Last Day at Blackfeet Native American Reservation

From Sister Luke:

Today is our final day here on the reservation. We will tour Glacier Park which is a 40 minute drive. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous.  

We finished all the repairs that Brother Ray needed to have done. We also built two handicap ramps in this area. One ramp for the bunkhouse and the other for his home. 

Brother Ray was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, but he tries not to let that slow him down. 

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to go into the town of Browning, which is the capital of the Blackfeet Nation. It is rather desolate because of the high rate of unemployment. 

We board the train tomorrow morning and travel back to Louisville, Ky.

Montana Volunteers Update

We received the following message from Sister Luke Boiarski…

“We arrived in Montana at 8:30 on Sunday, June 17. Br. Ray of the De La Salle Blackfeet School met us at the East Glacier train station. Our first impression of the area was one of vastness and grandeur. That night we had a brief orientation and selected our sleeping quarters in the bunkhouse or a nearby trailer. We found out Br. Ray has been by himself for almost six months at his home on the church property.


Br. Ray is a gentle and soft-spoken man who has been facing serious health problems. He asked for our assistance with several projects because he has been falling behind with all he is required to do. We learned that sometimes people like Br. Ray, who has dedicated his life to helping the children of the Blackfeet tribe, can also be in need.


The past two days our work has included: mowing, weeding, repairing fences, laying a walkway, and constructing a ramp to make the bunkhouse handicap accessible. We also gathered for an evening meal that included deep sharing and prayer. We were joined by Br. Ray, Br. Kent from St. Louis and John, a De La Salle volunteer who arrived that morning.


Later tonight we will be celebrating Trudy and Wayne Wheatley's birthdays. We have received many blessings in our days here."

Montana volunteers still en route

We just heard from the volunteers on their way to Montana.  They are now passing through North Dakota.  They say it is a bit cloudy and about 64 degrees.  Still have about 8 hours to go to reach Browning, Montana.  In the photo below, Teresa, Trudie, Georgia and Jude get out in Minot, North Dakota to stretch a bit.

Volunteers travel to Montana

Nine SCN Volunteers and Sister Luke left for the "Big Sky " country this morning at 2:30 a.m. They met at Nazareth, KY and drove to Louisville where they boarded the Megabus for Chicago.  In Chicago, they boarded a train to Browning, Montana.  In all, they will travel a total of 36 hours.  While in Montana, they will be working on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.  Check back for photos and updates as we receive them.  Please keep the group in your prayers.