I arrived here after a breathtaking two weeks with my family; we set off from Omaha and journeyed along the entire border of Nebraska/South Dakota from Sioux Falls to the Paha Sapa (Black Hills), a place very sacred to the Native American peoples of this part of the world and beloved by guests worldwide. It was a lovely time to reconnect with my mom and dad before beginning my summer ministry, and gave me a chance to delve into the rich history and natural beauty of this part of the country. I've included a few pictures below, so you can get a taste of this part of the world!
I finally arrived at the ranch of Fr. Randy Goeke, the Priest up here with quite a natural welcome- a BIG storm was coming in, and I worried I might have a Wizard of Oz moment the first day! But thankfully Fr. Randy and several family members and friends were on hand to give me my first lesson in "storm watching" and safety and we did just fine. One of our sweet farm cats, "Mommy Kitty" decided to pick that night, of all nights to give birth to her 6 kittens as well, which was a lovely surprise! Definitely an intense introduction to "God's Country," but with people and creatures who made me feel at home very fast. It was very moving doing evening prayer together that first night, which has become a habit up here on the farm.
I've been getting to know our churches out here (and shall add more pictures once I return). St. Mary's, Basset is a beautiful, warm church dedicated to Jesus' mother and recently redone with stunning stain glass and a very intimate warm wood interior. The larger of the two, they are very active in the community and have some incredible people of many diverse backgrounds and stories. So far I've helped them with their rummage sale, a very big community-building event which we dedicated to helping the Tornado victims in Joplin and Alabama, and spend a day fossil huntingwith our resident family of paleontologists! I was also blessed to visit with a former member who has a passion for recovery work and friendships with Native people, and now lives closer to a reservation West of here. He showed me around, and was a great person to get to know given my vocational interests in these areas.
St. Michael's and All Angels 's is our "mission" church, a little storefront in the larger community of O'Neill to the West. O'Neill is the "Irish Capital of Nebraska" and a very lively place, and we're already gearing up for me to do some public talks on my research/pilgrimage to Ireland as a way to better get to know the community. St. Michael's may be small, but some amazing people have been sent our way, and has an incredible energy and sense of potential to it. Part of this, no doubt comes from how much love the community has put into our little space--most notably four full-wall Icons of the Archangels who surround us in our worship. We had an amazing Pentecost/Holy Spirit experience together two weeks ago, which deserves its own post.
Below is my "tour" of Northern Nebraska and the Black Hills; now I'm back on the road but hope to post more soon!
Shot near the intersection of the Niobrara and Missouri Rivers, just a little north of where I'm living now.
Sun creeping down at nearby Ponca State Park... lovely forests cluster by the rivers up here.
Further West brought us to the Badlands (Paha Ska, or White hills in Lakota). This beautiful spot also has some weighty history... the infirm Lakota Chief Big Foot led his people to hide here shortly before the tragic Wounded Knee encounter. 
This is Spearfish Canyon, a special place in the Black Hills, which are at the very Western corner of Nebraska and South Dakota. Sacred to many local tribes, they were taken from Native people during a gold rush in the 1800's, but are revered as a natural treasure by many Americans today. These mountains sit like an "island" in the open Plains, and are home to bighorn sheep, beavers, mountain lions, elk, and even several buffalo herds. 
A profoundly peaceful stream in Wind Cave National Park, which also has a roaming Buffalo herd. 
The sun decided to come out on our last day in the Black Hills!
Wagons EAST: Looking back towards the Sandhills that will be my home for the next 10 weeks.