Saturday, April 23, 2016
We're home!
It's Saturday night and we're all home safe and sound! We hope you enjoyed our blog and invite you all to share in worship, lead by us, on Sunday May 8th. Come hear first hand about the work we did and the people we met. Blessings to you!
Friday, April 22, 2016
Day 6: Saying Goodbye
It's the last day we spend in DC before heading back to CT. We spent the day with CASA, an organization that provides services for immigrants. We toured one of their welcome centers and met with immigrants to hear their stories of travel from Africa, Latin America and Asia to the US in search of safety, opportunity and the American Dream. Late in the morning we gathered with a group of approximately 100 people and gathered outside of the Supreme Court as they weigh a decision on Obama's Executive Order regarding deportations (DACA+ and DAPA). Together we celebrated our country's immigrant history and heard firsthand about the reasons why they came and their experiences as immigrants to the United States.
We closed with reflections affirmations, ice cream and a couple tears as the bag packing started. Tomorrow morning we get back in the vans and begin the journey home. Well wishes to all!
In the evening we talked about what we had learned and how we had grown together as a community.
Learning about immigration reform and the pending DACA and DAPA court cases at a Teach-in with CASA
United We Dream was there too! Student Power!
Classroom assistants - on vacation week!
It was a multi-lingual kind of day.
Andrew captures his moment with the microphone
Felix is an immigrant from Cameroon who now works for CASA
We love willing volunteers like Sara!
We closed with reflections affirmations, ice cream and a couple tears as the bag packing started. Tomorrow morning we get back in the vans and begin the journey home. Well wishes to all!
In the evening we talked about what we had learned and how we had grown together as a community.
Learning about immigration reform and the pending DACA and DAPA court cases at a Teach-in with CASA
United We Dream was there too! Student Power!
Classroom assistants - on vacation week!
It was a multi-lingual kind of day.
Andrew captures his moment with the microphone
Felix is an immigrant from Cameroon who now works for CASA
We love willing volunteers like Sara!
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Day 5: Checking out the DC Scene
Dear Friends,
Team 1 woke up early at 6 am, packed our lunches and headed over to CASA in Hyattsville, MD. At the site, we were initially introduced to the facility and the services that they offer, including a job training lab. We also sat in on an language class where we introduced ourselves and got to do some one on one time and speak with the class members and help them practice their English while preparing for job interviews and hearing their immigration stories.
Meanwhile, Teams 2 and 3 had the opportunity to work at DC Central Kitchen. There were various stations, where the mission trippers chopped veggies, made eggs and ravioli, and cut 650 lb of chicken. We worked alongside a group of adult volunteers from a non-profit in VA and they were really neat. After working, we enjoyed a meal cooked by the chefs at DC Central Kitchen.
We regathered at Washington Seminar Center where we broke into two groups, with half the students renting bikes to explore the National Mall and visit monuments, while the rest explored the zoo, which had adorable pandas.
For dinner we were invited as guests to The United Church, a bilingual Methodist/UCC church, where we met the pastors, ate dinner with the collegiate congregants and took part in a contemporary reflection and worship. One of the pastors was German and lead us in german prayers. After worship we began writing the service we will lead on May 8. Tomorrow we all head to CASA to continue our work with immigrants.
Biking the monuments!
Boys at the Zoo
Worship planning for our service May 8
Team 1 woke up early at 6 am, packed our lunches and headed over to CASA in Hyattsville, MD. At the site, we were initially introduced to the facility and the services that they offer, including a job training lab. We also sat in on an language class where we introduced ourselves and got to do some one on one time and speak with the class members and help them practice their English while preparing for job interviews and hearing their immigration stories.
Meanwhile, Teams 2 and 3 had the opportunity to work at DC Central Kitchen. There were various stations, where the mission trippers chopped veggies, made eggs and ravioli, and cut 650 lb of chicken. We worked alongside a group of adult volunteers from a non-profit in VA and they were really neat. After working, we enjoyed a meal cooked by the chefs at DC Central Kitchen.
We regathered at Washington Seminar Center where we broke into two groups, with half the students renting bikes to explore the National Mall and visit monuments, while the rest explored the zoo, which had adorable pandas.
For dinner we were invited as guests to The United Church, a bilingual Methodist/UCC church, where we met the pastors, ate dinner with the collegiate congregants and took part in a contemporary reflection and worship. One of the pastors was German and lead us in german prayers. After worship we began writing the service we will lead on May 8. Tomorrow we all head to CASA to continue our work with immigrants.
Gretta gives her Prayer Shawl away to William at DC Central Kitchen
Chop 1000 of these please
The zoo!
Worship with The United Church
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Day 4: It's Scatterday!
