Team Two Departs for Yakima

Following the return of our first team of missioners, the "clean-up hitters" of week two departed this morning (Sunday, July 18th) for Yakima. Prepared work, pray, play and grow these youth and adults are excited for the adventure. Follow their experiences here throughout the week.

Congratulations to Week One for a job well done!!!

Friday July 16, 2010 Yakima Mission

Friday, July 16th

Our group this week was working building ramps for handicapped people in wheelchairs and walkers. The first place we went to we built a ramp for an elderly lady. At one point, she showed Julie and I the quilts she had been making for her family and friends. She told us that she needs something to do in her house because she doesn’t want to go crazy being stuck in her house with no way out. Her quilts were absolutely beautiful, and looked like they took a ton of elaborate work. At the end of the day, when we attached the ramp to her house and finished it, she choked up and started crying. She was so happy to finally get out of her house and be able to walk around the neighborhood to strengthen her legs. Tuesday we went to a new site, and the people there had two black cats and a dog named Snuggles. The woman who we were building the ramp for was in the hospital at the time, so her son and daughter were there at the house. Her son told us that he went to the Philippines and talked about that to us for a little while and told us that he really fell in love with the music down there. He gave us a CD of Philippines music, and told us to keep it. Its things like that that make me realize how much these people are really like us. Wednesday was time for a new site. There, Lowell, the amazing man helping us build these ramps, shared with us about failure. He told us about his company, and how every time they messed up they’d celebrate their failure. On Thursday he also shared his mother’s Words of Wisdom. They were little quotes she had picked up during her life and wrote them down, and gave them to Lowell when she ‘stopped living’. Lowell truly is an inspiration, and we are extremely lucky to have gotten to work with him. Finally, Thursday and Friday we made a ramp for a family with two young kids, Tristan, who’s seven, and Ava, who’s 4. Their father has condition called Berger’s Disease, where your limbs fall off. The kids were incredibly cute and wanted to help as much as they could. They made our days working there more enjoyable and put smiled on all our faces. There was also a young kitten wandering around who we played with, who we all named Jack. Building that ramp really made me feel good, because I connected with the people who needed it. I felt so incredibly good to help them. I know that the people that have touched my life this week were gifts from God, and I’m so incredibly thankful for that.
~Brittany Redmond

Looking back at the week, I feel that it has been a very rewarding experience. Today we finished a ramp for Vern. He has two young kids that truly touched my heart. Tristan is 7. He was always there to help us paint or learn to use a drill. He sang us a Duck song and told us that we should travel in pirate ships. He then proceeded to tell me that he wanted to be a Pirate, a Cowboy, or a Firefighter. He was always there for a laugh or a smile and it made a larger impact on me to see him with his dad. Ava is 4. She was eager to help us paint and even brought her own paintbrush out. She then decided that she would give us prizes…painted leaves from a tree in their yard. Although the prize was unorthodox, it was still nice to see that she was happy we were there. Leaving them was difficult. They kept asking if we were coming back or telling us that we didn’t finish the ramp so we would stay.
In meeting Vern’s children, I knew that they were truly deserving of the ramp. Because the kids were so full of energy, it was a struggle to keep up with them, especially because he used to have to crawl to his wheelchair outside. I knew that we were making a huge difference in his life as well as the lives of his children.
~Julie Balza


