We are off and running! On Sunday we were down a few, but still well represented. We tried our best to make good decisions as we worked together to rearrange the room and accomodate the new furniture (thanks Kayla & great idea to use seats from cars!). Here's what you need to know:
1. we will be working this year to paint the room
2. we still meet the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month from 12:30-2 PM on Sunday
3. we will be doing the Crop Walk together on October 17
4. we will have an overnight October 29-30 where, among other things, we will get ready for the UNICEF Halloween Carnival
5. our goal is to go on another mission trip this year related to home repair. ASP (Appalachia Service Project) has been chosen. It will require a minimum of $4,000 in fundraising. We will be holding our first fundraiser this fall (like late October). Some type of 'a-thon' is recommended based on the success of our 20 hour fast last year. Suggestions have varied from 'homeless for a night' to 'living with a disability for a day.' All were asked to search the net and give it some thought. We will try and decide as soon as possible.
That's it for now. Let the fun begin!
-Pastor Daven
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Revisiting
13. That is the number that this church sent. Not twelve, no that's been done. 13. It was the number that you supported through buying a cow that hung on the wall in the social hall. It was the number that you supported to fast for 20 hours to get a taste of real hunger. It was the number you supported as they organized and shared their talents. It was the number you supported by bringing your empties in and putting them in a garbage can. 13. This was the number of people sent to Massachusetts to work on Heifer International's Overlook Farm, an educational farm in Rutland, Massachusetts. And it is the tale of those 13 that I wish to share with you this day.
The pictures can do a much better job. And while they show so much, where we stayed, what we did, herding sheep and goats, our dwellings in the global village, they can't show you how this is connected to today's scripture. Because those of us that went understood that our primary responsibility to you is to proclaim the good news of this day while sharing all that was done in the name of the Lord as we were sent as missionaries by you. And I chose this particular Lord's day because of the scripture. The gospel passage was the focus of our devotions on the second night of our stay. Night one was about the body of Christ and how we need one another as we explored 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. What we explored on that night was how we were going to need each pother through our time naming one thing we thought we could do through our time together. Night two was about who our neighbor is exploring today's scripture. We asked questions like - name one instance when someone helped you today, and one when you helped someone else. Or put another way, who has been your neighbor, to whom were you a neighbor today and who are your neighbors (really these are the questions we should all ask every night if we are living out the gospel). And our final devotion was on Matthew 25:31-45 - I was hungry. We explored one thing we learned, one thing we know about poverty and hunger, and one thing we can do for someone else.
I asked all to reflect on a series of questions as we made our way back home. The first was - how were you most challenged? This is another way to ask the question of 'who is our neighbor and how is it that we love, can love them? They answered:
Alyssa - the hardest part of this experience was realizing how much some people have to survive on. I had known that many people lived in poverty, but it was difficult to learn how bad conditions are for many people.
Hannah - I guess the thing that challenged me most is what will I do going back to regular life. The kind of things I experienced and learned are ones that must be shared but I am not the best at sharing, especially when my friends that I'd like to share the most with see it as a dog eat dog world out there. How can I spread this hope for change? This is the real challenge and it's one I take home with me.
Lauren - I was most challenged a the market during the global village experience. First of all, I was the head of the household, so everyone was pressuring me not to buy the wrong stuff. Then everything that we needed was way too expensive. that got me thinking, crap, am I going to get enough food to feed everyone?
The second question is not unlike what Jesus says at the end of the parable when the lawyer chooses the one who was the true neighbor. I asked how will your life be different. Like Jesus saying to go and do likewise -
Kayla - I feel that I want to be a less consuming individual. I agree with the fact that our country is too consuming. I want to be more green. Maybe appreciate the beauty of the earth more than I do already.
Lucas - My life is different because now I'm more aware of the poverty of the world and how many people are starving. It makes me more appreciative of what I have.
