A year in and going strong…
I wish that I could write the stories of all of the people we have met over this past year on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation. I wish I could post every picture. It’s crazy to think of the things that we accomplished in 2023 and the doors that have opened in this first three months of 2024.
Community Revitalization at its core, in my limited experience, has become more about the small things and less about big wild events. It is more about consistency and showing up. It is also pulling weeds, feeding chickens, praying for rain, praying the rain stops, and planting more flowers.
What a glorious time it has been living amongst our Relatives on the Lower Brule Reservation.
Enjoy the pictures. I pray they say what I cannot.
We have hit the ground running!
It's been two months since we arrived and The Grove Projects team hit the ground running. With ambitious projects and tight deadlines ahead, there's no time for sluggish starts.
The team has rallied together, ready to tackle all the challenges that come our way. We've been meeting new people, generating fresh ideas, and putting our skills to the test.
We’ve learned traditional drum making, fed a whole bunch of amazing people, including little ones in the middle of the day! We’ve pulled weeds, planted a massive garden, repurposed an old shed into a chicken coup, graduated Ian from college, attended community council meetings, handed out 1000 pounds of ham, planted trees, made lots of sourdough bread for hungry neighbors, serve on the community drug court, inherited a church, and now we are raising six cute chickens! Next week we begin teaching middle school and high schoolers about community revitalization!
Please consider sending us as we live in the midst of the people leading the charge for community revitalization in Lower Brule, SD. Literally the most beautiful people and land on the planet!
