Kari Goes To Mississippi

Lotsa matza What day is it? For that matter, what month is it? Our schedule for this new project is all over the place, and it’s really starting to throw off my internal clock. I honestly had to check my watch twice the other day to find out if it was April or May. I found myself back in my old life one day this week in that I was working in an office. Jacquie and I designed an information brochure for Wolf River Conservancy as well as a newsletter for a fundraising event that we’ll be helping prepare for, and carry out on April 30 th . We spent a good portion of one of our days off working on this too, but we figured it was for a good cause, and we don’t have much to do on days off anyhow. Both the brochure and the newsletter came out fantastically, and the ladies we’re working for were very pleased, so that was rewarding. Working out in Lovett Woods. A couple of days ago I worked with a few of my team members to clear a new trail through the woods, and I now have a much high...

Drip, drip, drip. A trail of sweat makes its way down my nose and falls onto my ankle as if guided by the beat of the drum being thumped beside me. The heat encompassing my body becomes almost too much to endure, but the sweat seeping steadily from my every orifice is the offering I make for my prayers, and I slowly begin to feel a connection with everyone in the lodge with me, and with God himself. On Friday night, some of my teammates and I attended a traditional Lakota ceremony (with some traditions from other tribes incorporated as well, Nakota being a strong influence) to pray for healing for another teammate’s step-sister, who is in a coma and not expected to recover. The ceremony takes place in a sweat lodge and there are four main sessions. Each session gets progressively more intense, and most of us newcomers had to leave at one point or another. It was one of the neatest worship services I’ve ever been to, and the leader was really amazing and explained all of the traditions...