Thursday Blog
This day was pretty fantastic! Hahaha today we really had to kick it into gear with what needed to get done. We still need the second coat of paint on the outside of the house as well as the eves and all the trim, plus the lattice. We have lots to accomplish and it would mean the world for Bonita (the lady we are helping) if we could get it all done tomorrow. However this week was really good!! When we first got to the res we met Bonita and her daughter, along with the neighbor dog Cowboy. He was sweet…then there was it, the most annoying kitty of my life, hard to paint around it with the constant meowing and always being around. I feel really glad and accomplished for the work that was done this week. I am so glad that I came this week!!
Miranda Hruby
This week, I have been working on the reservation on a lady named Bonita’s house. Our main jobs were to weed the yard, paint the house, and fix the roof, part of which had been destroyed in a recent storm. Because I know next to nothing about roofs, I have been focusing on the first two jobs. On Monday, I learned that weeding can actually be fun (mom, dad, you can ignore this part). The feeling of pulling out a huge weed is awesome! The rest of the week thus far has been spent on painting, which I also did not know much about previously. Going into the job, I figured it would take maybe 2 days to complete painting the outside of the house. This was a huge underestimate because we have been painting all day since Tuesday, and we still have lots to finish tomorrow. However, we have all been working hard to get it done, and hopefully it will be by the end of tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Bonita’s reaction to the finished house!
Jessica Hendricks
Tough day today, painted a lot had a Mexican fiesta and danced wearing a sombrero! Tomorrow is Friday wooooohoooo. I’m going to miss Bonita she is a great women and I’m happy I helped rebuild her house. Oh yeah and I have to cook pancakes on Saturday not looking forward to that. I had a fun week see you Saturday after noon.
Blake Cerna
Getting close to wrapping up a wonderful week on my first ever Mission, I have enjoyed working with the kids so much. They are truly amazing. Our site has had some pretty difficult work including pulling weeds in the hot sun, painting the exterior of the house and repairing the roof. The kids have an amazing willingness to try new things and work tirelessly all while keeping things fun and light. I know they work hard, because every day on our 1 hour ride home, they fall asleep after about 5 minutes (all of them). Thank God for diet Coke. Yesterday, I took my first ‘ice blocking’ trip down a large grass hill at a park nearby. I really enjoyed the ride. That was kind of symbolic of the whole trip. Took a chance and had a great thrill.
Steve Redmond
I love being here with our St. Stephen’s teens. They are amazing, fun, generous, loving and hard- working young people. Sharing this experience with them is one of God’s greatest graces. I hope and pray this week has transformed their lives, renewed their faith and filled their hearts with love.
La paz, Debbie Dullenty
It’s been slow these past couple of days, as you can tell I missed blogging yesterday. Wednesday was “Hump Day” at camp. Everyone is exhausted from the constant routine of session, work, dinner and session. How the camp handles such a beaten and week crew is by taking everyone to the Park and Swimming Pool for some R&R (Rest and Relaxation). Now it is Thursday and everyone is feeling the effects from yesterday. Everyone is waking up late; evident by the “early bird” crew (& adults) I drink coffee with at the table. However, everyone is fresh and ready to take on another challenge. For Team Oui!, we spent the morning at Lowell’s house waiting for a shipment of lumber and prepping for another ramp we were to make for the day. (Our group is doing an extra because we finished our three ramps ahead of schedule). We met a wonderful woman named Mardella, who was the sweetest lady. Again, we finished the ramp again in time. I want to say thank you to my sponsors. To my family, I love you. To Pam (for making me type at super speeds). Finally to my friend Kelly, who is following me, Thank You and high!
Edelmar Navaluna
This year’s Mission trip has been, once again, one of the best weeks of my life. I’m working with my mom, Pam, and Debbie at the ramp site. Our team has succeeded in building two two-day ramps in one day each, and we’ve gotten really good at working as a team to finish each ramp at a fast pace while still putting all our effort into making them look good. Today we met a woman who lived alone and whose family lived far away from her. She loved talking to all of us and shared a bit of her life with us. She talked to me about her family and how she is so proud of all of them. I’ve also connected really well with the people on my team, and also with Lowell, the man who helps us with our ramps. He’s a man with very good graces and shares his humor and wisdom with us. I’m sad that this week is coming to an end, but it makes everything worth it when I look back and think about each person’s smiling face as they took in what we did for them.
Brittany Redmond
I finally get to blog again because yesterday, we had mass with Father Ed so there was no time for blogging for anyone. I’m still thoroughly enjoying my Mission trip though. Sessions, prayers, and meals are getting better and better with each passing day. This also applies to work on the reservation as crews continue to accomplish greater tasks. For our group on the reservation, more painting, trimming, and porch repairs progress further into satisfactory results. If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure everyone is developing a sense of accomplishment. Today was Culture Day and we celebrated the Mexican culture with a fiesta for dinner and a dancing performance.
Overall, today was another pretty good day. I’m glad that Rick and Fr. Ed could make it down to visit us here. Again, I’d like to say that I’m blessed to have such a great group. They have all been maker my time here in Yakima a lot of fun as well as easier for me when it comes to work. Their support and openness allows me to be able to step outside of my comfort zone to become a little bit more social towards others. But I’d like to quickly thank everyone that has supported me on this trip as well as those who have allowed me to go on Mission. I thank you all! Mission allows me to grow in faith together with everyone as I learn more about God’s relationship with us. We are quickly approaching the end of the week and I look forward to a faithful and meaningful conclusion.
-Kenny Pham
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Week one Mission 2011
I have always wished I was a morning person, but I just don’t think it is in the cards for me. It is difficult, to say the least, for me to stay focused and enthusiastic when I have woken up at 6:50. When we first arrived at our job site to build ramps this morning, I stood in the background while our leaders happily greeted the family. The minute I met the two young children of the family, though, I immediately had more energy and a big smile. I really felt God’s grace when I looked at the kids talking and laughing. It feels just as good to put in hours of work to transform their lives as it does to make them smile. I now realize that an opportunity to change lives is worth waking up at any hour.
-Savannah Linders
When just coming back from dance camp where I got minimal sleep and then waking up at 3 in the morning to arrive to Yakima, I wasn’t exactly super stoked to be up and moving. However, I ended up having a blast. Our first day on site went well. We got a whole ramp done. It was amazing to see their faces when they saw our completed work and we could see the man come out of his house with no problem. I am very blessed to be working with the amazing teens and leaders that I am. Two years ago this elderly man named Jim spoke one night during prayer and really moved me. By the end of his speech I was balling my eyes out. He said he might not even be here the next year. The church Holy Spirit is here and they brought Jim. I was so happy to see him here, and I can certainly feel God’s presence when I see Jim here. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week has for our team and to reach out to others that are in need.
-Briana Jackson
Yakima has been a great experience that I will never forget. We started off the journey with a relatively short drive but with minimal space to move. When we got to the sight I met the people that run the place and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, full of love and laughter. The first day we did not do any work besides set up and get to know each other. I have met some wonderful teens and adults that just seem so spiritual. We played basketball the first night where after I felt like one hundred degrees and had puddles of sweat dripping off of me. I was told stories of all the cold showers that everyone has to take but they fixed the showers and only the guys got hot showers and they felt good. On Monday morning, our first work day, it started off slow but then we got in Debby’s car where she was blasting music so loud that air was coming out of the speakers. When we got done working on the ramp that day the man seemed so happy that people were willing to help him. It seemed to have brought joy to his life and seems that it will continue to make an impact on his and his family for the rest of their lives. That was my favorite part of the day/trip, to see the smile on the person’s face because what is life about if you are not smiling and having a good time. I cannot wait to help more people to make a difference in the world and know that my work is meaningful.
-Connor Relph
Coming back to mission for my fourth and final year feels so good! I have more energy here than I have for the past 4 weeks combined. My enthusiasm may have been a little bit much for the first day because I all really wanted to do was play football and shoot hoops. I was happy to have a good workout that day, but that combined with being out of shape and sleeping on the ground made me very sore for the first work day. That day was a slow start because we were delayed and most of us were rookies when it came to actually building the ramps. But Lowelle, who has been like a Sherpa to us, has been so great and easy to work with and we finished the project very quickly. I’m currently blogging from the 2nd site but it is looking as though we are going to be finishing it today event though it was scheduled to be a 2 day project! I am so proud of my team and I love them like family because we get along so great and I know that I will be able to count on them for anything. The main highlights so far from today would probably be us working so well as a unit and just all the funny stories we can tell and just make each other laugh and make it not even seem like work. That’s my update for now, I’ll make sure to have at least one more update this week if not more. I was objective about writing this blog at first because I have no stock holders to check up on me, but it is really nice to just let out how I feel no matter how many people see it.
‘till next time- Luke Kemper
Today my team and I busted through another ramp successfully. The first one we completed yesterday was a mini warm-up compared to the one we completed today. Everyone worked together so well today because we actually knew what we were doing with our experiences from yesterday. We were all able to efficiently work together and construct a much bigger ramp in the same amount of time. I love the feeling you get when you see the final product of something, knowing that you were a part of the creation of it. It is amazing to know that we made something out of nothing. My favorite part of our day at the worksite is when we see the reactions on the people’s faces we helped. To see their bright smiles and the great joy they have makes all of the work in the Yakima heat worthwhile (even though today started off raining!). I’m so proud of my group and how much we can accomplish and change someone’s life in just one day. I can’t wait to see what wonderful experiences the rest of this week will bring!
Love, Alexa Brandt
Have you ever washed a car? Well I’ve washed a house. Mission has been a TON of work so far. And after trimming hundreds if irises, I discovered that I will never become a gardener.
Today I met a veteran. His name is Loren. He has one leg and is blind in one eye. This makes it almost impossible to clean. So you can guess how long it took me and the 3 other girls in my group to clean out the kitchen! I was in charge of the sink, which had about 2.5 inches of mold/slime that had the consistency of rust. I had to use a piece of metal to scrape out the entire sink. It took me two hours.
