The latest from South Dakota! Thursday 9 AM

Please spread the word to all the the parents and other prayer supporters - we're having a TREMENDOUS trip with the Lord here at the Pine Ridge Reservation!

God has blessed our travels in a huge way - beautiful weather, safe passage, and the kids were GREAT while being locked up in vans for days on end (the exceptional preparation by Jackie and the Care Team to make sure we all had fun and productive things to do en route played a large part in this). The churches we stayed at were as hospitible as they were large and well equipped. We're looking forward to seeing these gracious folks again on our return lap.

With regards to our planned work here - there have been surprises along the way, but just enough to keep us on our toes. We're working on 2 trailers, but only one that we had originally planned on - Barbara's. The other belongs to Grandma Kate's daughter, Rachel. We're working on Grandma Kate's home as scheduled, in addition to putting up a shed for Pat Perkins (of Helping Hands of Wounded Knee) and doing some other work at their place and here at LTLI. Huge progress has already been made on Grandma Kate's home, as well as Barbara's trailer, and the shed went up in record time. New flooring is expected to go in at Rachel's tomorrow. The washer, dryer and air conditioner that we installed here at LTLI all work great and we are enjoying having them while we're in town.

VBS has been rewarding in many respects, but due to the cultural differences, it isn't run exactly the same way as in Pennsylvania. The kids and dogs here are all pretty much free-range and certainly available for VBS. That said, they also have some rather independent ideas about coming and going as they please and doing what appeals most to them at that moment, as opposed to what the teachers think should happen next. Our VBS team has done a tremendous job of directing, redirecting, and relentlessly loving these precious children. Surely they will see the fruit of their labors in heaven.

All of the teams have remained extremely flexible and open to last minute changes. If medals were given for having a great "whatever it takes" attitude, they would have a box of them.

Last Sunday our kids presented "The Empty Spot" drama at Pastor Leon's church. They did a fantastic job and the folks who came to the service were quite moved. The congregation was small but friendly and overall we have been very well received here.

In addition to ministry and construction, we've also had a few recreational adventures. We arrived here via the Badlands, and have taken side trips to a PowWow as well as Mt. Rushmore (via the Needles Highway). Today's adventure was Evan's Plunge in Hot Springs, SD (a water park built on a natural hot spring - what a great idea). These were all big winners. The Perkins family hosted a BBQ (with fireworks) for our kids who didn't want to stay in a car long enough to get to Mt. Rushmore last Sunday night. Both groups had a great time, and we'll all be at the Perkins' tomorrow night for a buffalo roast.

Wish you were here - our most representative photos are being uploaded to an online directory, and each team member will be receiving a CD with ALL of the trip pictures. In the meantime, you can see the highlights of our trip at

http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=42781089270005762/l=29783239

Can't wait to see you all Sunday night. Now that we have a functional internet connection (don't ask - we're being flexible and uncomplaining here!) your updates may continue for a day or so, until we're back on the road again after Friday afternoon.

God bless you all - thanks for your love, prayers and unwavering support! YOU are every bit as much a part of this team as we are.

With love from the whole gang,

Carol