Montana August 2019 Team Journal
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TEAM 167 JOURNAL GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS BLACKFEET RESERVATION MONTANA USA AUGUST 10 17 2019 WWW GLOBALVOLUNTEERS ORG
GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS M o n t a n a T e a m G o a l s To serve and help the community under their direction To be open and learn about the community and culture To strengthen bonds between people To grow as a human T e a m 1 6 7 T e a m C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s Respect Communication Unity Common goals Humor Friendship Harmony Listening Positive attitude Acceptance Humility Teamwork Flexibility Patience Open mindedness Complementarity Non judgmental Vulnerability Generosity Punctuality Cooperation Breathe and Reflect and meditate 2
As you reach forward with one hand accept the advice of those who have gone before you and in the same manner reach back with the other hand to those who follow you for life is a fragile chain of experiences held together by love Take pride in being a strong link that chain Discipline yourself but do not be harsh The pleasures of life are yours to be taken share them with others but always remember that you too have earned the right to partake Unknown
August 11 2019 MAX MARK ELLEN J o u r n a l E n t r y Journal from Max Mark Highlights of Max s day were being at the waterfall skipping rocks best was 12 skips being with his friends and eating ice cream at the store Max feels it has been a great experience so far and thinks it will only get better Mark liked the orientation and the effective team exercise on Sunday morning He appreciated the tour in the van especially the beautiful scenery with the mountains rising so abruptly from the plains Also Joe s historical and nature commentaries They added a lot of context to the various sights we observed Saturday was a good transition from ordinary life at home to the very different environment of the Global Volunteers group Journal from Ellen Today we toured the Blackfeet Reservation with our whole group I didn t know what to expect but the day exceeded what I could have imagined I enjoyed getting to know some of the adultsincluding finding out that Andrea knows one of our neighbors in Tucson The landscape is spectacular and we really experienced Blackfeet time stopping when we wanted but at the same time keeping to a lax schedule I m looking forward to volunteering tomorrow 4
We take comfort among those who agree with us growth among those who don t Frank A Clark
August 12 2019 JESSE ANDREA MARK ELLEN J o u r n a l E n t r y Journal from Jesse I went to Pastor Hill s and helped give water and hay to the horses Then we were in the barn and I found out I was very allergic to hay So I worked with Dana instead helping her with shopping and had a lot of fun Later I went to the sweat and did the first two rounds It was awesome and for the second round I sat close to the pit Journal from Andrea We jumped right into chores at Pastor Hill s place raking out stalls Cassidy is a pro at mucking out giving the horses water and then we heard an inspiring talk from Pastor Hill about his mission and all that they have built on what was an empty plain Allen and I helped finish the roof on the barn putting up the rest of the tin roof panels and cap After lunch we began to work on how to hang the doors 6
JESSE ANDREA MARK ELLEN August 12 2019 and began to put up rails I have never spent so much time climbing up and down a scaffold It felt really good to see how much we accomplished and to feel useful Later that night we were welcomed to Tom s sweat lodge which was a wonderful experience I did the whole sweat and was really touched by how much of himself Tom put into it and by Dee s continuous prayers for everyone No pictures from the night we were asked to keep our phones in the vehicle and just be present Journal entry from Mark After we realized that at 9 00 AM the cleanup of the Indian Days site had not yet started for the day we Tenley Addy Aurelia Eva Keta Paul and I went over to the high school and grade school to help in the library That turned out to be a much needed help to the young man Shannon who became librarian last year and to Mrs Crawford the kindergarten teacher who needed her classroom set up We sorted and reshelved hundreds of books There will be more work at the library tomorrow and I m looking forward to that The school staff are great people 7
