Day Eight—Cia

Monday was our last full day in Eureka. At 10:30 we arrived at Food For People and set to work bagging produce for senior and children's programs in Humboldt County. The bags contained (variously) potatoes, oranges, apples, beets, squash, carrots, lettuce, and artichokes. We brought our speaker and had a blast singing along to the music, playing basketball with rotten fruit and the trash, and figuring out the quickest and most efficient way to bag. We ended up making over 750 bags, with an efficiency that our contact at the food bank (Julie) praised as being equal to the regular employees. We finished our work at 3:30 (with an hour lunch break at 12:30) and then drove to Ferndale, where we wandered around the historic town, got ice cream, and bought souvenirs in the quaint shops. Finally, we drove to the housing (stopping on the way for dinner at Joe's Green Barn). Once we were home we came together in our closing circle, where we reflected on the day, the trip as a whole, and the deep connections we had developed with each other over the course of the week.

This was an incredible trip. Though perhaps less grand than last year's trip to Kenya, it was not less important, and the work we did was equally meaningful. Though, as Jude said, we only made small drops in the bucket, our contribution was still felt in a real, human way. Because of our work the employees at Food For People get an extra weekend off, the parishioners at St. Francis have a beautiful garden, and many families have bags of food for the week to the month. On a personal level we are better acquainted with the problems of our own state, and are empowered to better solve them.

We also got know the natural beauty of our state. California is incredible. From towering Redwoods, to the majesty of the Trinity, to the rocky, misty shores along the coast, we are so fortunate to get an up close look and feel for wild wonder of the west coast. Being in the city, we are isolated from this nature, yet out here it is right up in your face, outside your door, crawling in your shower. It has a noticeable effect on the people living here. They have a different air about them than city folks. The children we met in particular seemed more mature, calmer, more at ease with themselves.

These mission trips are such a wonderful blessing. We are so lucky to get to go these beautiful places, do the service needed there, form connections with new places and (especially) with each other. In the space of a week we built a home and a family together, one I will miss intensely. This is my last mission trip, and I am so grateful I got to spend it in Eureka with Gloria, Knox, Caroline, Jude, Henry, Riley, and Mike.