This week has been a great experience for me. I have been building wheelchair ramps each day around the Yakima area. We eased into the ramp building process on Monday. The woman, Marge, already had a ramp built, but there was not enough room to attach it to her porch. So, we built a landing for her, made adjustments to the ramp, attached it, and painted it. Marge could not get out of her house on her own before we built her ramp. She would sit inside by herself quilting all day, except for occasional visits by her son. When we finished the ramp, she walked outside to see it and she choked up in tears. It was amazing to see how amazing of an impact we had on her life. On Tuesday, we went to our next house, where we built our first ramp from scratch. The woman who needed the ramp wasn’t actually there. She was in the hospital because of a kidney failure. Even though we didn’t get to see her reaction, it will be a great surprise for her to be welcomed home with a completed wheelchair ramp to use. The following day, Wednesday, we went to another house to build a ramp for a man named Alan. Alan and his wife, Regina, were very welcoming and friendly. They interacted with us the most. They watched us almost the whole time, and Alan took around 150 pictures of us working. It was great to get to know the people we were helping more. Before lunch, they brought out donuts for all of us to enjoy during a break. When we finished, they also gave us each a can of Sprite. Thursday was the hottest day of the week, and we spent it building a ramp for a man named Vern. I recognized his need most out of anyone else’s because Vern was very young. While the rest of the people we helped were over 50, Vern was under 30 years old. He still has a lot of his life to live, and he needs to get out of his home. Another big reason why his need was obvious is because he has two young kids: Tristan, who is 7 years old, and Ava, who is 4. When their mother was a work, Vern is the only one watching them. They live very close by a busy street, and if one of the kids was to run out into the street, Vern would not be able to get out of the house quickly enough to stop them. Tristan and Ava were both so happy to have us there building a ramp for their daddy. They were always more than willing to help us. They were very sad to see us go, and I was sad to leave them as well. Developing a bond with Vern and his children helped me recognize how much good we were doing for these people.
- Jessica Hendricks

This week I spent time with some amazing teens willing to do whatever was asked of them. We started at Northwest Harvest bagging, boxing and stacking cornmeal, sorting vegetables, washing cans of fruit or vegetables and getting them ready for the food banks.
We had opportunities to work in some different food banks and visit with people. So many touched our hearts. There were young parents looking for clothing for their children, other men and women getting items for themselves and sharing their story. The joy on their faces when we introduced ourselves and asked them their names was a look I will never forget. I am so proud of all of the teens here, all that they accomplished, and their willingness to share their faith with others.
Charlotte Balza



Wow, what a week it’s been! It seems like we just arrived and yet I am stunned at the amount of work we accomplished. I was on the Yakima Reservation team with Debbie and Pat. The Johnson household, we were assigned to, provided shelter for a whole family tree; grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, babies, even great-grandchildren. Surprisingly, I was not that surprised of the condition when we first got there. Yes, there was an assortment of trash, used baby diapers, leftover fireworks, and broken beer bottles strewn across the yard but it didn’t seem that out of the ordinary. The kids we worked with (Matthew, Caleb, Izaak, Alyssa, Angela, Jake, and Mikey) explained that the broken-down trucks filled with garbage bags were their “dumps”. Apparently, somebody is supposed to come regularly to pick up the trash but they never do. Over time and under the harsh wind conditions the bags usually end up ripping and the rubbish inside is blown across the property. The bedroom inside had graffiti and writing all over the cotton candy pink walls. A mother would have looked at the hand-drawn dart targets and cringed, but to me it represented a story, a time when a child (Alyssa, who drew them in her younger years) who wanted to get better at basketball had to make the only game she had.
Over the week, we managed to clean that entire bedroom and repaint it. We painted the laundry room, bathroom, and dining room as well as the ceilings in all of the rooms. Our team was able to retile the bathroom and clean the mildew-infested shower, toilet, and sink. We removed all of the old flooring in the dining room area and laundry room. All of the holes in the walls were plastered and filled in. And yet, in the midst of it all, we were most importantly able to connect with the family and children, creating bonds and memories that will last a lifetime. The kids and grandparents were so helpful and friendly. We made lunch for the kids and ate with them outside on tree stumps every day. The echoes of laughter still bring a smile on my face as I reminisce on all of the fun times we had. Yes, it was hard work but with our singing, dancing, joking, bubble-blowing, and water spraying, everything was more enjoyable and just a blast. Thank you so much to all of you who visited us and all of you who helped make this possible. I cannot speak for others, but I know that this week’s experience has made a difference in my life that I will never forget. Thank you and God bless.