Mike - After I have gone through this experience, I will never be able to do some things without second thoughts. Going to the grocery store and buying all these processed foods living like an "American". How anyone would be able to do that escapes me. I'll look at this junk and think, "what of all of this do I need?" This materialism is running our nation into the ground and taking the whole planet with it. This whole world is just too frustrating.
There is no scripture parallel for favorite part, but a good one to hear:
Jake - My favorite part of Heifer was the chores and service projects. I enjoy working and seeing a physical reaction to helping out. I actually sweated when I was carrying and staking hay. It was good experience for me and the group.
Alyssa - My favorite part of this trip was the night in the global village. I thought this was an amazing experience because it's probably the closest we can get to seeing how many people live. It also made me appreciate everything that I have even more.
Hannah - I think the best part was all going through this together because I've always felt that we have a group that has the ability to do a lot and that we feel a similar push by the spirit to make a difference in the world. And this has given us some of the seeds to start new work.
As the lawyer learned from the parable, I asked what they learned from this experience. They said:
Spencer - Pigs can have many piglets and I did not know other people had it so bad and yet they are happy.
Lauren - I learned that we all should be thankful for what we have because someone else in this world doesn't have the luxuries we do.
Kayla - That some US kids don't seem to work as hard as they can and should. And that's sad, we have no idea what other kids are forced to do everyday just to survive. I also learned things like how to milk a goat, how to make cheese, that our common house pets are eaten for meals in other countries and how people live in the Tibetan plateau area of China.
Jesus' reason of using this parable was to connect it to faith - loving God comes first which can only elicit a response of loving neighbor. The final question I asked was how what we learned was connected to our faith:
Matt - Our faith talks about always acting like good neighbors and how the Lord says that you fed me when I was hungry and all of those elements play into what's happening in the world. Good neighbors take care of people in need and if you feed them you are also feeding the Lord.
Scott - We learned that if we helped someone and they in turn help someone else it starts a chain reaction that is what our faith is based on.
Teacher, what must we do to inherit eternal life? You shall love the Lord your God... Go and do likewise. Not easy. Not Easy. But Divine.
The pictures can do a much better job. And while they show so much, where we stayed, what we did, herding sheep and goats, our dwellings in the global village, they can't show you how this is connected to today's scripture. Because those of us that went understood that our primary responsibility to you is to proclaim the good news of this day while sharing all that was done in the name of the Lord as we were sent as missionaries by you. And I chose this particular Lord's day because of the scripture. The gospel passage was the focus of our devotions on the second night of our stay. Night one was about the body of Christ and how we need one another as we explored 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. What we explored on that night was how we were going to need each pother through our time naming one thing we thought we could do through our time together. Night two was about who our neighbor is exploring today's scripture. We asked questions like - name one instance when someone helped you today, and one when you helped someone else. Or put another way, who has been your neighbor, to whom were you a neighbor today and who are your neighbors (really these are the questions we should all ask every night if we are living out the gospel). And our final devotion was on Matthew 25:31-45 - I was hungry. We explored one thing we learned, one thing we know about poverty and hunger, and one thing we can do for someone else.
I asked all to reflect on a series of questions as we made our way back home. The first was - how were you most challenged? This is another way to ask the question of 'who is our neighbor and how is it that we love, can love them? They answered:
Alyssa - the hardest part of this experience was realizing how much some people have to survive on. I had known that many people lived in poverty, but it was difficult to learn how bad conditions are for many people.
Hannah - I guess the thing that challenged me most is what will I do going back to regular life. The kind of things I experienced and learned are ones that must be shared but I am not the best at sharing, especially when my friends that I'd like to share the most with see it as a dog eat dog world out there. How can I spread this hope for change? This is the real challenge and it's one I take home with me.
Lauren - I was most challenged a the market during the global village experience. First of all, I was the head of the household, so everyone was pressuring me not to buy the wrong stuff. Then everything that we needed was way too expensive. that got me thinking, crap, am I going to get enough food to feed everyone?
The second question is not unlike what Jesus says at the end of the parable when the lawyer chooses the one who was the true neighbor. I asked how will your life be different. Like Jesus saying to go and do likewise -
Kayla - I feel that I want to be a less consuming individual. I agree with the fact that our country is too consuming. I want to be more green. Maybe appreciate the beauty of the earth more than I do already.
Lucas - My life is different because now I'm more aware of the poverty of the world and how many people are starving. It makes me more appreciative of what I have.
Mike - After I have gone through this experience, I will never be able to do some things without second thoughts. Going to the grocery store and buying all these processed foods living like an "American". How anyone would be able to do that escapes me. I'll look at this junk and think, "what of all of this do I need?" This materialism is running our nation into the ground and taking the whole planet with it. This whole world is just too frustrating.
There is no scripture parallel for favorite part, but a good one to hear:
Jake - My favorite part of Heifer was the chores and service projects. I enjoy working and seeing a physical reaction to helping out. I actually sweated when I was carrying and staking hay. It was good experience for me and the group.
Alyssa - My favorite part of this trip was the night in the global village. I thought this was an amazing experience because it's probably the closest we can get to seeing how many people live. It also made me appreciate everything that I have even more.
Hannah - I think the best part was all going through this together because I've always felt that we have a group that has the ability to do a lot and that we feel a similar push by the spirit to make a difference in the world. And this has given us some of the seeds to start new work.
As the lawyer learned from the parable, I asked what they learned from this experience. They said:
Spencer - Pigs can have many piglets and I did not know other people had it so bad and yet they are happy.
Lauren - I learned that we all should be thankful for what we have because someone else in this world doesn't have the luxuries we do.
Kayla - That some US kids don't seem to work as hard as they can and should. And that's sad, we have no idea what other kids are forced to do everyday just to survive. I also learned things like how to milk a goat, how to make cheese, that our common house pets are eaten for meals in other countries and how people live in the Tibetan plateau area of China.
Jesus' reason of using this parable was to connect it to faith - loving God comes first which can only elicit a response of loving neighbor. The final question I asked was how what we learned was connected to our faith:
Matt - Our faith talks about always acting like good neighbors and how the Lord says that you fed me when I was hungry and all of those elements play into what's happening in the world. Good neighbors take care of people in need and if you feed them you are also feeding the Lord.
Scott - We learned that if we helped someone and they in turn help someone else it starts a chain reaction that is what our faith is based on.
Teacher, what must we do to inherit eternal life? You shall love the Lord your God... Go and do likewise. Not easy. Not Easy. But Divine.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
We're Back
I have been asked to keep this blog live for a while so that we can continue to add pictures and stories from our time away. So check back often!
I have missed running the sheep and goats recounting to anyone who will listen some of our adventures. It was a fantastic time. This Sunday I will highlight our experience for the reflection/sermon so the congregation can get more of an idea of what we did. If you can be there, please come and be a part of it.
As I have said to Keith, I miss you all. Guess I got used to spending the day with you. I could never express the pride I feel for the way you rose of every challenge. You embraced this opportunity and were model ambassdors of this church and community.
I can't wait to make new memories in other mission opportunities.
In God's Service,
Pastor Daven
I have missed running the sheep and goats recounting to anyone who will listen some of our adventures. It was a fantastic time. This Sunday I will highlight our experience for the reflection/sermon so the congregation can get more of an idea of what we did. If you can be there, please come and be a part of it.
As I have said to Keith, I miss you all. Guess I got used to spending the day with you. I could never express the pride I feel for the way you rose of every challenge. You embraced this opportunity and were model ambassdors of this church and community.
I can't wait to make new memories in other mission opportunities.
In God's Service,
Pastor Daven
Monday, July 5, 2010
THANK YOU
This is a personal thank you to the church congregation and all those who supported us through the whole experience of fundraising and then actually going to Outlook Farm :)
-Kayla
-Kayla
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Final Morning
I already tried typing once and it disappeared. Chores are soon so I don't have much time to write. It's another beautiful morning and we are all anxious to get home to you. We will be leaving soon after chores hoping to sit down together for some pizza before our tour of Secret Cavern. Much love and blessing to you all. You should be very proud of these youth!
We will be keeping the blog active for as there has been a request to add with pictures and more explanations once we have returned to home. So be sure to check back.
See you soon,
Pastor Daven
We will be keeping the blog active for as there has been a request to add with pictures and more explanations once we have returned to home. So be sure to check back.
See you soon,
Pastor Daven
Friday, July 2, 2010
Global Village: Guatamala
This is our whole group getting ready to start our global village day. We were spilt into two groups before dinner and the night, but had lunch in Ghana.
Welcome to Guatamala!
This is the Garcia family: Grandpa Daven, Papa Mike, Jacob (the proud mother of a bouning baby ballon) Cripple Alyssa (don't freak out parents it was just simulated injury) and Hannah who's not in the picture.
Buying our dinner at the market (Bean and tortillas)
Alyssa is with our alarm clocks, the screaming nubian goats. They're really friendly! And most of us milked them at one time or another.
Mom's are best at some things
2 of our campers have gotten sick.....maybe the diet or lack thereof....one was Matt....thanks be to God that Mommy was here, but like any good basketball player Matt was able to "hit the target" or toilet.....Mike was less fortunate today in that while sitting it came out the top and hit the floor! No worries, Mommah Z cleaned it up and was wise enough to bring the Pepto....all is well now!
Hey Gang - It's Mommah Z. we have had another busy and fun filled day....after sleeping in "Appalachia" with 6 teenagers and being awakened by several roosters, it was a beautiful morning filled with.....NOT coffee (unfortunately), but yummy, pasty oatmeal cooked by Ma Jensen (AKA Lauren Nash) over the fire pit outside our trailer home....yummy. Other exciting news today - we got to muck out the goat barn...and stack hale bales in the barn - whoo- HOO! So invigorating and delightfully fragrant. For all you parents out there....I did visit the local Big Y supermarket and was able to purchase some essential missing dietary items like - CANDY .....JK....but really we all wanted fresh fruit and candy, so the kids have really appreciated that especially after all the "wall paper paste" we got to eat in the Global Village. We are having lots of fun herding goats and sheep and visiting with the animals here.....met lots of new and nice people who are also staying at the farm. I bribed some of them to do my chores today (i.e. barn cleaning) by offering some of the cookies brought from home.....thanks to all for that. We leave tomorrow and my hope is that who ever is riding in my vehicle takes a shower before we go....LOL......so if you are speaking on line please encourage your son/daughter to take a shower prior to our departure tomorrow! See you all tomorrow night! God speed and safe travels for us!
Day 4 after global village
Hey mom and dad! Yesterday was a very hard day...I couldn't eat any of my food I brought and I got a little dizzy but it was all part of the experince. PS I am ok (: I ended up being the head of the household and was the only one who could read, handle the money, and I had to get all are food from the market with only $10! We had Luke sing for our eggs and milk, but it was so good that they gave us our baking powder/soda, pepper and butter for our cornbread. I'll be back to blog later because our activity is starting soon! ~Lauren
After a night in the global village, we got oatmeal for breakfast. It was AWESOME! Even though I dont usually eat oatmeal. It was better than beans last night. We got to stay in Guatemala. With the screaming goats. Who woke me up this morning with their shrieking. I was the one with the vitamin deficiency, so I couldnt use my right hand the entire night. Then we got to snack this morning, which was the best part. And yesterday, guess what? I volunteered to run in front of the goats. They have to be moved to grazing pens and back to the barn each day, so someone has to run in front of them with a feed bucket yelling 'Goats, goats, goats!' so they know where to go. I almost got run over by a herd of goats! It was SO COOL! See you all tomorrow.
~Alyssa
P.S.- If I may put in a suggestion for dinner on Sunday, chicken soup or steak sounds good. You guys are the best!
