Servant Trip Transforms Lives

2013 South Dakota trip

 

In June, 111 Lutheran youth and adults set out for Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota for our latest servant trip. From working in a day camp in the village of Two Strike, to painting the home of the local medicine man outside of Mission, S.D., and everything in between, the servants let their faith guide them as they applied elbow grease and good humor to their daily tasks.  As much difference as their labor made, the experience changed the workers even more.

Interviews and story by Brenda Lange

 

Callum Malcolm

“I found it easier to connect with the culture because of the (four) kids I spent so much time with. … [T]hey helped me understand the Lakota nation and their traditions. At the end, I felt more similarities than differences—something I never expected to feel.”

– Callum Malcolm, 15

Trinity Lutheran Church, Perkasie

 

 

 

 

 

Lizzy Cooper

“They taught us so many simple, yet striking messages about the beauty of life and how we need to love each other, forgive and stay strong through the challenges we encounter. …[W]e all have the opportunity to come out stronger and more inspired, loving and experienced in the end.”

– Lizzy Cooper, 18
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Exton

 

 

 

 

Liz Kinder

“We wish we could stay forever, and we only hope we’ve made as much as an impact on them as they’ve made on us.”

– Elizabeth Kinder, 22

Day camp coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steph Diewald

“The first day, (a girl of about 10) came out with 11 tiny kittens… She told me that her father had been in jail for seven years and her mom for two… I realized then that what we were seeing was not just a house that was falling down; her whole life was turned upside down… But when we left, she gave us all hugs and she was just another smiling little girl who wants to be listened to and loved.”

– Steph Diewald, 18
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Exton

 

 

Learn more about the servant trip experience

 


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