We arrived about 4 days ago and the experience so far is great. The people are friendly, hospitable and helpful in every way. On Tuesday, we rode in the back of a pick-up truck, something that we do not usually get to do. The ride let us experience the fresh air and the scenery that we usually just see through a window. While in the back of the truck, we came extremely close to the buffalos that Jerry, the executive director of the affiliate for Habitat for Humanity, owns. The truck brought us within touching distance of these precious animals, which is not even possible in the zoo. We were then driven to this enormous lake where we spent more than an hour swimming in. The scenery is beautiful and so different from what we had ever seen, especially when we live in the city.
Yesterday, (Wednesday), we worked on the house and we completed the gutters and framed the windows. We also put covers on the plugs inside the house. Afterwards, we went to the SweatLodge and Jerry told us the importance of this ceremony. The girls entered first, while the boys waited outside for their turn. Hot coals were put into a pit with a tent-like dome over us. The door was then closed and the heat embraced us as it washed over all of us. Then Jerry said a prayer and threw water on the hot coals, making steam rise around us. He sang two songs and the instrument he played sounded just like our heartbeats, beating all at once. This ceremony was very spiritual and emotional. We had a prayer circle where all the girls went around and prayed for whatever they felt needed to be prayed for. A lot of girls teared up at that point because all the suffering that the girls felt were expressed in their prayers. I could feel their pain as they tried so hard to not break down while saying their prayer. Then the door was closed again and he sang another prayer song and talked some more about us being in the “womb” of mother earth. When we emerged from the “womb”, we were all drenched in our own sweat and water from the steam, but it felt as if we were cleansed instead of feeling dirty. The purpose of the SweatLodge was to feel as if you entered back into your mother’s womb, a time when you had no sin. Then when you emerge, you should feel cleansed, just as we experienced this amazing ceremony. Next the boys went in and had their ceremony conducted by Jerry. I would definitely want to go to a SweatLodge again because it was spiritually moving and it reminds us that the heat that we suffer is not worse than the people who are suffering out there in the world.
