Tuesday was a jam-packed day for the Youth Migrant Project trekkers.  We were up early and to bed late!  We started off with a delicious breakfast cooked by our guest chefs, Mark and Tony.  In the morning, we were in the day care center.  Half of the teens worked in the classrooms with the kids, while the rest helped with facility-improvement projects.  The center used to be a church and was later purchased by a local farmer who converted it into a daycare center for the children of his workers.  He is now leasing the space to the Washington State Migrant Council, who is slowly but surely making improvements to the property.  We helped clean and prepare a couple of classrooms for use as well as build a small wall around the play toy we constructed yesterday.  Many of us are learning a lot of new construction skills and having fun doing so.  The teens are proud of their work and are happy to think of all of the kids who will be able to use the space we're creating. 

In the late afternoon, we met up with José Ortiz, from St. Charles, and his wife Lillian, who led us to one of the camps where migrant families live.  There were many children who came out to play and do crafts with our group.  The most popular activity by far however was the piñata!  The children lined up, impatiently waiting their turn to take a swing at the piñatas, while adults looked on from a distance.  We did our best to hold the kids at bay but as soon as one piece of candy fell to the ground a pile of kids swarmed in from every direction.  It was a lot of fun and there was plenty of candy to go around.  We ended our time at the camp with a sobering tour of one of the homes.  The teens were impressed and saddened to see that so many people (sometimes from more than one family) are squished into a space the size of their bedroom.  Several shared during reflection that they are very grateful for all that they have and for all that their parents do for them. 

After our time in the camp, we went to a local pizza parlor for dinner and then came back to the church for reflection and some much needed sleep. 

Thanks to Cathedral Staff members, Patty Bowman and Helen Oesterle, who both came up to visit us this afternoon!

Keep checking in with us and thanks for all of your prayers.

Peace,
Youth Migrant Project Participants

Wednesday was a great day with hints of sun and a little more down time for the group.  We spent the morning and early afternoon in the daycare again.  The 'project' group continued working on the play area.  They dug holes for metal fence posts, bolted the slides to the big toy, and cleared sod around the edge of the wall they built yesterday.  They have learned to work very well together as a group and pitch in to share the load.  They are very proud of the work they're doing and love to see it all coming together.

In the afternoon, one group of teens returned to the church to finish sorting the donations and set up the clothing bank while another group went shopping for school supplies for the migrant children.  After returning from the day care, all of the teens worked together to greet the families, pick out clothing with them, and give out backpacks and school supplies.  Several of the children were very happy to have new backpacks of their own for the upcoming school year.

In the evening, after a delicious meal (an old family recipe) prepared by Tricia Wittman-Todd from St. Mary's, the teens gathered in their groups for the annual skit night tradition.  They donned crazy costumes and entertained us all.  It looks like they're comfortable with one another at this point!  

The evening ended with a teen-led reflection where each person was asked to pick a song they feel expresses what we've experienced this week.  Selections included "Lean on Me", "Be Not Afraid", "One Sweet World", "Changes", and "Strawberry Fields" among others. 

Enjoy the photos and please continue to pray for us. 

Thursday was another busy day for us.  We spent the morning and afternoon split up into two separate groups.  Each group had one shift at the daycare center and one at a local, organic farm called River Song Farm.  At the daycare, one group played with the children and the other group worked on building a path near the play area.  At the farm, we did some weeding and got a small taste of what it's like to work in the fields.  We also got a tour of the farm, including where all of the animals are kept (a favorite of many of the teens).  We discussed as a group how important small, organic farms are for the environment, the community, and the lives of the migrant families.  As opposed to very large farming companies, farms like River Song do not pollute the environment or harm workers with dangerous pesticides.  Nor do they threaten to buy up land abroad or compete internationally; some of the causes of farmers in other countries losing their land and migrating to work on other people's farms.  We also learned about the Community Supported Agriculture model where local families can buy a 'farm share' and receive a portion of the produce from the farm each week.

In the evening, we shared a nice meal at a locally-owned taco truck and got a taste of authentic Mexican cooking.  Then we headed over to another migrant camp to celebrate Mass with the community.  We started with a procession around the camp, singing a song about the Virgen of Guadalupe, and inviting all to Mass.  The Mass was celebrated mostly in Spanish by a visiting Mexican priest, which gave us a sense of the universality of our Catholic faith.  After Mass, we shared watermelon and played with the kids. 

In our reflection that night, we were asked to share something that had 'clicked' for us this week or something that had really impacted us.  One participant shared that her grandfather had been a migrant worker and how this trip had helped her to feel more connected to her family's history.  Others shared about the impact the kids had made on them and about dire the poverty was that they were encountering.  All in all, it was a very good day.

Friday was our last day in Lynden.  We woke up a little later than normal to a beautiful, sunny day.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then got down to business cleaning up the church where we had stayed.  After cleaning and a quick lunch, we took some time to reflect on our week together.  We did a closing reflection activity where we were each asked to affirm another person in the group.  As we did this, we passed a rope from one person to another.  In the end, we had a web of affirmations that connected us all.  Doing this exercise, helped us to realize what each of us had brought to the group and what we had learned from one another.  The next step was to pass the rope back and share something that we were going to take home from this experience.  Answers included donating our possessions more often, being more open to other's perspectives, raising awareness, telling the story of what we've seen, and being more grateful.  To end the reflection, we each cut off a piece of the rope to wear as a bracelet/necklace and keep as a reminder of the week we had together.

Thanks to all who have followed our week and to all who made it possible through your generous donations!