Week 5: St. Anthony's and St. Theresa's-Tuesday

Migrant Immersion Day! The day of the week where we are supposed to live like the migrant farm workers. So first, we had to wake up at 5:00 AM, which is 2 hours and 15 minutes earlier than when we would usually wake up in the week. And then the usual breakfast/Reflection, and then we were off to the blueberry farm. The people there we so nice; they pay their clients double than the usual and let us try the six varieties of blueberries they had. Our group got to pick blueberries and pick out sticks and weeds out of the ground. After that were the showers at the YMCA (our first shower of the week). And because we had to live our day like migrants, we were paid with our wages and after combining with other groups, we spent our $20 at the grocery store to make fried rice, having to gather our ingredients in 10 minutes (the fried rice was okay, for the record). Then we went back to the camp, where we were reunited with the cute children we got to play with (shout out to Daniella, who I will never forget). Then the nightly Reflection, and here I am. This Tuesday of Agape is one I'll always remember. 

- Vincent

Today was Migrant Immersion Day where we had to live in the shoes of migrant workers. We started the day at 5:00! Then we drove ourselves to an organic vegetable farm. At first I thought pulling weeds out of the floor would be easy but it was very difficult. Now I have a deeper understanding of what migrant workers have to go through each day of their lives. One statistic that shocked me today was when my mom explained how Mark Zuckerberg makes more money in 4 hours than some migrant workers in a whole year. This struck me because I imagined myself working for hours just to get paid so little. After the farm we took a quick shower at the YMCA then went to Grocery Outlet to shop like migrant workers. Each person only got $1.50 to spend to buy a meal. Most groups ended up grouping up and made a lot of food with more money. After making our meals we went back to sunrise to read and play with the children. Overall today was a great day filled with action.

-Connor

Week 5: St. Anthony's and St. Theresa's - Monday

Angelique (St.Anthony Parish)- Waking up to my first day of Agape I wasn't very sure what to expect. Mass with Father Ross was quick and sweet. Definitely gave us a good start to our day. Quickly eating my breakfast i was eager to go to the Migrant camp. After we went over what to expect we all got into our cars and drove there. Arriving there we saw a lot of simple buildings and a playground to our right. We didn't see the kids immediately however when we were unloading the car a lot of kids ran out to greet us. A group of us went around to the cabins and knocked to see if any of the other kids wanted to come out and play. When I was crafting and making bracelets with the kids a lot of them wanted someone to go and push them on the swings because they didn't have anyone else to push them. When I was sitting with the bracelets and noticed that there was a girl who was deaf. Seeing that I knew sign language she was very eager to have someone to communicate with. Many of the leaders and kids played various games like dodge-ball, soccer, swings making bracelets drawing and so on. We came back to the church and got ready to go tabling.
Jissel (St. Theresa's)- After we came back from the migrant camp we had a quick break and we talked about the game plan for tabling. Since i was a first timer i didn't know what to expect as i have never done anything like this before. On the car ride there i was talking to the other about it and they just gave me tips and tricks. We went to the grocery store. We set up our areas by taping two carts together and placing the banner in front of them. We were then given fliers to hand out to the people and then went to our spots. I was near the entrance of the store and so i got a lot of people who were either in a rush or completely not interested. But the ones who were interested and showed that they cared, gave me hope to not give up. To the people who just brushed me off i made sure to keep a smile on my face and say thank you. I saw an old friend who seemed very eager to help she ran back into the store and asked her dad to purchase cans. I looked into the store and i saw her juggling a couple of cans in her hands. At the end of the day i walked away with a heart full of joy and happy to know that i was part of the change. I was spreading the word.

Thank you for all your generous support and donations! Check back Wednesday night to find out how many families we serve at our food bank. We will be collecting food outside of Bellingham and Ferndale grocery stores next Monday for the last time this summer.

Week 5: St. Anthony's and St. Theresa's - Sunday

My name is Chloe and I go to St. Theresa's church, I currently am a junior in high school and this is my 4th year participating in the Agape service project. Since I've been here before, I already do have an idea of what I'll be doing this week. I am already very excited of what lies ahead of me this week and I am very eager to get started. Today we loaded in donations to the Agape food bank and we got to meet everyone, we played a couple ice breakers and then sat down for one of our first lessons. We learned several things such as the gifts of the holy spirit and more. We are just starting to get to know everyone but I am sure that by the end of the week the parishes will be become close and act just like family. I can't wait to serve others in God's name!

