Reflections on Agape

Well this is my last hello amigos. And all I can say is this experience is absolutely unexplainable; therefore for all those reading the only thing I have to say is  “One of things I keep learning is that the secret to being happy is doing things for other people”. God bless everyone and thanks to all who helped make this trip come true. (:

-Blogger B. (Bubba)

More to come later with pictures as well.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading our blog posts, you have been with us in spirit.  None of this week would have been possible without all of your support!

It was an amazing week of growth, change, perspective, friendships, and community!

God bless,

Kelsey

Agape Day 5 (Thursday)!

Hello amigos, tonight I have a story to share. It's about a lil girl named Maribell and today she brought tears of joy out of me. How? Well in the simplest of forms: a giggle and a thing for beads.  She had a shyness that went away over time, replaced with trust.   Her hug and smile spread a profound happiness inside me. But most of all it was looking into her eyes and seeing myself. A lil girl that's distracted with the simplest things, and had not a worry in the world. And the best part was being surrounded by friends and family that made you feel safe, comfortable, and happy. That all made me look back and see who I am today. I'll be honest I'm not distracted with the simple things anymore, I want the bigger, the newer, the better things. I'm full of worries but are they the right things I should be worrying about?  And the last part, I'm not as close to my family and friends as I used to be, because as I grow up I feel the need to be independent, to show I can do it all by myself.  But then I remembered: didn't I just recently say something about independent people, everybody needing help and anybody deserving it? Well as of right now I realize that I am in fact in need of help. So my question to ponder is: who will I reach out to for help? Only tonight I already have the answer! I will reach out to God, my family, and my friends because together we can accomplish so much more. (:
-Blogger B (is sad to know I'm leaving tomorrow).


Hi Enumclaw this is Chris Williams. Well today was another great day, swimming with the mission team and a BBQ with the migrant workers later on and it was a blast playing dodge ball with them. I can say that I've learned alot of new things like just having your simple needs is exactly all you need but going back to our regular lives we're gonna get more than we need even if its that extra serving of food that could go to some one that needs it more than you do. I'm glad that I had the chance to learn more about the Beatitudes and my favorites one is probably blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called Sons of God. So I'm gald to see if I can come home making some changes.
-Chris Williams

Agape Day 4 continued

Good morning my humble friends. It's the one and only blogger B. I'm writing yesterday's blog today because last night a couple of our lovely people here, helped make homemade chocolate chip cookies for the children we're going to play with. Yay! Everyone loves a good cookie (even if we added a bit too much sugar). And so last morning everyone got up with excitement, enthusiasm and exuberant smiles because our food bank was minutes from happening and reaching out to all those working families. It was a huge success! Not only did we serve 81 families but we made connections to all those families and all left with an unforgettable experience. Although I would love to explain to you each and every person's individual story that we all shared about our great day out there, I will sum it up. Each and everyone one of us had a smile on our faces (including the wonderful people who came out and accepted our help) for different reasons and I mean heart touching, tear making story's that I'd rather call memories. Adios amigos (:

-Blogger B

The Prime minister (Tony Blair) says hello!

Where have you seen Jesus today?

That's the question we were asked last night. I can honestly say I saw Jesus in everyone yesterday.

Thank you for joining our Mission by taking your time to read our blog. It has been an exceptionally emotional week. I have never been more impressed with a group of young people. They have all been working so hard and putting themselves last in every way. I have not heard ANY whining - which is in itself amazing, because this mission has not been a vacation - it has been an immersion into the lives of those less fortunate. The Agape experience hasn't been exactly what we expected and in many ways has been much more, but not without many growing pains. Through it all, however, the kids have been incredibly generous with each other in ways that words cannot describe. They are sharing pieces of themselves with each other and the people we are serving and even tuning in to us leaders. I am forever grateful to God for providing this experience and placing everyone in it. 