Yours,
Lisa Pham

Today we painted the Yakima Food Bank blue. It was really hot so I mostly stayed inside scooping oatmeal with this crazy lady Lisa. She gave me an epiphany even though she’s crazy. When I spent more time with her she talked about Disneyland and Yellowstone. She reminded me that she was human. That’s all, except for blasting Our God is an awesome God in the Balza-mobile/Mystery Van.
Kim Concillado


Friday, the LAST full day of Mission. To be quite honest, I never would have believed that I could make it through this week. However, there were a lot of things that I could of never comprehended on my week here. I came to church on Sunday, with a sense of nervousness. It is my first Mission and I knew nothing to expect. Sure, I did ask my friends who had gone what was it like and I would get their story. THEIR story, that was the key phrase every time I asked someone. They were telling their story, their experience when it came to mission. Listening to all of their stories, I knew that I had to see it for myself. Again I was apprehensive at first to sign-up for mission. As I went through the process, I got even more nervous. Going to the meetings, the Mission Breakfasts and the Dinner were things I participated in as a supporter. Now I took on the role of the those who were serving me pancakes back then or buying flowers from. The process of preparing for mission was the beginning of the journey…the Introduction to the Story if you will. In a story, there is the exposition. I was introduced to my team during the Retreat we had at church, weeks before mission began. I met my teammates: Alexa, Meghan, Lisa, Aj, Griffin, and Sean. My team leaders were Pat and Debbie. That was what we were, a team going to the Yakima Reservation for their mission assignment. Then came mission itself, the story that takes someone from one end to the other. This is when our team became a family. We all bounded and we accomplished our goal (Details are in the previous blogs). We had transformed to a family. They were more than what I could of asked for. Now the story comes to an end. When the protagonist or protagonists end with something that brings the story to a close. Here is mine. To my sponsors, I thank you for your support. Without you I would of never been here. To my family, thank you for everything that you have done to get me here and overall. To my teammates…I can’t THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH for making this the best week of my summer. Thank you team for helping me COMPLETE MY STORY! And the Theme of it all…A New Perspective! That everyone may take it.
Yours
Edelmar De Vera Navaluna



This past week has been such an amazing experience. Alexa, Lisa, Ed, AJ, Pat, Griffin, Sean, and Debbie were the best group members I could have asked for. The bond that we made over the week was something that we all cherish. We had many conversations sitting on tree stumps outside during lunch, and our team meetings after our night sessions lasted forever, because nobody wanted them to end. When we first arrived at the site, and saw the yard filled with garbage thrown everywhere, I thought that this wasn’t going to be a fun place for working. However, with the enthusiasm from our group and the love that the Johnson family showed us, there was never a dull moment. Debbie has been a constant source of entertainment, from dancing in the car to falling through the floor, to vacuuming Sean’s head; we all love her so much. At the Johnson house, we met the children that lived there. I couldn’t follow how the adults were related, but the children all called each other their siblings. The best part of every day, for me, was not only bonding with our group, but bonding with the children. They started out being shy, but by the end of the week, they were sad to see us go. Even though normally I am a person that likes to get things done in the fastest way possible, I loved getting to step back and watch the children as we showed them how to do something that they’d never done before. Watching them learn, and be proud of the work that they did in their home was an amazing thing. At the end of the week, I thought that not only did we do a lot for the Johnson family in terms of their home, but our relationship with the kids was one that I’m sad to see go. This week has taught me how to see Christ in everyone, and you can get to know a lot about someone by just starting with their name.

