You Need Nazareth Farm on Your Bucket List

Interested in serving others? Then you need Nazareth Farm on your bucket list. It is a wonderful experience. I highly recommend it.

I grew up in Flushing, Queens, which is one of the boroughs of New York City. While it didn’t have the skyscrapers of Manhattan, it certainly was not rural. I was a city kid.

We served others by making food when someone died or got sick. We donated the clothes we outgrew to the Salvation Army. We trick or treated for Unicef. We sent money to missions and always placed our weekly envelopes in the church basket.

I was raised to know that I had more “things” than many others and that we should always be kind and generous when possible. So, I thought I had the concept of serving others “down.”

I eventually left Queens, got married, and settled in Nassau County, Long Island. I commuted to Manhattan for work and witnessed the homeless issues in the city. I was aware of poverty and the neighborhoods that were not as nice as where I lived.

But, my exposure to poverty was limited to the life of privilege I was enjoying. I know now that I never truly witnessed poverty. My daughter did, and it changed her life.

Nazareth Farm Intro

I have spoken before of my daughter Erin who is dedicated to serving others. When she was starting her senior year at Holy Trinity high school, Erin told my husband and me that she was interested in going on a service trip that campus ministry was planning to a place in West Virginia called Nazareth Farm.

The school was only allowing six kids to go on the trip. She had to complete a questionnaire and write an essay about why she should be selected to attend. Previous attendees swore this place was magical, and she desperately wanted to be selected.

Obviously, she was picked to go. I felt sorry for her when I saw the tiny yellow school bus she would be riding in for ten hours, but she didn’t seem to mind!

The Service Bug

She was gone for one week. When she returned, she was definitely different. The magic of Nazareth Farm had touched her. She LOVED it, and she could not wait to go back.

They taught her group how to live simply and grow food for themselves. She experienced what it was like to live in a community. She serviced others by doing home repairs in the neighborhood, and she learned praying wasn’t limited to rote prayers.

I am not going to lie. She was a little annoying when she returned. She instructed me to conserve water when brushing my teeth, told me showers shouldn’t be more than five minutes, and that lights should always be turned off when I leave a room.

Sixteen-year-olds are opinionated enough. This newfound, true information communicated in a sassy, “I know better than you, Mom,” was a bit much to take. However, I was proud of her at the same time.

This experience put Erin on the path of helping others. As a parent, I couldn’t be happier. I wasn’t exactly sure what happened at Nazareth Farm that week, but I knew it was a good thing.

Over the next couple of years, Erin volunteered at Nazareth Farm in the summers. She also went on other service trips to Jamaica, worked with Habitat for Humanity, and even founded a college service fraternity.

Upon graduating from Sacred Heart University (May 2020), Erin accepted the job of Volunteer Coordinator at Nazareth Farm. It has been challenging since her job started during a pandemic, and the Farm stopped allowing volunteers to come.

They did, however, decide to host an Adult Service Retreat Week. My sister and I decided to participate. It was so exciting to finally get to experience the “magical” Nazareth Farm myself. Doing it with my sister was a bonus!

Nazareth Farm is a Catholic community in rural West Virginia that transforms lives through a service-retreat experience. We are devoted to living out the Gospel message through the cornerstones of community, simplicity, prayer, and service. We serve alongside our neighbors to address substandard housing by providing home repair. We celebrate the richness of Appalachia and experience God by building relationships between our volunteers and the local community.

www.nazarethfarm.org

Living in Community

At first, I felt way outside of my comfort zone. I was not familiar with being in a sleeping environment with strangers. My sister wasn’t thrilled with the sleeping arrangements either! After the first night of uneasiness, it became no big woop.

We were asked to leave our cell phones and watches in our cars and rely on the staff to manage our time. Talk about uncomfortable! But, again, after the first night, I found it very freeing.

My sister and I went to a worksite and attached a facia board to a garage. I was taught how to use power tools! It completely exhausted me, but it was so satisfying. I had kitchen duty and was able to cook in an industrial kitchen. I made 60 chocolate chip muffins at once!

I made centerpieces for the dinner table and vacuumed the entire first floor of the main house. We all pitched in and did the chores necessary for living in a community. I even helped create a prayer and reflection for the group one night.

I learned that a meal is not simply nourishment, it is a reflection of love for those you want to take care of each day. Ditto for a clean house.

Living in community taught me how to support others better. And, performing the home repairs showed me how to help the extended community of West Virginia.

The staff we worked with were amazing. They each were impressive in their own ways. They were all young yet so mature and confident in themselves. They sincerely dedicated themselves to the cornerstones of Nazareth Farm, and their enthusiasm was contagious.

Fixing Houses

I was in awe of the home repair work Nazareth Farm was doing in the community.

I had a crazy moment when I realized that everyone was following MY daughter to a worksite, as she drove a pick-up truck filled with building supplies! Never mind when she slapped a ladder up against the garage when we got there and climbed right up on the roof! I was speechless.

She was so confident and capable. She told us all what to do and managed the worksite like a pro. Wow, look at my girl go!

We had free time one afternoon, and Erin took my sister and me on a tour of the area. She pointed out all of the homes that she, specifically, had repaired (with her team). There were so many of them!

The condition of the neighborhood homes was pretty shocking. Every home had piles of “stuff” either on the porch or the sides of the house. Erin explained that homeowners never want to throw anything out since they might need something buried in their “stuff” someday.

She showed us homes that were previously condemned that she helped bring back to code so that the homeowners were not evicted. There was a trailer home that needed holes repaired in the floor to keep out animals. Keep out animals? Oh, my goodness!

Making a Difference

I learned what true poverty is that day. I also learned that my daughter and the team from Nazareth Farm are positively changing lives every day.

I believe they are doing God’s work. Their county in West Virginia is getting better one house at a time due to their efforts. I was literally brought to tears.

As a parent, I could not be more proud of my daughter. I am amazed at her commitment and dedication to Nazareth Farm and its mission. As a volunteer, I wish I could have stayed longer and done more.

I now know what my daughter felt in her heart on her first trip to “The Farm,” as the staff calls it. I am so grateful that I experienced it myself.

And, I unequivocally understand now why Nazareth Farm is referred to as “magical.” Simply, because it is.

To support Nazareth Farm or to read more about their mission please go to their website at https://www.nazarethfarm.org/

Assuming we will all be getting vaccinations, Nazareth Farm may be accepting volunteers again next summer. Please consider becoming one. You owe it to your Bucket List!