Stardate 93906.03
Today was the long awaited scatterday! Three composite groups scurried off at three different times to three different work sites. One group, composite team two, woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 o-clock in the morning to drive over to CASA in Rockville, Maryland. After touring the site and meeting some clients at an English class, they worked with the smiling staff of CASA to hand out fliers for employment to a nearby neighborhood in order to help new immigrants find a job. Composite team three went back to Clagett farm to plant rows of zucchini, tomatoes and lettuce. They learned more about the workers and the work that they do on the farm. Unfortunately, they could not pay another visit to the sheep, but they made it up with a well deserved trip to Burrito Brothers. Finally, composite team one, which ended up being the normal team one, got to venture onto the renowned public transportation of the DC metro system and work at DC Central Kitchen. They spent the day chopping vegetables and making cabbage puns. When they finally did leaf ;) they took a trip to the Botanical Gardens and Holocaust Museum.
We got a special treat tonight after the marvelous dinner prepared by team one. The care packages were distributed, which led to a bean boozled battle of the taste buds. Brave mission trippers volunteered to risk the barf jelly bean for hilarious laughs for all.
All, in all, it was an amazing day full of sunny skies, deep conversations, and jelly beans.
Another great day at Clagett Farm
Our adults have some occasional childish mo ments
Today was the long awaited scatterday! Three composite groups scurried off at three different times to three different work sites. One group, composite team two, woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 o-clock in the morning to drive over to CASA in Rockville, Maryland. After touring the site and meeting some clients at an English class, they worked with the smiling staff of CASA to hand out fliers for employment to a nearby neighborhood in order to help new immigrants find a job. Composite team three went back to Clagett farm to plant rows of zucchini, tomatoes and lettuce. They learned more about the workers and the work that they do on the farm. Unfortunately, they could not pay another visit to the sheep, but they made it up with a well deserved trip to Burrito Brothers. Finally, composite team one, which ended up being the normal team one, got to venture onto the renowned public transportation of the DC metro system and work at DC Central Kitchen. They spent the day chopping vegetables and making cabbage puns. When they finally did leaf ;) they took a trip to the Botanical Gardens and Holocaust Museum.
We got a special treat tonight after the marvelous dinner prepared by team one. The care packages were distributed, which led to a bean boozled battle of the taste buds. Brave mission trippers volunteered to risk the barf jelly bean for hilarious laughs for all.
All, in all, it was an amazing day full of sunny skies, deep conversations, and jelly beans.
Another great day at Clagett Farm
Serving at DC Central Kitchen - a favorite from our last mission trip to DC!
Some students visited the Holocaust Museum, and spoke with 2 Holocaust Survivors
Dinner time is always popular
Everyone gets in on the evening fun
Wednesday is Care Package Day!
Our adults have some occasional childish mo ments
Day 3: Tuesday is all about Refugees
Dear Friends,
After a long hot day on the farm Monday, we were all looking forward to a more laid back job on Tuesday. We headed over the Potomac River into Falls Church, Virginia to visit Lutheran Social Services. We learned that their office in Falls Church housed a handful of staff who processed more than 550 refugees a year, 2-3 families every single week. They provide help finding jobs, learning English, registering for school, finding a doctor, setting up an apartment and more. Most of the refugees resettling in the DC area are Afghani or Iraqi, and have connections to the U.S. military or U.S. foreign aid operations in those countries. Our group split into teams which organized a storage container full of donated kitchen items, sorted clothing, toys and linens, and some students even got to help set up apartments with furniture and meet the refugee families who were moving in.
In the afternoon, we left VA and went back to the Washington Seminar Center, where we took it easy, laid low and played games together. We had a special First Church guest join us for dinner and our programming time (Shout out to Amy Grove!), and then we went for an evening walk of the Mall.
Tomorrow is Scatterday! Teams are breaking up and heading out to 3 different work sites - back to Clagett Farm, to DC Central Kitchen and to CASA. The CASA folks have to be up at 6 AM, so some people are heading to bed early. Blessings on your day and think of us tomorrow!
We had a First Church Guest join us. Even the adults get to have some fun on a Mission Trip
After a long hot day on the farm Monday, we were all looking forward to a more laid back job on Tuesday. We headed over the Potomac River into Falls Church, Virginia to visit Lutheran Social Services. We learned that their office in Falls Church housed a handful of staff who processed more than 550 refugees a year, 2-3 families every single week. They provide help finding jobs, learning English, registering for school, finding a doctor, setting up an apartment and more. Most of the refugees resettling in the DC area are Afghani or Iraqi, and have connections to the U.S. military or U.S. foreign aid operations in those countries. Our group split into teams which organized a storage container full of donated kitchen items, sorted clothing, toys and linens, and some students even got to help set up apartments with furniture and meet the refugee families who were moving in.
In the afternoon, we left VA and went back to the Washington Seminar Center, where we took it easy, laid low and played games together. We had a special First Church guest join us for dinner and our programming time (Shout out to Amy Grove!), and then we went for an evening walk of the Mall.
Tomorrow is Scatterday! Teams are breaking up and heading out to 3 different work sites - back to Clagett Farm, to DC Central Kitchen and to CASA. The CASA folks have to be up at 6 AM, so some people are heading to bed early. Blessings on your day and think of us tomorrow!