Last night was one of the craziest nights of my life. Our group (Mrs. Zimmerman, Keith Zimmerman, Lauren Jensen, Matt Zimmerman, Spencer Monrian, Luke DeNies, and Scott Boofer) stayed in the good ol' USA! Kentucky's Appalaichan Mountain range to be exact. Lauren was the head of household, Luke was crowned a "mother" and Spencer had vitamin deficiency which resulted in a non-functioning arm. All in all the experience was amazing and I would definitley want to do another night. I wanted to be in Peru soooooo bad but another group got to stay there. For dinner we had cornbread, bean soup, and fried (?) greens. I only ate the cornbread.
Talk again soon! There's lots more to tell!
-KAYLA_
After a night in the global village, we got oatmeal for breakfast. It was AWESOME! Even though I dont usually eat oatmeal. It was better than beans last night. We got to stay in Guatemala. With the screaming goats. Who woke me up this morning with their shrieking. I was the one with the vitamin deficiency, so I couldnt use my right hand the entire night. Then we got to snack this morning, which was the best part. And yesterday, guess what? I volunteered to run in front of the goats. They have to be moved to grazing pens and back to the barn each day, so someone has to run in front of them with a feed bucket yelling 'Goats, goats, goats!' so they know where to go. I almost got run over by a herd of goats! It was SO COOL! See you all tomorrow.
~Alyssa
P.S.- If I may put in a suggestion for dinner on Sunday, chicken soup or steak sounds good. You guys are the best!
Last night was one of the craziest nights of my life. Our group (Mrs. Zimmerman, Keith Zimmerman, Lauren Jensen, Matt Zimmerman, Spencer Monrian, Luke DeNies, and Scott Boofer) stayed in the good ol' USA! Kentucky's Appalaichan Mountain range to be exact. Lauren was the head of household, Luke was crowned a "mother" and Spencer had vitamin deficiency which resulted in a non-functioning arm. All in all the experience was amazing and I would definitley want to do another night. I wanted to be in Peru soooooo bad but another group got to stay there. For dinner we had cornbread, bean soup, and fried (?) greens. I only ate the cornbread.
Talk again soon! There's lots more to tell!
-KAYLA_
Thursday, July 1, 2010
DAY 3
Hey guys :) This is our third day on the Heifer farm in Massachusetts!
I AM SO HUNGRY! Today is the day that our group spends a night in the global village. The countries are Guatamala, Peru, Thailand, Ghana, USA, and many others. We had our first meal like those of a third world country at lunch time today. And we haven't eaten since then!
We will try our best to right more once our experience in the village has ended.
Hey mom i bet this sounds familar... I am hungry!!! (: ~Lauren
We all send love,
Kayla and the rest of the Youth
I AM SO HUNGRY! Today is the day that our group spends a night in the global village. The countries are Guatamala, Peru, Thailand, Ghana, USA, and many others. We had our first meal like those of a third world country at lunch time today. And we haven't eaten since then!
We will try our best to right more once our experience in the village has ended.
Hey mom i bet this sounds familar... I am hungry!!! (: ~Lauren
We all send love,
Kayla and the rest of the Youth
Another Beautiful Day on the Farm
Good Morning All!
We just finished chores (another exciting herding of sheep and goats down to pastures for the day). We have a brief five minutes before starting our group project for the day. Of course that means that everyone had to fetch food and use the bathroom even though we finished breakfast only an hour and a half ago! Ah, youth--eternally hungry and in need of the bathroom. We don't have a lot of down time so we blog when we can, but that seems to be reserved to 30 minutes at the end of the day. For those concerned about Jake's head, he just bumped it when getting up from his lower head. It wasn't a real injury, but the concern is appreciated.
It's cooler today, but another gloriously sunny day. I have been herded to our next thing so off I go.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
P-Didds, otherwise known as Pastor Daven
We just finished chores (another exciting herding of sheep and goats down to pastures for the day). We have a brief five minutes before starting our group project for the day. Of course that means that everyone had to fetch food and use the bathroom even though we finished breakfast only an hour and a half ago! Ah, youth--eternally hungry and in need of the bathroom. We don't have a lot of down time so we blog when we can, but that seems to be reserved to 30 minutes at the end of the day. For those concerned about Jake's head, he just bumped it when getting up from his lower head. It wasn't a real injury, but the concern is appreciated.
