Medora 2026 Service Trip

On the last morning of the service trip, we were unsure if we could finish the work. It was 7:30 in the morning and already 80 degrees out. The sun burned harshly above the rolling plains of western North Dakota as a dry, dusty breeze blew across the desiccated grass and yellowed weeds of the yard. We had weeds left to pull, piles of branches to cut, all of this lawn waste yet to haul away, and two rooms inside that needed a third coat of paint. So, as a crew started making breakfast, some of us donned sweat-stained caps and dusty shoes to finish the work.

It was a bit cooler, in the high seventies, when we all gathered the previous Tuesday afternoon at All Saints to begin our service trip. The dozen of us that were going ranged in age from a preschool to retirement age. Some of us had been on multiple service trips while others had gone no further than Feed My Starving Children in Chanhassen. But we all had the same goal: to make a difference during the week.

The twelve of us loaded three vehicles with luggage, work tools, food, and sleeping bags. We’d planned for a variety of contingencies and had the supplies to prove it. The first day of travel went well, save for some traffic getting out of the Twin Cities that evening, and we made it to Fargo in the late evening.

The next day, however, threw the first challenge at us: the rest stop we were planning to eat lunch at was closed for construction. A few texts later, however, and we were enjoying our lunch on the deck of a house in Bismarck. One of the participants had family that lived in the area, and they were gracious enough to let us rest and eat at their home.

We arrived that evening in Belfield to find an empty house awaiting us. The local congregation, whom we would be helping with their food shelf the next day, had an empty parsonage house. In exchange for a place to stay, we also would do cleanup and painting in the house. After moving three carloads of stuff in for the week, we headed into the town of Medora.

Medora is a charming little town, nestled in the valley of the Little Missouri River beneath the towering bluffs of badlands. Quaint shops and bistros stand alongside more modern play areas and water parks. At the top of the bluff to the west of town, built directly into the side of the hill, is the amphitheater for the Medora Musical. We went as a group to enjoy this jukebox musical and revue before the real work of the trip began.

Thursday morning, we slathered on sunscreen, stuffed backpacks with water bottles, and headed into Medora for our first service task. We were asked to help weed the rocky area around a miniature golf course and public area. We set to work beneath the beating sun, moving aside rough rocks to tear out weeds from their roots and then toss them into buckets.

Our crew split into teams. Two teams worked their way around the perimeter of the area, cleaning up the smaller patches of weeds. Another two teams worked from opposite ends of a large patch of weeds, heading towards a meeting point in the center. The jagged, course rocks bit into skin and the dry heat necessitated regular reminders for all to drink more water.

After three hours, we’d managed to clear all of the weeds from the area. A final trek was made to dump the buckets of torn out plants and we headed back to our temporary home for some lunch and a rest before our next task.

In the afternoon, we walked a few blocks to Belfield Lutheran Church, our connection in the area. The Belfield-Medora Food Pantry is an all-volunteer run on the church property. The day we were there, they were having their monthly distribution. We started by helping them set up tents to shade the food, then hauling out breads, pastries, and other non-perishables.

After the initial set-up, there were some house-keeping chores that they needed assistance with. We broke down about fifty cardboard boxes so that they were flat and could more easily be hauled away, clearing off their porch. We also put an old wooden table into storage and moved a milk refrigerator into a new room for them.

As the time for distribution got near, we hauled out the frozen meats, dairy, and vegetables. We also helped restock the tables as items were taken. In total, 112 people were served the day that we helped.

During quiet times, the kids and youth did a Bible study. Since we wouldn’t be back for the Sunday service, they read through the readings and talked about them. These small moments of connection were just as important as the big projects we worked on.

On Friday, our task was to clean up the yard of the parsonage and paint two of the bedrooms. Our crew split into two teams, with several of the youth and kids bouncing between them. In the painted rooms, the crew put up painters tape, remove outlet covers, and got on two coats of paint.

Outdoors, the crew worked to rake up pinecones, trim plants, and pull weeds. Then work moved to trimming the bushes that had overgrown the deck. It was so overgrown that it was nearly impossible to climb the steps up to the front door or access the side door. We’d spent the first few days entering only through the garage.

By the time evening came, a lot of work had been done in both areas. But there were still tons of weeds beneath the deck, large branches that needed to be trimmed, and the rooms needed a third coat of paint.

Saturday dawned bright and hot. We buckled down, grabbed our supplies, and headed out together to tackle the final two projects. By lunch time, the final coat of paint was finished in both rooms. And outside, thanks to a few loaned trash cans from a neighbor, we’d loaded up all of the weeds and brush that we’d taken out. With a happy sigh of relief, we finished the hard work.

The kids made up Birthday Bags for food shelf, so that kids could still have cake and decorations on their birthday. They also wrote thank you cards for all of the people that helped us during our visit.

Construction and scheduling problems changed our plans, heat and wind troubled our work, and time was always working against us. But our teamwork and perseverance kept us going. We utilized our unique skills to make a relevant impact in the communities of Belfield and Medora. We grew closer to each other in shared hardships and triumphs.

As we drove back across the rolling prairie towards home, we knew that we had changed, and had changed the world for the better.