Into the Grind of the Work

So the boys are midway through their second day of service at De La Salle Blackfeet and the adrenaline and excitement is wearing off a bit. The boys are very engaged and plugged into the community at this point. As we finished up our day yesterday and discussed what they saw each had their own story to tell. In many cases they had to earn the students and the teachers trust. In others they were welcomed right in like they had been there all school year. They are eager to “change the world” and the reality of what that means is slowly starting to dawn on them.

One of the biggest roles they play is as an example of why education is important. The students that are getting tutored are in a situation that could lead to much greater success and wellbeing. They are developing a self-worth that will hopefully change not only their lives but the community. We get to be a part of that process and it will not happen overnight. In some of the pictures you can see the boys reading, working on homework and other chores. They got involved working on a Paper Mache art project, they helped clean and set up the gym for a guest speaker, who is a holocaust survivor. Six boys ventured a couple of blocks away and served food at the local soup kitchen (Called: Medicine Bear).

The reality of the life up here is setting in. When Brother Ray said you need to go 30+ miles to the nearest movie theater, 120+ miles to get to a Sam’s, Wal-Mart, Target, McDonald’s, etc. It crystalizes that you are in not only a remote, rural community but an impoverished one as well.

The excitement for day two has probably been the Holocaust speaker. As she wove her tale of survival in a concentration camp in Germany, everyone was captivated. The Blackfeet students asked very astute questions and it was a tremendous experience. Afterwards she was initiated into the Blackfeet Tribe and given her own name. Brother Ray has been here for 12 years and that is only the 2^nd time this has happened. The CBC students got to witness two significantly persecuted cultures collide in a special way.

Our day will conclude here in a bit with a speaker just for the CBC boys. Mr. Harry Barnes will talk to them about the economics of the life in Browning.