Week 6: Holy Redeemer- Wednesday

VBS: When we arrived at the camp we started with songs. Then we played sharks and minnows. We also made presents for the parents of the kids(thank you cards, snack bags, and warm fuzzies. Afterwards we talked about how Jesus walked on water. Then we did crafts, for example, painting fish, making and coloring boats, and making bracelets. Then we played water balloon volleyball. Lastly, we finished the crafts and we went to the food bank when it only had a few hours left.

Food Bank: We arrived at the food bank site in the morning and started setting it up. To do this we started moving tables over to the site and arranging them to create the shape of it. Next, we started unloading food, diapers, clothing, toys, boxes and bags from a rental truck. We had it loaded before we left Sacred Heart. After finishing with this, we started to sort food and move it to different areas of the food bank. Then the directors held a meeting, and we all figured out where in the food bank would work. Up until that point, I had been filling previously emptied Aquafina water bottles with vegetable oil from a water jug to give to the migrant workers. I was assigned to the cereal section of the food bank to serve there, and I would revert back to filling water bottles with oil if needed. So, after about 2 hours or so of setting up and 6 hours of serving the migrants at the food bank, we closed the food bank down. In the end, we served a total of 84 migrant families at the food bank; a great success.

Week 6: Holy Redeemer-Tuesday

       Today was Migrant Immersion Day at the Agape service project. We all woke up at 5:15 this morning so that we could go to a local farm to do work. Some went to a farm to pick blueberries, and others went to a local u-pick farm to weed crops. We all worked for about four hours, and we learned some challenges of consistent farm labor, but also saw the positive results of teamwork from everyone. A lot of land could be covered in just a few hours. After the farm work in the morning, everyone went to the YMCA so that we could take our first showers of the week, which was very refreshing. Then came our next scenario: each of yesterday's families was given a small portion of money with which to buy their dinner from a local grocery store, and then we had to go back and prepare it. With about $1.25 per family member, the families were not able to get the highest quality foods. After dinner, we went out to a nearby migrant camp and played with the migrant workers' kids for awhile. The children were thrilled to see us and play games with them. Even after doing anything from nail-painting to dodge ball, we were even disappointed when we had to leave. Throughout the course of the day, we also grew in our understanding of reverence, today's featured gift of the Holy Spirit.

       Before some of the missionaries went to VBS, instead of Migrant Immersion Day, we prayed a diversity rosary for the migrants and our peers who were going to work on a farm today. We, too, woke up at 5:15am, so with the time before we needed to be at the camps we made lunch for the workers (for VBS) and all the children participating in VBS at the migrant camp, prayed the rosary, and went to several stores for some supplies needed for the crafts we planned for the kids. We also prepared several skits about the Kingdom of God to make it easier for the kids to understand, and after we performed it, we helped them into several small skit groups and helped them recreate the skit to perform for us. While teaching them about the Kingdom of God, we learned that we are all princes and princesses of the kingdom and a lot of the girls were very excited about being a princess. As a worker, it was so amazing to watch their faces light up at the sound of the question "Who wants to do a craft?". The crafts we made consisted of making popsicle stick kingdoms, coffee filter and popsicle stick angles, and even painting a small pot and planting a beautiful flower in it to represent how beautiful we make God's Kingdom when we love Him and everyone around us. All in all, it was another tiring day at the migrant camps, but while it is happening the kid's seem to exude enough laughter and excitement to give all the workers energy to serve them for about 5 hours with pure joy in being able to be there with kids and make their a little more exciting than they had anticipated.  

Week 6: Holy Redeemer - Monday

   During Agape today we went around the community collecting food for the food bank. we started in the morning with walk and knock  were we went door to door collecting donations. Every group had a different neighborhood that we went through. We learned patience when people would not answer the door or tell us to leave. In the end it was a character building activity. We came back to Sacred Heart and dropped of our donations and had lunch. After lunch we then went to different grocery stores in our groups. At the grocery stores we handed out flyers and if people had something to donate they would drop in the cart. We seemed to be more successful with the grocery stores than walk and knock. Over all we gained a ton of donations. Everyone who participated was enlightened. When we put the donations in the church basement we noticed how successful we had been and ended up making 300 dollars in just cash alone. Seeing the levels of generosity throughout the community was very encouraging.

