1. We have returned from the mission trip. There is a lot to process after being immersed in the Leech Lake Reservation working with White Earth enrollees, then adding Leech Lake enrollees. The level of poverty is beyond the charts and graphs. It is hard to express the emotions felt, the work accomplished, the relationships developed and the hope for the future in a concise way. It is my hope that I will have time this week to process, write, pray and find some peace following this experience. The blog is on hold until I can work through some of my thoughts. It just has to be.
2. "All you with mercy in your heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
O sing now: Alleluia!
All you that pain and sorrow bear,
praise God, and cast on him your care:
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!"
-words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Hymn 400, vs. 5, The 1984 Hymnal
This verse brought me to tears this morning. Still wrestling with strong emotions and memories from the mission trip, this verse seemed to encompass much of what I am processing. Mercy, forgiveness, pain and sorrow all were a part of the week. Depending on God to find balance in all of it, praising God for all that was experienced. O praise him. Yes.