Hi guys! My name is Ethan and I am a member of St. Anthony's Parish. I am going to be a freshman in high school and this will be my 1st year in the Agape public service project. My Agape story begins at my church, as the group I am travelling with departs for Bellingham. The long, tedious car ride prepares me for the week to come. When we met our destination at Sacred Heart Parish, we met the other parish of which we would be spending the week with, and got to know each other with many fun icebreaker games. After, we sat down for the first reflection, participating in prayer, meditation, and other actions that brought us closer to our Catholic religion and God. Our new family learned of what was to come, and was shown the ropes of Agape. I will go to sleep tonight ready for the coming week and the opportunity to serve others worse off than I am. I am so ready!

This is one of our Agape groups deciding on a name and chant that will represent their group.

Week 4: Our Lady of the Lake and St. Catherine of Siena-Thursday

July 26, 2018

        

      Today was a celebration day and the last full day. We started out by going to church in downtown Bellingham, the church was very beautiful and had statues of saints. After that we came back to eat lunch which was all the left overs from past lunches. Later, we went to the pool to swim and take showers. Then, we left to go to a camp and have a barbecue. We had hot dogs and hamburgers to eat which happened to be very good. We played with the children at the camp for the last time and said our goodbyes. It was very hard for me to say goodbye to the girl I had been hanging out with for the past three days. We came back to the church and had a very deep reflection time and talked about our experiences with the Agape service project. It was a very eye opening experience for me and I was able to understand the reality of this world and how I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to go to school. We are currently having a dance party right now and everyone has ate their ice cream. In the end all of it was worth it and I have no regrets, I for sure will be coming back next year if I have the chance.

-Hannah

It's been an incredible week! We are very thankful for this group of youth and proud of all the work they have done. Thank you to all the adult leaders, youth, and communities that made all of this possible.

-The Agape Staff

#livegenerously

Week 4: Our Lady of the Lake and St. Catherine of Siena- Wednesday

To start off our fourth day of Agape we all went to the church to pray the rosary. Next, we were put into groups to prepare for the food bank. From there, we met at the field to begin setting up. Some people did portions for the produce while others brought out tables and so much more. Hours later, the food bank began in the blazing sun. We got to serve and give food to 140 families who were all so grateful. Every person was given a station to work out and get to speak a little Spanish. Seeing all of their smiling faces made all the work worth it and made us realize how much each of us have and take for granted. 

Thank you for all your support and donations! We served 140 families today! This wouldn't be possible without our communities and home parishes. We were able to purchase extra juice, cereal, hygiene products, baby clothes, and toys with your donations. 

#livegenerously

Week 4: St. Catherine of Siena & Our Lady of the Lake - Tuesday

This is one of the families from Grocery Outlet today.

Today at Agape we had to wake up at 5 am to go work at farms. We went to a strawberry farm and a blueberry farm. We picked weeds and blueberries. Then we had our first shower of the week and we only had 10 minutes. Next we were put in groups or families and were given money to buy dinner. The money amount ranged from $5-$8 for groups of 4-6. After that we came back and cooked our food and slept. We then went out to migrant camps and passed out flyers for our food drive and then played with the kids. Now we are going to eat our leftovers.

Week 4: Our Lady of the Lake and St. Catherine of Siena-Monday

 Agape has fun playing with the children at a migrant camp. We made slime, did face paint and friendship bracelets with the kids. The kids were extremely excited to see us because some of them don't typically play and be kids because they are always watching siblings and taking care of the family.

In the morning we did a game with puzzles representing the kinds of unfairness you see in the world. For example some had half of their puzzle missing while other groups had a really easy full puzzle, which represents how some groups/families in modern society have to work harder than others. 

Thank you for all your support and donations! Check back on Wednesday to see how many families we were able to serve!   - Agape Staff

We had a blast collecting food for our food bank.

- Emma G. 

-Beckett M.

One of our Agape groups at a Bellingham Haggen!

Week 4: Our Lady of the Lake and St. Catherine of Siena - Sunday

We were all excited as we gathered in the St. Catherine's parking lot. All of us were ready for the six day service trip in Bellingham. We enjoyed the scenery on our two hour drive up to Boulevard park, God has given us such beautiful land! When we arrived at Boulevard park we ate a tasty meal, while enjoying the beautiful water in Bellingham. At Sacred Heart we helped load donations into the church basement. We all then participated in a meaningful prayer service. From all that we can see now, we are in for a week full sacrificial Godly love. Oh, and fun!