Cleaning the Storage Pod - Before
Cleaning the Storage Pod - After
Jackie and Erin sort baby clothing at Lutheran Social Services
Our move-in team helps bring furniture to a Refugee Resettlement apartment
Working with a smile!
Razan and Kathy from Lutheran Social Services explain the refugee resettlement process
Bernie's Bridge Builders work hard on dinner
Shepherd's Pie for Dinner!
Our evening walk to the Capitol was beautiful
Monday, April 18, 2016
Day 2 - Farm Work at Clagett
The day started with a 7:00 wake up, toast, English muffins, and cereal. After a short drive we arrived at Clagett Farm. While waiting for the last van to arrive a small game of frisbee started up. It ended up becoming a game with almost everyone joining in. Once everyone was there we all walked up to one of the smaller barns on the top of the hill and met Rob, one of the workers who showed us our task. That task happened to be filling up 3 gallon buckets up with dirt and planting small maple and sycamore trees that will eventually be planted along the banks of streams and rivers in nearby states to prevent erosion from flooding pollutants and trash going into the river. We had two large hay wagons filled with 25% mulch and 75% potting soil for the pots we would be filling. Two groups worked at one wagon and one group worked at the other. The groups made quick work of each wagon and they had to be filled 8 times. More than 1000 saplings were planted, after a few small mishaps with the local bees and wasps. Throughout the day we got to tour the property and met the sheep. Two lambs of the herd decided to play and snuggle with a few select members of the group while the boys herded the remaining sheep around the pasture. After a short lesson on the benefits of grass-fed life stock we hiked back to the hot vans and headed back home.
The Justice League prepared dinner and after we ate a few students made their way down to the Capitol to watch sunset on the mall. The weather is warm and sunny (in the 90s today), and the trees are in full blossom. During our program time tonight, we talked about the challenges that face migrant farm workers, learned about Cesar Chavez, and talked about how to survive on farm worker wages.
Tomorrow we head to Lutheran Social Services to help refugees resettle in the United States! It should be less dirty, but still lots of heavy lifting. Thanks for your prayers and support!
Afternoon Planting - Before
Afternoon Planting - After
These trees will help protect our rivers and streams!
Gretta gets down with some sheep
Lunch Break is the best time of day
The Justice League prepared dinner and after we ate a few students made their way down to the Capitol to watch sunset on the mall. The weather is warm and sunny (in the 90s today), and the trees are in full blossom. During our program time tonight, we talked about the challenges that face migrant farm workers, learned about Cesar Chavez, and talked about how to survive on farm worker wages.
Tomorrow we head to Lutheran Social Services to help refugees resettle in the United States! It should be less dirty, but still lots of heavy lifting. Thanks for your prayers and support!
Afternoon Planting - Before
Afternoon Planting - After
These trees will help protect our rivers and streams!
Gretta gets down with some sheep
Lunch Break is the best time of day
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Day 1: The Journey to DC
Dear family and friends,
Day one was a success, every one got from g-bury to our new home for the week in DC. Everyone enjoyed the 6 hour car ride. Time went by fast while we sang songs and bonded to get to know all the strangers in the vans. We all arrived in DC around 5:30 and got to sit in the parking lot for around 30 minutes while Andrew had to contact the church for the combo for the lock to get inside. We had a nice little party while the time passed. Once everyone got settled in our new home half the group went grocery shopping and got a whopping 5 carts of food and the other half walked to the capital building and watched the sunset, which was very pretty and walked back. By the time we got back it was around 8:30 and we got some volunteers to go get pizza and salad for dinner. we finished the night off with a group meeting, taking about what we are going to do and rules and all that boring stuff and team building activities. Lights were out at 12:00 alarms were set and every one can't wait to get up and help make a difference and help out tomorrow at Claggett Farm!
Road Tripping is Awesome!
Sunset over DC
Day one was a success, every one got from g-bury to our new home for the week in DC. Everyone enjoyed the 6 hour car ride. Time went by fast while we sang songs and bonded to get to know all the strangers in the vans. We all arrived in DC around 5:30 and got to sit in the parking lot for around 30 minutes while Andrew had to contact the church for the combo for the lock to get inside. We had a nice little party while the time passed. Once everyone got settled in our new home half the group went grocery shopping and got a whopping 5 carts of food and the other half walked to the capital building and watched the sunset, which was very pretty and walked back. By the time we got back it was around 8:30 and we got some volunteers to go get pizza and salad for dinner. we finished the night off with a group meeting, taking about what we are going to do and rules and all that boring stuff and team building activities. Lights were out at 12:00 alarms were set and every one can't wait to get up and help make a difference and help out tomorrow at Claggett Farm!
Kate, David, and our children Commission the Mission Trippers!
Getting Ready to Depart after being commissioned
Parking Lot Party! Patience is a virtue
Dinnertime is the best part of the day
We the Pizza!
We get a little weird after 8 hours in a van.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)