Then on Thursday, May 22, 2014 we traveled to courthouse/ jail rock in Bridgeport near the Nebraska Panhandle. These formations are amazing and are defiantly worth the while to stop and take a look.
We continued enjoying seeing some sites when we traveled to
Scottsbluff National Monument in the Scottsbluff County, Nebraska.
Yet, it seems the most special part of the day was when our
group went to visit the Lakota Lutheran center in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska.
The Lakota Lutheran center is a small congregation that bases itself on social ministries,
youth education, providing meals for those in need, and pastoral care within
the community. This amazing center strives to bridge the gap between the Lakota
people and the residents of the local community. We had the luxury to spent
time at this center getting to know the social climate of the Lakota people in
this area. We found out that their socioeconomic situation within the community
can be extremely oppressive for a number of these people. Jail is sometimes the
unfortunate reality that is part of some of the lives of the Lakota people in
Nebraska. A main reason for jail time for some Lakota people is because of use
of drugs or alcohol. When people are caught engaging in a drug or alcohol crime
they can be bound to a life of being subjugated by their local justice system. This
is because individuals who do not have the financial resources to help
themselves out of their circumstance must serve the fullest penalty for their
crime. Although, the Lakota center is operated by providing hope to those who
seem to have no chance of being freed from their situation by providing
programs for those who feel persecuted by their crime. The Lakota center was a
sobering experience of social justice that seemed to affect us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment