Week 5: Sacred Heart Enumclaw and St. Theresa- Thursday

The day started as great as it could start. I woke up to a breakfast and Praise and Worship. Like the night before our spirits flowed and I received the comfort and warmth I can only explain as Agape. For me this week has been amazing and way more than amazing. Afterwards we came and we discussed Sheltering the Homeless. We talked how we're all temples and tabernacles. I think of sheltering as building friendships with each other. Since we're all tabernacles holding God, by growing closer to our friends we grow closer to God. We watched a documentary on  Migrant Workers. It was about three kids' lives. One of them was 12 years old, she started working since she was 7 years old in the farms. Her family has to wake up everyday around 5:30 am to start working. They also have to go to different places to work for more money because they never get enough money for the whole family. Another one of the kids had to wake up around 5:30 or 6 in the morning to work. Even though his family didn't ever ask for his help he still sacrificed his childhood to earn money for his family. The last girl had two sisters still in Mexico and her family was trying hard to bring them to America. She had a dream to become a lawyer to help all the people who live lives like hers. She fell behind in school because she had to work. Being our celebratory day we got to go swiming at the pool for 2 hours. It was really fun hanging out with everyone. And after the pool we went to sunrise camp for the bardque and to play with the kids. And at the end of the day in sunrise we had to say goodbye to our buddies. It was really sad and happy too untill we could see them again next year hopely. Afterwares we went back to the church we went back to the circle and talked about sheltering the homeless and we did refeclftion questions. the day was really fun and hopely we get to come back next year. 

-Amanda and Brandon

Week 5: Sacred Heart Enumclaw and St. Theresa- Wednesday

Hello this is Noah Pearson and John Rojas, and we are very proud to say that Agape has been next to perfect so far; we have made new friends and helped others. As much as we have helped the migrant farmers they have helped us in so many more ways. Today we have gone to mass and did praise and worship after we have done the readings. After that we have created a train to load a truck full of food and toys. Then we did the same at the food bank to do the reverse.

 The Food bank was great, we lit up so many faces with the gifts that we gave them. Which ranged from canned beans, snacks, juice, fresh vegetables, toys, and even clothes. But we didn't just light up there faces, they lit up ours, not from just there smiles but also from there kind words. Some people helped the families that came by holding there bags or loading in cars. At the end we have served a total of 108 families. Also we have made so many memories and new friends, + a lot of new games!

Week 5: Sacred Heart Enumclaw and St. Theresa- Tuesday

                                                                                                                                        

            Today is Tuesday the 26th. Our group spent the day trying to get glimpse of what it feels like to be a migrant through migrant immersion day.

               We woke up at 5:00 and traveled to farms to begin our day as "migrant". After a short introduction with the farm owners, and a quick familiarization with the different kinds of plants we'd be picking, we shortly got to work. It was a very, VERY, grueling day. The first group spent the day collecting blueberries and cleaning buckets. However, even these simple tasks can become grueling under the hot sun. The second group had it much harder than the first. They had to collect manure and spread it into the ground for compost. This group also spent the day picking tomatoes and pulling weeds.

           The Agape group then moved on  to the YMCA to shower, as you can probably tell, we needed it. After we showered we moved on to our next activity at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. We were split into small groups or "families" and were paid for our labors, but even with 4-5 people in a group we were only paid $4-5. This created some friction within the families as to what they should spend their small dividend on. Many families resorted to pasta such as Top Ramen, while as others shifted towards egg dishes.  Next, Agape came back to the church and enjoyed our hard earned meals. 

                Finally, we all met at Sunrise Camp- a migrant community. We handed out fliers there for the incoming food bank, and then later spent a few hours playing with the migrant children.

       We are all now getting ready for bed. We are tired, but still full filled. See you tomorrow at the food bank!                                                                    

Week 5: Sacred Heart Enumclaw and St. Theresa- Monday

     My name is Cisco Rojas. This is my second year attending the Agape program at Sacred Heart in Bellingham. Today we participating in some activities that made us think about the social circle and who's privilege and who's not. We also went to play with the kids of the migrant parents at Sunrise camp and watching the kids smile and having was great. Afterwards we split into groups and stood in front of groceries stores and asked for food donations for a food drive that will be taking place on Wednesday. We had a wonderful teacher talked to us about the true meaning to Agape and dove deeper into his lesson. Coming back from Ascend and learning about recognizing peoples Gifts and their differences,  help vouched for this gentleman lesson he has taught us. Seeing people for who they are and putting yourself in their shoes would make the term Agape - which means unconditional  love -  true and strong. There is always a light in the darkest cave. Look outside the box and you will find love. That is what I've learned today.   