Thank you to Agape, our parishioners and community, who donated so much to our Mission trip and its purpose. Not only did your emotional and financial support help grant our travel here, but you also gave us your resources to minister to the people we are serving. 

I hope you'll all join me in praying for our youth that this mission trip will create the permanent change in their hearts as well as to inspire and equip them that they may create the change in the world that needs to happen for every person to have their needs met and attain the dignity God intends for all of us. 

Thank you again for your support and your prayers. 

God Bless, 

Regina 

Agape Day 4

So over all the whole day was absolutely amazing! We got to set up and work the food bank all day. I got the opportunity to work at the toy section today.  To see all the young kid's excited faces when they would wait in line to get their toys they wanted was great. When we were first setting up our section, there was a family who got there early and there was this boy named Benito. He was so excited, and since he got there early, we let him scope out the toys. It was really neat seeing the joy on his face and the joy he brought to all of us setting up. He also had two cousins who showed up early with him named Daniella and Julia.  They were so much fun getting to read to them and seeing the anticipation they had in their eyes while waiting in line.  Overall, the effort that everyone put in was fantastic. I know we were all tired and worn out, but everyone just had an extra energy to converse with the kids and families and maybe help them out a little more! While working the bank, a guy came around and gave us ice cream that he made himself and it was absolutely fantastic!  It was a treat for us!  Also the church we were at for the food bank made everybody hot dogs which was a great treat since by then we were all so hungry. The day was a success and a great experience.  I am so happy that I got to go through it.
<3 Jess Snoen

Well, today just seeing the faces of the people when we gave them some food was pretty fantastic. People looked uncomfortable at first, but then later on they got more comfortable.  They were smiling and sort of giggling while listening to us try to translate English into Spanish.

Hey, dad. Google the word Azucar, on Google translator. (:
- Hannah Lockemy

At the food bank, I got a hold of Regina's camera and took some pictures. It gave me a chance to observe everything that was happening at the same time. Everybody was occupied with the people whether it be servicing those going through the line or just playing with children. I really felt like we could not have served enough people. There was almost a dullness when in the down periods and everyone was on alert. Working the canned bean station, I can say I wish we had given more. Our group collected so much for this food bank and what was left over could easily stock it for several weeks in the selective stations. The storage shack started the day half full and ended up packed because of the food donated by Sacred Heart. I honestly enjoyed it very much overall. The whole week has allowed me to understand how food drives work. From now on, I will see them differently.
- Tim Dion


Sacred Heart kids are amazing!  You should have seen them serve over 80 families (representing nearly 500 people) today.  They greeted each family with a smile and generously filled their boxes with much needed supplies.  While the adults were gathering food items from some youth, other youth helped children pick out toys and books.  Our youth made meaningful connections with these families.  

During reflection time, our Sacred Heart kids shared many examples of how they saw Jesus today in their experiences.  They each were able to articulate specific examples of this to the entire group.  I believe this mission experience will "forever change" how these youth will lead their life.
-Mike Nelson

Agape Day 3!

Today we woke up the crack of dawn in order to live like a migrant worker.... Luckily we didn't have to spend 15 hours in the field we only spent four hours. After four hard hours of labor we were dismissed. We were "paid" wages similar to a farm workers wage. In the simulation last night we were split up into families, today as families we had to buy our own dinner to show how hard it is to spend minimal amounts of money. So my family, "The Hernandez's" decided to have spaghetti for dinner... along with five other families. After dinner we went and played with the migrant workers children which was by far the best part of the day. As our cars rolled up they screamed and ran outside. They couldn't wait to see us and we could tell that we were the best part of their day like it was ours seeing them. They all loved dodgeball... Dan didn't enjoy it because he "hurt" his shoulder. A little bit of help goes a long way. This trip is very exuberable (An Agape word).
-Ryan

