Day 2 Browning 2020

This morning the group woke up bright and early and shared an amazing breakfast together prepared by Ali and Katie. The pancakes they prepared were just what we needed to start our morning. Just as we finished breakfast, the group gathered in prayer which was led by Saki and Johnny. They shared an inspiring poem about embracing our common fear of the unknown. Along with the poem, we discussed a bible passage about Mary and Joseph coming to the realization that in spite of not knowing where the child Jesus was, they put their hearts in the trusting hands of the Lord. Following prayer, we piled into the Subaru’s and trekked to the school to begin our day. Once at the school, we gathered in the gym and started getting to know different students through sports and conversation. At 8:15 AM the school started with morning assembly. This began with a school-wide prayer led by a student, where many of the students were lifting up their families and their friends in prayer. The students listened to many different announcements, including that girls’ volleyball started today. That was very exciting! The students then formed a line and participated in morning salutations. This was where all students shook hands with all teachers and immersion students saying good morning. We, the immersion students, then separated into the different classrooms we would be journeying with this week. We all met many different personalities packed into small people. It was amazing the graces that we were blessed to witness our first day in the classroom. At 12:30 PM we all left the school for a different type of adventure. We hopped into our trusty Subaru’s and adventured to Saint Mary’s to meet our guides, Park Rangers Sarah and Connor to snowshoe in Glacier National Park. Don’t worry, we did not get attacked by bears or fall into any tree wells. The weather was cold, but every bit of it was worth it. The guides took us through three types of landscapes, from a dense glittering evergreen forest, a snowy plain, and then a starkly beautiful recovering area that had been struck by a fire in 2006. On our adventure, we learned about different aspects of the Blackfeet culture and how they were connected to Glacier National Park. Specifically, the sacredness of the land, the bison, the beaver.  It was a great way to embrace God’s creation in nature and truly appreciate the land in a small sliver of understanding that the Blackfeet carry with them every day. The hike ended with a sighting of a bald eagle soaring above us, which is a symbol for the Holy Spirit to the Blackfeet. We then headed back to the mission site, and Noah and Payten cooked us an amazingly wonderful dinner of French dips and tater-tots! This was followed by a wrap up discussion of the day and then a powerful ending prayer session by Jess and Ali. A key point was that the poor and having a spirit of the poor is where our salvation lies. Saki shared something that a 4^th grade student said in the classroom while discussing the spirit of Christmas. This 4^th grader wrote that the spirit of Christmas is found in giving to the poor. This created a change in perspective for most, if not all of us. If we as a society can acknowledge the truth this student revealed to us imagine the world we would live in today!

Samantha and Katie