Sand Art Therapy

Well, to start off, my body has no idea what time it is. Here on the reservation there's daylight savings but elsewhere in Arizona there is no daylight savings. So here I was sitting in my room, actually E's room, thinking I had a whole hour before I needed to be up. So I put on my iPod and listened to Francesca Battistelli's "Beautiful, Beautiful," and as tears were running down my face I get this soft knock on my door - find out it's really past the time I was supposed to be up and I had like 15 minutes to get ready! We get to the kid's school where I spent most of today. I had no idea what to do right at the beginning so I decided to introduce myself to a couple people. We picked up conversation, and I got busy on my sand art tray as well as a puppet. I had gone in thinking this was an actual therapy session but what it was is a training session for staff from the school, counselor, and dorm to understand some ways to reach the youth and younger of this community when they have problems that arise. My heart just broke at the things I heard - so much like the inner city school kids' problems but different because this involved spiritual aspects, such as superstition. It was a definite learning curve and I walked away with some really good ideas. I met some pretty great people who were all so incredibly gracious to me especially when my body language became offensive to them. Never ever point your finger!! And apparently hands on hips means you're mad...oops! Oh cultural understanding is surely coming slowly!! I was so blessed when they asked after my well-being concerning that the host family I'm staying with is vegetarian. This lady, Betty, was so funny! She looks at me with this concerned look (let me tell you, the expressions are really played down here, except when they're laughing)and says to me "You know the Meades are vegetarian." "Yes" I say. "Oh...are you going to have to eat vegetarian too?" She says as she gives me this look that seemed to ask if I would make it for a whole month in a vegetarian household. So I explained that I can eat anything I want :) On the way home today Pamela showed me some more of Pinon, we went to the only grocery store in the town (they have a Subway here!!!!!). She took me to the post office and then showed me the community center. While we were driving I spotted a cross on the top of a church! Pamela then told me that there's a Mormon church, a Baptist church, and a Catholic church all in town! My heart leaped inside of me! She said any time I wanted to go to church I just need to ask and she'll either come with me or let me take the car! Oh happy day!!! (In case you're wondering I'll go to the Baptist church). Had some fun playing with the kids today and had a delicious vegetarian dinner of crab rolls (they're like enchiladas except for with crab meat and cream of chicken). Oh they're so delicious!! I'm getting into a good habit of praying in the spirit constantly and God has given me so much favor to be able to interact well with the people here. I have already fallen in love with them and am beginning to wonder if I could really leave them and not come back some time later. When the people heard I want to be a PA they asked me to come back. Even though my body is tired I have found so much peace and so much happiness and joy while here. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow as I'm out and about! Blessings beloved!!!