JESSE ANDREA MARK ELLEN August 12 2019 The sweat lodge was a bridge too far for me this evening so I stayed home and cleaned up the kitchen I was turned off hot spiritual sessions years ago due to a bad Bikram Yoga experience This outweighed my desire to learn more about Blackfeet culture in this particular instance Ellen joined me not much later having left the sweat just before Round One began I ve learned to respect my own boundaries even while delving into new experiences I ve learned to respect my own boundaries even while delving into new experiences This afternoon after work I sat outside the church and absorbed the feeling of the wind the purple flowers and the vast sky That s not something I normally do on a Monday afternoon It was a very peaceful interlude Journal entry from Ellen Max and I drove with Dana to Browning to the Assisted Care Home We mainly played cards and bingo with Jim Max was instrumental in asking Jim to play cards and then I found bingo and we played it along with another man We also helped feed lunch to a few residents Even though only one resident benefited from our presence it was worth the visit He was very appreciative and seemed thankful to have people to talk to and play cards with 8
Do your little bits of good where you are it s those little bits of the good put together that overwhelm the world Desmond Tutu
August 13 2019 ANDREA J o u r n a l E n t r y Notes from Morning Meeting Many people had reflections on the sweat noting that it was not rigid or stern which we might associate with a religious ceremony There as joking around laughter warmth and patience with those of us who were new to this The fluidity and flexibility made it very comfortable In the 4th round Tom said a prayer for all of us at Global Volunteers and Dana explained that these ceremonies have been going on for thousands of years and now we are a part of that lodge Journal entry from Andrea Andrea and Allen returned to Pastor Hill s to begin the process of putting up the barn doors no small job since Pastor Hill had to figure out how to hang them so they would slide and not have an area that would ice up in the winter But the doors were prepped and hung by Wednesday thanks to Allen Eva Paul and Joey Don Carter and Cassidy returned with Sheri Pastor Hill s wife to Denise s where they were cleaning up an incredibly overgrown yard clearing the stuff strewn around it and putting up siding 7
May the sun bring you new energy by day may the moon softly restore you by night may the rain wash away your worries may the breeze blow new strength into your being may you walk gently thorugh the world and know it s beauty all the days of your life Apache Blessing
August 14 2019 EVA ANDREA J o u r n a l E n t r y Journal entry from Eva As usual we started the day with breakfast and a morning team meeting Six people from our group and I went to Indian Days to clean up The clean up group had a fun time with us Near noon we headed over to the library Shanon was very grateful we came back to help In the evening the real magic began I met a man named Bob Tailfeathers Bob showed us traditional dancing and his beautiful artistic talent Just like his humor his artwork is filled with color I would love to quote Helen Keller The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt within the heart The passion these people have for their people and strangers is outstanding They send their love through their eyes Bod Tailfeathers just like Don Tom and Joey made a huge impact on me I am honored to have to have met them They have showed me new pathways Thank you people of the Blackfeet Nation I did not think travelling by myself would bring this fire within Meeting the great volunteers who have been working by my side and the local people has been an honor 12
EVA ANDREA August 14 2019 If you can t fly then run if you can t run then walk if you can t walk then crawl but by all means keep moving Martin Luther King Jr I had to go through many struggles to get here and it was worth it Thank you Global Volunteers I can see in everyone s eyes something has changed whether is a new insight or meaning they learned from this beautiful culture and people I am thankful for that More on the day from Andrea Andrea went to the Crystal Creek Treatment Center to teach about osteopathic manipulation where she quickly found out that you don t ask this population to practice bodywork techniques on one another although they were interested and very gracious about learning from demonstrations In the afternoon we went to see Pauline Matt to learn about how she gathers herbs and makes healing balms and tinctures Most of us couldn t resist some of her products with names like Warrior Woman cream or Fireman s Friend Hand cream It was a night we didn t have any activities so a perfect time to sit by the fire 13
Don t wait for the stars to align reach up and rearrange them the way you want Create your own constellation Pharell Williams
August 15 2019 KETA PAUL TERRY J o u r n a l E n t r y Journal entry from Keta and Paul Today Jesse and Keta cleaned out the greenhouse at the community college Andrea did some work at the Food Distribution Center and then Jesse joined her it was lots of heavy lifting but fun Tenley Aurelia and Adelaide went to the assisted living and spent time with the residents Cassidy and Eva volunteered at Eagle Shield with Maria and Toni in the kitchen while Don went on Meals on Wheels with Linda and delivered meals Pastor Hill worked on training a wild horse and Cassidy jumped right in to help We were all excited to go horseback riding at DeBoos ranch that evening While the first group rode the others enjoyed dinner and the beautiful scenery Chuck led the first group across grasslands to some stunning rock formations We were lucky enough to have a great view of the full moon rising behind the hills looking huge and orange While the second group rode those of us in the first group ate and then relaxed by the fire We were lucky enough to have a great view of the full moon rising behind the hills looking huge and orange The riders got to see it from their horses 15
