Last summer, Mrs. Bright and Mr. Ayala took eight students to Appalachia to not only help the resident people there, but also to grow in their own spirituality. They stayed at Nazareth Farms, which organizes these types of trips.

Mrs. Bright said, “In this week long immersion trip, we focused on four main things; service, community, simplicity, and faith.” This was Mrs. Bright’s first time taking this trip, and she said it was very relaxing for her to be disconnected from our world for a little while (cell service ranged from extremely limited to non-existent).

Chris Lucian, one of the students who went on the trip, talked about all the different activities they did. “We painted and built houses, did yardwork, fed the poor at a soup kitchen, and talked to people in the community.”

Michael Hinckley mentioned that his favorite part was the games that the group played. The students not only bonded with the community, but also bonded with each other in their time together.

While there were many chores to be done, they were able to split them up with the other school that was also there. They prayed five times a day at least, making sure to focus on helping their own spirit as much as they helped the locals physically.

When Mrs. Bright was asked if the students were able to strengthen the local community, she said, “The local community there is already pretty strong. It’s small, so most people know each other, and I think the students did a good job of becoming part of the community and helping them out.

One common theme that everyone agreed on is that one big thing you learn from working with the poor is just how much we take for granted the things we have in our lives. The poor live without a lot of things that we would consider a necessity. Everyone who was on the trip, and everyone who goes on trips like this one, will agree that we do take for granted certain things that these people live their everyday lives without.