During the second and third full days of the Migrant Project, the youth participants have completely lived into our ministry’s slogan of “Pouring our lives out for others, and finding life in doing so.” 
 
Tuesday brought us to the Tri Parish Food Bank, located on site at St. Charles.  The participants dived into a myriad of projects aimed at organizing and preparing the food bank for its opening on Wednesday.  We began by sorting through boxes and boxes of donated vegetables and fruit, trying to salvage as much as possible for distribution.  Some members went to work building piñatas for the evening fiesta at two of the local migrant camps.  Some tore cloth to make cleaning rags for the camps.  Others scooped beans and flour into individual bags.  Then, the big truck pulled up, filled to the brim with food and supplies from the Skagit Food Distribution Center.  All of us came together to unload the goods, forming assembly lines to quickly transport items into the food bank. 
 
That evening, we filled our vans with ice cream, juice, and treats and departed for the migrant camps where we engaged in a lively fiesta.  The participants began meeting the migrant children, offering piggy back rides and engaging in soccer.  Jump ropes were busted out and smiles were everywhere.  Eventually, we began to serve ice cream and watermelon.  Heaven on earth becomes possible in situations like this!
 
Wednesday proved to be the most tiring, yet fulfilling day.  We began by making sandwiches for the migrant children.  We then returned to the camps and served lunch, complete with fruit, juice, toys, and treats.  Special connections were established over games of Frisbee and tag, etc.  One migrant family graciously invited us to visit their home, a small, single-room, humble dwelling without a formal kitchen or bathroom.  We learned that 14 people called this small space home.  The mattress set we had loaded the day before was now situated in their living room.  A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was prominently displayed and we learned how she had appeared to the home’s patriarch during a severe accident that nearly took his life.  Now they honor her with a statue encased in glass.   Something seemed to shift for all of us at this stage in the game.  When it was time to say goodbye, it was difficult to walk away from the children.  Thankfully, our time apart would be brief. 
 
Once back at the parish, the frenzy to set up for the food bank began.  Food was set out in an orderly fashion, clothes were carried out to large tarps on the field, arts & crafts were arranged for the children, and an entire dinner was prepared for all our guests.  At 3:00, the food bank opened as crowds of migrant families and other neighbors converged on the property.  And the marathon began.  St. James youth worked long and hard.  Some worked the food lines, greeting our guests and ensuring that they received what they needed.  Others served as runners, helping guests to carry their groceries to the car.  And others prepared and served dinner to each and every person who attended.  I can’t begin to tell you how much my heart swelled with joy in observing the participants interacting with the migrant community.  They lovingly served meals, hauled supplies, and played with children.  And as we all sat down to share in a meal together, I was struck, once again, by a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven.     
 
Meanwhile, as the event went on, several migrant workers and owners of Sakuma Bros. Farm assembled at St. Charles for additional negotiations, this time with Federal mediators.  Hopefully, the peaceful and justice-filled gathering occurring in their midst somehow helped to soften hearts. 
 
At the end of the event, we learned that we had served over 400 people.  And, in doing so, we honored the human dignity of all our guests and communed as equals.  It was a beautiful evening, one that reflects the call of Pope Francis to be a Church that is for and with the poor…a poor Church.  Speaking of Pope Francis, we concluded our evening with an amazing presentation on the similarities of St. Francis and Pope Francis as presented by Franciscan Sister, Christine Still.  And – as always – no day would be complete without a silly game for the sake of communal enjoyment.  Tonight’s selection?  Zombies vs. Humans.  It doesn’t get much better than that…
 
Thank you for your continued prayers as we move into the home stretch.

AUGUST 2

The Migrant Project is wrapping up.  It has proven to be a meaningful and educational experience, one that will hopefully inspire some sort of action or internal change on the part of our participants.  The project climaxed with a Mass celebrated in a smaller migrant camp located near La Conner.  We began with a procession throughout the entire camp and then enjoyed a bilingual liturgy in between the humble dwellings.  In the background, pinned to the wall, were the daily tallies of fruit picked.  The price per pound has dropped to 27 cents.  Participants were saddened as we did the math and learned the daily salaries, particularly in light of recent tactics employed by farm owners, sending ambiguous security officials to the camps to intimidate migrants into working.  Given the harsh context, the singing and communal prayers of the Mass were a welcome addition.  Participants then served dinner and ice cream before playing with children, visiting migrant homes, and connecting with the people.  It was a beautiful evening.
 
In regard to final thoughts, I thought it might be nice to hear some reflections from the participants themselves.  Here are some selections from their journals:
 
“This week has helped me empathize with the migrant workers even more than I thought it would.  The inability to take a shower every day and even the inconvenient sleeping conditions, having to sleep on the floor, has made an impact on my overall comfort level.  So I have barely even scratched the surface of the discomfort these workers are experiencing.  However, seeing and interacting with the children, as always, was good.  It gave me a positive outlook.  Even with the terrible living conditions these kids are faced with, they still have enormous smiles on their faces.  They ran, played games, joked, and talked without a care in the world, just like any other ‘normal’ kid I’ve met.  It really shows how little these kids take for granted.  And whatever I can do to keep that spirit alive in them, I’ll do it! They are the future of their communities.”
 
--Payton, 17-years-old
 
 
“During this past week at the Migrant Project, I’ve learned a lot about the limitations of the migrant workers.  For example, they don’t have sick leave.  This week, I haven’t been feeling the best, so when I went to make scarves for the children to use during winter and weeded outside the food bank, I had a real bad headache and sore throat and I couldn’t even bend over to pull a plant out of the ground.  So I have given these migrant workers great sympathy because I had the chance to lay down and rest whereas migrant workers can’t afford to lay down, take a break, or leave their work because they NEED to bring home money, even if it’s only $27 dollars a day.” 
 
--Alexis, 17-years-old
 
 
(Reflections reprinted with permission)
 
As you can see, the project has certainly made an impact.  Tomorrow, we will engage in the closing ceremonies and then the REAL work will begin: the work of setting goals and deciding how to collectively respond to the injustices we have encountered up close and personal.  Our hope is that this project is simply a beginning…
 
There is much yet to be done!  Thankfully, our brand new youth ministry program provides a forum for our relationships and justice work to continue growing.  Ideas are already flowing from the participants about ways to support the migrant community from home.  The Migrant Project may be ending, but our work is far from done.

Thank you for all your prayers and support during our week of service.