Goood evenin' this is blogger B (Bubba) and today our fellow companions woke up at 5:15 in the morning. As you know our agape identity's were MIA, we were all now known as our own separate families going out to work on the farm to make our living, yippee! To keep it short there were four different jobs, watering, soil making (from poopie), raspberry weeding, and seeding. Good news, they are all muscle making jobs! The other news, we were out there for a total of four hours which in comparison to a real migrant worker really brings out the respect and awww when you're out there living it. Why? I'll get to that later.
After our fun laboring day in the beautiful organic farmlands, our families finally got to SHOWER! MMM it felt so so so nice and squeaky clean. Once showered we all stopped at the one and only grocery outlet. To our surprise each family was paid for their hard work... three dollars each person..... minus a lil for bills and such..... to keep it clear my Hernandez family ended up with ten dollars! But with that we had to pay for a meal that we could make dinner for the whole family and there were six. It ended up a happy ending because most families put their thoughts together and made spaghetti, woohoo, and by working together we got the job done. Having one of the best dinners made by ourselves.

To end our fabulous day we went out to a actual migrant farm that had the housing, huge farmlands, and families. Our goal, go out and serve God by doing what we do best, making someone happy. Once again a smile never fails to bring joy to ones heart, and by the end of the night we all had made new friendships that will never be forgotten, not to mention a new light to our eyes, especially my own.

So bringing me back to "why?" Is because after experiencing and seeing how the migrant workers live, there's not much to feel but a huge emotion that is almost unexplainable. What I mean is that those families living out on the farms are inspiration because together they may not have much but they have each other. All the lil kids watch out for the younger siblings (not to mention the family because most of the children are the only ones that speak and understand english), and all the mothers take care of their homes (or what they call home), while all the fathers work, work, work (for so lil pay) to make a living . In my eyes I feel that as great as our food collections are going to help them, it's not going to help the more important issues as to working so hard to keep on going. A question to ponder tonight. What can I do to keep those smiles on everybody's face? To look closer into their lives and see if perhaps we can help them to move forward. Although nobody wants to admit they want help because we all want to be independent, everybody needs help, and anybody deserves it. Goodnight (:
-Blogger B. (Is getting ready for another adventure!)

Pictures from Day 2 & 3!

Here are some pictures from Monday and Tuesday morning.

Collecting food at grocery stores:

Maria and her new friend Johnathon with his donation.

Gabe and Chris getting donations :)

Immigration Simulation:

Working on their farm in southern Mexican. 

Not liking the bean picking too much.

They made it to the Mexican border town.
Working in the Mexi-dot company.

He rode the bus to the Mexican border town!

Getting jobs and working with their boss at the Mexi-dot company.

Doing some warm ups before work.

Migrant Immersion Day, working on the farm:

Sifting the compost for the good stuff.

Tilling the ground to get it ready for planting.

Watering the crops

Weeding the berries.

Making new frog friends!

Planning their planting.

Lots of weeds to be pulled around the berries.

Tim lifting 'weights'.

Dancing in the car...YMCA!

Group photo after the farm work.  They did a fantastic job, worked hard, and got a LOT done!!!

Agape Day 2!

Hello this is Chris Williams, today we went on a walking food drive. Also we went to grocery stores to collect food as well. I guess i was a creep today in the stores by saying "I'll see you on the way out" to two ladies. Also we played a simulation of being a migrant worker it was pretty fun and challenging. I will blog some more when I get the chance.

-chris williams

Today was very interesting. We saw shirtless people, little kids, and very generous people. At our Market we got to hold a little boy, by the name of Johnathan, and talk to some pretty fantastic people. Pretty successful day, today, because we collected a TON of food! Will blog later.

- Hannah Lockemy

Hey today we got the chance to collect food items on a walking food drive and at a grocery store. It was really fun. Bellingham has such beautiful neighborhoods and people were very generous. I saw the most adorable little baby boy ever. His name was Jonathan I got the chance to hold him and take a picture with him. He didn't want to go back to his mom.