What struck me the most today was seeing how successful, accomplished, heroic and athletic Loren had been in the old days and how he ended up in a mobile home that hadn’t seen a sponge in years and restricted to his wheelchair and magnifying machine to see.
This is why I am here. To bring back love and hope into the lives of the people I meet. Can’t wait for the rest of the week to unfold.
Love,
Elizabeth Rodland
Today was an eye-opening experience for me at Mission. First and foremost, it rained…It RAINED in Yakima. According to the newspaper I read yesterday it was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the week. Instead, it was about 60 and raining….it got me a little homesick. Besides from the weather, our team (now titled Team OY!...OIU…oyi?). Either way it spelled, we arrived at our site for today, about to tackle what was supposed to be a two day project. Immediately everyone got settled in, bringing out their drills, unloading wood from Lowell’s trailer, and ready for the word. As we worked, we had done so with such speed, applying quickly what we had learned from yesterday. By the time it was lunch, the ramp was about 90% finished. The team had clicked. I think it was because of the two children. I believe it was Pam who said, that it was the two little children who gave us the added inspiration to work today, besides from the man (believe his name was Omega…An awesome name) we were helping build the ramp for. The children were there watching us from time to time, interested and excited to see us. It brought joy to me for sure. What also brought joy to me was that Lowell was shocked at how efficient we were in the project. The ramp that was supposed to take two days, we finished in one. How we finished the ramp was a miracle. We began to run out on everything. One by one the drills became to die from all the work. The full can of paint, so became a puddle and the wood, short and worries that we may not finish. But we pulled through. The scraps, casted aside became nearly a perfect fit. Every last drop of paint became salvaged to touch up unpainted areas. How that ramp was finished spoke to me.
Nothing is ever perfect, there will odds and ends, loose pieces that at first have no value, but in the end may or will make a huge difference.
It also became a sign to me that this team was special. We all may be different…but we make something special…a family. I want to say thank you to my sponsors and to my family I love you all. Edelmar Navaluna
Here’s a brief summary of my day here at Mission:
• Wake up early to rain to get ready for breakfast and send-off to work
• Arrive at work site to apply primer to the outside of the house
• Come back to the program site for other sessions and prayer
• Have dinner and a simulation game of “trying to get a meal for the day”
o I got to be a police officer, had to arrest people for bad behavior
• Formulated plan for tomorrow
• Lights out
This was a very, very brief summary of what I did today on Mission. I know that I was called by God to serve here in Yakima. I also feel very fortunate to have this as my first year (despite the ridiculous rain) along with my team and work site. I love you all and I’ll blog later. See you tomorrow Mom and Dad!
-Kenny Pham
(Helloooooo! So I love St. Stephens and I just found out about your guys blog thing, and I wanted to let you know, it is SO COOL. Well what a great program you guys run ( Love, your favorite straggler from Holy Spirit, (which I will probably switch to St. Stephens hehe, Kimmie))
-Savannah Linders
When just coming back from dance camp where I got minimal sleep and then waking up at 3 in the morning to arrive to Yakima, I wasn’t exactly super stoked to be up and moving. However, I ended up having a blast. Our first day on site went well. We got a whole ramp done. It was amazing to see their faces when they saw our completed work and we could see the man come out of his house with no problem. I am very blessed to be working with the amazing teens and leaders that I am. Two years ago this elderly man named Jim spoke one night during prayer and really moved me. By the end of his speech I was balling my eyes out. He said he might not even be here the next year. The church Holy Spirit is here and they brought Jim. I was so happy to see him here, and I can certainly feel God’s presence when I see Jim here. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week has for our team and to reach out to others that are in need.
-Briana Jackson
Yakima has been a great experience that I will never forget. We started off the journey with a relatively short drive but with minimal space to move. When we got to the sight I met the people that run the place and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, full of love and laughter. The first day we did not do any work besides set up and get to know each other. I have met some wonderful teens and adults that just seem so spiritual. We played basketball the first night where after I felt like one hundred degrees and had puddles of sweat dripping off of me. I was told stories of all the cold showers that everyone has to take but they fixed the showers and only the guys got hot showers and they felt good. On Monday morning, our first work day, it started off slow but then we got in Debby’s car where she was blasting music so loud that air was coming out of the speakers. When we got done working on the ramp that day the man seemed so happy that people were willing to help him. It seemed to have brought joy to his life and seems that it will continue to make an impact on his and his family for the rest of their lives. That was my favorite part of the day/trip, to see the smile on the person’s face because what is life about if you are not smiling and having a good time. I cannot wait to help more people to make a difference in the world and know that my work is meaningful.
-Connor Relph
Coming back to mission for my fourth and final year feels so good! I have more energy here than I have for the past 4 weeks combined. My enthusiasm may have been a little bit much for the first day because I all really wanted to do was play football and shoot hoops. I was happy to have a good workout that day, but that combined with being out of shape and sleeping on the ground made me very sore for the first work day. That day was a slow start because we were delayed and most of us were rookies when it came to actually building the ramps. But Lowelle, who has been like a Sherpa to us, has been so great and easy to work with and we finished the project very quickly. I’m currently blogging from the 2nd site but it is looking as though we are going to be finishing it today event though it was scheduled to be a 2 day project! I am so proud of my team and I love them like family because we get along so great and I know that I will be able to count on them for anything. The main highlights so far from today would probably be us working so well as a unit and just all the funny stories we can tell and just make each other laugh and make it not even seem like work. That’s my update for now, I’ll make sure to have at least one more update this week if not more. I was objective about writing this blog at first because I have no stock holders to check up on me, but it is really nice to just let out how I feel no matter how many people see it.
‘till next time- Luke Kemper
Today my team and I busted through another ramp successfully. The first one we completed yesterday was a mini warm-up compared to the one we completed today. Everyone worked together so well today because we actually knew what we were doing with our experiences from yesterday. We were all able to efficiently work together and construct a much bigger ramp in the same amount of time. I love the feeling you get when you see the final product of something, knowing that you were a part of the creation of it. It is amazing to know that we made something out of nothing. My favorite part of our day at the worksite is when we see the reactions on the people’s faces we helped. To see their bright smiles and the great joy they have makes all of the work in the Yakima heat worthwhile (even though today started off raining!). I’m so proud of my group and how much we can accomplish and change someone’s life in just one day. I can’t wait to see what wonderful experiences the rest of this week will bring!
Love, Alexa Brandt
Have you ever washed a car? Well I’ve washed a house. Mission has been a TON of work so far. And after trimming hundreds if irises, I discovered that I will never become a gardener.
Today I met a veteran. His name is Loren. He has one leg and is blind in one eye. This makes it almost impossible to clean. So you can guess how long it took me and the 3 other girls in my group to clean out the kitchen! I was in charge of the sink, which had about 2.5 inches of mold/slime that had the consistency of rust. I had to use a piece of metal to scrape out the entire sink. It took me two hours.
What struck me the most today was seeing how successful, accomplished, heroic and athletic Loren had been in the old days and how he ended up in a mobile home that hadn’t seen a sponge in years and restricted to his wheelchair and magnifying machine to see.
This is why I am here. To bring back love and hope into the lives of the people I meet. Can’t wait for the rest of the week to unfold.
Love,
Elizabeth Rodland
Today was an eye-opening experience for me at Mission. First and foremost, it rained…It RAINED in Yakima. According to the newspaper I read yesterday it was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the week. Instead, it was about 60 and raining….it got me a little homesick. Besides from the weather, our team (now titled Team OY!...OIU…oyi?). Either way it spelled, we arrived at our site for today, about to tackle what was supposed to be a two day project. Immediately everyone got settled in, bringing out their drills, unloading wood from Lowell’s trailer, and ready for the word. As we worked, we had done so with such speed, applying quickly what we had learned from yesterday. By the time it was lunch, the ramp was about 90% finished. The team had clicked. I think it was because of the two children. I believe it was Pam who said, that it was the two little children who gave us the added inspiration to work today, besides from the man (believe his name was Omega…An awesome name) we were helping build the ramp for. The children were there watching us from time to time, interested and excited to see us. It brought joy to me for sure. What also brought joy to me was that Lowell was shocked at how efficient we were in the project. The ramp that was supposed to take two days, we finished in one. How we finished the ramp was a miracle. We began to run out on everything. One by one the drills became to die from all the work. The full can of paint, so became a puddle and the wood, short and worries that we may not finish. But we pulled through. The scraps, casted aside became nearly a perfect fit. Every last drop of paint became salvaged to touch up unpainted areas. How that ramp was finished spoke to me.
Nothing is ever perfect, there will odds and ends, loose pieces that at first have no value, but in the end may or will make a huge difference.
It also became a sign to me that this team was special. We all may be different…but we make something special…a family. I want to say thank you to my sponsors and to my family I love you all. Edelmar Navaluna
Here’s a brief summary of my day here at Mission:
• Wake up early to rain to get ready for breakfast and send-off to work
• Arrive at work site to apply primer to the outside of the house
• Come back to the program site for other sessions and prayer
• Have dinner and a simulation game of “trying to get a meal for the day”
o I got to be a police officer, had to arrest people for bad behavior
• Formulated plan for tomorrow
• Lights out
This was a very, very brief summary of what I did today on Mission. I know that I was called by God to serve here in Yakima. I also feel very fortunate to have this as my first year (despite the ridiculous rain) along with my team and work site. I love you all and I’ll blog later. See you tomorrow Mom and Dad!
-Kenny Pham
(Helloooooo! So I love St. Stephens and I just found out about your guys blog thing, and I wanted to let you know, it is SO COOL. Well what a great program you guys run ( Love, your favorite straggler from Holy Spirit, (which I will probably switch to St. Stephens hehe, Kimmie))
Week 2 Mission 2011
Many lessons, many smiles, many friends, many miles
to live our Mission we are called
and thou Yakima is behind us
we have vowed not to leave this Mission in Yakima.
