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It was the summer of 2012 and while most of my friends were studying abroad or working
awesome internships, I was on the road with three strangers. The theme for our mission
trip camp was from Revelations 21:5, "Look, I am making all things new". I didn't know
it at the time, but that Bible verse would sum up my experiences for that summer and
I would keep it with me always. My group was sent to Busby, MT on a Northern Cheyenne reservation
in the middle of nowhere. We were there to work on the homes of people who were in need
of repairs that they couldn't afford. One night a fire seized the reservation. It not
only rendered our 300 campers powerless and waterless, but it took the homes of some of
the people we'd been helping. Despite the devastation caused, the tribal leaders insured
that we had power and restroom access, they comforted our children, and they even invited
us to participate in their annual powwow. I have never been met with so much kindness
in the face of adversity. I was a complete stranger, but I was being treated like family.
Something awakened in me during the time I spent in Busby. I felt a burning desire to
give back to the community that had shown me so much love. I've been asked why I'm so
interested in Native American cultures, why I'm in the American Indian Student Union,
and what it all has to do with me. I always site this experience. I don't think I'll ever
be able to fully repay the people of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, but it's a start.