Love,
Meghan Dorney

Thursday 7/15/2010 Yakima Mission

Thursday, July 15th


Thursday, the week is coming to a close. Yet I am getting the clichéd feeling that we had just arrived yesterday. Looking back from the past three days, we had made a great difference to the house. When we had arrived for the first time, everything was uncomfortable, the site, the work, and the relationships. However, everything had gone through a complete turn around. The site looks great, interior and exterior, and the team is working like clockwork. Again, it all goes back to my theme of perspective. Once changed, it greatly influences others associated to it. Now we are all just waiting in the car. Waiting to arrive at the site, waiting to work.
I have returned to the van covered head to shoe in paint. Well everyone is covered in paint. Today, we had to paint the walls of the bathroom and the laundry room. I was in charge of priming all of the walls in the bathroom. Ray, who was the grandpa of the Johnson family, helped me prime the ceiling. It was an exchange of priming and painting all day. However the best part of the day, was having me, (YES ME) install a light fixture. Having NO experience in electricity, I was in charge of installing a fixture that could possibly electrocute me or set the house on fire. However Pat, who was a great teacher, gave me the basics I needed to install the fixture…We didn’t even need the instructions! The best part was when Pat said, “Let’s test it out.” He turns on the switch, with just about everyone surrounding me, and the bulb shined bright with no casualties. Now I am in the back of Debbie’s van, listening to music and playing 13. To my sponsors, again Thank You! To my family, I love you all.
Ed Navaluna


Today I woke up extra late. The tiredness is really getting to me. The only thing that keeps me going is that the kids at our work site expect to see me there. And I really want to be there for them. So I end up eating a super fast breakfast of just cereal and a glass of milk. I brush my teeth and do the morning prayer. Before I know it I am on the road heading towards the Yakima reservation. At this point the excitement is building and I can’t wait to get to work. I started off by helping griffin replace some drywall and making all kinds of important measurements. Next I got to remove some floor. After that I started scrubbing walls. After that I started painting these walls. After that I got to do some sweeping and then more dry walls. For some reason doing this type of work at my house would have put me in a sad mood. But when I am doing it for somebody else it puts me in the happiest mood ever. I love the reservation

AJ Flanigan


It’s Thursday and the end of the week is coming up. Today I had a hard time waking up. I think that the weeks work is catching up with me. But the work I am doing for the Johnson family gives me an incredible feeling. I’m working with and for the whole family who has to live in the poverty that I could never imagine living in. Today I painted a lot around the house. Mainly in the bathroom and in the laundry room. Also I repaired two holes in the wall with sheet rock. The thing that amazes me is that if I was home and I was doing this work, it would kill me and I would be bored out of my mind. But working out on the reservation with my group and the Johnson family time seems to fly by. Like today the first thought I had about the time, was Pat telling that it was lunch time. Working out on the reservation has been great and the rest of the week I expect the same.

Sean Redmond

Wednesday July 14, 2010 Yakima Mission

Wednesday, July 14th

Our week has some amazing kids on it. They are not only willing to help, they insist on helping. They work together great. The cohesiveness of the group is heart warming. Each of the work groups are really bonding. I am fortunate to be able to be here and work with such wonderful people. It is a very moving experience. This week I am building handicap ramps for those that are house bound. We have built one a day so far and that is the plan for the week. The people we are building the ramps for are so thankful and amazed at what our group is doing. You can see that they are visibly moved by it. On Sunday our kids wrote a song to one of the popular hit songs. Below are the words. We hope to have the video of us singing it loaded either here or on UTube at some point.
We’re St. Stephens and we’re here to serve and learn about our God, we chose the word Ohana to represent our Father and family too. Hey, Young Neighbors lets all do a favor for our family so happily, we’re here for them so willingly. Hey, Young Neighbors we don’t want to miss a single day to show our love, our love, our love.
Pam Redmond

Well we made it to day four and it really seems like it’s been no time at all. I’m working on the Yakima reservation on part of a two week project. This house has six children and four adults living there so as you can tell it is pretty worn down. In my group there is me, Meghan, Sean, Ed, Lisa, Alexa, and AJ then there is Pat and Deb as our “adults”. So far we have taken apart a bathroom and already replaced the floor. But what I was doing was cutting out holes in the wall so I could patch them. Though this was my first time doing this it turned out as a huge success. Meghan Alexa and I were working in the bedroom along with all of the kids to patch up these walls and we were allowing the kid’s to-do their own patch so they could always look back and remember that they had a hand in fixing up this house. Well I have to go and finish up the house so till next time bye.
Griffin Boyle

