the smell of fall!

If you were to ask me what is one thing I miss about home I would have to say the beauty of fall. Don't get me wrong, the beauty of Pine Ridge is amazing. There is just something different about a Minnesota fall. When a brisk chill enters the air and leaves begin to show their dying colors and a sweatshirt is warmly welcomed, that is when i love fall in love with Minnesota all over again. 

Out here the grass has been dead before June even ended and the few trees that sprinkles these grounds simply find them selves a golden yellow. Then before you can even enjoy the golden sunset of the trees the leaves have taken their final breath and fallen to 'mother earth.'

Although the death of the grounds may be ugly it will in return birth new life. Greens, reds, yellows all those colors and more then the eye can behold will make a beautiful creation again come spring.

I am blessed to be here. to see the beauty first hand in a new way. I will enjoy and take a deep breath the chill of the air and simply be still!

 

We could use your support! :)

Hey friends...

If you feel like supporting jake and I this year in Pine Ridge South dakota read this letter and then go to www.greaterworks.us and click on Lizzie Ladd or Jake Ladd then hit support. 

We would be so thankful. 

 

 Dear friends and family,

            I hope this letter finds you all well. Lizzie and I are a few months away from celebrating our two-year anniversary. It’s been an amazing couple of years. As you may know Lizzie and I had the wonderful opportunity to work with an organization called Youthworks! (www.youthworks.com) last summer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Little did we know, that this was just the beginning.

            We are about to embark on a yearlong internship with Greaterworks Inc. (www.Greaterworks.us). We will be spending the next nine months living on the reservation, seven miles from the city of Pine Ridge. We will be living in community with our two other staff, and the people of the reservation, while immersing ourselves in their culture, and building meaningful relationships.

 Last summer while working on the Pine Ridge Reservation, we had the opportunity to meet a family, a mother and four young boys.  Originally, they started coming around to play basketball and meet the weeks’ participants, but soon after they began staying for dinner. It even got to the point where they wanted to spend the night. We eventually realized that these boys and their mother had made their home in their car. We spent many days playing, laughing, listening and most of all learning from this family. As the summer began to come to a close we had a feeling of overwhelming sadness. We were not ready to leave. There were more community cookouts to be had, and relationships to be built. We trusted that God would provide those opportunities, and through Greaterworks He has.

Greaterworks gives us the opportunity to invest long term into a community full of culture and love. We will be given the opportunities to partner with existing ministries on the reservation and support them in areas where we feel passionate. We would love it if you came along side of us on this adventure. You can do that by supporting us financially. We have the goal to raise $7,900 by January 2009. If you would like to financially support one week of our ministry that would be $240.00, one day would be $34.00. Feel free to give any amount. Jake and I truly see any gift as a blessing from God. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and we will keep you updated on all of our wonderful adventures here in Pine Ridge.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

Jake & Lizzie Ladd

LizzieL@greaterworks.us

JakeL@greaterworks.us

 

 

 

Oh the joy in problems

I have a problem!

 

I do not enjoy reading when I am told I have to. So Serve God Save the Planet was good and all. Well everything I read of it, but I just get to a point around chapter 10 that I feel bored or frustrated. ‘Why do I have to read this?’ ‘I know there are a lot of great points, but let me choose when I want to jump in and learn to hang dry my clothes or get rid of my dog.” I wish I could sit here, well stand I guess and tell you all the great things I enjoyed about the book I read, but I can’t. It just so happened that I was simply taken over by another book that has forever changed my view on my father. No not my dad, but God. As I read each page I could feel my soul breaking free from the lies its been told my whole life. I felt the distant, punisher of a God become tangible and compassionate. I felt Jesus next to me, holding me, helping me lift the heavy load to the dumpster. I have begun to feel the Holy Spirit breath life into my deflated lungs.

 

I have been FREED!

 

What joy I have knowing that in my life I will never be alone. I have never been alone. I will never disappoint my God. You will never disappoint our God, our Father, and our savior.

 

Amen

 

 

Becoming a Rez dog!

Emery loves the outdoors, the rez and all his pals. 

Even though he does get pokies stuck in his paws when he runs in the grass.

 He still Loves every moment. 

Emery loves the Rez! He has been having an amazing time living in community and meeting some buddies. 

He loves playing outside with Socks! Sometimes they chase each other, other times they bite, but most of the time they just hang out.

His other buddy, yellow snow loves to share Emery's water bowl. We have great friends where we live and great dogs. Emery fits right in!

we headed back to minneapolis today. It sure was one long car ride. 

I woke up around 3am feeling very under the weather. I could not fall back to sleep, so after tossing and turning for 3 hours we decided to hit the road. 

Not being able to drive,  I rested my head on the window and dozed off. I woke every once in a while to make sure Jake was still awake and keeping us on the road. Finally we have arrived. 9 hours later, a doctors appointment and the return to maxwells, my night is finally complete. 

I have been having a wonderful time in Pine Ridge! It really is beautiful there. It seems that the sky goes on forever. 

We are lucky to have so much in life. blessed. There is joy in having less. Finding the balance is where the difficulty is. 

we have arrived!

And then there were Two...

Two days,

Jake and I are leaving in two days. I can't believe it is finally here. The house is looking cleaner, the boxes are being packed and goodbyes are being said. Now its time to relax and take it all in. We will be living on a reservation, with one market a gas station a Taco Johns, you dare not eat at and of course a Pizza Hut. Were not sure what the winters will be like. We don't even know what the plow situation is like there. Hopefully they have them. 

Mostly we are just excited to get out and experience something new. An adventure.