We have learned about living simply,
We have learned about the Amserican Bishops and Catholic social teaching,
we have learned about sacrifice some by ourselves
and we have learned about great perserverance by those we serve.
Let us remind each other to live our Mission a little each month and not leave this great experience behind!
Thanks all for energizing me,
Rick Ryan
to live our Mission we are called
and thou Yakima is behind us
we have vowed not to leave this Mission in Yakima.
We have learned about living simply,
We have learned about the Amserican Bishops and Catholic social teaching,
we have learned about sacrifice some by ourselves
and we have learned about great perserverance by those we serve.
Let us remind each other to live our Mission a little each month and not leave this great experience behind!
Thanks all for energizing me,
Rick Ryan
Friday July 29, Mission week 2
Friday, Yakima, week two, 2011
So today we went and cleaned out three different peoples homes. When we went to the first place the little thirteen year old boy asked to kiss both me and charlotte. (we said no) then we had gone to shirley’s home and she had just gone through a series of surgeries and was not able to upkeep her yard, so I went to town with the ho. The women had a grandson who was involved in a gang so she had basically taken in his daughter like one of her own. She was the kind of woman who was not physically capable of watching us work she still was doing whatever she could with the use of one arm. By time that we had left her other grandson had even started to pitch in with the weeding. The last place w3e had gone was to this elder woman’s home, her name was Anna and she baked us cookies. By that time we had all been really used to the heat and we just wanted to get the job done. I haven definitely taken a lot from this experience especially since after four years I will not be returning to young neighbors. Every summer this has been the thing I look forward to and it will be sad to not come back. I hope that in the future I will be welcome to come back as a leader because this has been one of my favorite high school experiences.
Morgan Boyle
As a first comer to mission this year I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was a little excited but more nervous. I expected this to be a not so fun week and be strictly work and prayer, which was part of it but I got a lot more out of this than I had expected. This was one of the hardest weeks of my summer but one of the most memorable. I’ve never worked so hard in my life but had so much fun doing it. Sure there were some highs and lows in each day but every day was worth it. My group really made this a great week for me and pushed me through my low moments. We did a lot of yard work and painting this week which was a little challenging with the weather. Yesterday we helped a lady named Amanda and she really inspired me, I stayed inside and did basic cleaning because she had heart and other health problems which prevented her from doing them herself, she had to be one of the sweetest people, we had some great conversations. I’d have to say this was by favorite memory from summer so far.
Madison Cloyd
So today we went and cleaned out three different peoples homes. When we went to the first place the little thirteen year old boy asked to kiss both me and charlotte. (we said no) then we had gone to shirley’s home and she had just gone through a series of surgeries and was not able to upkeep her yard, so I went to town with the ho. The women had a grandson who was involved in a gang so she had basically taken in his daughter like one of her own. She was the kind of woman who was not physically capable of watching us work she still was doing whatever she could with the use of one arm. By time that we had left her other grandson had even started to pitch in with the weeding. The last place w3e had gone was to this elder woman’s home, her name was Anna and she baked us cookies. By that time we had all been really used to the heat and we just wanted to get the job done. I haven definitely taken a lot from this experience especially since after four years I will not be returning to young neighbors. Every summer this has been the thing I look forward to and it will be sad to not come back. I hope that in the future I will be welcome to come back as a leader because this has been one of my favorite high school experiences.
Morgan Boyle
As a first comer to mission this year I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was a little excited but more nervous. I expected this to be a not so fun week and be strictly work and prayer, which was part of it but I got a lot more out of this than I had expected. This was one of the hardest weeks of my summer but one of the most memorable. I’ve never worked so hard in my life but had so much fun doing it. Sure there were some highs and lows in each day but every day was worth it. My group really made this a great week for me and pushed me through my low moments. We did a lot of yard work and painting this week which was a little challenging with the weather. Yesterday we helped a lady named Amanda and she really inspired me, I stayed inside and did basic cleaning because she had heart and other health problems which prevented her from doing them herself, she had to be one of the sweetest people, we had some great conversations. I’d have to say this was by favorite memory from summer so far.
Madison Cloyd
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday
Hey there! Sammi here.I have not blogged all week and I'm sorry. Then again I do not know anyone who actually reads this. Maybe Debbie and Barb! Well hello. Today was cultural night and there was some amazing dancers. We had to learn how to tie a bow with a partner with your feet. On Monday there was a thunderstorm in White Swan. If anyone remembers that town was destroyed with a fire. Only 3 homes where rebuilt but we are started working on a different house with a lot of white paint. Today was a paint war. Our site spilt in half then we had another team join us. Paint war was started and some people got paint five starred by me. Poor kitty we met. It was so SKINNY! I feel so bad for the little thing. It was probably only two pounds. I hope I get to see grandma again. I knew she really liked me. But our group did spilt in half. I guess I should just give her a letter with some good bye words and my contact information. Tomorrow is our last day doing service. I'm going to miss everyone here... I always hate leaving and there are only a few people from the other churches that actually come back. I think I'm more rambling that actually blogging. I got some footage on the vloggging Flip Camera though. Gotta get our photos before we all leave. No one is apparently blogging anymore for the rest of the night and I don't even know what time it is anymore. I have washed my hair 7 times since this afternoon and there is still paint in my hair. By the way I would like to shout out to my Mom and Dad for their 20th anniversary. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you two. But, I'm here in spirit and call you when ever I can. They are getting mad that I am always texting the family though.. I find it rude when it's just family and a text here or there as we wait for others to get in the car. The adults are starting to organize the chairs. Maybe I need to get off of this...
Not many people are in the gym. I wish I brought my laptop so I could finish my book. I need to start to get back to work..
I wonder how this will go. I do want to keep my prayers for Father Brian and for all of those we are ALL serving. Thank you to all of your have supported and funded us to be here. It truely is a once in the life time experience.
Much love all the way from Yakima,
Love
Sammi Nguyeb
Not many people are in the gym. I wish I brought my laptop so I could finish my book. I need to start to get back to work..
I wonder how this will go. I do want to keep my prayers for Father Brian and for all of those we are ALL serving. Thank you to all of your have supported and funded us to be here. It truely is a once in the life time experience.
Much love all the way from Yakima,
Love
Sammi Nguyeb
Greetings from Yakima!
Howdy! :)
It's been a long yet rewarding week so far, and the weather has been warm and sunny. I'm working around the city of Yakima doing various types of work, from weeding to housework. So far, we've been to six different sites in four days, and I think my entire group is running itself into the groud with how hard we've been working. Exhaustion is setting in as we face our final day of work, and I'm reminded that I have to say goodbye to all of my new friends I've met here at Holy Family and from those that I've made in my own work group. I cant beleive that this is my last mission. I'm definitely going to be sad to leave and I'm going to miss everyone!
With much love,
Kelcie Hollingsworth
It's been a long yet rewarding week so far, and the weather has been warm and sunny. I'm working around the city of Yakima doing various types of work, from weeding to housework. So far, we've been to six different sites in four days, and I think my entire group is running itself into the groud with how hard we've been working. Exhaustion is setting in as we face our final day of work, and I'm reminded that I have to say goodbye to all of my new friends I've met here at Holy Family and from those that I've made in my own work group. I cant beleive that this is my last mission. I'm definitely going to be sad to leave and I'm going to miss everyone!
With much love,
Kelcie Hollingsworth
Our Time in Yakima!
Hey there! This blog is brought to you by the people here at Yakima who are awesome enough to let all the teens blog and instantly let eveyone know whats up!
For the past week I have resided in a general maitinace group, which may sound boring and not very helpful, but some of the people we cleaned for truly could not keep the conditions of their house up to regular living standards by themselves. Thats where we came in, we vaccumed swept, weeded, mopped, wipped and sprayed our way through 6 sights.
One would think that doing all of this work, we would be the ones to bring hope to the people who we cleaned for. Instead they ended up being hope for us and the light that guided us through our long hot days. Even though many of them had smaller, messier homes than the kids here in Mission, they were always very welcoming and enthusiastic, encouraging and inspiring us to continue the work even though we were exhausted and sweaty.
Today I weeded more than i ever thought possible, but with every weed i added to the pile, i felt a sense of accomplishment and joy because i knew that this was all part of God's plan, even though it involved me getting tired and dirty.
I hope that myself and all the people here will continue this mission throughout their lives and be the light for their families and friends so that they will want to know the Lord.
With lots of love
From Casey Miller
For the past week I have resided in a general maitinace group, which may sound boring and not very helpful, but some of the people we cleaned for truly could not keep the conditions of their house up to regular living standards by themselves. Thats where we came in, we vaccumed swept, weeded, mopped, wipped and sprayed our way through 6 sights.
One would think that doing all of this work, we would be the ones to bring hope to the people who we cleaned for. Instead they ended up being hope for us and the light that guided us through our long hot days. Even though many of them had smaller, messier homes than the kids here in Mission, they were always very welcoming and enthusiastic, encouraging and inspiring us to continue the work even though we were exhausted and sweaty.
Today I weeded more than i ever thought possible, but with every weed i added to the pile, i felt a sense of accomplishment and joy because i knew that this was all part of God's plan, even though it involved me getting tired and dirty.
I hope that myself and all the people here will continue this mission throughout their lives and be the light for their families and friends so that they will want to know the Lord.
With lots of love
From Casey Miller
Thursday July 28
Today was most tiring. We had to do a whole bunch of yard work today and it felt like the motiviation of our team was a bit off. But even then we pulled our self together to get the work done. So far its been lots of fun being at Yakima and helping out with the people in need. This has been a great experiance as well for me.
-Paul
-Paul
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 26th
Hey everyone! Its Kelsey and i just wanted to let you know that its also my first year on mission and i'm having a great time. i was nervous coming here with no idea of what to expect, but its been a blast learning from the others. Everyone here is so friendly! I'm on the ramp-building team here and we all get to learn from the best, Lowell. He's amazing and has been helping us build ramps for people who really deserve them. Its a humbling experience and i'm enjoying every minute!
