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