On Friday, May 24, 2014 our group stayed in Sidney, Nebraska for the whole day. First thing in the morning we stopped off to visit the Natural Resource Conservation Service / Farm Service offices to talk to Kent’s daughter Kristin Miller. NRCS is presently trying to satisfy the future need of supplying food for our growing world. Kris emphasized an interesting perspective on the amount of food needed for future, which is the amount of food needed for the future is the same amount that has maintained the world for the past five hundred years. Therefore, NRCS works with land owning farmers to assist them in conserving their soil for the possibility of sustaining the most profitable growing circumstances with that soil.

Later in the day we visited the Sidney courthouse where we were treated to an engaging conversation about domestic violence. There were presentations from Health and Human Services, officials from the courthouse, and the Doves program where each presenter emphasized the importance of a pastor’s role in stopping domestic violence. Each presenter illustrated that pastors in most cases are the first line of defense against domestic violence. This is because people feel that they can confide and trust in pastors with sensitive information. The officials of the justice department made it clear that we all work together as a team in providing care towards stopping domestic violent situations.

After lunch we embarked on a journey to visit the funeral home in Sidney. The funeral home presentation gave us a glimpse of casket types, body preparation, embalming materials, and the relationship between funeral directors and religious clergy. The dominant theme the presenter emphasized with relationships between funeral home staff and clergy was that is should be maintained as a respectful partnership. This is especially true when each party is trying to fulfill the duty of their vocation within the funeral service.  

After the funeral home we visited South Platte Natural Resources Center to hear a presentation on water conservation. There were two wonderful presentations that emphasized the importance of conserving water in various methods that helps to preserve water in Nebraska and for North America.

Finally, we ended our day by visiting the Sloan Assisted Living Center to partake in some conversation with some very special hosts. Our visit was a good exercise in Clinical Pastoral Education, which a good portion of the group involved with this class will have to complete over this upcoming summer. Some of us were treated to stories about World War II, military life, fishing, and the good meals the staff makes for the guests that live at the facility. Our visitation to Sloan Assisted Living Center was an excellent reminder of the joy of maintaining relationships with people who have vast lifetime of experiences.