Week 10 - Into The Unknown
As Cassie mentioned last week, we were rolling into a city neither of us had ever been to before. We had two connections in the area and basically no idea what the next few days were going to look like.
Honestly, that’s pretty normal for us at this point.
Our one connection was a longtime friend of mine who had moved out to Rapid City a few years ago. Within 24 hours of pulling into town, we somehow had a spot lined up to park the bus.
And when I say a spot, I mean a spot.
We ended up on a beautiful piece of property with two incredible hosts, Paul and Jana. We actually got connected with them through their son, Jack, who we had run into at the wedding in Colorado. Jack had been a student at Timberline back when Cassie was working there. When we mentioned that we were headed toward Rapid City, he casually threw out the possibility that his parents might have somewhere for us to park.
Naturally, we were stoked.
The next day we pulled onto their property, parked the bus, and got settled in. Paul and Jana welcomed us like we were old friends instead of two random people rolling up in a giant bus. They seriously went above and beyond to make us feel at home. We even got to crash Jack’s wedding reception and celebrate with the family. Not a bad way to kick off our time in South Dakota.
Ride The City + Cordano Russell
The week before we got to town I remembered that there was a skate ministry in the area called Process, run by my friend Derek.
Derek is originally from Colorado but moved to South Dakota several years ago. We first got to know each other through a skate ministry conference called the Grind Skate Conference. Over the years, we’ve crossed paths at different ministry conferences and at Camp Good Buddy, so it was pretty rad to reconnect with him on his home turf.
After moving to South Dakota, Derek opened an indoor skatepark called G&P Skatepark. The goal was simple: create a place for the local skate community to gather, while also creating opportunities to do ministry and build relationships.
Derek and a few other people in the community also started a nonprofit called Push Forward. Their goal is to raise money and awareness to help the city build a new public skatepark.
And somehow, we managed to roll into town at exactly the right time. That weekend was the Ride The City event, and they had a pretty gnarly special guest lined up: Cordano Russell. If you’re not familiar with Cordano, he’s a professional skater who rides for Toy Machine. He’s competed in the Olympics, Tampa Pro, SLS, and a bunch of other major events.
Cassie and I got put to work during the event, manning the grill and hanging around the tent area. Basically, we traded our usual bus-life duties for hot dogs and skateboards for the day.
Unfortunately, a thunderstorm rolled through and cut the event short. But the session wasn’t over yet. That night, Cordano headed over to the indoor park to hang out with the local skate community and share his testimony.
And honestly, this has been the highlight of our time in Rapid City for me. I was incredibly encouraged hearing Cordano talk about his faith in Jesus. It wasn’t some polished, watered-down version of Christianity. He was bold about what he believed and clearly rooted in his relationship with Christ.
It was rad to see someone who has made a name for himself in the skate world using that platform to point people toward Jesus. Cordano Russell is the real deal, and it was an absolute privilege getting to hear his story.
Life INC.
On our second day in town, we also got connected with an incredible ministry called Life INC. One of the full-time staff members at Timberline, Andrew, has a brother who works with Life INC. He connected us with him, and we got the chance to sit down that morning and hear more about what they do. Trying to explain everything Life INC. does is honestly a little difficult because they do a lot.
At its core, Life INC. partners with local churches across all denominations to serve the needs of their communities. And because every community has different needs, the ministry ends up looking different everywhere they go. Here in Rapid City, that means everything from a bike shop that provides bikes for foster kids and others in the community, to a furniture ministry that helps families furnish their homes, and much much more! They also work with local churches to provide life-skills classes and help people in the community develop practical tools and opportunities to build a better path forward. Basically, they meet people where they’re at and figure out how to help.
And let me tell you, there was no shortage of ways for us to jump in.
I was especially stoked that Cassie got the opportunity to serve in an administrative role. She also got to put her hands to work refinishing a donated table. Meanwhile, I got to crawl around underneath some of their box trucks and knock out some mechanical work. Those trucks are used to pick up furniture donations, so keeping them rolling is a pretty important part of the whole operation.
Cassie and I also got to go along on a few furniture pickups, which gave us a chance to see another side of what Life INC. does and meet some of the people they serve.
Hippie Hole
Of course, we couldn’t spend time in the Black Hills without getting outside and doing a little exploring.
On Saturday, we headed out to a local spot called Hippie Hole. It’s one of those places that you don’t just pull up to. You’ve got to hike your way in, which honestly makes getting there half the fun. After making our way down the trail, we spent the afternoon hanging out by the water, soaking up the South Dakota scenery, and doing a little cliff jumping.
Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. One minute we're wrenching on box trucks and refinishing furniture, and the next we're hiking through the Black Hills and launching ourselves off cliffs.
That's kind of the beauty of this whole journey. We never really know what the next turn is going to look like. We just keep rolling, keep meeting people, keep looking for ways to serve, and trust that God already knows where the road is headed. And Rapid City definitely felt like one of those unexpected turns that ended up being exactly where we needed to be.