Week 3: Eastside Catholic & Our Lady of Fatima & St. Mary Anacortes-Wednesday

Hi everyone I am Will Schimmelman from Our Lady of Fatima parish, Today we got up and went to cash and carry to get  a bunch of big bags of food to bring to the food bank. We then set up for it, and I was on the top Ramen station and it was great to see all the little kids seeing all the families collecting their things. It got repetitive but was still kinda fun. I believe I got closer to Jesus today.

Hi, I am Erik guzman and I'm from Saint Mary parish. Today I got up and set breakfast, got ready, and ate early. We then went to church and prayed the rosary. We then loaded up the trucks with all the food and diapers we had collected for the food drive. We then went to the food bank and set up all the tables and food. We sorted all the food. I was in charge of bandages and heat pads. We stayed there for the rest of the day from before lunch until about 5:00. We then packed up all the leftovers and tables and came back for dinner. We had reflection circle afterwards and talked about the gift of piety.

Hello, I'm Kasper Kelly from Eastside Catholic school. Today was the day we finally got to see how our work, from earlier this week and the past, benefited the people we were trying to help. Today we got to set up the food bank and hand out our donations to the migrant workers and their families. We started by filling up the trucks, buses, and cars with food, toys, and hygiene products to bring to the food bank. We drove to the designated location and set up the food bank. Many people arrived to the food bank an hour to an hour and a half before we started letting people pick out goods because they wanted to get the products they wanted before they were taken. After lunch we opened the food bank and got to work. We had jobs to help people carry their boxes, jobs to tell people how much of each item they could take and more. After a couple hours, the food bank was over and it was time to pack up and head back home. Once we returned to the church for dinner and reflection circle, the counselors asked us to try and guess how many families we served. A lot of people thought we served about twenty to thirty families. The counselors then told us that we had served a total of one hundred and thirty-four families in total. Many of the children including me were surprised with the numbers. Overall, it was a fun experience for all of us; and we even found ourselves bored when we came back to the church and when we had no job to do at the food bank. I hope everybody in the world who has come to serve others can feel the same way did today at the food bank.

Today we were able to serve 134 families! Thank you all for your support and donations. Without you, this wouldn't be possible! - Agape Staff

Week 3: Eastside Catholic & Our Lady of Fatima & St. Mary Anacortes-Tuesday

Today  at  five am we woke up to go to the blueberry farm and Sam's farm. At the blueberry farm, we weeded and picked the blueberries and we really wanted to feel like we were relating to the struggles of the migrant workers. I picked twelve pounds of blueberries today and just to think that you're supposed to get 500 pounds of blueberries per day for 75 cents per pound I was blown away. This showed me how the migrants struggle with daily life and care for their families. At Sam
s U-pick strawberry farm, we didn't harvest, but instead weeded the strawberries. We saw Jesus at Sam's when we saw that the one potato grew a potato plant out of itself to grow other potatoes. It sacrificed its life for others like Jesus.
-Spencer, Maureen, Gio

While the farm we worked at pays 75 cents a pound, most farms pay only 32 cents.
-Agape Staff

Week 3: Eastside Catholic & Our Lady of Fatima & St. Mary Anacortes-Monday

One of today's group at Haggen

       Hello, my name is Allie Treacy (co-written by Ellery Norton.) Today, was packed full of experiences that will shape us through out the week (and probably life ;)). Some memories will last a long time, like a girl i met at the migrant camp. She came galloping up to me and hugged onto my side as if we were old friends, the she demanded "Give me a piggy ride!" She jumped on my back and ordered, "Run to the playground and jump the small white fence." i tried. The afternoon was spent with "piggy rides," swinging, and making lanyards My friend Ellery told me after we left, "At one point I was playing  soccer, me being a defender took the ball from a unusually small eight year old, To which he responded, "Why would you steel the ball from a little kid!?". My face said it all, but its okay we laughed about it later."
      Later after a quick break our group broke off and we all went tabling at different stores, there were plenty of kind people, but there were a few people who were kind of rude. However, there was one lady who really stood out to me, she listened patiently to our speech about where the food was going and who was benefiting from it and when she came out of the store she had two bags of food and baby supplies and she left, she gave us all hugs and said we inspired her for the future. We left with our carts and our hearts full!!
     Once we returned to Sacred Heart everyone helped store the food and then quickly filed inside ready for our food, as it had been a long day and all we wanted to do was eat and then fall right asleep!!!
   