-Tara

   VBS (vacation bible school): Today was the first day ever for Agape to do a VBS at the migrant camps.  It was a great experience to interact with the all the kids and see some of the same kids from last year.  When we arrived at the camp, we walked around the buildings and sang songs from church so the families would know we had arrived.  Once we had a fair amount of kids come to where we had set up, we played multiple group games such as the name game, dodge ball, and link tag.  We performed a two-part skit consisting of the birth of Jesus and the story of Adam and Eve.  Later in the day we had the kids perform the skits by themselves with their own twist.   With Noah's guitar playing, we taught the kids a few of our favorite songs from church.  Not only did we play games, perform skits, and sing songs, we also did some crafts.  We made the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) into a triangle with popsicle sticks, a "stained glass window" with tissue paper, and made treasure boxes. We also handed out a bag to each child for them to take home and keep.  The children at this particular migrant camp care for each other as if they were their own brothers or sisters.

-Hannah

   Once everyone returned from VBS and grocery store tabling, we all helped unload the donations from the walk and knock and tabling at grocery stores, and we had a dinner activity.  The activity was separating everyone into families and having to go through a food bank.  The food bank simulation was quite difficult because the people working there only spoke German.  This gave us an idea of how migrants feel at food banks.  Also, it was pressuring to because we had a time limit to collect, cook, eat, and clean up our food.  After dinner, we played a game called walk the line.  During this game two of our leaders would read a statement.  If this statement was true for you, you would walk to the line and back.  Afterwards we watched a video about if we had a mini Earth with only 100 people living in it.  It gave facts such as how many people had which religions, which lived in poverty, etc.  If you had a bed, a closet with clothing, a refrigerator, and a roof over your head, you were wealthier than 75% of the world's population.  Overall, the focus of the day was Knowledge and Understanding. We concluded the day with reflection and a prayer.

Week 6: Holy Redeemer- Sunday

   The drive up was long, very interesting and fun. During the car ride, I had an exciting conversation with a couple of people in a different car during our hour of horrific traffic. Arriving at Sacred Heart today was great, although we were only here for a couple of hours and so far I am having a GREAT time. The experience that I had last year was amazing and I can't wait to work and sacrifice this week for the migrant workers. I have an awesome group and I am ready to get going on this fun and life changing week. I thought that the reflection questions really made me think about how I should live out this week, as well as, the things that I need to think of and work on. Also, this year we get the opportunity to put on Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the migrant workers' children of all ages.
                               Reporting from Bellingham,
                                                       Sammy From Vancouver, WA 

Week 5: Our Lady of Fatima- Wednesday

                   Today was food bank day. First we woke up at 8:00 and ate breakfast. Then we were headed off to the place where the food bank was being held. When we got there we realized that it was raining, but we set it up anyway. We set up by putting up tents and tables, and then the food. By 1:00 there were families coming in to get food. They walked through the line, and we tried our best to talk to them in Spanish and give them what they wanted. It was so great to see how happy and grateful they were. Overall it was a great day, except for the rain!

-Darcy and Hannah

Week 5: Our Lady of Fatima- Tuesday

As the morning rolled on, parents awoke and turned the lights on so all would also do so. 5:00 was hard for everyone but luckily, we woke up enough to go upstairs to a breakfast of cereal. Before we knew it we were in cars on our way to two different farms. Today it was Migrant Immersion day! Myself and some friends headed off to the blueberry farm. We learned so many things like all the different kinds of blueberries. Hours pass, and as the picking and weeding ends, the staff and kids got to know each other better.

After the berry picking, we ate our lunch on the road to the YMCA. We showered off, and next thing we know we are at the grocery store picking out our meal with a limited amount of money. Flash forward and we stop at one of the workers camps. All of the kids including myself, Grace, played dodge ball. Even a few parents played. Over all this was my favorite day, and I know that others feel the same. 

Week 5: Monday- Our Lady of Fatima

Today was interesting and I learned many new things. It was cool learning how a food bank worked and what it felt like to have a lack of food. I now realize how lucky I am to have such a surplus of food. It was sad to see how some people turned me down so easily without a second glance when all I was trying to do was raise food for people who are less fortunate then me.

Week 5: Sunday- Our Lady of Fatima

After more than an hour of fun car rides with friends, we arrived at a church in Bellingham. Right away we were greeted by helpful, encouraging leaders who showed us our sleeping rooms. After we set up our things, we were called up to the Parish Hall. In the Parish Hall we had a long discussion of why we were here, how we were going to help the less fortunate, and how grateful they were for us spending our own time to help out in their program. We were put in groups, made a name for our groups and even made a group cheer. So far, myself, Grace and my fellow volunteers are excited for a great week.