Kelsey Nolan
hi uh, Mary here. Mission 2011 is off to a splendid beginning! Its Tuesday and though we are all quite tired and somewhat sleep deprived the full experience is still taking place. Started off working with rain on Monday morning but the sunshine has returned. Running in the mornings, waking up at 5:30 can sound somewhat painful, but has turned out to be refreshing and a great start to the day. The beautiful scenery amongst Yakimas vast rolling hills and blue skies are nice to glance at. Days to go, and people already met it seems to be a successful year already. Digging deeper internally with shares of others is a wonderful part of the mission experience.
Love,
Mary Ryan
Hi everyone! Nathan here from the White Swan reservation in Yakama. To start off this year, I met up with some friends I met from the previous year, but quickly started getting to meet new people, which is a goal I always have for mission. On our site, the first house we were supposed to work at had to be pushed back to later this week because the weather conditions could not let us paint the outside of the house. After we talked it out, we went ahead and started to work on our second house, which wasn't too far from the first. When we got there, we were greeted by 3 dogs, and a few cats. The lady who we worked for was very friendly, and preferred that we call her "Grandma" or "Grammy". Throughout our work of pulling up the tiles and installing new cabinet doors, she baked us a carrot cake with almonds, cinnamon, and apples which we really enjoyed. I look forward to finishing up our job with Grandma, and am looking forward to our second house.
-Nathan Miller
Kelsey Nolan
hi uh, Mary here. Mission 2011 is off to a splendid beginning! Its Tuesday and though we are all quite tired and somewhat sleep deprived the full experience is still taking place. Started off working with rain on Monday morning but the sunshine has returned. Running in the mornings, waking up at 5:30 can sound somewhat painful, but has turned out to be refreshing and a great start to the day. The beautiful scenery amongst Yakimas vast rolling hills and blue skies are nice to glance at. Days to go, and people already met it seems to be a successful year already. Digging deeper internally with shares of others is a wonderful part of the mission experience.
Love,
Mary Ryan
Hi everyone! Nathan here from the White Swan reservation in Yakama. To start off this year, I met up with some friends I met from the previous year, but quickly started getting to meet new people, which is a goal I always have for mission. On our site, the first house we were supposed to work at had to be pushed back to later this week because the weather conditions could not let us paint the outside of the house. After we talked it out, we went ahead and started to work on our second house, which wasn't too far from the first. When we got there, we were greeted by 3 dogs, and a few cats. The lady who we worked for was very friendly, and preferred that we call her "Grandma" or "Grammy". Throughout our work of pulling up the tiles and installing new cabinet doors, she baked us a carrot cake with almonds, cinnamon, and apples which we really enjoyed. I look forward to finishing up our job with Grandma, and am looking forward to our second house.
-Nathan Miller
Tuesday July 26
This is my first year of mission and so far I am having a great time! The work we have done for the lady we have been helping has been hard and dirty but it has been worth it to see the thankfulness in her eyes. We have re-done her cabinets and painted her walls and I have learned to do a lot of new things. Not only has the work been great but the new people I have met and been bonding with has been so much fun! I hope the good times continue!
Molly Shiroishi
Molly Shiroishi
Well hello there, saying I feel like a blog is more of an impromptue, semi-formal, medium of communication I feel that the diction and sentance structure should be as such as well. So here we go, this is my first time at mission and I feel that it will certainly be a weekend to remember. Currently, I have one goal and that is to build at least one ramp a day. Its what I came here to do and its what I want to do, I find the extra reflection stuff tedius to be honest, I would rather spend the extra hours of reflection on starting the next ramp rather than on how I feel because I feel(ironic how I am talking about my feelings when I just said it wasn't about me) that that it would be a better use of my time. Though I guess I do understand why people find it necessary to reflect. Anyways this is getting lengthy and I don't want to be a blog-hog, therefore I hope that this trip results in many ramps built and many happy people.
DFTBA,(Don't Forget to be Awesome)
Andrew
DFTBA,(Don't Forget to be Awesome)
Andrew
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Week Two Ready to Launch!
Congratulations to the the teens and adults of week one for a fantastic week of faithful service! Blessings now for all headed out for week two! Watch this blog to follow their journey!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday's Blog
The one thing I have always been stumped on whenever I am writing, or blogging for that manner is the conclusion. The conclusion is meant to reflect and summarize what has been addressed on the introduction and in the main body. With that being said, this week of Mission has made me feel like one long essay being written. Sunday (the introduction) was hard. This is only my second year of Mission and I know what is to be expected now, but it still feels a little foreign in some senses. The body (Monday to Thursday) is usually the easiest part. We quickly learned how to construct a ramp under the guidance of Lowell; TEAM OUI had formed from an odd sound that Debbie had made and our team was not only able to complete all THREE of the ramps scheduled to us (Finished two day projects in one day) but also got to help Habitat for Humanity a little. All of this immersed with the overall bond our team had formed together. So it is hard to come up with a conclusion, not only in writing a paper but in a blog that I have invested my time in with the past two years. Now that it is Friday night and Saturday is just around the corner, it is hard summarizing an experience in just plain words. Not only have the team and I been working hard, but everyone at our church and BOTH Holy Spirit churches have worked hard and make the week even more special. Tonight we ended our group prayer session with a reflective circle, open to anyone who wanted to voice out their thoughts about their week. I being one of many have had gone and thanked everyone for being a part of this program. I think the worst part of writing a conclusion knows that the end is near. For the time being, it is for me. This is my LAST Year of Mission as a teenager.
So I would like to say the following. First and foremost I would like to Thank God for putting me on this Earth, to experience such a program and interact with great people. I would like to thank my Team Leaders of Team Oui, Pam and Debbie for being amazing, wonderful and caring people. They have truly made a difference in my life while at Mission and I mean that with the utmost sincerity and truthfulness. I would like to thank the rest of the group leaders Mike, Pat, Dan and Steve (...STEVE!) for taking the time out of their busy lives to be with us and help guide us in such an amazing program. I would like to thank EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS…for being just amazing individuals. It has been a great privilege to work with all of you and I will never forget any one of you. I would like to thank YNIA for hosting the program. Thank You St. Stephens integrating the program. Thank You to Kelly for following me this week on the blog. To my sponsors, thank you for supporting me in this Mission Trip. Last but certainly not least, my Mom. Thank You for supporting me in my faith and my life. I love you and I can’t wait to see you when I get home.
My last words are some from the great Frank Sinatra. When he sang “My Way” (hope I got the title right) he sang “Regrets, I had a few” I claim to not have any regrets…but so far I have only made one. That is, not being a part of Mission earlier, to be a 4 Year Veteran…because this is a great Program
Thank You
Edelmar Navaluna
Wow, this has been one of the most phenomenal weeks that I’ve ever had in the St. Stephens Life Teen youth group but I can’t believe that this week is just about over because it went by so quickly. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. Today was the last day for work and by the end of the day, I think our group at the reservation was very satisfied with the ending result (though incomplete). We had completed most of the trimming and the painting of the body of the house. Little weeding has been done but compared to the first work day, there has been a major improvement in the appearance and, hopefully, the living condition of the house. It was sad to leave Bonita, Brittany, and the site so early but we now have to give Week 2 a chance to work. To my surprise, I found out that we have a longer schedule. Tonight was a special, conclusive night where we reflected the week in one evening session. It special to all of us and the photo slideshow was a fitting end. I’ll see everyone one of you at home real soon because Mission is about to end.
-Kenny Pham
Wow mission week one is already over. All that time spent prepping and it was done in a blink of an eye. Well last year last night and all I have to say is that I can’t believe that it’s been four years of this. Mission has made me such a better person. Like I can’t even describe the impact coming on these trip has made for the past few years. This week we finished in three days what was supposed to take five days. I loved my group we clicked right away and were a good match to build these ramps. Other than that we had a very successful mission this year can’t wait to turn 21 to come again. Thanks for all the support from the leaders and all you who helped us in our community.
Griffin Boyle
This week has been incredible. The teens on our worksite are amazing. We have really connected as a team. Everyone works together so well. We have been very efficient in building ramps accomplishing much more than we had intended to. We have all become friends. We spend our day laughing together and helping each other out. Each teen jumps in and does whatever is asked of them and many times finds things on their own that need to be done and does it. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with each and every one of them.
Pam Redmond
So I would like to say the following. First and foremost I would like to Thank God for putting me on this Earth, to experience such a program and interact with great people. I would like to thank my Team Leaders of Team Oui, Pam and Debbie for being amazing, wonderful and caring people. They have truly made a difference in my life while at Mission and I mean that with the utmost sincerity and truthfulness. I would like to thank the rest of the group leaders Mike, Pat, Dan and Steve (...STEVE!) for taking the time out of their busy lives to be with us and help guide us in such an amazing program. I would like to thank EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS…for being just amazing individuals. It has been a great privilege to work with all of you and I will never forget any one of you. I would like to thank YNIA for hosting the program. Thank You St. Stephens integrating the program. Thank You to Kelly for following me this week on the blog. To my sponsors, thank you for supporting me in this Mission Trip. Last but certainly not least, my Mom. Thank You for supporting me in my faith and my life. I love you and I can’t wait to see you when I get home.
