Today we are leaving for our mission trip to South Dakota. I figured I’d write this short post so people know what’s going on, who is going, and what to pray for.
What’s Going On
Columbus Xenos is putting on this trip, but they are letting some of us from NeoXenos join. This happened because my best friend from high school (since 4th grade, actually) (also the guy who brought me around & helped lead me to Christ), Max, invited me half-jokingly months back and now here we are. Him and another Columbus guy, Ryan, have planned the whole trip. We’ll be gone for about a week.
We’re going to be helping out at the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. The group we’re going to help is called Oyate Concern. There are about 40,000 Lakota Sioux living there. It’s also in one of the poorest counties in the United States, Shannon County.
We’ll be helping paint a youth area as well as doing some trimming and some other manual labor to help make their location more inviting. We’ll also be helping teaching three meetings- two youth and one adult. Max and Corey are doing the high school teaching. Bryan and I are doing the adult one. (Some girls who I have yet to meet are teaching the other youth meeting). I also hear the kids there love basketball, so we can’t wait for that. To be honest, I don’t know everything else that will happen and how we’ll help. We’re trying to go in with a willing attitude to help however we can.
Who is Going
Northeast Ohio Xenos-
Bryan, Collin, Tommy, Corey, Sarah F., Sarah L., and myself.
All of us are in High Life homechurch, except for Corey. He’s in the homechurch that somehow still goes by the name “HAM” (sorry, still bitter).
Columbus Xenos-
Max and 12 other people from Columbus (I would list them all but I don’t know most of them. I can’t wait to change that, though).
What to Pray for
- Energy… the work days are going to be long, from what I hear
- Unity, especially since we have people from not just two cities/ministries but also people from numerous, different homechurches within those cities
- Understanding, since we are going to a completely different people group that a lot of us don’t know too much about. Also pray for sensitivity and compassion toward these people
- For the gospel to both get out and get out clearly, since there will probably be a lot of barriers
- The teachings
- A burden, both when we are there and for when we come back
Can’t wait.
Joyful Abandon 