Here to give, yet receive much

Tuesday January 4, 2011

I’m still in the process of answering the many Christmas cards that friends and relatives sent in. I figure I still have the 12 days of Christmas to complete the task. I like to read what people write and catch up on what they’ve been about since I’ve last heard from them. For some it’s been a whole year, but though distances may not allow us to see one another as often as we’d like, there is still an emotional and prayerful connection over the miles.

Our high school youth came back today. Chamberlain Public High School starts two days later than we did here at St. Joseph’s Indian School and only now are we getting back to our full complement of staff and students. Over the break, three high school students decided to continue their schooling elsewhere. But another three high schoolers who set off for “greener pastures” applied to come back and are with us again. There are many pulls and pressures on these young Lakota (Sioux) people, and no matter where they end up living and going to school, we encourage them to finish the race and fight the good fight. I visited two of the girls homes, Crane and Giles, to see what the young women had been up to over the break.

This evening one of our houseparents Jim, sent me an email. Two Lakota Sioux girls in his home, Jalynn and Mikeal, are preparing to represent St. Joseph’s at our upcoming donor appreciation luncheon in St. Augustine, Florida. I asked the houseparents to take some time and have the students practice with them. Jim thanked me for the “privilege” of listening to them, for he said it helped him see the girls in a new light, and he learned more about them. He told me that many times we think we are here to give, yet we receive so much more in return.

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future. View all posts by St. Joseph's Indian School