Before arriving at Jerusalem Farm, we had some questions. How would we handle not eating meat for a week? What would the other school serving alongside us be like? How would we handle the humid working conditions? What is the community like? Will I survive without my phone? 

In the moment before boarding our plane to Kansas City, Missouri, those questions weighed heavily on our minds. The immersion seemed like a daunting task. We were already counting down the days to return home. 

However, while we were exhausted by the time the immersion ended, we left that Sunday morning filled with countless memories from a successful week at our temporary home. And we mean it when we say “home”. The little urban farm off Independence Avenue was more than just a place to stay – it held cherished memories and wonderful people.

Jerusalem Farm resides in Pendleton Heights, an older community with plenty of rundown homes that need renovation. There are also plenty of unhoused people that need to be cared for, though luckily there are various organizations that help with that. 

Our role was to do whatever the farm needed. For us, this meant painting the outside of houses, moving concrete, handing out meals to the unhoused, or doing simple chores around the farm. The owner of the farm, Jordan Schiele, a Jesuit alum, helped put us into work groups where each day we would do one of the jobs. Our personal favorites were painting a church and using a power drill to break up concrete. The work days lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break in between. While braving the Kansas City summer heat for that long was not for the faint of heart, it was extremely rewarding to know that we were making a difference within the community.

Once the work day was over, we returned to Jerusalem Farm. It was always fun to come back and talk with people from other groups to hear about their days. At home, our habits would have been to go on TikTok and Instagram, but at the farm, we would all go down to the basement or to the park to play games and interact with each other. Not having our phones made the experience more impactful. We were able to really focus on these down times and truly build connections with members of Jerusalem Farm, or the other school there, St. Ignatius College Preparatory from San Francisco. 

After free time, we would all share a meal together. Most meals did not contain meat, but the food was still amazing. We were always just tired from the long work days, so we learned to be grateful for the opportunity to share a meal. After dinner, each work group would perform a skit or sing a song to the entire farm about their day. The skits were creative and it was a great way to learn about everyone’s day. 

Jerusalem Farm was also a place where we deepened our spirituality. There were always prayer services in the morning and night that included singing, biblical verses, meditation, or a guest speaker. We were able to reflect on our days and share our gratitude for each other. While the singing was more of a mumble on the first night, by the last night everyone was together and having a good time singing as loud as they could. It really showed how close we had become with everyone – you could feel the presence of God smiling up above.

After the nightly prayer service, we would spend more time together. Our favorite activities were playing mafia and telling scary stories. On the last night, nobody wanted the trip to end, as we had become so close with everyone from St. Ignatius. Some of us still keep in touch with each other today, and will reminisce about Jerusalem Farm and how amazing of an experience it was. We were just a bunch of seniors in the middle of Kansas City in our own little universe away from all our relationships and problems back home. It was a special feeling.

This trip brought out the best in ourselves and our peers, and allowed us to use the skills we developed at Jesuit and apply them to real world situations. We are forever grateful for the journey we embarked on this past summer, and would like to thank Jesuit High School Sacramento, Jerusalem Farm, and all the great men and women of Christ that served alongside us. We will remember this trip for the rest of our lives, and reminisce upon the great times we had on the farm and in that special community.