Bethlehem Farms was unlike any place I have ever been to. This lovely little farm in West Virginia, home to a group of people living in community and serving the surrounding population, was where I got to spend my spring break for a Rockhurst service trip. When we first stepped out of the car on Sunday night, a crowd of about eight people who either live there or come to help out seasonally greeted us with hugs and a “welcome home!” After a day of multiple flights and uncomfortable naps in a van, our first thought was, “this is so strange…are we staying with a cult?” Nope, just the most welcoming group of people you’ll ever meet. We warmed up to the hugs eventually, and by the end of the week, we were all tearing up as we hugged everyone goodbye and had to watch out of the van window as they waved us off then got in a circle to say a morning prayer. At that point, we were ready to tear up our plane tickets, hop out of the van, and join them for another week of farm life. What does farm life look like? Here are a few of the highlights:
· Farm Chores – Bright and early, before breakfast, but absolutely worth it to be outside as the sun is coming up. Some of my jobs included making garden pathways and sorting through the scraps of a shed that had been torn down.
· Organic Food – I am a picky eater. An absurdly picky eater who doesn’t particularly like vegetables or noodles or really anything new. But I vowed to try everything that week, and now I can’t get over cravings for butternut squash and curry soup, chili with all sorts of veggies, and the best homemade bread I have ever tasted.
· Service sites – We went to a different service site each day, though one group always stayed at the farm one day to cook and clean. I helped patch a roof, rip up an old floor and put in a new one (I got to use three different types of saws, and I am ridiculously proud of that fact), and worked at a food pantry in the back of a thrift store, which involved chatting with some of the local people and hearing some great stories from a man named Montee about his adventures in the Congo.
· Cultural Immersion – We got a few chances to get to know the locals, once at a community dinner at the farm and once at a service at the River of Life Church…we even got to play kickball (or be like me and cheer for kickball) afterwards!
· Bucket Showers – Exactly what it sounds like. Showering in a wooden stall outside by dumping cups of water into a hanging bucket with holes cut in the bottom. We were allowed one indoor shower and one outdoor shower, but I opted for a double outdoor shower…how often do you get the chance to shower under the stars?
I love Kansas City and I’m glad to be back with friends, but sitting here at my kitchen table listening to cars drive by outside, I really wish that the only sound I could hear was the crackle of the woodstove and an Appalachian breeze.
Rockhurst, Loyola Chicago, Boston College, and the B. Farms Caretakers
Wearin' Flannel.
Rockin' Bandanas.
Bein' Hawks.
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