Day 51-53 Martin South Dakota

 

Day 51-53 Martin South Dakota

    After saying good bye to Emily, I climbed aboard my bike and starting heading east.  After another 30 miles I reached Martin, South Dakota (population 1,000).  It was strange to see stop lights and florescent signs again.  

    I am so grateful for the hospitality of Mother Michelle and Lee Dayton.  They welcomed me into their home, fed me, and spoke with great affection about the people in that community.  Michelle had worked as a physician in an emergency room in Appalachia before being recently ordained a priest.  She has found practicing medicine in places where there is the greatest need (e.g. Honduras, Kenya, Zimbabwe) to be the way in which she can be the most effective instrument of healing.  Lee had been practicing law at the same time and has begun to practice in South Dakota.   They moved to this very different part of the country and have made home in Martin.

    Michelle shared that Martin possessed an ancient culture where people had long memories.  I had the privilege of joining them for worship in Martin before jumping in a car to drive to another service in the town of Wanblee located at the interior of the reservation.    The building was without running water, and the electricity was not working.  Such material inconveniences did not prevent the community from gathering.  The hymns were sung with much gusto in the Lakota which was a source of joy to those who feel most comfortable in that language.

     I had spoken to several locals my age who had not learned English until they attended school.  They lamented the fact that their children and grandchildren were less fluent.  The Dayton’s were kind enough to let me stay an extra night which allowed me to write some letters, do my laundry and plan the rest of my trip.   I concluded that I would be able to find towns placed at more frequent intervals if I headed south to Nebraska and continued my eastward journey from there.