Mitakuye oyasin

So... I just returned home from South Dakota... from the poorest county in the USA... from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...

I went there for a week to do some service work to help the Lakota people there. It was a week of laughter and tears... learning and teaching... giving and receiving... young and old... rich and poor... it was amazing.

It was so sad to see the living conditions of the residents on the reservation. Yet they give up all the riches in the world to keep their rich life of spirituality, family, and heritage. It is amazing to see their deep faith and love for their native ways. They are so misunderstood. They have been and continue to go through so much. The US government is STILL violating their treaties with these tribes. Taking so much and yet giving back nothing. One of our projects was building bunk beds. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the families we helped. These people had no beds whatsoever. Each bed we built got 2 people off the floor. It was so sad.

I can't even put into words what I saw or felt this weekend. Maybe in a few days I'll have had more time to process everything and try to explain it to you. But just remember these people and see how blessed you are. If you ever get the chance to go out there and help, do it. It is so worth it. Don't judge people around you no matter what. You don't know their story. But MOST IMPORTANTLY...

MITAKUYE OYASIN

Loose translation: We are all related