Hello, South Dakota Families and Friends of EYE-ers!

My apologies for not posting sooner-the bus trip took a toll and the first day and a half is really a flurry of activity getting the youth acclimated to their surroundings and making sure they are comfortable.

First let me say, we can all be very proud of our kids! We really have not even needed to raise an eyebrow. They have been fun, cooperative and gracious with each other. They have all reached out of their comfort zones and met new people and are actively participating.
So, I'll catch you up on what we have done so far.

The van ride across the state was uneventful except for the stopover in Mitchell due to tornado sirens. We never saw a tornado, but the wind was sure wicked. Thanks so much to Integrity Ford of Spearfish for loaning us a van, and to St. Andrews of Rapid CIty for the use of their van as well. Thanks to Sian Young for all the snacks and the cooler of drinks!

We met up in Sioux Falls and had dinner (prepared byNathalie and some folks from Calvary Cathedral). Thanks especially to Lori Urinko, The Wagners and the Tischlers and everybody else who helped!It was very good to see the Pitt-Harts who stopped by the Cathedral to wish us safe travels. We then went to Falls Park and climbed around the rocks. Then we came back and had our "get to know you" group meeting. We talked about the things we need to know about each other to help the trip be successful for all of us, our expectations, fears, etc.

We made quick work of the huge tray of treats provided by Heather Collins - they were great!

Then we played Sardines in the dark for hours, and got a good night's sleep on mattresses provided by the good people at Calvary Cathedral. Mallory led us in Night Prayer from the New Zealand prayer book before bed.
I believe Robyn Tischler made the arrangements for our air mattresses - thanks!!

In the morning Jane led us in Morning Prayer followed by breakfast provided by the Calvary Cathedral Youth. It was a massive breakfast, and they were amazing to get up so early and come in to feed us.

We showered at the S. Falls YMCA, had a photo op and prayer with Bishop Creighton, ate lunch and hit the road. Half an hour later we returned to the church because Jane forgot a few things (there's a surprise!)

Our trip to Albert Lea was crowded but uneventful. We were treated to ice cream cones and drinks by the people at Christ Church in Albert Lea. We made introductions, had a prayer time and hit the road again, now with South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota on the bus. Christ Church provided us with a great care package of treats.

We learned that our bus driver, Andy, loves his bus. It is his home away from home, and it even has his name on the outside! It's a very new bus, has TV's and is very nice. Andy wants to keep it that way! He and his co-driver are pretty serious, but 24 hours is a long way, and so serious drivers are ok with us. There was some rainy weather and serious, competent drivers were good!

Our next stop was in Ames, Iowa. The people at St. Johns provided us with a delicious meal, we picked up anothe 20 or so people, and got on a completely full bus!

The bus ride was pretty excruciating. In our SD delegation, we have one young man who was squished by a bull two weeks ago, one who was hit by a car last week and one who bumped her head our first night. Rick has a bad knee and Jane and Nathalie couldn't find thier ankles due to the swelling in their feet. However, the kids were great! They sat with people they didn't know, behaved beautifully and didn't whine or gripe at all.

We arrived in San Antonio at about 3:30 Tuesday. It had been raining, but the weather cleared for us to unload. It's hard to cope with a new campus, finding our dorms and hauling our luggage after that long ride, but again, the kids were troopers. Rick and our guys are in one dorm, and Jane, Nathalie and the girls are in another. The guys' rooms are in an area together, with Rick on the floor below. Nathalie and Jane are in the same hallway with all of our girls.

The first evening we had a large group welcome in the big auditorium and we haven't stopped moving since! The Presiding Bishop was with us for the welcome and for our opening Eucharist the next day. She was completely inspiring, and the intro and welcome she got the first night was like she was a rock star. They played music from Rocky, and had the search lights moving and everybody screamed and cheered. It was great, and so was she!

Since then we have had small group meetings twice, a numnber of afternoon activities every day to choose from, the huge Fiesta last night, a murder mystery last night. We have workshops this afternoon, forums after dinner, a talent show tonight. Tomorrow we have more of the same and we go out to see San Antonio in the afternoon.

We saw Kyle on the big EYE news cast this morning. He was playing basketball. Mallory and Jane are small group leaders. Lacy, Calla, and Michele are helping with the Eucharist tomorrow. Kelsey,Jamela, Mallory, Carly and Nikki were just standing outside my room singing a song they may enter in the talent show tonight. Jessica is going to the Jr/Sr Dinner tonight. Jake, CHris, Willie, Jess and Nick have learned to do this really cool cup drill. We will definitely be buying cups for SOuth Dakota and all of us will learn. Nathalie is taking yoga and Rick is pretty much our rock. He is organized, he thinks ahead and he doesn't lose or forget things, all good qualities to have on board with 16 teens (and Nathalie and Jane!) Everyone is meeting new friends, trading shirts, pins, bags from the cathedral and cards from Kathy Monson-Lutes. They are trying new things and having fun. At the Eucharist yesterday, Nathlaie and I were at the end of our row, so we returned from Communion last. As we looked down our row, it was very touching to see all of our crew with their heads bowed. I wish I had a camera handy because it would have been a good picture.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us get to EYE. We are having a great time, and all the youth are doing fine. We'll post photos later tonight. I haven't figured out how to do that yet!

Love to you all!
Jane