Section 4 of Part One.

From White Clay we traveled highway 18 east. Once spotting the signs we turned back north toward Wounded Knee going through Porcupine. We made our first stop ever at Wounded Knee. Neither of us knew much of anything about Pine Ridge, Wounded Knee or even South Dakota for that matter. There we learned just a little of the story of the ''Massacre at Wounded Knee" and some of the history of the atrocities that took place against the Sioux People. We left there, after a short stop because it was December and cold. We traveled on across the reservation seeing the poverty and the pain in so many faces.

We left Pine Ridge headed back to Custer and the warmth of our room. But it took us a while to get back as we thought we would take a ''short cut'' through Custer State Park. Not too smart for two people who had never been in the area before. It was darker than we had ever known and were as lost as we could be. Thank God HE was watching out for us and kept all the wild life, especially the Bison (or Buffalo) off the roads. We finally arrived back at the motel near 10p.m. worn our and brain weary. We had a lot to absorb from our day of travels through the reservation.

After spending the day at Pine Ridge and all it's poverty, and the sense of despair in every face we saw, Tim decided to take me to Rapid City where we found a huge craft fare at the convention center. This sure helped my mental state greatly UNTIL we looked outside and saw the snow begin to fall. Tim began to nudge me to finish my looking and let's get back on the road back to Custer. Now for two Floridians, driving in snow was certainly nothing we were cut out for. I finally gave up my looking and reluctantly headed to the car. Headed back south on Highway 16 a young man driving a Jeep came speeding around us. Tim's remark, "wonder if we'll see him off the road somewhere". Sure enough, we come around a curve and there he and his vehicle were on their side. We ''crawled'' back all the way to Custer in blinding snow! Once arriving we got in our room and watched the snow fall, and fall and fall some more. Later in the evening, we ventured out to the Taco John's next door. What a sight, I had never seen snow so thick, so beautiful. It formed the most perfect shape on all flat surfaces. I can't explain it. You would have to see it for yourself if you've never seen it before. It was amazing and so much fun. It was so dry though we couldn't make snow balls at all. We trotted around until we were nearly frozen. After a good nights sleep, we awoke to a ''Winter Wonderland'', something we had NEVER seen before. We were 'snowed in'. We had experienced our first (of many in our future) blizzard! We stayed in our room until mid afternoon until I was about to go stir crazy. We ventured out to find food at the Wrangler Motel where we enjoyed a nice warm meal. Later that night we went into town and found Tortilla Flats. It was then while trying to choke down a hamburger that through tears I told Tim "I can't do this. I can't move out here. If you make me do this I'll backslide, die and go to hell". I truly felt that way. I'm a people person. We knew NO one and there was NO work started and we couldn't live on Pine Ridge (which was a relief to me at the moment). And I had NO idea what would be required to do what Tim was looking at doing. He patiently and lovingly looked at me and said, "I'm not going to make you do this". We finished eating, went back to our room. Awoke EARLY Monday morning December 14th to drive back to Rapid City and catch our flight back to Denver and then on to Orlando and home to Cocoa, Florida and our church family and our children. I thought surely Tim would forget Pine Ridge and the feelings he had for the people there and return to continue loving and ministering to those who meant so much to us. I thought surely God would understand and move on the heart of someone else to go to those poor souls on Pine Ridge. Surely HE wouldn't require of me to leave what I knew and where I was content and comfortable. Surely He would understand. Surely He would.
to be continued.....to part Two.