 -Maria Zarate

Today we played a migration game. I saved up all my money to get to the U.S. On my way over I got caught by border patrol and was sent back to Mexico with no money, no land, and no family. Couldn't imagine that happening in real life.

Also, during tabling, when we collected cans outside of the grocery store, a teenage boy walked in with sagged pants and baggy clothes. I gave him a sheet of what we were looking to have donated and on his way out he donated a bag of flour. Just goes to show not to judge a book by its cover. 

-Tony Chynoweth

Hello fellow Enumclaw people this is blogger B (Bubba). Today in Bellingham our groups started the day going out to neighborhoods to collect food supplies. Lets just say my team got very competitive and in the end we're proud to say we went out there and came back with food to give to our cause. After that we moved onto grocery collecting! You would never imagine the feeling inside when you see people donating bags or some food, giving you a smile. While others may give us the cold shoulder and chose not to be apart of it, there are those who choose to be apart of it. So with our smiles and kind hearts we stood there and collected as much as we could! Then we all raced on home and had a "simple dinner" which in fact is vegi soup, i'm not gunna lie, I'm going to miss my usual snacking of hot cheetoes at home! The best part of our day today is the "migration game". To sum it all up we played a very inspiring story of those who have homes in Mexico, their farms that they work their buts off, to not only make money to pay bills and get food but to pay for family members to get to the other side, America. Where most seek work and I guess you could say refuge to help their families and keep them alive. 

In my eyes I see it as a tragic story, where people work extremely hard just to survive. And it hurts so much to see that they are alone because if people succeed in crossing the borders and make money, they get here alone, with nothing but the hope that God and their family will keep them going and get them through the challenge. We all want to help but where to start? What can I do? A question to ponder tonight as I go to bed. As for tomorrow I'm glad to say that we're going out early in the morning to help the migrant workers. That is definitely a start. Well i'm ready for bed, goodnight!(:

Blogger B is out.

Pictures and more to come tomorrow as we step into Migrant Immersion Day!

Good night,

Love,

Your Agape Team!

Agape Day !

Hello Enumclaw this is bloggers Johnna and Bubba! Today we drove to Bellingham. When we arrived we ate pizza together with a beautiful ocean view (we'll post pictures later). We moved into our gorgeous rooms below the Sacred Heart CFC, the girlies got the larger library room, while our lovely boys got a smaller nursery room that already smells like man (if you know what we mean). "But men smell good"- says man boy Chris Williams. Once we established our home sweet home we went outside to play Have You Seen My Goat to get to know all of our new fellow friends from the Christ the King parish. Afterwards we gathered in the great hall for the welcoming of our new journals which we are to reflect and write in every evening. oh darn lights out in five.... which means we'll blog tomorrow (:
sincerely J & B sacred heart bloggers.

straight from chris williams' mind to you-

what is up enumclaw. johnna and bubba pretty much said everything but maybe i can say a little more about the rooms situation.well it turns out the men got stuck in a tiny room and the WOMEN got a room twice the size of ours and it smells like flowers. the boys room does smell like feet if that is what they meant also i would like to say hi to motherbear - love christopher williams

p.s- I will say some more tommorow


Stay tuned for the next episode of Agape and for pictures.
Much love,
Sacred Heart Agape Team

Confirmation Update: Getting Ready for the HS!

Our Confirmation Retreat, January 14-16, was amazing!!!  Our group of 30 (24 youth and 6 adults) retreated to Holy Family Church in Auburn.  We spent the weekend learning more about each other and growing in community even more, reflecting on our lives and faith, and having tons of fun!  Most importantly we prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill our lives so that we may be more open to God working in our lives.

We invite you to join us for the Sacrament of Confirmation on May 4th at 7pm with Bishop Eusabio!  It will be a night full of the Holy Spirit!

Here are some photos from the retreat:

A Minute to Win It!

Our Awesome Group!!