My last words are some from the great Frank Sinatra. When he sang “My Way” (hope I got the title right) he sang “Regrets, I had a few” I claim to not have any regrets…but so far I have only made one. That is, not being a part of Mission earlier, to be a 4 Year Veteran…because this is a great Program
Thank You
Edelmar Navaluna
Wow, this has been one of the most phenomenal weeks that I’ve ever had in the St. Stephens Life Teen youth group but I can’t believe that this week is just about over because it went by so quickly. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. Today was the last day for work and by the end of the day, I think our group at the reservation was very satisfied with the ending result (though incomplete). We had completed most of the trimming and the painting of the body of the house. Little weeding has been done but compared to the first work day, there has been a major improvement in the appearance and, hopefully, the living condition of the house. It was sad to leave Bonita, Brittany, and the site so early but we now have to give Week 2 a chance to work. To my surprise, I found out that we have a longer schedule. Tonight was a special, conclusive night where we reflected the week in one evening session. It special to all of us and the photo slideshow was a fitting end. I’ll see everyone one of you at home real soon because Mission is about to end.
-Kenny Pham
Wow mission week one is already over. All that time spent prepping and it was done in a blink of an eye. Well last year last night and all I have to say is that I can’t believe that it’s been four years of this. Mission has made me such a better person. Like I can’t even describe the impact coming on these trip has made for the past few years. This week we finished in three days what was supposed to take five days. I loved my group we clicked right away and were a good match to build these ramps. Other than that we had a very successful mission this year can’t wait to turn 21 to come again. Thanks for all the support from the leaders and all you who helped us in our community.
Griffin Boyle
This week has been incredible. The teens on our worksite are amazing. We have really connected as a team. Everyone works together so well. We have been very efficient in building ramps accomplishing much more than we had intended to. We have all become friends. We spend our day laughing together and helping each other out. Each teen jumps in and does whatever is asked of them and many times finds things on their own that need to be done and does it. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with each and every one of them.
Pam Redmond
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday Blogging
This day was pretty fantastic! Hahaha today we really had to kick it into gear with what needed to get done. We still need the second coat of paint on the outside of the house as well as the eves and all the trim, plus the lattice. We have lots to accomplish and it would mean the world for Bonita (the lady we are helping) if we could get it all done tomorrow. However this week was really good!! When we first got to the res we met Bonita and her daughter, along with the neighbor dog Cowboy. He was sweet…then there was it, the most annoying kitty of my life, hard to paint around it with the constant meowing and always being around. I feel really glad and accomplished for the work that was done this week. I am so glad that I came this week!!
Miranda Hruby
This week, I have been working on the reservation on a lady named Bonita’s house. Our main jobs were to weed the yard, paint the house, and fix the roof, part of which had been destroyed in a recent storm. Because I know next to nothing about roofs, I have been focusing on the first two jobs. On Monday, I learned that weeding can actually be fun (mom, dad, you can ignore this part). The feeling of pulling out a huge weed is awesome! The rest of the week thus far has been spent on painting, which I also did not know much about previously. Going into the job, I figured it would take maybe 2 days to complete painting the outside of the house. This was a huge underestimate because we have been painting all day since Tuesday, and we still have lots to finish tomorrow. However, we have all been working hard to get it done, and hopefully it will be by the end of tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Bonita’s reaction to the finished house!
Jessica Hendricks
Tough day today, painted a lot had a Mexican fiesta and danced wearing a sombrero! Tomorrow is Friday wooooohoooo. I’m going to miss Bonita she is a great women and I’m happy I helped rebuild her house. Oh yeah and I have to cook pancakes on Saturday not looking forward to that. I had a fun week see you Saturday after noon.
Blake Cerna
Getting close to wrapping up a wonderful week on my first ever Mission, I have enjoyed working with the kids so much. They are truly amazing. Our site has had some pretty difficult work including pulling weeds in the hot sun, painting the exterior of the house and repairing the roof. The kids have an amazing willingness to try new things and work tirelessly all while keeping things fun and light. I know they work hard, because every day on our 1 hour ride home, they fall asleep after about 5 minutes (all of them). Thank God for diet Coke. Yesterday, I took my first ‘ice blocking’ trip down a large grass hill at a park nearby. I really enjoyed the ride. That was kind of symbolic of the whole trip. Took a chance and had a great thrill.
Steve Redmond
I love being here with our St. Stephen’s teens. They are amazing, fun, generous, loving and hard- working young people. Sharing this experience with them is one of God’s greatest graces. I hope and pray this week has transformed their lives, renewed their faith and filled their hearts with love.
La paz, Debbie Dullenty
It’s been slow these past couple of days, as you can tell I missed blogging yesterday. Wednesday was “Hump Day” at camp. Everyone is exhausted from the constant routine of session, work, dinner and session. How the camp handles such a beaten and week crew is by taking everyone to the Park and Swimming Pool for some R&R (Rest and Relaxation). Now it is Thursday and everyone is feeling the effects from yesterday. Everyone is waking up late; evident by the “early bird” crew (& adults) I drink coffee with at the table. However, everyone is fresh and ready to take on another challenge. For Team Oui!, we spent the morning at Lowell’s house waiting for a shipment of lumber and prepping for another ramp we were to make for the day. (Our group is doing an extra because we finished our three ramps ahead of schedule). We met a wonderful woman named Mardella, who was the sweetest lady. Again, we finished the ramp again in time. I want to say thank you to my sponsors. To my family, I love you. To Pam (for making me type at super speeds). Finally to my friend Kelly, who is following me, Thank You and high!
Edelmar Navaluna
This year’s Mission trip has been, once again, one of the best weeks of my life. I’m working with my mom, Pam, and Debbie at the ramp site. Our team has succeeded in building two two-day ramps in one day each, and we’ve gotten really good at working as a team to finish each ramp at a fast pace while still putting all our effort into making them look good. Today we met a woman who lived alone and whose family lived far away from her. She loved talking to all of us and shared a bit of her life with us. She talked to me about her family and how she is so proud of all of them. I’ve also connected really well with the people on my team, and also with Lowell, the man who helps us with our ramps. He’s a man with very good graces and shares his humor and wisdom with us. I’m sad that this week is coming to an end, but it makes everything worth it when I look back and think about each person’s smiling face as they took in what we did for them.
Brittany Redmond
Out of my three years working with Young Neighbors in Action, I have never gotten as much work done as I have this year. Along with adults: Pat and Dan (a.k.a. Dat Pan) and friends: Elizabeth R., Jenn, Christine, Sean, Tim and Vince working hard in the city, we are getting more accomplished then I had imagined. Over the course of these 4 days we have worked all around the city doing hard labor such as deep cleaning the kitchen, working in the bathroom, and painting an entire home. Aside of the hard work we all contribute to, during our lunch break and at the evening session, we talk about our individual experiences in a religious point of view to understand why we choose to serve those less fortunate. Back at home, I am blessed with some fortunes that some people in the Yakima don’t necessarily have. I personally enjoy doing work like this because God has blessed me with so much that the least I can do is to help those less fortunate. As my last year attending Young Neighbors in Action, I hope I can take what I have learned over the years here, and take it back home and serve God by helping others.
Elizabeth Buslon
This whole week, our group has completed a lot of work. We worked today at an apartment and did a basic spring cleaning. Yesterday we painted a home in the hot sun with some help from previous graduates Matt and Katie. We ended up finishing early and I got a huge nap. It was good to get some extra sleep in the middle of a hardworking week. This week has been a great experience and I feel like we have accomplished a lot. Last year I worked out on the reservation with one family all week. This week I have already worked with 4 different families. It feels great to have the experience of helping multiple people during the week.
Sean Michael Redmond
The first site we went to was interesting. We had to get rid of things like debris and he was willing to pay for the dump run. By the end of the day when we had finished everything, he was really happy and his wife didn’t even recognize their home. Our second home, we visited a veteran and he seemed like hope was all gone. He had one eye and was going into surgery within the next week. He has one leg and the other leg does not even fit him well. He was so happy to see the progress we had made that day as we pretty much cleaned his whole house. He was very satisfied and liked to talk to us about what he has done in the past. My team has been great and we have gotten a lot of work done. I am proud to be in the group that I am in because this is my last year I can do this before I become a chaperone. I feel like with most teams the work we have been doing has gone through a lot of progress. Most of the groups would take most of the week to do the work that we have done.
Vince Kenny Nguyen
This week has been a fun and challenge filled week. The first day we worked at was Ron and Deanne’s house. We cleaned and then a couple days later painted the outside of their house. Ron did not show much emotion but when we finished painting you could definitely see how happy he was. It was amazing to be able to put that smile on their face for them and give them a whole new perspective on their home. The second day we worked at veteran named Loren’s home. He was very intelligent but he had lost a leg, had one eye and in had cataracts in his only working eye. It was cool to be able to clean for such an accomplished man. His house was in pretty bad shape but we cleaned so much that if I had to live there I could do it and not feel dirty. Hopefully, I can take these experiences and lessons and keep working to extend my faith and knowledge in God and life.
Timothy Robert Denby
The teens on Dan’s and my team have been exceptionally inspiring this week. Dan and I are just team members, the teens have taken the initiative to find tasks to accomplish, whether it is painting cleaning or yard work. The work has been hard and grungy at times, but everyone is taking ownership of their tasks and doing a fantastic job to make the environment they are working in the best it can be. They have also done a great job of showing their love to the men and women we have been called to serve. They are truly taking the teachings of Catholic Social Justice and putting them into practice on our sites. I am proud of the teens I have been working with and all of the St. Stephen’s teens participating in YNIA at Yakima this week.
Patrick Flanigan
Mission—a seven letter word, short, and simple to understand but a difficult task to fulfill. Seeing that this is my third year participating in the Young Neighbors in Action program, it has always been an exciting journey worth going through. I have gained and built several friendships, especially with my team—Dan and Pat (my leaders), and Lizzie, Christine, Elizabeth, Tim, Sean, and Vince. These eight people are full of spirit, hard work, and generosity. I’m glad to have created memories with them in this year’s Yakima Mission. Aside from making friends, the hot sun and cool breeze fit well with all of the tasks we were given, such as cleaning two houses in the inside and cleaning one house on the outside, followed by painting. Although the smell of each task was unbearable, the outcome was phenomenal. I’m VERY proud of my team, but most of all myself. This is because before the take-off to YNIA, I never truly appreciated the cleaning my parents have done and ordered me to do. “Wash the dishes! Sweep the floor! Wipe the counters!” The demands may be irritating, but those little chores do so much for my home. And finally, I thank God for all the events and people he has sent my way, because if he hadn’t loved me so much, I wouldn’t be here to serve others and myself; I wouldn’t have found my “happy place”. I’ve learned so much from this year’s Mission, and I’m sad to know that the end of the week is in just two days. I can’t wait to come back next summer! God bless.