JEREMY KETA PAUL August 15 2019 Message from Tenley US history as well as inherited Indigenous trauma cannot be understood without dealing with the genocide that the United States committed against Indigenous peoples From the colonial period through the founding of the United States and continuing in the twentieth century this has entailed torture terror sexual abuse massacres systematic military occupations and removals of Indigenous children to military like boarding schools The absence of even the slightest note of regret or tragedy in the annual celebration of the US independence betrays a deep disconnect in the consciousness of US Americans Strengthening Indigenous sovereignty and self determination will take general public outrage and demand which in turn will require that the general population those descended from settlers and immigrants know the history and assume responsibility From An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz 16
if you are working on something exciting that you really care about you don t have to be pushed The vision pulls you Steve Jobs
August 16 2019 ALLEN CARTER J o u r n a l E n t r y Message from Allen As dispiriting as world events may seem humanity has made tremendous progress toward tolerance inclusion and equality We live in a period of dramatic social change and unprecedented openness in human history Whether we continue to march toward a more inclusive society while taming our baser impulses and steadying our fears depends on us Eric Levitz at New York Magazine March 10 2016 Journal entry from Carter The last day of work started like every other day We all gathered ate and made are lunch Aurelia tried to get out of reading the prior days journal buy Addy would not let that happen Next we all found ourselves in Browning I was working with Don at the assisted living center We first met Donita a woman who told us an epic story of how she lost her leg during a buffalo accident We later found out she simply lost her leg due to diabetes We next played cards with a man named Jim until Dana came and picked us up After a short visit at the ranch Max and I found ourselves at the plains Indians museum and a gas station with really amazing snacks We then went back to the church where Cassidy Addy and maybe Aurelia made a cake for after dinner 18
ALLEN CARTER August 16 2019 Soon Doug arrived and left us all with tears in our eyes due to the moving story he shared about his life Now it was time for dinner I sat next to Doug who was very funny when he wasn t talking about such serious topics We ate cake then soon after head outside to enjoy a fire and smores That is how a memorable and amazing week came to an end Journal entry from Carter A large group went to Pastor Hill s again to help with work outside and work on grant proposals inside Tenley Aurelia and Adelaide volunteered at Eagle Shield Tenley delivered meals with Linda and they bonded quickly We were all sad that this would be our last full day Dougie Hall was coming to talk with us about his experiences and sobriety in a rodeo culture where this was rare We were all so touched by Dougie s story he was a sincere and eloquent storyteller and so modest about his recent award You could see how he was an excellent role model for local youth We would be having Indian tacos and the teens decided to make a cake for our honored guests Tom Dan and Bob Dan had visited us almost every night and was an invaluable resource about the Blackfeet culture and traditions often giving us valuable insights and new ways to look at the world that we could consider for ourselves He was there with smiles and hugs and listening ears for anyone who wanted them 19
Courage is resistance to fear mastery of fear not absence of fear Mark Twain
August 17 2019 J o u r n a l E n t r y It was time to say see you later and head for home We were told that Blackfeet do not say goodbye Tom stopped by the church and gave everyone hugs sharing his love We took one last group picture A week we will all remember forever 21
TEAM 167 JOURNAL Blackfeet Reservation Montana USA August 2019 The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention Oscar Wilde Thank your you for service GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS 375 East Little Canada Road St Paul MN 55117 1628 USA 800 487 1074 toll free 651 482 0915 fax globalvolunteers org email globalvolunteers org GlobalVolunteers globalvolunteers globalvolunteers
