On the ground in Bridger, South Dakota.

    You know the old saying, "You can't get there from here?"  It doesn't apply to Bridger any more! After three years we finally figured out the secret to getting here.  After our great ride on the people mover from Randy Gossert and Master's Transportation Ministry we checked our bags curbside and breezed through security as easy as you please. Joy called to check on us (she and Chiles had flown out on Thursday) and that was when the wheels started to come off. As soon as Chip hung up the phone the announcement came over the loud speaker that our pilot was not here and it would be an hour and a half before he would get to the plane.  What? Really? Luckily, within ten minutes we found out that it was actually the first officer that had been missing and another had been located and we would begin the boarding process very soon. After that brief twenty minute delay we were taxiing to the runway for take off. An uneventful flight later and we were all loaded up with our luggage and ready to hit Sam's, Wal-mart, and lunch. Here we are pictured in front of the Rapid City airport as fresh as we can be and ready for a great week of ministry and relationship building.

   After the grocery run we loaded the two SUVs to head to Bridger. Realizing we forgot the retried beans for supper we stopped off at Coyle's Supervalu in Phillip, SD. This was a great little store located right off the Main Street. Our limited inventory grocery stop was a step back in time. It reminded me of visits to Morgan's Superette in Martin, GA on those summer visits to my grandparents house.

     The team had a wonderful dinner and are all settling down as I post this blog.  We are eager to reconnect with our old friends and continue the work to which we have been called. We have two main projects for the week with other things that will come up while we are here. We are prepared to offer fun reinforcements in math and reading to the children as we interact with them this week. I am also excited to be a part of the building project here at the church. We are adding on a room to the fellowship hall which will allow for larger community meetings and provide opportunities for larger groups to stay and minister here in Bridger. As always we are reminded that relationships are the most important and I pray that I, for one, will stop the work long enough to connect with our Lakota brothers and sisters.