By: Jennifer Marie Ciriaco
“Get’r done” that was the slogan of one of the churches. I think that this describes exactly what you do on mission – or at least with our group. I was so proud of what he did in such a short time. Our site this year was not just one but multiple sites. We have scrubbed floors, scrapped ovens, shampooed floors, trimmed irises, washed houses and painted. So far we have been able to touch the lives of 4 different households. I must say, my household cleaning skills have improved and so has my stomach for different strong smells.. I feel blessed to have a chance to change these people’s lives. I am grateful for the chance to get away from life back in Seattle and work with friends to give back to those less fortunate or in need. I enjoy working with everyone on tasks. I have had a great time so far and I’m sure the next few days will be great also. I am reminded of the simple joys in giving back from the gratitude we are given by those we have helped. This experience makes me grateful for my family and the people around me. Also, I am so happy to have a clean house to come home to. I look forward to next year
Christine Baker
Miranda Hruby
This week, I have been working on the reservation on a lady named Bonita’s house. Our main jobs were to weed the yard, paint the house, and fix the roof, part of which had been destroyed in a recent storm. Because I know next to nothing about roofs, I have been focusing on the first two jobs. On Monday, I learned that weeding can actually be fun (mom, dad, you can ignore this part). The feeling of pulling out a huge weed is awesome! The rest of the week thus far has been spent on painting, which I also did not know much about previously. Going into the job, I figured it would take maybe 2 days to complete painting the outside of the house. This was a huge underestimate because we have been painting all day since Tuesday, and we still have lots to finish tomorrow. However, we have all been working hard to get it done, and hopefully it will be by the end of tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Bonita’s reaction to the finished house!
Jessica Hendricks
Tough day today, painted a lot had a Mexican fiesta and danced wearing a sombrero! Tomorrow is Friday wooooohoooo. I’m going to miss Bonita she is a great women and I’m happy I helped rebuild her house. Oh yeah and I have to cook pancakes on Saturday not looking forward to that. I had a fun week see you Saturday after noon.
Blake Cerna
Getting close to wrapping up a wonderful week on my first ever Mission, I have enjoyed working with the kids so much. They are truly amazing. Our site has had some pretty difficult work including pulling weeds in the hot sun, painting the exterior of the house and repairing the roof. The kids have an amazing willingness to try new things and work tirelessly all while keeping things fun and light. I know they work hard, because every day on our 1 hour ride home, they fall asleep after about 5 minutes (all of them). Thank God for diet Coke. Yesterday, I took my first ‘ice blocking’ trip down a large grass hill at a park nearby. I really enjoyed the ride. That was kind of symbolic of the whole trip. Took a chance and had a great thrill.
Steve Redmond
I love being here with our St. Stephen’s teens. They are amazing, fun, generous, loving and hard- working young people. Sharing this experience with them is one of God’s greatest graces. I hope and pray this week has transformed their lives, renewed their faith and filled their hearts with love.
La paz, Debbie Dullenty
It’s been slow these past couple of days, as you can tell I missed blogging yesterday. Wednesday was “Hump Day” at camp. Everyone is exhausted from the constant routine of session, work, dinner and session. How the camp handles such a beaten and week crew is by taking everyone to the Park and Swimming Pool for some R&R (Rest and Relaxation). Now it is Thursday and everyone is feeling the effects from yesterday. Everyone is waking up late; evident by the “early bird” crew (& adults) I drink coffee with at the table. However, everyone is fresh and ready to take on another challenge. For Team Oui!, we spent the morning at Lowell’s house waiting for a shipment of lumber and prepping for another ramp we were to make for the day. (Our group is doing an extra because we finished our three ramps ahead of schedule). We met a wonderful woman named Mardella, who was the sweetest lady. Again, we finished the ramp again in time. I want to say thank you to my sponsors. To my family, I love you. To Pam (for making me type at super speeds). Finally to my friend Kelly, who is following me, Thank You and high!
Edelmar Navaluna
This year’s Mission trip has been, once again, one of the best weeks of my life. I’m working with my mom, Pam, and Debbie at the ramp site. Our team has succeeded in building two two-day ramps in one day each, and we’ve gotten really good at working as a team to finish each ramp at a fast pace while still putting all our effort into making them look good. Today we met a woman who lived alone and whose family lived far away from her. She loved talking to all of us and shared a bit of her life with us. She talked to me about her family and how she is so proud of all of them. I’ve also connected really well with the people on my team, and also with Lowell, the man who helps us with our ramps. He’s a man with very good graces and shares his humor and wisdom with us. I’m sad that this week is coming to an end, but it makes everything worth it when I look back and think about each person’s smiling face as they took in what we did for them.
Brittany Redmond
Out of my three years working with Young Neighbors in Action, I have never gotten as much work done as I have this year. Along with adults: Pat and Dan (a.k.a. Dat Pan) and friends: Elizabeth R., Jenn, Christine, Sean, Tim and Vince working hard in the city, we are getting more accomplished then I had imagined. Over the course of these 4 days we have worked all around the city doing hard labor such as deep cleaning the kitchen, working in the bathroom, and painting an entire home. Aside of the hard work we all contribute to, during our lunch break and at the evening session, we talk about our individual experiences in a religious point of view to understand why we choose to serve those less fortunate. Back at home, I am blessed with some fortunes that some people in the Yakima don’t necessarily have. I personally enjoy doing work like this because God has blessed me with so much that the least I can do is to help those less fortunate. As my last year attending Young Neighbors in Action, I hope I can take what I have learned over the years here, and take it back home and serve God by helping others.
Elizabeth Buslon
This whole week, our group has completed a lot of work. We worked today at an apartment and did a basic spring cleaning. Yesterday we painted a home in the hot sun with some help from previous graduates Matt and Katie. We ended up finishing early and I got a huge nap. It was good to get some extra sleep in the middle of a hardworking week. This week has been a great experience and I feel like we have accomplished a lot. Last year I worked out on the reservation with one family all week. This week I have already worked with 4 different families. It feels great to have the experience of helping multiple people during the week.
Sean Michael Redmond
The first site we went to was interesting. We had to get rid of things like debris and he was willing to pay for the dump run. By the end of the day when we had finished everything, he was really happy and his wife didn’t even recognize their home. Our second home, we visited a veteran and he seemed like hope was all gone. He had one eye and was going into surgery within the next week. He has one leg and the other leg does not even fit him well. He was so happy to see the progress we had made that day as we pretty much cleaned his whole house. He was very satisfied and liked to talk to us about what he has done in the past. My team has been great and we have gotten a lot of work done. I am proud to be in the group that I am in because this is my last year I can do this before I become a chaperone. I feel like with most teams the work we have been doing has gone through a lot of progress. Most of the groups would take most of the week to do the work that we have done.
Vince Kenny Nguyen
This week has been a fun and challenge filled week. The first day we worked at was Ron and Deanne’s house. We cleaned and then a couple days later painted the outside of their house. Ron did not show much emotion but when we finished painting you could definitely see how happy he was. It was amazing to be able to put that smile on their face for them and give them a whole new perspective on their home. The second day we worked at veteran named Loren’s home. He was very intelligent but he had lost a leg, had one eye and in had cataracts in his only working eye. It was cool to be able to clean for such an accomplished man. His house was in pretty bad shape but we cleaned so much that if I had to live there I could do it and not feel dirty. Hopefully, I can take these experiences and lessons and keep working to extend my faith and knowledge in God and life.
Timothy Robert Denby
The teens on Dan’s and my team have been exceptionally inspiring this week. Dan and I are just team members, the teens have taken the initiative to find tasks to accomplish, whether it is painting cleaning or yard work. The work has been hard and grungy at times, but everyone is taking ownership of their tasks and doing a fantastic job to make the environment they are working in the best it can be. They have also done a great job of showing their love to the men and women we have been called to serve. They are truly taking the teachings of Catholic Social Justice and putting them into practice on our sites. I am proud of the teens I have been working with and all of the St. Stephen’s teens participating in YNIA at Yakima this week.
Patrick Flanigan
Mission—a seven letter word, short, and simple to understand but a difficult task to fulfill. Seeing that this is my third year participating in the Young Neighbors in Action program, it has always been an exciting journey worth going through. I have gained and built several friendships, especially with my team—Dan and Pat (my leaders), and Lizzie, Christine, Elizabeth, Tim, Sean, and Vince. These eight people are full of spirit, hard work, and generosity. I’m glad to have created memories with them in this year’s Yakima Mission. Aside from making friends, the hot sun and cool breeze fit well with all of the tasks we were given, such as cleaning two houses in the inside and cleaning one house on the outside, followed by painting. Although the smell of each task was unbearable, the outcome was phenomenal. I’m VERY proud of my team, but most of all myself. This is because before the take-off to YNIA, I never truly appreciated the cleaning my parents have done and ordered me to do. “Wash the dishes! Sweep the floor! Wipe the counters!” The demands may be irritating, but those little chores do so much for my home. And finally, I thank God for all the events and people he has sent my way, because if he hadn’t loved me so much, I wouldn’t be here to serve others and myself; I wouldn’t have found my “happy place”. I’ve learned so much from this year’s Mission, and I’m sad to know that the end of the week is in just two days. I can’t wait to come back next summer! God bless.