It's cooler today, but another gloriously sunny day. I have been herded to our next thing so off I go.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
P-Didds, otherwise known as Pastor Daven
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Today was awesome! We got to chase sheep and goats down a long trail to their grazing pens this morning, and then back in the evening. Sheep just kinda follow the person leading and stay in a group, but the goats try to escape a lot. For morning chores, I got to feed the guinea hogs. They're really sweet, but they'll eat pretty much anything. Then Kayla went through the goats' pen to get to the guinea hogs, and the goats tried to steal the food. There were about ten goats crowding her to get the food, which Lauren and I found funny but Kayla didnt. I'm pretty sure she's convinced goats are evil now. Speaking of goats, because I love them so much, I got a stuffed one from the farm's store. Sorry. It's really cute. For evening chores, I fed the rabbits. They apparently give people rabbits and guinea pigs to eat. Hard to believe, because they're all adorable. Oh, and lunch was REALLY good! We had spaghetti. I thought Bruce might like that. So don't worry, I'm not starving or anything. The cook's really good. AND he looks kinda like Superman. Anyways, the pics above are of Abu, the camel, and Pudgy, the slightly overweight yellow lab. Miss you guys(kinda)!
~Alyssa
DAY 2 :)
This is a picture of Abu the camel. He is not enormous like the camel at the live nativity for those of you who saw it, but he is a good eight feet tall at the top of his head when in
<--------this position. We first saw Abu yesterday when we arrived, but we didn't really get a chance to actually meet him until afternoon chores today. This morning when we went to chores, Pastor Daven, Keith and I did not volunteer quick enough, and had to wait a long while until we could "feed" the rabbits, which basically involved Laurie giving them pellets, and me giving them hay while everyone else walked around and played with the sheep. Because of this, the three of us were given first pick of chores in the afternoon. Obviously, we chose working with the camel, among other things. Pastor Daven, Keith, Laurie, Susanna(our supervisor), and I went down to Abu's grazing pen, met him, and hooked a bridle to his collar in order to take him to the Sac. Pad. Along the way, we were forcibly stopped by Abu himself in order to let him try and eat all the grass along the way. After about twenty square feet of Abu's giant lips vaccuming up grass, we tugged him along and into the Sac. Pad. We said farewell and went on to other chores. All in all, today was a pretty great day. Love you mom and dad. Over and out,
Mike
Some of the cutest animals (in my opinion) are the baby guniea hogs. They're tiny and black and sometimes they escape from their pen to roam with the goats. We got to fed them as one of the chores this morning. It's been great here and although most of it hasn't made it to the blog yet, we really are learning alot about the world. Did you know that North America (minus mexico) accounts for 32% consumption but has only 5% of the world's population!
Miss you mom and dad!
Hannah
(PS they've got a pair of cute guniea pigs)
hi mom and dad, we drove down to the lake tonight and ate some interesting meals... so yeah I'm not writing a lot tonight but here is a message...bipolar....goodnight
~Jake
Hey mom and dad today we did chores for the first time and it was actually really fun! I fed the guinea hogs, they are a rare pig and one kept nogding my leg as I poured their food in the dish. Also one of the females had babies and they just figured out they can squeese through the bars so sometimes you find them running around the farm. The next chore we did was herding the sheep and the goats to the pasture....this one goat wouldn't stop eating along the way! I am having a good time see you soon, love you guys!
