Info on Our June 2020 Trip 2

Hey folks! Just trying to get the word out about our upcoming June 2020 trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Who is Welcome

The short answer is everyone, although that’s not quite right: anyone who is interested in working with christians (note the small “c”. That’s because none of us are good enough at it to have the nerve to capitalize it) to try to help the folks of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, particularly in the villages of Potato Creek and Wanblee.

We genuinely don’t care if you’re Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Agnostic, Atheist, straight, any variety of LGBTQ, etc., democrat, republican, libertarian, or even Baptist*! As long as you’re willing to help, you’re welcome. We’re a pretty non-judgy bunch and we try to meet people where they are, whether they’re native or part of our group. Our goals are to love and to help and to learn. That’s pretty much it. If you need more info regarding this,

I hope that makes sense.

Trip Schedule/Itinerary

The dates for the trip are June 12-21, 2020 (that includes travel time. We’ll arrive at Lakota Prairie on Saturday, June 13, and set up camp/get settled in.

Sunday June 14, some of us (Dave & I at least) will go to Sam’s and Walmart in Rapid city to pick up supplies for the week. Everyone else (or at least everyone that wants to) will go do some sightseeing – Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Black Hills, etc., plus probably stop at Walmart to pick up whatever items everyone forgot to bring. Later, we’ll have dinner back at camp and have a campfire church service.

Monday, June 15, we’ll start working. A few of us will probably be doing some mowing on the playground at Potato Creek early in the morning to prepare for the Street Ministry/VBS, which will leave camp around 10:30-11:00 (Note: all times are approximate! Be prepared to be flexible!)

We’ll also send a hot lunch out to Potato Creek for anyone who’s there who wants/needs something to eat. The Street Ministry/VBS folks will return to camp around 4-5:00. We’ll have supper around 6, followed by a couple of songs and a brief devotion. Then, we just pretty much hang out and visit.

That’s pretty much how all the rest of the days go.

We may be doing some other construction projects, mowing, helping out in whatever way we can throughout the week (God willing and the equipment doesn’t break down!).

We will also be doing some other stuff. We always make a trip into the Badlands to do some climbing and have devotions. We also always make a trip to Wounded Knee. Usually some of our friends out there do an Inipi (sweat lodge) ceremony for us, and we’re frequently invited to attend other native ceremonies as well. Finally, if we’re lucky, the Oglalla Lakota College (right across the road from the lodge) will be having its graduation powwow on Friday night, which always makes for an extra special last night.

Then, we hit the road home on Saturday,, arriving back in Indiana on Sunday afternoon evening.

Costs

As you might have guessed, these trips aren’t cheap. However, we do everything we can to keep costs down. The basic cost for the trip (if you travel with us) is $350 per person. If you don’t live in Indiana, & have to just meet us there, it’s $300 each. If you’re going as a family, we’ll adjust things to keep it affordable (usually $350 per adult, & $100 per kid, we’ll work it out – the object of this is not to make money, but to get folks involved in helping out).

For that, you get 1 week of tent camping (if you don’t have a tent, we’ve got spares), breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Sunday evening until we leave. All the water you can drink! Fuel/transportation for the week. And, best of all, excellent company and the experience of a lifetime (unless you decide to come back, which we hope you will).

Now, I know that tent camping is not something that works for everyone. In fact, it doesn’t work for quite a few of our core group. Lakota Prairie has rooms and cabins for rent that are pretty nice. The cost of those however, is on you. You need to make those arrangements/reservations, etc. It can be a little pricey, but most of the rooms and cabins are large enough to accommodate at least 4 or even 6 people (depending on how close they are, and how much personal space they need), which can really help keep those costs down.

If you need to get a room, but are by yourself, we’ll be more than happy to connect you with others interested in sharing a room. We try to be as accommodating and helpful as we can.

You are also on your own for personal requirements: pop, candy, toothpaste, bug spray, etc. (you know what I mean. We stop at a gas station virtually every day, so you can take care of your Mountain Dew fix and other personal needs).

Other Requirements

Not a whole lot really, other than just being responsible, cooperative, and a team player. There’s no requirement to be anything other than what you are. Our group is pretty diverse as far as denominations, theology, politics, geography, age, health, and pretty much everything else. All we really require is that your priority is helping others. We are very non-evangelical – we figure these folks have had us flinging Jesus at them for around 400 years, so maybe we should try just loving them and let God do the heavy lifting.

Anyway, I guess that’s about all the most important details. If you think you might be interested, but still aren’t sure, feel free to read other posts in this blog. Several are written by other folks, to try to get a wider perspective on this trip.

Finally, here’s a link to a post on my other blog, Moonsthoughts, that is pertinent to the trip:

My First (and Probably Last) Ever “Sermon”

Anyway, I hope you’ll at least consider joining us next June. If you have any further questions, you can ask them in the comments section below, or email me at lloydbmullins@gmail.com.