Wednesdays have always been the longest day to me, even during the summer. So for today, I will be bloging in two parts.
As the morning had begun, I had already gotten that gut feeling that today would be a long one. However that only means that we would have more time to work at our site. We are planning to paint one of the bedrooms in the house and possibly begin to plan and place the particle board for the tiles. Currently I am sitting at the back of Debbie’s van listening to both a collective mix to country and Christian music. For me personally, I have never been a big fan of these genres, however I have actually been enjoying some of the music they play. There was one moment where all came across a suggestive country, something I would of never suspected. However it connects to a theme that I found for myself this week, Perspective. A new perspective not only in the literal but also in the spiritual sense. Now we have arrived at the reservation and just finished our morning group prayer with the children. With the temperatures beginning to rise, and me being stuck inside the van is killer, I will end this part with simply…Do Work Son!
We had just finished another successful day at the reservation. We are now heading back home to “base camp” back at the church for some needed R&R. The focus for today’s agenda was doing a top to bottom scrub down of the walls and ceiling. Moreover, Pat and Debbie were in charge of the bathroom, which keeps looking better as the day rolled on. There was also hole patch up, which was quickly taken care of by one of my team members, Meghan. As for me, I teamed up with Sean and Lisa to work on cleaning the walls and ceiling. Griffin was working with the walls and AJ took care of the floors. Also Father Ed came to the site and helped us work on cleaning the walls and bathroom. Again the day was a success. As I leave off to take a nap, I would like to say some thanks. Thank you to all of my sponsors! Thank you to my family, I love you all. Also I would like to say a special Thanks to my friend Roxanne who has been following recently and letting me know that she has. HI!!!!
Sincerely Ed Navaluna

Our group (Debbie, Pat, Meghan, Lisa, Ed, Griffin, AJ, Sean, and I) just completed our 3rd day on our worksite. So far we have rid up the entire yard of mountains of trash, washed endless walls, patched walls, and torn up flooring. In the next few days we will be installing more flooring, fixing up the bathroom, and painting the bedroom, laundry room, and the bathroom.
The highlight of every day is working with all the kids (Caleb, Izaak, Aaron, Jake, Mathew, and Alyssa). They are always so willing to help with anything they can. Their smiles and energy help keep us all motivated and laughing. :) They are some of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen. I also love spending time with their five dogs. My favorite is named Killer, which is such a joke because this dog is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met.
I love how well our group (including the kids) are working together and every day we are becoming more and more like a family. I’m having a blast!
Thanks for all your support!
Love,
Alexa Brandt


This is my last Mission with our teens. I have to admit I prayed hard that I would be chosen for the ramp site simply because I heard of this amazing man who taught the teens not only how to build ramps but how to build a meaningful life. Well, here I am. My prayers have been answered and I have savored every moment of this week. Lowell could be retired now, living a very comfortable life living on the golf courses. Instead he lives humbly and gives his time to God by helping others with ramps. He shares life thoughts with the teens throughout the day and especially at break. This man is everything that Mission could possibly be about. Our teens have been wonderful to work with. They are so eager it’s hard to share the work at times because they want to do it all! They really do have such a spirit of sharing, giving, and learning. I feel truly blessed to work with ALL the teens. I feel blessed as well to be in St. Stephen’s Parish with parishioners who fully suppor t Mission. These teens do all of you proud!
Barb Miller

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tuesday, July 13th


Yesterday we built a ramp for a woman named Margee. It was really sad because she had a ramp but it was just sitting in her yard. The way that her porch had been built did not allow enough room for the ramp to be attached. Because of this fact, we made a landing to attach to her porch that we attached the ramp too. After replacing posts and finishing touches on the paint, we showed her the ramp. She lowered her eye and started to choke up. She asked us if she owed us anything and we said, “Nothing at all.” At this she covered her face and started to weep. It was a really touching day overall 
Julie Balza

