Last Day at Espanola and Back in the Vans at 7:00 am for Casper!!

Our group leading the elementary school chapel service on Friday morning at the United Methodist church across from the school. The kids really liked the songs "Trees of the Field" and "We are Marching"....

The grade four class wanted to perform a song for us.


The students have a weaving class.

Alexa burning rubber!

Full out working!

Friday afternoon after completing the last ditch!!

_______________________________________________________________

Alexa says: So today was our last work day and after plenty of digging and raking and ditches and songs about digging and raking and ditches we’ve finished it all up. We ‘re all now sun burnt and blistered but it was worth it and I don’t think there is anything that would have made any of us want to take it back. However, the highlight of the day would have to be driving around in the golf cart.
___________________________________________

Hi there, folks, this is Lee writing.

I have been deeply affected by our experience here. Several of the McCurdy students have expressed both surprise and appreciation that our young folks have “given up” their spring break to dig ditches. I think Luke expressed what we’re all feeling the best when he said, “I don’t feel like I’ve given up anything.” Indeed, the kids seemed to have come alive with the challenge we were given. Knowing that the maintenance of the irrigation ditches is critical to the school hanging on to its water rights made us all that much more determined to make a difference here. The result was an incredible feeling of satisfaction as we threw our last shovelful up and out of the ditch at 4:50 pm this afternoon. We were to only work until three, but there was no stopping us. Mike, our “boss”, had no idea what a terrific job we were capable of doing. He and others have told us that the ditches have never been in this great a shape. This work had to be done now as the flood gates are ready to be opened and only a team like ours were capable of taking on such a task. We are all ecstatic that we were able to do this for the school.

Today we led the chapel service, visited with the weavers and their looms in the art room and received a very sincere thank you, certificate of appreciation and a gift in a touching little ceremony at lunch. The grade four class invited us to their little neck of the woods as they had a song for us. It was beautiful. This sort of thing has been going on all week. The accolades continue to shower down on our twelve young people from Kamloops. They have earned the respect and admiration of everyone here. We have been told on several occasions by McCurdy staff that they have never had a more well behaved and diligent youth workgroup here. The students here at McCurdy have also thanked our kids and people passing by us in cars or on foot have expressed the same. What I’m trying to say is that we’ve made a mark here and McCurdy has made an indelible imprint on us as well. We have witnessed first hand what the love and care of a community can bring to fruition for their children. McCurdy is indeed “a light in the valley.”

I think we’re all feeling a little funky tonight, our last night here. The kids have all expressed one way or another how much they are looking forward to being with their families again in Kamloops; however, they are leaving behind their new friends, the old pueblos and the stunning mesas and that, I’m sure, is causing some ambivalent feelings.

Well I better sign off and stop hogging the blog. I will just say in closing that I am very proud of our youth, and it is an honour to be travelling in their company. I’d go anywhere with them.

Love and warm regards to all,
Lee