~Lauren~
Hello MOM, DAD, and JAKE :) today was the first day of doing our chores around the farm. It was really interesting because for the most part they asked for a number of volunteers and then if you raised your hand and were picked, then you did the surprise job that they had for you. Lauren, Alyssa, Hannah and I were picked to feed Guniea Hogs :) The adults are big and black and fun :) It was really cool when we had to feed the Guniea Hogs that were in the same area as the goats... and I had the food so all the goats came around me and cornered me! They had their heads in the food and I was really scared because these goats are about the same height as me... so you could imagine that I was pretty freaked out. Now Lauren and Alyssa keep making fun of me because goats creep me out =O We just listened to the Good Samaritan scripture and I really like it because it makes me think about our youth group sometimes because we kind of look out for each other. We just made a statement that all 13 of us are neighboors to each other. We worked side by side and learned side by side. Its a good feeling and I hope that we can become more like neighboors to each other and the others around the farm.. not only the workers ( who are also super friendly) but the others groups from other areas. Can't wait to be home and tell you all more in depth about our AWESOME experience :)
Love always, Kayla
Hello Everyone. Pastor Daven here.
After a few technical issues, we have finally managed to jump onto their network and will be posting photos alongside of our words soon. Today was a wonderful day on the farm. I awoke early for a run watching steam rise off of the local bogs as I ran up hill and over dale. It was quite chilly as we awoke, but early morning sun burned off the chill quickly as we started chores. We helped lead goats and sheep from their evening residence to some pastures for the day. We walked through the global village which has lodgings from all over the world to represent those places and people served by the mission of Heifer. Following lunch we did our first service project which mainly consisted of weeding and watering vegetable beds. This has all been matched by several classroom experiences where we have learned about the distrubtion of population and food across the world, the 12 cornerstones of Heifer and so much more. The food is out of this world, the view equally as spectacular and these young people representing us amazingly well. I can't wait to see what they tell you about from today!
After a few technical issues, we have finally managed to jump onto their network and will be posting photos alongside of our words soon. Today was a wonderful day on the farm. I awoke early for a run watching steam rise off of the local bogs as I ran up hill and over dale. It was quite chilly as we awoke, but early morning sun burned off the chill quickly as we started chores. We helped lead goats and sheep from their evening residence to some pastures for the day. We walked through the global village which has lodgings from all over the world to represent those places and people served by the mission of Heifer. Following lunch we did our first service project which mainly consisted of weeding and watering vegetable beds. This has all been matched by several classroom experiences where we have learned about the distrubtion of population and food across the world, the 12 cornerstones of Heifer and so much more. The food is out of this world, the view equally as spectacular and these young people representing us amazingly well. I can't wait to see what they tell you about from today!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
DAY 1!
Hey guys! Its the youth and we are currently in our cabin at the Heifer farm in Rutland Massachusetts!!!!
Hi MOM and DAD and JAKE!!! This is a really cool place! The food is amazing! Mom, I need you to make me some type of stir fry when I get back! There's this cool camel here and his name is Abu! And he was born here in Massachusetts! He dances! Well, he sways back and forth! And there are rabbits and a dog! And goats and water buffalo! And COWS :) We are having a blast so far! Can't wait to see you! Tell Sabrina I miss her even though she probably doesn't care. And try and remember to wash my sheets! -Kayla-
Hey everyone the farm is so cool and we are having a great time (: The food is awesome and the peas were my favorite. Even my brother Joshua Jensen would like them.
Hey mom and dad! Guess what I saw this adorable baby goat and I think it would be pretty awesome if we could get one!!! Haha just kidding I know you would probably kick me out of the house. Tomorrow I hope to put pictures on because this place is really beautiful and its amazing hat they do to help people. I'll see you on Saturday and try not to have to much fun without me! ~Lauren~
Hey people, not really gonna write an essay ^^, but its fun here and we all arrived safe and sound with no major casualties*. So we are waking up at 8:15 tomorrow morning to start some farm chores and work. Will give another report tomorrow.
*I slammed my head really really hard.
~Jake
The scenery here is beautiful. Our cabin?/bunk room overlooks all the lower ground, and apparently on clear days you can see Boston (although it sounds like there are some trees in the way too). The goats are so friendly! They're like dogs and will come bump you to be petted more. The food was delicious! But I think we'll need some new adjectives because we'll probably be saying that every day.
