I’m on the leadership team for our church’s upcoming mission
trip. We will be joining two other West
Metro Episcopal churches and another group from one of the eastern states up at
Leech Lake to do odd jobs, like painting, for White Earth Reservation
enrollees. When Indians (this is an
appropriate title, according to some of the White Earth folks we met last
summer) live outside their reservation, it is difficult for them to get some of
the services provided if they were living on their reservation, so we will help
to provide some of the housing upkeep needs for a week in late July. My task, with my trusty assistant, is to make
sure everyone is fed with healthy food for the week. It’s a great use of my gifts and talents and
I’m really excited to organize menus, grocery lists and do what needs to be
done!
I don’t know a few things, however. Like, what cooking implements are available
at the resort where we are going to stay?
We have two large cabins to house the 18 of us from our church, each
with a kitchen and supplies. I’m
planning to bring some of my trusty tools to make the prep go more
smoothly. My assistant and I have come
up with some unique meal ideas and some fun desserts! Each morning the troops will get breakfast on
their own and then belly up to the “build your own sack lunch” bar. We’ll have homemade goodies as well as cut up
veggies and packable fruits to go with their sandwiches. Our dinners will include a typical tubular
meat and hamburger BBQ, kabobs, walk around tacos, 2 kinds of lasagna and a
salad bar with grilled chicken. One
night we think the folks from the tribe will host a meal and one night we’ll
eat left overs. Desserts will include
homemade chocolate cake, flan and tiramisu.
I think they will be fed well and maybe spoiled a little bit too! But they will work hard, so they deserve it!
Dear God, prepare us for the ministry we will be doing at
Leech Lake. Open our hearts and minds
and make us willing servants. Help us
use the skills, talents and gifts we each bring, but challenge us to try new
things and take risks. Teach us to work
together with people who are new in our lives; create new friendships and bonds
that can guide us further in our mission for you. Keep us light hearted and help us to laugh
when under stress. We trust you, O God,
to guide us in this mission field, ever ministering to our individual needs as
we open our hearts to minister to others.
Let us be taught by those who we are helping and use us all to be better
stewards of our gifts to your glory.
Amen.