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. 

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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:) 

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

Today we woke up to eat breakfast, and to do a morning activity. About half of us kids got red wristbands, but didn't know what it symbolized, or what it had meant. I didn't get a wrist band. we went outside, and there was a "spider-web" made of yarn set up for us to go through. The rules were that we had to go though the "web" without touching any of the "webbing", if we do touch the webbing, then we had to go to the back of the line and do it over again. The people with the wrist bands got a harder time going though the web, and the people without the web had an easier time with going though. Do you see the theme so far? If not, I'll tell you about the rest. After the activity, the wristbands and the non-wristbands got separated into their groups. The non-wrist bands got to do the photo-scavenger hunt, and the wristbands group had to go and clean up the area, and neither knew what the other group was doing. Well the people with the wristbands symbolized as the migrant workers, who didn't choose their way of life and have no say in how they want to live, and the non-wristbands symbolized as the regular people you see who are born with a good life. After we visited the migrant kids and played with them, which was really fun. Ten we went to the grocery stores to do some tabling. I thought it was nice to meet such nice and generous people willing to donate to the food bank, there were some people who ignored us and avoided us too. But overall it was a good day.

Jasmine: Assumption 

In today's morning activities we focused on privileges and it really hit me that we should be thankful for the privileges we have and that we shouldn't take what we have for granted. For example, in one of our activities we were seperated in to two groups. One group having red wristbands and another with no wristbands. While those with no wristbands stayed outside and had a scavenger hunt, those with wristbands had to prepare lunch for us and also had to prepare lunch for themselves. After hearing that they had to work hard, while those with no wristbands got to have fun outside, I felt that it was really unfair for the those with wristbands. That just because of one little thing, such as a wristband, they were treated differently. After this realization about privileges I feel that we should be very thankful for every privilege that we have and not take what we have for granted.

- Kaitlyn: St.Anthony's

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

On the first day... it felt good to be back after a year, I'm so excited to meet new people not just from the other parish but the people I haven't gotten to know from St.Anthony's. And I'm really excited to work with the migrant workers and play with the kids at the migrant camps. Being back for an 8th or 9th year of Agape makes it feel like coming home. I can't wait to see what this week holds, in the me activities but new experiences. This is one of my favorite ways to grow in faith; by serving. Thank you God for the chance to help others and make a difference in others' lives. Let's have a great and fun week!

           - Jessa Delosreyes : St.Anthony's/St.Theresa's

This week at Agape, we are focusing on The Corporeal Works of Mercy.
 Today, we covered the two works: Bury the Dead, and Visit the Sick. A core team member explained that in our case, to Bury the Dead means to bury thoughts thinking that migrants are lower than us, or somehow people to be avoided. And to Visit the Sick means to visit people that have been forgotten or ignored.
I can't wait to see what we will do tomorrow! I have really enjoyed being with, and meeting new friends from different parishes. I hope to help relieve some of the work load of the migrants later this week.
             -Ellen Nichols: Sacred Heart

Week 3: Holy Redeemer & St. Louise: Thursday

Agape Celebration Day!!!  Today was our celebration day at Agape which meant Mass at Assumption Catholic Church, lunch, and swimming at an aquatic center. The culmination of the day, however, was a BBQ at Sunrise Camp with the migrant farmers and their families.  We spent hours playing, crafting, and  hanging out with the migrant kids.  The relationships and bonds of friendship among all were strengthened.  God allowed me to grow close to my migrant buddy, Bianca.  Her and I beaded and did each other's hair.  My eyes were opened in a new way to how alike we are.  Our celebration at Sunrise Camp was the best part of the day.

Today is Agape Celebration Day! First, we had our group meeting in the halls. After that, we prayed the rosary, went to Mass, then we WET(Joke) SWIMMING FINALLY. We drove to Sunrise Camp to celebrate a barbecue with the migrant workers. At the end, we had a dancing party listening to multiple songs. AGAPE!! WII MII SONG. -Joshua Almanza St. Louise