DAY 4 - SEEDS OF SERVICE!

This morning we were back at Ekar Farm bright and early to continue our farm work. We started the day with some more dynamic stretching, then we were ready to work. Some of us continued the shoveling of the previous day while the other half focused on mixing compost and weeding the garden beds. Throughout our day at Ekar Farm we experienced the full process of planting and growing our own food. This included preparing seedlings and planting Garlic. About 10,000 families would benefit from just the seedling starters. We enjoyed the snack of a single strawberry each (both metaphorical and actual) and tried some Matza bark with chocolate and toffee. Our day ended up being much cooler than yesterday, and the wind made our work slightly more difficult. 

We then returned to the house for some free time which included lots of card games and piano. For lunch we had quesadillas with guac, chips, and salsa. Afterwards we returned to our respective houses to have some reflective time and clean up the layers of grime. 

From our houses we walked to the Basilica and arrived for Holy Thursday mass. The service was beautiful. We felt especially recognized during the homily in which Archbishop Aquila called us to help the poor and marginalized which highlighted our work during the week. Sometimes our work includes interacting with a community in need while other times its more indirect; regardless of which our work is, we still know that the impact will be widespread. We enjoyed the overwhelming scent of incense, the lovely choir, and pipe organ. We went from remembering the Last Supper to sharing our last dinner together as an immersion group, which consisted of Turkey lettuce wraps!