Gettin down and Dirty - February 7, 2014

Dirt and rocks. Rocks and dirt. Everywhere.


Friday morning we went to a farm in Jerusalem (outside of Jerusalem? I'm not entirely sure).
It wasn't just a plain old farm with nothing really special, it was a VERY special farm. This particular farm gives jobs to teenagers that have dropped out of school, haven't gone to college, or are on the street. It gives them an opportunity to not only get their lives together but it gives them a job in agriculture. There are teachers/therapists that also work to help to get those kids on the right track while working on the farm. 

When we went to the farm, none of them were there because it was Friday and they don't have to work on Fridays. 
Because Jerusalem was basically built on rock, it is hard to get fertile soil, so our job was to go through the huge field they already had plowed a bit and pick up rocks and bring them over to the side.

A few friends and I, to make the job more fun, started singing "Look Down" from my favorite musical "Les Miserables" and plenty of other songs. (We may have gone through the entire first half of the musical.) I truly enjoyed being able to get dirty with friends and sing the greatest songs on the planet.

This went on for two hours. Yes, it was VERY hard work, my back hurts still, my legs are sore, and I'm exhausted but I really don't mind because the faces of those kids when they see they don't have to clear that entire area of rocks is all that really matters. As long as they feel that there are people that are there to support them and want to help them and make sure they get to where they need to be in life is all that should ever be thought of when I think of this experience.