By: Jennifer Marie Ciriaco
“Get’r done” that was the slogan of one of the churches. I think that this describes exactly what you do on mission – or at least with our group. I was so proud of what he did in such a short time. Our site this year was not just one but multiple sites. We have scrubbed floors, scrapped ovens, shampooed floors, trimmed irises, washed houses and painted. So far we have been able to touch the lives of 4 different households. I must say, my household cleaning skills have improved and so has my stomach for different strong smells.. I feel blessed to have a chance to change these people’s lives. I am grateful for the chance to get away from life back in Seattle and work with friends to give back to those less fortunate or in need. I enjoy working with everyone on tasks. I have had a great time so far and I’m sure the next few days will be great also. I am reminded of the simple joys in giving back from the gratitude we are given by those we have helped. This experience makes me grateful for my family and the people around me. Also, I am so happy to have a clean house to come home to. I look forward to next year
Christine Baker
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday Mission
I have always wished I was a morning person, but I just don’t think it is in the cards for me. It is difficult, to say the least, for me to stay focused and enthusiastic when I have woken up at 6:50. When we first arrived at our job site to build ramps this morning, I stood in the background while our leaders happily greeted the family. The minute I met the two young children of the family, though, I immediately had more energy and a big smile. I really felt God’s grace when I looked at the kids talking and laughing. It feels just as good to put in hours of work to transform their lives as it does to make them smile. I now realize that an opportunity to change lives is worth waking up at any hour.
-Savannah Linders
When just coming back from dance camp where I got minimal sleep and then waking up at 3 in the morning to arrive to Yakima, I wasn’t exactly super stoked to be up and moving. However, I ended up having a blast. Our first day on site went well. We got a whole ramp done. It was amazing to see their faces when they saw our completed work and we could see the man come out of his house with no problem. I am very blessed to be working with the amazing teens and leaders that I am. Two years ago this elderly man named Jim spoke one night during prayer and really moved me. By the end of his speech I was balling my eyes out. He said he might not even be here the next year. The church Holy Spirit is here and they brought Jim. I was so happy to see him here, and I can certainly feel God’s presence when I see Jim here. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week has for our team and to reach out to others that are in need.
-Briana Jackson
Yakima has been a great experience that I will never forget. We started off the journey with a relatively short drive but with minimal space to move. When we got to the sight I met the people that run the place and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, full of love and laughter. The first day we did not do any work besides set up and get to know each other. I have met some wonderful teens and adults that just seem so spiritual. We played basketball the first night where after I felt like one hundred degrees and had puddles of sweat dripping off of me. I was told stories of all the cold showers that everyone has to take but they fixed the showers and only the guys got hot showers and they felt good. On Monday morning, our first work day, it started off slow but then we got in Debbie’s car where she was blasting music so loud that air was coming out of the speakers. When we got done working on the ramp that day the man seemed so happy that people were willing to help him. It seemed to have brought joy to his life and seems that it will continue to make an impact on his and his family for the rest of their lives. That was my favorite part of the day/trip, to see the smile on the person’s face because what is life about if you are not smiling and having a good time. I cannot wait to help more people to make a difference in the world and know that my work is meaningful.
-Connor Relph
Coming back to mission for my fourth and final year feels so good! I have more energy here than I have for the past 4 weeks combined. My enthusiasm may have been a little bit much for the first day because I all really wanted to do was play football and shoot hoops. I was happy to have a good workout that day, but that combined with being out of shape and sleeping on the ground made me very sore for the first work day. That day was a slow start because we were delayed and most of us were rookies when it came to actually building the ramps. But Lowell, who has been like a Sherpa to us, has been so great and easy to work with and we finished the project very quickly. I’m currently blogging from the 2nd site but it is looking as though we are going to be finishing it today event though it was scheduled to be a 2 day project! I am so proud of my team and I love them like family because we get along so great and I know that I will be able to count on them for anything. The main highlights so far from today would probably be us working so well as a unit and just all the funny stories we can tell and just make each other laugh and make it not even seem like work. That’s my update for now, I’ll make sure to have at least one more update this week if not more. I was objective about writing this blog at first because I have no stock holders to check up on me, but it is really nice to just let out how I feel no matter how many people see it.
‘till next time- Luke Kemper
Today my team and I busted through another ramp successfully. The first one we completed yesterday was a mini warm-up compared to the one we completed today. Everyone worked together so well today because we actually knew what we were doing with our experiences from yesterday. We were all able to efficiently work together and construct a much bigger ramp in the same amount of time. I love the feeling you get when you see the final product of something, knowing that you were a part of the creation of it. It is amazing to know that we made something out of nothing. My favorite part of our day at the worksite is when we see the reactions on the people’s faces we helped. To see their bright smiles and the great joy they have makes all of the work in the Yakima heat worthwhile (even though today started off raining!). I’m so proud of my group and how much we can accomplish and change someone’s life in just one day. I can’t wait to see what wonderful experiences the rest of this week will bring!
Love, Alexa Brandt
Have you ever washed a car? Well I’ve washed a house. Mission has been a TON of work so far. And after trimming hundreds if irises, I discovered that I will never become a gardener.
Today I met a veteran. His name is Loren. He has one leg and is blind in one eye. This makes it almost impossible to clean. So you can guess how long it took me and the 3 other girls in my group to clean out the kitchen! I was in charge of the sink, which had about 2.5 inches of mold/slime that had the consistency of rust. I had to use a piece of metal to scrape out the entire sink. It took me two hours.
What struck me the most today was seeing how successful, accomplished, heroic and athletic Loren had been in the old days and how he ended up in a mobile home that hadn’t seen a sponge in years and restricted to his wheelchair and magnifying machine to see.
This is why I am here. To bring back love and hope into the lives of the people I meet. Can’t wait for the rest of the week to unfold.
Love,
Elizabeth Rodland
Today was an eye-opening experience for me at Mission. First and foremost, it rained…It RAINED in Yakima. According to the newspaper I read yesterday it was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the week. Instead, it was about 60 and raining….it got me a little homesick. Besides from the weather, our team (now titled Team OY!...OIU…oyi?). Either way it spelled, we arrived at our site for today, about to tackle what was supposed to be a two day project. Immediately everyone got settled in, bringing out their drills, unloading wood from Lowell’s trailer, and ready for the word. As we worked, we had done so with such speed, applying quickly what we had learned from yesterday. By the time it was lunch, the ramp was about 90% finished. The team had clicked. I think it was because of the two children. I believe it was Pam who said, that it was the two little children who gave us the added inspiration to work today, besides from the man (believe his name was Omega…An awesome name) we were helping build the ramp for. The children were there watching us from time to time, interested and excited to see us. It brought joy to me for sure. What also brought joy to me was that Lowell was shocked at how efficient we were in the project. The ramp that was supposed to take two days, we finished in one. How we finished the ramp was a miracle. We began to run out on everything. One by one the drills became to die from all the work. The full can of paint, so became a puddle and the wood, short and worries that we may not finish. But we pulled through. The scraps, casted aside became nearly a perfect fit. Every last drop of paint became salvaged to touch up unpainted areas. How that ramp was finished spoke to me.
Nothing is ever perfect, there will odds and ends, loose pieces that at first have no value, but in the end may or will make a huge difference.
It also became a sign to me that this team was special. We all may be different…but we make something special…a family. I want to say thank you to my sponsors and to my family I love you all. Edelmar Navaluna
Here’s a brief summary of my day here at Mission:
• Wake up early to rain to get ready for breakfast and send-off to work
• Arrive at work site to apply primer to the outside of the house
• Come back to the program site for other sessions and prayer
• Have dinner and a simulation game of “trying to get a meal for the day”
o I got to be a police officer, had to arrest people for bad behavior
• Formulated plan for tomorrow
• Lights out
This was a very, very brief summary of what I did today on Mission. I know that I was called by God to serve here in Yakima. I also feel very fortunate to have this as my first year (despite the ridiculous rain) along with my team and work site. I love you all and I’ll blog later. See you tomorrow Mom and Dad!
-Kenny Pham
-Savannah Linders
When just coming back from dance camp where I got minimal sleep and then waking up at 3 in the morning to arrive to Yakima, I wasn’t exactly super stoked to be up and moving. However, I ended up having a blast. Our first day on site went well. We got a whole ramp done. It was amazing to see their faces when they saw our completed work and we could see the man come out of his house with no problem. I am very blessed to be working with the amazing teens and leaders that I am. Two years ago this elderly man named Jim spoke one night during prayer and really moved me. By the end of his speech I was balling my eyes out. He said he might not even be here the next year. The church Holy Spirit is here and they brought Jim. I was so happy to see him here, and I can certainly feel God’s presence when I see Jim here. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week has for our team and to reach out to others that are in need.
-Briana Jackson
Yakima has been a great experience that I will never forget. We started off the journey with a relatively short drive but with minimal space to move. When we got to the sight I met the people that run the place and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, full of love and laughter. The first day we did not do any work besides set up and get to know each other. I have met some wonderful teens and adults that just seem so spiritual. We played basketball the first night where after I felt like one hundred degrees and had puddles of sweat dripping off of me. I was told stories of all the cold showers that everyone has to take but they fixed the showers and only the guys got hot showers and they felt good. On Monday morning, our first work day, it started off slow but then we got in Debbie’s car where she was blasting music so loud that air was coming out of the speakers. When we got done working on the ramp that day the man seemed so happy that people were willing to help him. It seemed to have brought joy to his life and seems that it will continue to make an impact on his and his family for the rest of their lives. That was my favorite part of the day/trip, to see the smile on the person’s face because what is life about if you are not smiling and having a good time. I cannot wait to help more people to make a difference in the world and know that my work is meaningful.
