This week's blog post comes from Steve Seitz, a past chaperone, and his reflections on how Nazareth Farm opened his eyes... this was published in the June 28, 2009 edition of The Catholic Moment (page 9).
Nazareth Farm experience opens eyes and hearts
I recently had the good fortune of chaperoning a group of kids on a week long mission to a special place... Nazareth Farm.
Nazareth Farm is a service-oriented ministry in the Appalachian hill country of West Virginia. Its mission is two-fold: to live out the call of Jesus to love and serve our neighbor, and to introduce people of all ages to the great blessing to be found in answering that call. Nazareth Farm has been succeeding at both for 30 years.
As soon as we arrived, I knew this would be a unique experience for me. We pulled into the driveway as the staff all came out of the house to welcome us. Anyone watching would have thought we were there to visit family. In a very real sense, I guess we were.
Our small group from St. Louis de Montfort Church, Fishers, was not the only one. By the end of the evening, groups from five other parishes/ schools arrived - all strangers to each other. In less than 24 hours, we were friends and family, celebrating being together for a common purpose.
We were there as volunteers. Nazareth Farm provides home repair to people who might otherwise live in homes they are physically and/or financially unable to maintain properly. In keeping with Catholic social teaching, the dignity of the homeowners is respected in that they are asked to pay for materials, with all the labor provided by volunteers. Through a special arrangement with the farm, the cost of materials is not allowed to be a barrier to people having proper housing.
The truly amazing thing that happens on the farm is this: Volunteers come, expecting to work in the homes of people living in an economically impoverished area and they go home amazed at the work the Holy Spirit has done in the hearts of people living in a spiritually impoverished world.
At one moment in prayer, we listened as "Open the Eyes of My Heart" was sung. Should we have been surprised when our prayer was answered? Of course, the challenge for us is to keep those eyes open now that we are all back home.
The work was more strenuous than many of us had done for a long time, if ever. Volunteers were divided into six groups, and off we went each day.
Armed with love, cold water, a cooler full of lunch and little experience, we tackled the work laid out for us. One group worked on putting a new metal roof on a couple's home. another installed siding. Still another rolled out fresh tar over a leaky roof.
The most meaningful work for my crew was installing a fenced play area for a little girl. She lives with her grandmother, who worried that the child would wander too near a deep creek or too close to a busy road that borders their property. We worked in the heat and rain, but at the end of each day our group was still smiling, glad to be together.
Our eyes truly were opened to what can happen when we make ourselves available to the Holy spirit. He was present there with us and with the people who allowed us to serve them in Jesus' name.
In giving, we received. It was an awesome week.
How have your eyes been opened by this experience?
If you have reflections you'd like to post feel free to send them our way!
1 comment:
I think that the most important lesson I learned from NazFarm was how to live in a community with others while accepting them for who they truly are. It was liberating to experience that type of love every day for one week.
I believe loneliness and a longing for acceptance are the most common forms of poverty I experience in my daily life, and now I work on accepting others without being judgmental (which can be difficult at times).
This can be applied to school, work and service.
"When so many are lonely as seem to be lonely, it would be inexcusably selfish to be lonely alone."
-Tennessee Williams
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