This week, my work group was assigned to build wheelchair ramps at various homes in the Yakima area. Our “construction leader” is a man named Lowell. He lives in Yakima and does projects such as this. He worked with us at our site and taught us how to build the ramps. Lowell was very inspiring because of his motivation and patience. Yesterday, after we installed our first ramp, my group and I went to Lowell’s house, where we painted the rest of the wood for the ramps for the remainder of the week. While at his house, we learned some interesting things about him. He inspired a lot of us, including me, because he had a lot of success with careers earlier in his life, and he could be happily relaxing in retirement. But instead, he has dedicated his life to serving others throughout his community and other communities as well, such as New Orleans. He is happy making others happy.
Jessica Hendricks

So far, this mission has been really cool. Building ramps is a ton more fun than I had expected and the rewards of building these ramps are far more precious than I expected. I’m reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends, and having a good time doing this work; it’s only the 3rd day and I already know I’ll be coming back next year.
Emily Alfus

On this mission trip my group was assigned to build wheel chair ramps. It made me feel pretty good knowing I was making it possible for people who cant get out of their houses to get out more and more easily. We have been lucky the past two days with the shade.
Matt Mead

It has been a nice change of scenery from the usual suburbs. I have got to meet some great people who I would have never met any other way. The things I have seen have greatly changed my view on the world and people in general. It is a remarkable experience and will look forward to next year.
Nick Woltkamp

It is only day 2 of my second mission trip, and I can confidently say that this year is my favorite by far. This year I am more experienced in building ramps, and don’t even consider it as work anymore. I actually look forward on going to the site and building ramps because I have fun doing it! This year I am more prepared and ended up teaching my fellow missionaries certain building techniques that I struggled with last year. I and excited to see how the rest of the week will turn out and am excited to help those in need.
Joey Buslon

This was my first time at mission. I was assigned to build ramps. It was a great team building experience; I got to know everyone really well. The sessions have been great and have really changed my outlook on life and the people in it. I look forward to a few more awesome days!
Eric Madison

Mission is amazing so far, the week is flying by so quickly. Yesterday our group helped at Northwest Harvest and bagged 4 tons of cornmeal, I am pretty sure that I cannot look at anything cornmeal yellow for a while. We have these sessions two times a day, and they are pretty eye opening if you immerse yourself. Today we helped at a food bank; weeding, bagging food and sorting clothes. Everywhere I look I see local volunteers helping out at the food banks, it is amazing how much this community tries to support each other. I can’t believe we only have 3 or 4 more days!
Patrick Pham

Today was a very typical day. Woke up early at 5:30 to help set up the breakfast and lunch tables. Played 13 a lot before going to program. Worked at the sight sorting cucumbers, cans, and bagging beans and rice. I’m very tired and there is nothing I can do to get more sleep. Hopefully there won’t be a large game like there has been in past so I won’t be too tired.
Luke Kemper

Today was good day of nice hard work sorting cumbers, cans, and bagging beans and rice. I had a great time today I sorted lots of zucchini. I liked the looks on the people’s faces at the food bank when I handed them their food.
Blake Cerna

I have decided to start off with the challenge that was given for us today during the morning session. The challenge was to find out what is causing the need that you are helping to serve. My response to it was that the need is caused by a lack of positive outlook. However I believe that the YNIA and our work will give them a place to start. Yesterday when we had arrived back to the church I had the sense of accomplishment. Which our team should have because we had cleaned up a lot of trash. We were able to completely transform the entire exterior of the house to what it was before. However a part of me felt that accomplishment wasn’t complete. When we arrived today to the sight, we had realized that yesterday was the tip of the iceberg. Our team transitioned from the outside to the interior of the house. Each person had something to do. Whether it was placing new drywall with Griffin, cleaning and remodeling the bathroom for Pat and Debbie, cleaning the wall with the girls and finally removing the tiles for the guys. I myself had the opportunity of cutting up a wall and working with the floor and tiles with Sean and AJ primarily. The moment that stood out to me was that all of the kids that were there helped everyone out. We had nearly doubled our work force! At the end of the day, as we returned home, that sense of accomplishment filled up a little more. However there is always tomorrow, and the laughs will continue. To my sponsors Thank You. To my family I miss you all.
Edelmar Navaluna