Love to you all,
Hannah
It's awesome here! We've just had a tour of the whole farm. I never knew that goats could be so sweet. They're like dogs in a way, because they're happy to just hang out while you pet them. The same with Abu, the camel, except for he gets bored after a few moments and wanders off. Kayla was right though, he can dance! I'm going to get a video of it. The scenery is beautiful, and I would be happy to just take pictures all day, but my camera memory card is running out of room! It's really cool to see how all the parts of the farm fit together so that people can just live off of the land. We're all having a great time. I cant wait to tell you all about it when we get back.
Love you Mom, Dad, and Bruce,
Alyssa
The ride here was ridiculously amusing. For those of you who didn't know, we had walkie-talkies, which made the ride insane. After about five minutes, they deviated in purpose from sending important information to singing, fighting childishly, and just beeping each other. Even though it took seven and a half hours, it only felt like three with all the fun we were having. When we got to the farm, we were given a warm welcome, after which a tour took place of the entire farm. I took a bunch of pictures, and we all met some very nice goats and chickens. So far the experience has been really good. Love you Mom and Dad. Over and out,
Convoy Leader Mike
Hi MOM and DAD and JAKE!!! This is a really cool place! The food is amazing! Mom, I need you to make me some type of stir fry when I get back! There's this cool camel here and his name is Abu! And he was born here in Massachusetts! He dances! Well, he sways back and forth! And there are rabbits and a dog! And goats and water buffalo! And COWS :) We are having a blast so far! Can't wait to see you! Tell Sabrina I miss her even though she probably doesn't care. And try and remember to wash my sheets! -Kayla-
Hey everyone the farm is so cool and we are having a great time (: The food is awesome and the peas were my favorite. Even my brother Joshua Jensen would like them.
Hey mom and dad! Guess what I saw this adorable baby goat and I think it would be pretty awesome if we could get one!!! Haha just kidding I know you would probably kick me out of the house. Tomorrow I hope to put pictures on because this place is really beautiful and its amazing hat they do to help people. I'll see you on Saturday and try not to have to much fun without me! ~Lauren~
Hey people, not really gonna write an essay ^^, but its fun here and we all arrived safe and sound with no major casualties*. So we are waking up at 8:15 tomorrow morning to start some farm chores and work. Will give another report tomorrow.
*I slammed my head really really hard.
~Jake
The scenery here is beautiful. Our cabin?/bunk room overlooks all the lower ground, and apparently on clear days you can see Boston (although it sounds like there are some trees in the way too). The goats are so friendly! They're like dogs and will come bump you to be petted more. The food was delicious! But I think we'll need some new adjectives because we'll probably be saying that every day.
Love to you all,
Hannah
It's awesome here! We've just had a tour of the whole farm. I never knew that goats could be so sweet. They're like dogs in a way, because they're happy to just hang out while you pet them. The same with Abu, the camel, except for he gets bored after a few moments and wanders off. Kayla was right though, he can dance! I'm going to get a video of it. The scenery is beautiful, and I would be happy to just take pictures all day, but my camera memory card is running out of room! It's really cool to see how all the parts of the farm fit together so that people can just live off of the land. We're all having a great time. I cant wait to tell you all about it when we get back.
Love you Mom, Dad, and Bruce,
Alyssa
The ride here was ridiculously amusing. For those of you who didn't know, we had walkie-talkies, which made the ride insane. After about five minutes, they deviated in purpose from sending important information to singing, fighting childishly, and just beeping each other. Even though it took seven and a half hours, it only felt like three with all the fun we were having. When we got to the farm, we were given a warm welcome, after which a tour took place of the entire farm. I took a bunch of pictures, and we all met some very nice goats and chickens. So far the experience has been really good. Love you Mom and Dad. Over and out,
Convoy Leader Mike
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Beginning
This is the blog for the Elma UMC Youth Mission trip to Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA and is designed for the sole purpose of allowing the congregation of ELMA UMC to follow and enjoy the trip with the youth of the church.
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