Montana update #2

Here are some notes from our mission trip in Browning, MT:

Today was long. The lack of sleep is definitely starting to kick in for all of us. The challenges of living with so many of our peers are becoming more and more present as the trip progresses. Yes, this trip is a good experience for us. The whole point of the trip is to help these students, yet we are not only learning how be mentors to the students but also how to work together with each other in the house. We are learning how to cleanup after not only ourselves but for others in the house as well. We are learning how to compromise in dealing with bathroom time and how to work through problems. My goal is to get through the rest of the week and try to be as optimistic as possible.  -Olivia Boulton

Today is Tuesday. Which means another day in the Mont! We started the day with a delicious breakfast, eggs and bacon, made by Liam and Bethany. They set off the fire alarm twice, but that's okay. We boarded the bus as usual and began our adventure to school, hoping that today would be better than the day before. We arrived at school with a new confidence because we knew what exactly to expect. Olivia and I make our way to the 8th grade classroom. We are greeted by a sleepy "Hello" from each student, then first period begins. Since the children we are watching were taking a test, I asked if there was something for us to do. Moments later a teacher came in and told us to come to Title One, a tutoring program during the school day, we stayed in there all day interacting with kids with every grade. I taught a girl to tell time! At the end of the day a man came in and talked to us about paintings that he and his father did. Anya, Bethany, and Ms. Foley bought art work while the rest of us sat back and admired the hard work, time, and effort that went into making them. Finally it was the end of the day and we got to return to the bunkhouse for dinner. Tonight is taco night. Ms. Foley made guacamole, holy guacamole Ms. Foley. After dinner Olivia, Anya, Ms. Foley and I went for a walk down the street so we could attempt to capture the beauty that lay before us. Unfortunately the pictures don't do the view justice. It's 8:30 now and we are all exhausted. It's time for the documentary on Shoni Schimmel, a Native American girl from Oregon that had a natural talent for basketball. The movie ends at 10:30. By now we are all tired beyond imagine. Finally we arrive back at the bunkhouse and are ready for bed. Goodnight Tuesday. Another day finished here in The Mont. – Halle Jones