2010 Yakima Mission

Monday, July 12th

Today was a complete eye opening experience for me on Mission. Even though the week has just begun, I have already witnessed so much in the time we spent at the reservation. While it was my first year, I have asked others what it was going to be like working here or there and I would get their response and think it through. However it was there experience not mine. As our group went up to the reservation we were all in high spirits. When we arrived however, we all took a moment to awe at the site we were going to work on. However we all worked together to get as much as we could do with what we were given and we all had the consensus that we accomplished a lot outside the house. All throughout that time we made new friends and bonded together as a team. As we all take a break here at the camp, I believe we are ready to see what is in store for us tomorrow.

Edelmar Navaluna

The first day of work this year was so much different from last year! My team was stationed at Northwest Harvest, which is an organization that supplies food to food banks around the US. We “bagged 2 elephants”! Which is our way of saying: we spent multiple hours scooping, bagging, and boxing 4 TONS of cornmeal. Although we didn’t get to see the faces of the people receiving the cornmeal and appreciating our hard work, it was simply comforting to know that each bag we made (approximately 3,000 bags total) could feed a hungry family in need. I can’t wait for more work to do. My team works so well together and we have lots of fun! OHANA 

Sincerely,

Lizzie Rodland

So, today was our first day of going out on our sites. My group and I were assigned to Northwest Harvest. It was great to meet all the other volunteers in addition to bonding with my own group. What we did was bag cornmeal, which is given to those in need. Actually, we bagged “4 elephants” (is what we called it). The “4 elephants” is 4 tons! Yes, ladies and gentleman, 4 tons 
While we were working, I looked around me and I saw everyone working hard, laughing, and bonding; just having fun. We all were working as a team, communicating and such. I was so amazed and inspired. I had a great time.

More to come!

With Love: Jenn Ciriaco

Today we bagged 4 tons of cornmeal. I have never seen so much cornmeal or been covered with so much in my life. My group is working with Northwest Harvest. They had gotten 40 tons of cornmeal recently to give to people who need it. We bagged it up so families could eat it. Even though we worked the whole day doing the same motions I was happy to do it because it’s helping those who need it. Our team worked together very well and had a good time doing it. I am looking forward to working at the food banks tomorrow and helping more. I feel blessed to have this experience.

Sincerely,
Christine Baker

Today was the first day of our week long mission in Yakima. We met up with the Northwest Harvesters group and were instructed that our main task was to start bagging the 40 tons of cornmeal that was recently shipped to the warehouse. Although the work was tedious, the bigger picture of the task we were given was amazing. Instead of just looking at the work as bagging up the simple substance, our group was providing food for people who aren’t able to afford the simple luxury of walking into a grocery store to buy a bag of cornmeal. We were providing for them the opportunity for survival and nutrition. In the future, I will not take little things for granted such as buying a box of cornmeal at Fred Meyers. Some people are not able to enjoy the simple task of grocery shopping and are forced by instinct of survival to travel sometimes long distances to food banks. I am looking forward to getting to know some of the people that we will benefit through our work and realize we have a long and exciting week ahead!

Sincerely,
Chloe Miller

Mission to Yakima 2010 Begins!

Another season of service begins for the youth and adults of the Yakima Mission. Team One departs today (Sunday July 11th) for a week service, growth and yes, even some fun! Team Two departs next Sunday (July 18th) following the 8:30 Mass.

All our team members are grateful for the generous support of both our parish community and the "Stock Holders" who have made this venture possible. You can follow the experience of our teams on this blog throughout the week.