Day 5: Carnival and Tornados

Whew, as I write this our entire team is in a locker room in the teen center because we had a tornado touch down 16 miles from where we are. We have been on "lock down" for close to 2 hours. And if you know my children you can imagine the state they are in...especially Jordan! In a weird way it has been kind of fun. We have gone around the room telling each person what we love about them and what we are thankful for. Olivia just said "I am thankful that if I die in here I will go to heaven." In a way this was funny but also so mature and awesome. The good news is that we had a successful carnival just before the storm hit and that was our biggest priority. I kept my eye on the sky for quite some time as the storm was coming in praying that we could give the people of the reservation what was promised. There were smiles all day and fun was had by all. I had a mom come up to me and tell me that the spin art booth that Rachel and Madi did last year AND this year was her daughter's favorite. She said that she decorated a mirror with the spin art from last year. How cool is that? My biggest blessing today was the tug I felt on my shorts about an hour after the carnival started. I looked down and saw my most favorite child from last year's trip...Xandria. I have looked for her all week and have asked about her to everyone I could think of. We shared a VERY long hug that completely melted my heart. She followed me like a puppy and promised to come back tomorrow. And so, the conditions weren't perfect, the day wasn't perfect and my voice is completely gone but Xandria made it ALL worth it! I will post pictures when I get out of "lock down". Mom, don't worry..we are fine!! :)