A couple of weeks earlier, we were headed south to Missouri.  Now it’s “westward ho” to the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.   The occasion: to do some video-recording for Without Reservation’s “First Steps” video series and sing.  We left on May 30, stopping to visit Grandma and Grandpa Krause near Aberdeen.  We enjoyed spending some time with them and visiting Storybook Land.

On June 1, we headed across the Missouri River into the beautiful rolling prairies and buttes of the Cheyenne River Reservation.  This place is so different than what we see in northern Minnesota.  We passed through the towns of LaPlant, and Eagle Butte on our way to Dupree, SD where we met up with our good friends Chug and Karen Garreau.  They’ve been very helpful in the ministry of Without Reservation.  Along with sharing their testimonies for The Storyteller radio program, they also are the main voices for “I’m Not Ready!“, the powerful drama included in the evangelistic audio production, “Are You Ready?”

The Garreaus arranged for us all to stay at the Moreau River Sanctuary, a Christian retreat center, in the middle of the rolling prairie hills, overlooking the beautiful Moreau river valley (visit the Sanctuary’s website to see more pictures of the building and scenery).  It was our home, recording studio, and concert venue for the next few days.

On Saturday, we spent the day preparing for the Sunday outreach at the church in Dupree.  We cleaned, set up a tent, made a sign, and went around town handing out invitations.  A word of caution when approaching homes… keep an eye on those rez dogs.  One of them went after Chug and bit his leg… which resulted in an unexpected trip to the hospital in Eagle Butte.  The Garreaus returned just in time for the advertised concert in the great room of the Sanctuary.  Chug told us that he was going to have to decide whether to be treated for rabies or not.  The big question… had the dog been vaccinated?

On Sunday, we had a church meeting under the tent where the community was invited to attend.  We sang and Dad preached.  Afterward, there was a cookout for all to enjoy.  It was a good time.  Chug and Dad went back to the home where the dog had bitten Chug to investigate whether the dog had been vaccinated for rabies.  Thankfully, for both the dog and Chug, the owners produced the paperwork saying the dog had his shots!

Monday and Tuesday, Dad recorded the Garreaus for the First Steps video series for new believers.  Deb has an interest in film-making, so she was learning and helping along the way.  Despite noise issues from some strong prairie winds and a generator that kept going off, we were able to successfully record several video segments.

On Tuesday while they were recording, Mom took us kids to Mobridge to visit some museums and monuments.  We had a good time exploring some of South Dakota’s history together.  We were especially interested in learning more about Sitting Bull, as Karen is a direct descendant of this famous chief.

This trip was rich in a number of ways, but a real highlight for us all was the fellowship we shared with Chug and Karen.  It was inevitable living in the Sanctuary together.  We laughed a lot, learned a lot, and ate a lot (they kept us well fed!).  We are thankful to the Lord for a profitable time together.  We have wonderful pictures and memories to remind us of God’s blessing.