St. Ignatius's The Eye: Volume LXXIX Number II

Over the summer, nine St. Ignatius students, along with Miss Harker and Mr. Tre Johnson, traveled to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. We spent a week in Tohatchi, New Mexico at St. Mary's mission. Throughout the week, the main focus was to prepare a trailer to be used as a food pantry. Many of the Navajo are in need of food, especially nutritious foods. The trailer was to be used to store the foods that would be distributed to the needy. Our week was spent sweeping out the trailer, painting the floors, working on plumbing, building shelves, and stocking the trailer with food. While on the reservation, we had the opportunity to meet many amazing people and learn a great deal about the Navajo culture. We worked with a woman named Clair who taught us the true meaning of faith, a woman who has complete faith in God, and her story was an inspiration to all of us. We also met priests, a brother, and nuns who have spent most of their life on the reservation. Spending a week with these incredible people really put our own lives into perspective and made us much more appreciative of all the gifts bestowed upon us. One night we got to listen to a man talk about the clan system of the Navajo, the various ceremonies, and the Navajo code talkers. We were also able to travel around the reservation and see the beautiful scenery. It was a great experience for everyone, and anyone who is interested in going next year should give it some serious thought.