Tuesday at the Holy Family Mission

The group is working out at the Holy Family Mission today. This is the site of the boarding schools where Blackfeet children lived during the year in the early 1900's. The Two Medicine River runs through the property and across the street are the buffalo jumps. Brother Ray and Brother Paul live here year round with Jack their dog and horses that run through the fields surrounding their homes. We have one group replacing the floor in Brother Rays house (way to go girls) and another laying a brick walk from the bunk house to the drive way-not an easy task digging in the hard Montana ground. The bricks are being salvaged from the rubble of the boarding houses. \=
--mary



Its not even noon and 5 of us girls & 2 adults have already torn up all of the floor in bro ray's kitchen-- we are taking a break for lunch...finally..

Love lots--
Kaitlyn, Erin, Charlotte, Katie S, T-Pain, PK &Maggie K.

Well, seems like I'm the only one who's going to blog, so you will have to put up with my ramblings.
Sunday began with Mass, which because of Indian days, is normally in the Arbor at the campground. Due to a storm that looked like something out of Independence Day, (movie reference) and produced large amounts of hail, Mass ended up being in the Little Flower sanctuary.
At first I was disappointed, but I've learned from these trips to just let them develop on their own. And it turned out very well. Mass was an awesome yet intimate experience. Complete with drumming and chanting during the processional, and recessional, and the whole congregation singing a blessing over us. The bishop had the Mass and spoke about there being no classes of people, just people. He also spoke about the churches support for immigration reform. During the Lord's prayer, a woman went to the lecturn and did what I assume was the Lord's prayer in Blackfeet. Man, I'm screwed if they bring back the Latin Mass, and I live here. The sign of peace is a "hugfest" and people continue to shake your hand and welcome you for the duration of communion.
After Mass it was off to Glacier where I continued my record of seeing a bear on every trip. We hiked in at Many Glacier, and the group went to Red Rock Falls. No bears for them. Dinner at Johnson's which is family style, and prayer last night.

Got a little catching up to do. Train trip uneventful except for spending an extra hour in Milwaukee waiting to cross a bridge, and being about two hours late overall. Oh yeah, they lost my luggage, which as of this writing, has not shown up yet.
Saturday was all it took to paint the entire gym, the kids really dug in and did a great job. We've tried a couple of times to go to Indian days. Saturday night, the skies opened up and dumped amazingly large hail on the group. Jon and I were driving to the emergency room in Cut Bank for a couple of stitches compliments of some barbed wire earlier in the day, and could see the massive storm cloud over Browning. All are safe and sound.
This is the 18th year St. Pets has been doing mission trips. Seniors on this trip were born the year we started going on mission trips.. Sometimes I feel like I have more questions than answers though. What are we accomplishing? Is painting some walls and fixing a few leaks changing lives? I suppose that would be a little arrogant. To think that what we can accomplish, even as a group, would make any kind of difference in a place where problems are generationally deep. Poverty, and all the issues that come along with it, are not something that can be solved in a week. I think the best we can hope for, is to learn, and do our best to be the face of Jesus; to those we serve as well as each other. I've done a lot of soul searching over the years, and have come to only one concrete conclusion. God is here, in this place.
In a book I'm reading, it offers the following hypothesis. That people in poverty have a closer relationship with God, even if they don't know it, because the have to count on Him much more for daily needs. We who are more materially blessed, maybe only turn to God when we really need Him. We seem to think that blessings only come in a material way. We are blessed because we live in a nice town in a nice house, etc. We sometimes forget blessings come in a lot of other forms. Blessings of beauty of surroundings, blessings of time, living life at a slower place, more time with family. Blessings of being unencumbered with the need to always have more. Earlier I asked if we are changing lives with these trips. I can answer absolutely yes. My life is changed forever!

And we're off!

FINALLY! Its Thursday, our train departs at 2:15 from Union station. I don't think any of us can hardly wait! A little more that 30 hours until we arrive in Browning. Wow!