Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Two

Today has been full.  Starting at 4am this morning and working until 11am in the fields.  Our two wonderful cooks (from St. Margaret's) made us breakfast and all the youth and volunteers were up and out the door by 4:45.  Not sure how we made that happen but I'm sure all the parents reading this are impressed!  We were met at the fields by Salvador (pictured below with two of the youth from St. Margaret's) who spoke with the youth about the life of migrant workers in the Skagit Valley area and how they are up at this time daily doing the work we were about to do.  He was also gracious to let our youth experience this work, while we got to help Salvador by pulling rows and rows of weeds.

We had a lot of great conversations around the corn and squash and tomatillos about our gratitude for the privileges we have to simply sleep in, go to school, and get an education that leaves us with choices when we graduate.  Leaving us grateful for the work that La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección Day Camp is doing to help prepare children and youth for their upcoming school year, so that they don't get behind in their classes.  With the realization of how fortunate we are, we challenged them to begin thinking the rest of the week about how they could shift their hearts and their minds back to the one's we are here to serve.  Too often, mission trips and other encounters with communities in need simply become object lessons for learning about ourselves.  We encouraged our youth to think this week about how they can use their privilege and good fortune in service to others.

The youth worked hard today in the early morning until the sun started to heat up the day.  They were also able to build relationships through break times and conversing while picking weeds.  Did I mention that it is also beautiful here during sunrise? 

After lunch we had some downtime and then left to go swimming in a nearby lake.  The youth had a great time bonding while swimming, playing cards, and reading.  It was clear that everyone was exhausted from the early morning wake-up, but managed to play and relax well.  We ended our evening with journal time, small groups, and compline.  It was a great time for final reflections on how we were touched by our early morning and our work in the fields.  Many youth recalled being surprised that there hands were still hurting from their work this morning and by how many weeds one field can have.  This was not easy work, but it helped us understand why it also so important that the Day Camp offers time of play and fun for the children.

Tomorrow we will spend the day with La Iglesia de la Resurrección Day Camp at a water park.   We are looking forward to being around the people who live in Skagit Valley, hopefully learning some about their lives, while playing along side of the them.   May we continue to be open to God as he reveals himself to us through the workings and people of Skagit Valley.