Six members of the Saint Martin community spent part of Easter Break participating in a service immersion trip at Bethlehem Farm in West Virginia. Sophomore Samantha Newton, and juniors LaDonna Duncan, Ariel Powell, and Dawn Ramsey were joined by faculty members, Pete Range and Lisa Ritchie, in what Mr. Range described as a "grace-filled week living in community with the members of Bethlehem Farm as well as three other high school groups from California, New York, and New Jersey"
Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community in Appalachia that strives to transform lives through serving the local community and teaching sustainability. They enable volunteers to join them in living out the Gospel cornerstones of prayer, community, simplicity and service.
During the week, the Saint Martin team awoke every morning at 6:30 a.m. for prayer and then did their farm chores which included putting up fences, feeding the donkeys, planting onions and yes, even moving manure. A favorite chore was chasing down the pigs when they got loose.
The Saint Martin team was of service in the afternoon as well, bringing groceries to those in need, building a ramp for an elderly couple, painting houses, putting up siding, cleaning up trash, and getting to know the members of the community. The Saint Martin team learned a great deal from the warm, inviting, and gracious people of West Virginia!
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