Discovering the gem nestled in the woods outside of Perryville, Arkansas was quite an experience for everyone involved. The 11 youth and 4 chaperones from CTK had opportunities for education, awareness, service, fellowship, and community during our stay at Heifer Ranch. Each day brought a new adventure depending on what path one chose each morning for the 4-hour activity time. Some activities included: making candles from bee’s wax, milking and shepherding goats, working in the garden, landscaping, and weaving wool.
During the 5-day journey our group became aware of luxuries such as running water, the convenience of a grocery store, and the pleasures of a bed, regardless of the thread count of the sheets. Most of these discoveries came within a 12-hr. time frame while staying inside the Global Village, a unique five-acre program area, representing housing found in areas of the world where Heifer operates. In this village many of our youth drew the unfortunate role of refugees and had to barter for food, water, and access to a bathroom. This proved to be quite a difficult and troublesome task at first as many “villagers” would not speak to us, called us names, and absolutely would not help us obtain essential resources to survive the night. By the grace of God, a few members of our group were placed in the Appalachian House, where they were given a log cabin, large stacks of wood, and a bathroom. Through their hospitality and generous gifts of letting us clean, cook and build them a bench, we were able to eat, drink, release, and be merry. This experience proved to be a memorable and team building experience for our youth and adults. At one point I heard members from another congregation say “Why are the refugees singing and having so much fun?!” The week was mostly spent focusing on promoting sustainable solutions to global hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. ~ Youth Director, Tim Lenz
One of the best camps I’ve ever been to. And one of the only places where I’ve gotten to see a real live water buffalo. In the Global Village I was a refugee. There was a lot of hard work. I got to experience for once what it is like to work on a farm. ~ Matthew Willcockson
At Heifer Ranch I learned a lot about other cultures and what it is like to live in a third world country and how to help those who live there. I learned that if we buy more Fair Trade items made in the poorer countries money will go to the workers so that they can provide more for their families. One thing about my experience at Heifer that sticks out in my mind is learning that some people in the world have to live in poverty every single day. ~ Nick Lloyd
It was fun to go with our church. I learned a lot about where my food comes from. I liked meeting the kids from CTK Virginia. The global village really opened my eyes to what people are going through every day, all over the world. ~ Dylan Beckman
The trip to Heifer Ranch was both fun and educational. I was able to take classes to learn things like milking a goat, making feta cheese and dipping bees wax candles. I loved the service project time too, except for those pesky chiggers. I was able to work with the sheep and goats rotating them from grazing in one field to another and making sure they had adequate water and shade. The goats are fast and it was hard to keep them out of the barn’s kitchen!
Spending the night in the Global Village begging for food made me think about how lucky I am. I always knew that I’d be ok and that food was coming the next day. What if that wasn’t the case? Scary thought. I made many new friends and everyone one was nice and great to be around. The weather was just as hot as Houston, but the landscape was like Colorado. The food was spectacular, especially the lettuce. It was grown in the Heifer Gardens and was always fresh and green. The experience was incredible and I would definitely do it again. ~ Julia Scruggs