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Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

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Site and people

We will be living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation which is in the southwest corner of South Dakota. This reservation is home to the Lakota people. The reservation is affected deeply by issues of poverty, alcohol abuse and severe unemployment.

Program

A local Pine Ridge Christian leader has described ministry in Native America as a slow process of tearing down misconceptions and rebuilding trust. Ministry here is about people, perseverance and presence. As we experience third world type conditions within the borders of the US you will be challenged to understand why these conditions exist and have existed for generations. As we study the book of Amos we will be pushed to understand our role in responding to injustice. This study of Amos is a part of a larger discipleship plan for program participants.

The Lakota people are quiet and after years of broken trust have a suspicion of outsiders, especially Caucasian guests. The Lakota are also very hospitable and you will be challenged to persevere in relationships until trust is built. We will primarily have an opportunity to build mentoring relationships with the youth group of Pine Ridge Gospel Fellowship. Previous summers show that this can be done in a four week span.

Leon Matthews pastors the Pine Ridge Gospel Fellowship and his invitation to us to walk among the Lakota people and experience the culture for the summer. We will be with the Lakota people. We will be on the Reservation. We will be with the Pine Ridge Gospel Fellowship, especially the youth. We will do some things, like co-host basketball tournaments, work on a pow-wow shade, and other work projects. Our primary opportunity will be to be present with the people and persevere in being like Jesus.

Ministry

The ministry opportunities will come through the mentoring relationships built with the youth that we serve. We will be connected with a local church which hosts a number of other groups through the summer. We will be servants to the church, the Pastor and the people of Pine Ridge.

Objectives

• Be with the people of Pine Ridge.
• Experience Christian Community.
• Experience Lakota culture.
• Learn about needs and opportunities that exist in reservation life.
• Build bridges with the coming generation of university students.

Orientation and Re-Entry

The project will begin with the reading of two books prior to onsite arrival. We will gather in Pine Ridge, SD for 3 days of orientation. Then we will enter into a fuller experience with the Reservation community for 4 weeks. There will be 3 days at the end of the project for debriefing.

Project director

Rick Demarest
Rick is on staff with InterVarsity at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota and lives in Pine Ridge Village, not far from the historical Wounded Knee Massacre. He has been working over the last few years on developing relationships with the Lakota people eventually leading to a project on the reservation.