First Church Visit to Heifer International’s Overlook Farm
It was a beautiful, sunny day when 26 members of First Church set out for a visit to Heifer International’s Overlook Farm in Rutland Mass. on April 29, 2006. After an hour trip for those of us starting in Bedford, we were welcomed outside at Overlook by Heifer guides Allie (Dart) and Claire, plus a Heifer volunteer visiting from China.
First on the agenda was a visit to two of the seven “global village” sites that have been set up in Rutland, where we would see how villagers live, and prepare our own “village meal.” Part of the group visited Tibet/China: Haviland family: Maureen, Max, Emma, Sam and Martha; Allyson and Emily Printz; Kathy Register and her boys, Bryan and Nathan; Whitmore family: Mary Ann, Bruce, Kyle and Victoria. Tibet/China was a field with a large yurt (traditional woven wool tent, supported by poles) that included a fire pit. Nearby were a Yak and Dzo in penned area. A Yak is native to Tibet, and has long hair to better survive the cold winters. A Dzo is a cross between a Yak and a cow, with the best attributes of both animals – long hair (that can be woven to make cloth) and a good supply of milk. It can also reproduce (unlike a mule) with a Yak or cow (but not another Dzo).
Claire and the Chinese volunteer instructed us to collect firewood and we began cooking rice. Bruce handled the fire chores with the children helping. Mary Ann chopped up 2 tomatoes and which were mixed with 2 scrambled eggs and served atop the rice. Each of the 16 people present had about ˝ to 2/3 cup of food. We had the choice of eating with chopsticks or a fork. We washed our dishes in cold water and took a group photo before heading to the education center.
Part of the group visited Peru: Aurenz family: Scot, Pat and Stephanie; Bill and Barbara Byam, Phyllis Cooke, Rev. Jamie Howard; Weaver –Majoros family: Chris, Alison and Evan; and Harry and Libby Mussman. Peru was a small stone home, suited to high-altitude mountainous terrain. Nearby were terraced fields, to allow villagers to farm on a mountainous hillside without significant erosion.
The village also contained a corral with several llamas, which would be used to provide muscle to move goods up and down the mountain. Plus, a moveable chicken coup, to support chickens on local grass, and provide both eggs and meat. We learned about the 8 M’s that animals can provide to villagers: manure, milk, meat, material (i.e., wool), muscle, motivation (i.e., hope for the future), more (i.e., reproducing more animals, which can be passed on), and money (i.e., by selling products).
To prepare for cooking our meal, we gathered firewood, carried water, and started a fire – yes, with one match. Allie instructed us on how to prepare a traditional stew, based on quinoa, a nutritious grain; we cooked approximately 2 cups of quinoa, 2 potatoes, 1 pepper and garlic. The stew was good, and served all 13 of us, with some to spare. Then, we washed and disinfected our dishes to ready them for the next group. The entire group reassembled as we took our scraps to the pigs, which were most happy to have them. We learned that pigs thrive on a wide range of food, providing vital meat to a village from what would otherwise be scrap.
Second on the agenda was a look at the Heifer video “The Promise.” From there, the third item on the agenda was a tour of the farm. We saw the many parts of Overlook Farm that support its mission to educate the public about world hunger and poverty, and real solutions using animal agriculture and sustainable farming. We saw the other “global village” sites: Guatemala, Uganda, Thailand, Poland and the United States, and learned about some of their local challenges. We saw many animals, including several heifers, but the goats and their kids were the biggest hit. The children were most touched by the goat with the burnt ear, burnt from protecting her kids during the barn fire in March; they learned that Claire had been the volunteer that saved this goat and her family. Everyone had a hay ride to the farm gardens and past the large pig pen. While waiting for the hay ride, several of the children performed Farm Olympics by jumping over the bales of hay.
Fourth on the agenda was a work project. Part of the group started by “mucking out” the lama pen. We found that the three lamas politely poop in one area of their pen, making for an easier job. Everyone lent a hand scooping poop and taking the wheelbarrows to the compost heap (on the other side of the new barn construction site). Then, all members of the group joined together to remove grass clumps from one of the gardens. Many hands made light work, and the garden looked free of grass when the time was up and we were finished.
The fifth and final item on the agenda was an exercise based on a floor-sized world map. We started by dropping buttons to indicate our estimates of percentage of population in various regions of the world. After seeing the correct percentages, we found that our First Church children were very knowledgeable! Then, we estimated consumption in the various regions, and again learned the truth. The truth is that we in North America are very blessed: we have much, much more than “our share” of consumption. And, of course, this means that other regions have much, much less than their share. This is especially true in Asia and Africa.
At the conclusion of the day, we presented a check representing much of what First Church has collected this year. It felt good that our contributions could now begin to be used on Heifer’s projects all around the world.
Reflections:
• “I was glad for the hands-on experiences — especially for middle schoolers - working on the farm and eating the village meal. For a brief time, we became part of a village, like many in the world, where food is not abundant, and life is a physical struggle.”
• Impressed by Claire and Allie, our guides, who had taken a year off after graduating from high school before starting college to do volunteer work. Both were going on to college with a clear view of their goals, and a commitment to others.
• Impressed by Claire and Allie’s knowledge of Heifer International, and farm life, and how well they could explain it everyone in the group.
• Proud of middle schoolers knowledge during the map exercise.
• Felt good that First Church could support this work thru our contributions, and even a little bit of our direct labor.
• What a wonderful fellowship experience for the First Church group!
Allyson Printz and Harry Mussman
