Just Allie: Pine Ridge Reservation.. Day 5

Our day began at Rockyford School. This is a K-8 public school here on the reservation. It was a very nice building and well kept! They even fed us lunch and I ran into one of my old principals, who is now a principal here.

While we were here we packed sacks with food in them called Blessings in a Backpack. These are for the kids to take home on the weekends so they do not go without food. One lady undertakes this each week so we decided to give her a hand. Each weekend they send home around 450 sacks of food. We were able to pack just short of 900 before running out of one of the items. This program is similar to programs I have in my hometown, except for one big factor. This entire program is funded by one lady in Texas who sends around $80,000 a year to help feed children in the local schools. It is so incredible that one lady can make this large of an impact on a community. I know these children are so grateful for the food they receive.

After we finished packing one of the teachers invited us to come dance with his P.E. class. This was a fun experience to get to bond with the children here. They all wanted to be our partners and we were excited to be there!

After serving at the school we took a little break for a long hike around the property. The scenery here is phenomenal and I am so blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

Once we finished our hike we unloaded another bus full of mattresses. We were able to place them on the beds we made for the group that is coming next week. We cleaned and disinfected them for all of the new bunk beds!

Night time came and we headed in towards the church. Each Wednesday night Sharps Corner Baptist Mission hosts church and kids church. We were able to help out with kids church. This was a fun way to end our last day here.

We said goodbye to Julie and the rest of the family who lives here on the ranch. We are so thankful for them and the mission they are pursuing. They are making a very large impact on Pine Ridge Reservation. I can not wait to return as God has called me to this mission. I hope to participate in the kids camp Chanku Waste Ranch hosts each summer. I know this will be a new and exciting opportunity to get to know the people even more.

Is so incredible what you can learn from a different culture if you immerse yourself among their own environment. All the stereotypes and stigmas that are placed on a culture seem to fall apart and become irrelevant when you actually get to know the people within the culture and lifestyle. When we let our hearts open and keep our minds aware, we are able to serve with a loving soul. These Native Americans are humans and God has called me to love other human beings. It does not matter what people say towards these individuals, until you actually immerse yourself within the culture you can not understand where they are coming from. I highly encourage you all to take upon yourselves to visit a culture outside of your own to better understand the world. I am so happy for this opportunity to serve individuals within my own state. I am grateful towards my university for allowing me to have this opportunity.