getting up really early (like 3:30 am and then 5 am) to get to Rapid City to catch flights out went to bed.  Some of us stayed up talking trying to wait out the storm…but one by one they disappeared.  Then it was just Chris, Ayren, Kia and I.  It actually turned out a really nice time to talk.  I hadn’t had much of a chance to connect with Kia, but now she was talking.  We shared more about our lives, some of the issues facing us, facing the reservation, the school…when I shared I had a counseling credential and masters, Ayren asked if I felt called to move out, which I don’t…and especially Chris does not.  I might be able to live out there…at least for a time…but I don’t think Chris ever could.  He is not a country boy.

I had already shared earlier this week about finding out that Chris and I can’t have children naturally.  I found out in March after an exploratory surgery.  I wasn’t surprised.  I have endometriosis, and I knew that with each passing year my chances grew dimmer.  IVF would be a choice for us, but it isn’t a choice we are comfortable with, especially with the cost and risks involved.  The risk of miscarriage goes up if we do it in a way we feel ethically comfortable with, so we believe God is in control and he will make it happen if He wants and if not, we can build a family of children who need a good safe home.  So we’ve decided to go down the route of foster and adoption.  Ayren shared some of their experiences as a family, because her parents had done foster care as well, and they had also adopted, though had four of their own.  I think this week has only served to confirm my heart for foster care.  I see some of these children in tough circumstances and I wish I could take them out of it.  I’m prepared for it to be potentially tough and possibly for not every placement to work out the way we’d like it, but God is in control and I have confidence He will bring us the children to make our little family. 

Around 1:30 in the morning, the rain had finally stopped and the lightening was farther away, so yes, we went out.  Chris and Ayren set up the fireworks while Kia and I sat in the open van watching.  The grounds were muddy, so muddy that I slid in it a few times.  The basketball court had pools of water.  Lightening went off, which was a bit scary, because here we are standing in water.  Maybe not the best idea…but I was counting and it was never less than eight seconds away. 

We let off all kinds of a firecrackers – fountains, the roses, a screaming lady bug that flew into the air, mortars that boomed high in the sky.  The good thing is that the neighbors are far enough away and the reservation stays up late anyway.  I think we finally decided we had shot enough (there were still plenty left) around 2:30 and we went in for bed.