Walking in their shoes

Matt Gonzalez and Jason Schubert had no idea they would be learning goat-milking techniques during the mission trip with 11 youth ages 14 to 18 and five adults from St. Matthew United Church of Christ in Wheaton.

"Annie (the white goat) was a tough goat, but Beth (the brown one) was very nice and calm," Jason said. "Goat milking was one of the fun chores we had to do."

Matt added, "If you don't hold Annie's legs down, she kicks the bucket and tries to stand in the milk."

Elizabeth Baird, who joined the boys for the cheese making, said, "The cheese was not like cheese you buy in the store, but it tasted good. We put a lot of work into it."

Not only did the trio learn about cheese, they also learned to make goat milk ice cream. Surprisingly, goat milk ice cream tastes very good, they said. There is less fat in goat milk so it is lighter and melts quicker. They added chocolate or vanilla pudding for flavoring.

All these activities were part of our third day at Heifer Ranch, part of Heifer Project International in Perryville, Ark. Our group was there from July 22-28 after traveling 710 miles from Wheaton for the experience.

The first leg of the journey included a stop in St. Louis to assist Pilgrim Congregational Church with its summer urban outreach program. We set up the service in the visitors park and listened to some wonderful music at an ecumenical service with the UCC, the Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church. We spent the night at Pilgrim Congregational Church before we began the rest of our journey to Heifer.

We arrived at what is affectionately known as the Heifer Hilton, where we spent the night before heading to a simulated customs. The facility is an old barn divided in half by gender with old oak bed frames and mattresses.

"The facility was split in half with the east half designated for Bulls and the west half for Heifers," said Matt.

Well-rested, we loaded up for our hayride to customs to begin our journey. When we arrived, we faced harsh airport officials, stolen luggage and long delays. Our youth were sent to different regions at the ranch; some of us arrived in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States, some landed in Tibet, and the rest of our youth were sent to Mozambique.

One of the difficulties we faced was the segregation of our group. Would we still have a good mission trip if we were all in different villages and paired with youth from Fieldon United Church of Christ in Illinois?

When we arrived at our villages, the St. Matthew Tibetans were assigned to the upper class and stayed in a well-constructed, warm yurt, a portable, felt-covered wood-framed dwelling used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.

The St. Matthew Mozambique group lived in a multi-room brick home. The remaining St. Matthew Mississippi Deltas and I were assigned to the lower class, living in an abandoned school bus with a tin-covered kitchen attached.

On the first day, we worked our fields or tended to our animals or simply learned about our own family and our neighboring family. We were allotted a certain amount of supplies and given recipes to make dinner from the region.

The second day was more intense. We woke up early and completed our chores. Then it was time to work, since we would need food for lunch, which had to be purchased at the market. Unfortunately, every family faced some disease or affliction that severely cut into that income. Lunch was sparse and people began to realize what having no food might feel like.

The Mozambique group faced a different challenge. Not ordinarily having meat in their diet, they were blessed by finding a lost rabbit and capturing it. The decision had to be made -- save the rabbit or save the family by eating the rabbit. Following a long, long debate, the family voted to take the rabbit to the market to be butchered.

After lunch, we learned about power and control. During our lesson, the unthinkable happened when we were told a flood ripped through Mozambique, destroying possessions and bringing disease to the lower-class residents. We returned to our villages to come up with ideas to help them. Many of us wanted to take in refugees, but resources were scarce and money was short. So we began relief fundraising by making jewelry, giving tours of our regions and working in the fields for extra pay. Slowly, the Mozambique contingent was saved.

On the third, and final full day, we began the day much like the second with chores, work and a midmorning snack of the goat cheese we made. Lunch was a tad different because all villages came to the market and we could trade with them. The Mississippi Delta group appeared to have more and traded well for sugar, a huge luxury. As a result, we had a decent sweet cake dessert with lunch.

After lunch, we learned about development projects and began to work on them: the Tibetans learned about building a solar powered electric fence to pen their animals to prevent overgrazing; the Mozambique group worked with another village to pass on their knowledge of rabbit-raising and passed on one of their rabbits; and the Delta group developed a program to supply their own meat and produce to the local school system, thus improving the health of local children and keeping money invested in the community.

Everyone at the ranch ate a meal prepared by the Deltas and all were treated to a special helping of goat milk ice cream.

The fourth day was our departure day. We were all tired and hungry and dirty from the lack of showers. But we captured what we learned and planned ways to spread the word about Heifer Ranch. We said prayers for the actual suffering in Zimbabwe, where the country's essential service systems are collapsing and there are acute shortages of food and gasoline as well as political upheaval.

We prayed for the bond that had developed between St. Matthew and Fieldon UCC churches. Then we packed up for the Heifer Hilton and the first shower in days. Our youth had a joyous time and learned an incredible amount about combating hunger and poverty. As we journeyed home, no one stopped talking about their experience.

"I think we all developed a greater appreciation for the abundance we have in the U.S. and the things we take for granted each day, such as easy access to potable water," Jason said.

"I will take from Heifer Ranch hope and peace," said Emma Roberts, 14, of West Chicago.

The cost for each person at the Heifer Ranch Global Passport program was $200; scholarships are available. For details, visit the Web site at www.heifer.org/site.