   

   When out and about you tend to think about what will benefit you yet the second you start getting missed treated you get upset wanting the other person to apologize for their actions, but think about the people who are always miss treated and don't get what they want nor need. People have been missed treated their whole life just because the way they look. I learned this today by when a group of us at agape where treated different by the leaders because of a wrist band. This wrist band had restricted us from being able to do the same things as the kids without the wrist bands. An example of this was when the kids with wrist bands had to go inside and make a delicious food but the kids with wrist band were forced to eat rice and beans and we were limited on portions. This one thing had shown me the people get missed treated all the time no matter what they act or look like, being treated differently for stereotypes brought to different parts of the world by different opinions. 

                                                                                                                    ~Allie Pearson

Week 5: Sacred Heart Enumclaw and St. Theresa- Sunday

On our first day we played multiple activities. We learned what agape means. Agape is Greek for love.  Love is a powerful word with a strong meaning. At first it was strange, because at our age meeting new people isn't exactly easy. But it is a fun task to do when you make new friends. We eventually learned each others names, and are currently growing strong as a team. 

...

We didn't really do much here for the actual mission trip. Most of the day was spent driving here and getting hyped up overall, so we didn't start with anything out of the ordinary. It goes without saying that many youth participating in Agape right now have experienced it before. Many of us know what to expect and therefore, some of us don't necessarily learn as much as the others. Despite this, it has been proven to me that not every Agape group is the same, and even though the structure of activities remains mostly unchanged, the experience definitely changes depending on who's there with you. This already became clear in our first few hours together. 

I already feel a lot of love here; not so much from actual interaction but mostly from plain good vibes. People truly look like they are happy to be here, and simple gestures like smiles and laugh can mean the world to someone. It's a familiar feeling, but with a new set of people. Even though I constantly brag about how "I know everything Agape has to offer," I can tell this week will be different, as dumb as that might sound. Overall there's just a lot of love here, and isn't that what this trip is all about? As much as I like to talk about our adventures, for a lack of a better word, what really matters is giving help to those in need. All I really know is that the people here are so willing and able, and I'm sure we are all looking forward to what's to come.

Week 4: St. Anthony's & Sacred Heart Bellingham- Thursday

Today was interesting, both of us can vouch for that. It started off pretty normally, (we personally woke up later than everyone else, per usual) we ate breakfast, and had reflection. Then we watched a documentary about migrant workers especially about kids our age working out in the fields. Afterwards we went to mass at Assumption Parish. Their parish was really pretty and most of the St. Anthony Youth Group lit candles for family, friends, or issues that they are passionate about. Afterwards we came back to the Hall and ate lunch and then went swimming. After swimming we went back to the migrant camps and played with the children and had a bbq. We came home and reflected on our week and how we can take this experience back with us. Then we had an ice cream party and danced to some music. 

THE ENDDDDDD  :) 

 

Week 4: Sacred Heart Bellingham and St. Anthony's - Wednesday

Day 4

Food bank day! Today was all about the corporal work of mercy "Clothing the Naked." We started the day collecting and transporting supplies for the food bank. All hands were on deck every step of the way, from pushing carts around stores to setting up all the tables and food. At the food bank, everyone worked together to set up each and every station no matter what station they focused on for the rest of the day. There were no assigned stations but everyone stuck with a task. The families we served all had a smile despite the long day of work they had endured. Stations included food, hygiene, clothing, toys, fresh produce, and baby products. "Clothing the Naked" manifested itself by showing the migrants respect and understanding; they all have dignity and are made in God's image. One of the people from the migrant camp we are working with, Alma, showed up at our food bank with the biggest smile on her face. She brings light to any situation and has the ability to make anyone feel special. At the end of the day, everyone took on a job packing and tearing down. Everyone supported each other and used teamwork to contribute to ensuring we finished efficiently and as a community and a family. After the end of today, everyone shared their experiences and provided insight about what we could improve on, specifically the food and hygiene. Today was about sharing dignity of the migrants.

God Bless :)
And it was fun!

Cristina, Joshua, Anthony
St. Anthony

P.S. We served 111 families yesterday at the Food Bank! Thank you to everyone who helped serve or donate. The families were so thankful! We are excited to serve again next week!

Week 4: Sacred Heart Bellingham and St. Anthony's- Tuesday

 hello my name is Tumi today We experienced the life of migrant workers by waking up early to work on the farm and receiving wages similar to what they would earn. After our work, we headed to grocery outlet to prepare  dinner ingredients using the money we earned. Our wages varied based on scenarios we were assigned. Some groups were given as little as four dollars and others up to seven. While shopping we had to remain conscious of the expenses and quality of the ingredients. To make dinner, we were only allowed to use the ingredients that we purchased during our shopping time as well as any kitchen ware at Sacred Heart.  thank you for reading our blog:)