-Connor Relph
Coming back to mission for my fourth and final year feels so good! I have more energy here than I have for the past 4 weeks combined. My enthusiasm may have been a little bit much for the first day because I all really wanted to do was play football and shoot hoops. I was happy to have a good workout that day, but that combined with being out of shape and sleeping on the ground made me very sore for the first work day. That day was a slow start because we were delayed and most of us were rookies when it came to actually building the ramps. But Lowell, who has been like a Sherpa to us, has been so great and easy to work with and we finished the project very quickly. I’m currently blogging from the 2nd site but it is looking as though we are going to be finishing it today event though it was scheduled to be a 2 day project! I am so proud of my team and I love them like family because we get along so great and I know that I will be able to count on them for anything. The main highlights so far from today would probably be us working so well as a unit and just all the funny stories we can tell and just make each other laugh and make it not even seem like work. That’s my update for now, I’ll make sure to have at least one more update this week if not more. I was objective about writing this blog at first because I have no stock holders to check up on me, but it is really nice to just let out how I feel no matter how many people see it.
‘till next time- Luke Kemper
Today my team and I busted through another ramp successfully. The first one we completed yesterday was a mini warm-up compared to the one we completed today. Everyone worked together so well today because we actually knew what we were doing with our experiences from yesterday. We were all able to efficiently work together and construct a much bigger ramp in the same amount of time. I love the feeling you get when you see the final product of something, knowing that you were a part of the creation of it. It is amazing to know that we made something out of nothing. My favorite part of our day at the worksite is when we see the reactions on the people’s faces we helped. To see their bright smiles and the great joy they have makes all of the work in the Yakima heat worthwhile (even though today started off raining!). I’m so proud of my group and how much we can accomplish and change someone’s life in just one day. I can’t wait to see what wonderful experiences the rest of this week will bring!
Love, Alexa Brandt
Have you ever washed a car? Well I’ve washed a house. Mission has been a TON of work so far. And after trimming hundreds if irises, I discovered that I will never become a gardener.
Today I met a veteran. His name is Loren. He has one leg and is blind in one eye. This makes it almost impossible to clean. So you can guess how long it took me and the 3 other girls in my group to clean out the kitchen! I was in charge of the sink, which had about 2.5 inches of mold/slime that had the consistency of rust. I had to use a piece of metal to scrape out the entire sink. It took me two hours.
What struck me the most today was seeing how successful, accomplished, heroic and athletic Loren had been in the old days and how he ended up in a mobile home that hadn’t seen a sponge in years and restricted to his wheelchair and magnifying machine to see.
This is why I am here. To bring back love and hope into the lives of the people I meet. Can’t wait for the rest of the week to unfold.
Love,
Elizabeth Rodland
Today was an eye-opening experience for me at Mission. First and foremost, it rained…It RAINED in Yakima. According to the newspaper I read yesterday it was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the week. Instead, it was about 60 and raining….it got me a little homesick. Besides from the weather, our team (now titled Team OY!...OIU…oyi?). Either way it spelled, we arrived at our site for today, about to tackle what was supposed to be a two day project. Immediately everyone got settled in, bringing out their drills, unloading wood from Lowell’s trailer, and ready for the word. As we worked, we had done so with such speed, applying quickly what we had learned from yesterday. By the time it was lunch, the ramp was about 90% finished. The team had clicked. I think it was because of the two children. I believe it was Pam who said, that it was the two little children who gave us the added inspiration to work today, besides from the man (believe his name was Omega…An awesome name) we were helping build the ramp for. The children were there watching us from time to time, interested and excited to see us. It brought joy to me for sure. What also brought joy to me was that Lowell was shocked at how efficient we were in the project. The ramp that was supposed to take two days, we finished in one. How we finished the ramp was a miracle. We began to run out on everything. One by one the drills became to die from all the work. The full can of paint, so became a puddle and the wood, short and worries that we may not finish. But we pulled through. The scraps, casted aside became nearly a perfect fit. Every last drop of paint became salvaged to touch up unpainted areas. How that ramp was finished spoke to me.
Nothing is ever perfect, there will odds and ends, loose pieces that at first have no value, but in the end may or will make a huge difference.
It also became a sign to me that this team was special. We all may be different…but we make something special…a family. I want to say thank you to my sponsors and to my family I love you all. Edelmar Navaluna
Here’s a brief summary of my day here at Mission:
• Wake up early to rain to get ready for breakfast and send-off to work
• Arrive at work site to apply primer to the outside of the house
• Come back to the program site for other sessions and prayer
• Have dinner and a simulation game of “trying to get a meal for the day”
o I got to be a police officer, had to arrest people for bad behavior
• Formulated plan for tomorrow
• Lights out
This was a very, very brief summary of what I did today on Mission. I know that I was called by God to serve here in Yakima. I also feel very fortunate to have this as my first year (despite the ridiculous rain) along with my team and work site. I love you all and I’ll blog later. See you tomorrow Mom and Dad!
-Kenny Pham
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday at Mission
It’s always hard to write an introduction, especially when it isn’t your first time in Mission. As some of you may know, last year was my first Mission Trip. What I got out of it was an eye-opening experience and I wanted to come back next year. Now, I’m back working on ramps with my leaders Pam and Debbie. Of course this year will be completely different from the last, because I know how everything works and operates. I’m not claiming to be a “Veteran” at this; those are entitled to those who have been doing Mission for four years. I would rather classify myself as, “Trained”. Mondays have always been slow for me and today was no exception. We started off waiting for a representative for VCS (Volunteer Chore Services) to arrive and brief us on what we are to do. As me and the group stood there waiting at camp, all of the other groups were heading out to their sites. I felt discouraged, knowing that they are already on their way to work, while we are just waiting there. However, I got to finally meet the famed Lowell, who has been working with VCS and the Ramp Team specifically for a long time. As we arrive at the first site, we started slow, but it caught on over time. Everyone was able to catch on quickly, as we measured, cut, and drilled boards together to assembly the ramp. We finished quickly, with about two hours sparing before we were to head back to camp. For the remainder of our time, we went to Lowell’s house to prep wood for tomorrow’s project, which is to be a 25ft ramp I believe. The challenge for us today was to find a connection between us and the people we served. For today, it was a smile. Everyone on the team, despite being exhausted had a smile on their face as we returned home. The man that we had built the ramp for had one of the biggest smiles I had seen in a while as he tried out the completed ramp for the first time. That is why I serve, not for the fact that I was involved in building a ramp. It isn’t for the pride. It is because I got to help someone today. I may not have changed the world today, but it is a step in the right direction. I would like to say Thank You to my sponsors who helped me is here this week and to my family, I miss you.
– Edelmar Navaluna
Wow, Mission has been a wonderful experience so far. Today was the first work day where each of the teams travels to work at their work sites. I had a great time at the Yakama Nation reservation. I am blessed this year to have such a wonderful and supportive group this year to help me start out my first year at Mission as a “Rookie.” I know already that through this week, I will be able to know God a little more and to learn to experience His true love.
At our location, we travel to a humble home in the middle of the reservation near the community center. The jobs that have been given to our group thus far are weeding, porch and roof repair, and repainting the outside of the house. So far, we’ve been tasked with fairly easy, yet tiring assignments that will keep us all busy for the next few days. Tomorrow will be when we apply the primer and cocker to the house as well as when the front yard fence needs to be repaired. On the next day, will be when we begin to paint the house. Other continuous tasks (such as weeding and the porch and roof repair) will also be done throughout the week. It will be slow because of the encounters with pesky insects and our long breaks. Rain might also prove to slow us down if it continues throughout the week. Fortunately though, the local dog population keeps us company. One such dog is Cowboy, the friendly pet of Bonita (the native owner of our location). He and his friends come in and out of the yard. We all like to pet him. There’s also another dog (whose name I have forgotten) and a cat that has probably made the most noise that I’ve seen from any cat that I’ve encountered. These are all factors that play a role in the speed of our work and in our attitudes, sort of….
Anyway, I’m having a great time here in Yakima so far because of this significant program of Young Neighbors In Action and all of the thoughtful people in it. I look forward to the rest of the week and what lies ahead.
To My Mom and Dad
I’m having a wonderful time here in Yakima and am very grateful that I was able to sign up for this important event in my life. Although it may be early to say this, I wish that may be able to come back year after year (at least until I leave for college). Also, don’t worry about me because Debbie is taking good care of me. Also, thank everyone in the family for helping to sponsor this trip. I love you!
-Kenny Pham
– Edelmar Navaluna
Wow, Mission has been a wonderful experience so far. Today was the first work day where each of the teams travels to work at their work sites. I had a great time at the Yakama Nation reservation. I am blessed this year to have such a wonderful and supportive group this year to help me start out my first year at Mission as a “Rookie.” I know already that through this week, I will be able to know God a little more and to learn to experience His true love.
At our location, we travel to a humble home in the middle of the reservation near the community center. The jobs that have been given to our group thus far are weeding, porch and roof repair, and repainting the outside of the house. So far, we’ve been tasked with fairly easy, yet tiring assignments that will keep us all busy for the next few days. Tomorrow will be when we apply the primer and cocker to the house as well as when the front yard fence needs to be repaired. On the next day, will be when we begin to paint the house. Other continuous tasks (such as weeding and the porch and roof repair) will also be done throughout the week. It will be slow because of the encounters with pesky insects and our long breaks. Rain might also prove to slow us down if it continues throughout the week. Fortunately though, the local dog population keeps us company. One such dog is Cowboy, the friendly pet of Bonita (the native owner of our location). He and his friends come in and out of the yard. We all like to pet him. There’s also another dog (whose name I have forgotten) and a cat that has probably made the most noise that I’ve seen from any cat that I’ve encountered. These are all factors that play a role in the speed of our work and in our attitudes, sort of….
Anyway, I’m having a great time here in Yakima so far because of this significant program of Young Neighbors In Action and all of the thoughtful people in it. I look forward to the rest of the week and what lies ahead.
To My Mom and Dad
I’m having a wonderful time here in Yakima and am very grateful that I was able to sign up for this important event in my life. Although it may be early to say this, I wish that may be able to come back year after year (at least until I leave for college). Also, don’t worry about me because Debbie is taking good care of me. Also, thank everyone in the family for helping to sponsor this trip. I love you!
-Kenny Pham
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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