Thank you for your donations today! Check back here on Wednesday to see how many families we were able to serve with your help. - Agape Staff

Week 3: Eastside Catholic & Our Lady of Fatima & St. Mary Anacortes - Sunday

Hi, My name is Micah Apple, yes, apple like the fruit, yes your apple/fruit joke was hilarious.  Today we arrived at agape and delivered the donations we had collected and headed into the church.  First we played some games, like: "get in a line in birthday order without talking" THAT was interesting.  after that we played some get to know you games we listened to the same bible verse three times and the third time we had to put ourselves in the verse.  I was a bystander as Jesus got baptized and it honestly helped me see it in a different way.  I saw Jesus as a person and not some imaginary being. Today was fun, but uneventful. -Micah 

Hello. My name is Ellery Lorraine, well technically Ellery Norton. Me  along with eight other children and four teachers, we boarded a miniature bus with mediocre air conditioning and 90 degrees as the temperature.. Me being an eight grader i boarded the bus with three seventh grade boys i did not know. As we got on i-90 with Anne-Marie 2002 blowing from the speakers and a chaperone dancing, we quickly became aquanticis which, the hope is to blossom into friends throughout the week. Then me and another girl, attempted to avoid bonding opportunnities with other kids, however we got stuck making a motion and are name in front of the group. However, these"bonding situations ended up being, well fun. Then started the reflections,m we first were read the bible verse, Peter 4:10. We found what this meant to us. To Nolan Wright an eight grader at Eastside Catholic said, "I had time to reflect on my two giving handsI am going to use this week. I will try to be an example, and follow the example of St. Francis my schools Saint, and the camps Saint, St. Clare". Today was the intro to the week and it seems that is looks pretty great. Thanks for reading to the end. -Ellery Lorrainre

Week 2: Sacred Heart and Mary Queen of Peace-Thursday

This morning we ate the most delicious blue berry bagles then started to pray the divine mercy chaplet, then went to mass at Assumption. We came back and ate a homemade lunch of chicken, beans, and rice. Not long after we left to go to the pool and spent time at the pool until 2:00pm. Later we went straight to the Sunrise Camp to play and set up a  BBQ with the families. After a fun filled day we had closing prayer and ice cream.

Week 2: Sacred Heart and Mary Queen of Peace- Wednesday

 Today was a very special day, we had our food bank. We got to serve many families from different camps and were able to make a difference. We had fruit, produce, higene items and much more. Today was my favorite day. we got to see all the work we've put in this week finally pay off. being able to see the joy in all the migrant workers faces was estatic and very effectual. it was a satisfying feeling when we got everything put away after the food bank and seeing how much food was given out. we served 111 families today! we have collected all donations and put a lot of hard work we have put all our sweat, and tears but it was totally worth it and I am happy to say that agape has been a very meaningful experience.

Thank you for all your donations and support! Our group served 111 families this week!

Week 2: Sacred Heart and Mary Queen of Peace - Tuesday

Today was migrant immersion day. We woke up at 5 am and got ready to go to the farms. Mary Queen of Peace Parish went to Bellingham Country Gardens and Sacred Heart went to Growing Veterans farm. At Bellingham Country Gardens, we weeded beans, corn, broccoli and beets from 7 am to 10 am.At Growing Veterans the farmer helping the sacred heart group explained how the farm employed and helped veterans reintegrate into the community if they struggled with P.T.S.D. After we ate lunch we took showers at the YMCA. After showering, we went to Grocery Outlet to collect our wages and buy our food with the money we earned. A family of three had $3.75, a family of four had $5.00, a family of five had $6.25. We couldn't go  over the amount of money we earned, and the food we bought was our food for the rest of the day. Overall it was a tiring day of hard work but we got to enjoy the last bit of our day hanging out with our Sunrise friends, and learning more about understanding.

- Alexa and Adria

Week 2: Sacred Heart Bellingham, Mary Queen of Peace - Monday

. Today i was given the wonderful opportunity to hang out with some of the farm workers children. I also went to Haggens to talk to people to donate food for the farmworker kids, i had a lot of fun and got to learn a lot about other people and the things that i can do to help and improve the world. -Tumi

Thank you for your donations today! Check back here on Thursday to see how many families we were able to serve with your help!

Today's Group At Haggan

Week 2: Sacred Heart Bellingham, Assumption, and Mary Queen of Peace - Sunday

Today we learned about the meaning of Agape, which is a Greek word that means love. We discussed the Fear of the Lord and the awe with which we view Jesus and God. We got into small groups to learn about each other and created group names and chants to present.

As a large group, we shared our gifts bestowed upon us by God and also what we each desire to improve on through our service to others. 

-Matthias and John