Sully and Sister Ruth went back to the house, so she could change into dry clothes.

When she was changed, he gestured toward the door with his head. "It's best we go outside for the lesson. I want to show you how they do storytelling."

"Fine by me. I could use a little warm sunshine. I'm still a little chilled."

Once they were outside in the grass, he began, "I'm going to start with the Cheyenne, but Cloud Dancing is the only Cheyenne on the reservation, so it may not seem like the most practical, but it's the one I know the most about. It's also going to be useful to you because if you can get Cloud Dancing to your side, you'll have an easier time of it, but you're also going to run into the Pawnee, Arapahoe, Crow, and Lakota on the reservation."

"Well, I want you to tell me everything you can about them all," she said, not seeming daunted by the mix of different tribes.

"The first thing you should know is that the Cheyenne really value harmony. They don't enjoy arguments."

"It may not seem like it since I always seem to be surrounded by a whirlwind of trouble and arguing, but I value it too. I'm not looking to pick fights with people."

"Storytelling is a big part of their culture," Sully continued. "It's an art to them, and they are eager to hear new and old stories alike. You won't find a better audience as long as you don't go insulting them."

"I'm liking what I'm hearing already, and there ain't no better stories than from the Good Book. You know Jesus loved to use stories on the people to get His point across, don't you, so I know He appreciates the value of a good and well told story too."

"They're most comfortable telling stories when they're sitting down in a circle. Are you able to get down on the ground?" he asked, studying her closely.

Ruth moved to the ground, not in a fluid, graceful movement, but she made it down. She adjusted her skirts to make sure they were still modestly covering her legs. "I can get down on the ground well enough, but getting back up again might be a trick if I'm down here for any length of time. I'm not as limber as I used to be."

He smiled in response. "I can help you get back up again. That ain't a problem." He joined her on the ground, sitting cross-legged and continued with his teaching. "Another thing you should know is they believe sacred stories should only be told at night. Cloud Dancing won't be overly offended if you don't because one thing he's had to learn with white folks and other tribes alike is to adapt when in their company to get along, but if you went out of the way to respect his beliefs, I'm sure that he will return the favor."

"He's a very nice man as I recall. Brought that turkey we had for Thanksgiving, and I remember him bowing his head when I asked the blessing."

"He is nice, but he may not be so pleasant when he finds out what you're trying to do. He thinks it's just as aggressive to try to wipe out their spiritual beliefs as it is to kill them off, and I can't say I blame him for thinking that way."

"Well, I'll just have to show him that it's not the same thing at all. What about their religion? What is it that he believes exactly?"

"Like any religion there are a lot of different elements to it. There's the sweat lodge, the white buffalo, vision quests, the spirits. I suppose a good place to begin would be with their creation story. They believe in Heammawihio, their chief god and creator who they believe lives in the sky and came down for a time to teach them the things they needed to know like making arrows. They believe this god created man and woman from his rib."

"Why that's amazing," Sister Ruth said.

Sully saw the genuine look of delight on her face and didn't understand where it was coming from.

Noticing his puzzled expression, she explained. "You don't seem to see how much there is in common with what the Bible teaches in just that little bit. God made Eve from Adam's rib. He came down to live among us to teach us and pay for our sins. Not a perfect parallel, but close enough that I don't believe it's an accident."

"But it's still different. How can you use it?"

"When Paul preached to the Greeks in Athens, he built a bridge by using their own religion. One of the gods they worshiped was the unknown god, and Paul explained to them who the unknown god was. This is my bridge at least with Cloud Dancing. Giving what you've told me. I think the original Cheyenne must have had the truth about creation at one point. After all, we all come from Adam and Eve and Noah and so it stands to reason our ancestors knew what was what at one point, but see the truth it got diluted over the years because it's man's nature not to remember perfectly. He adds and takes things away until things start getting scrambled up; that's why the written word is so important. It's not going to change like oral tellings will."

"It's an interesting thought, but He's not going to start believing your way because his beliefs share some things in common with the Bible."

"No, but now we have some common ground to talk about and who knows what that will lead too? It's not as hard to convince people of God's reality as you might think. I believe that deep down man knows of God. It's just sometimes he lets other things like his pride get in the way of knowing God until it's too late to ignore God any longer."

"How do you figure that?"

"Romans 1:20 says 'For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.' What do the Cheyenne think of women? Is he going to be willing to listen to me?"

"They value them. Maybe even more than our own culture does. They're in charge of the home. If they want to throw their husband out of the tipi they can and do. They take part in storytelling too, so Cloud Dancing won't have a problem listening to you."

"I know a lot of women who wish they could throw their husband out of the house every now and then," she said with a chuckle. "Maybe we ought to adopt some of the Cheyenne's ways."

He smiled at her joke but answered her seriously. "There's something to be learned from every group of people."

"Amen to that. I know you've just started teaching me, and I don't mean to sound impatient even though I know I am, but when will I be able to go to the Indians?"

"That probably won't happen right away. You can't just go rolling into the reservation on a wagon. You'll have to get it past some people first. I'm going to see if I can't arrange for you to meet with Cloud Dancing first of all."

"Well, it's a good thing I've got you to guide me through the waters."

"Would you like to go into the house and sit on the furniture now before we delve deeper?" Sully asked.

"Praise be, I thought you'd never ask. My bones, among other things, thank you."

Sully couldn't keep a straight face as he helped her to her feet. It definitely wasn't easy staying annoyed with Sister Ruth.