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Instead of a traditional school vacation, these ten students chose to participate in the college's "Headlights" program, an "alternative" fall break. The students spent each afternoon of their vacation volunteering in an after-school program for underprivileged children. In the mornings they varied between preparing meals for people with AIDS, serving the homeless in a downtown sandwich line, and volunteering in two homeless shelters – one of them for families with children.
Casa Karibu Sze-Ming, or "Mission Welcome House," run by Maryknoll Lay Missioners Jim and Karen Halberg Weaver provided the housing for these students. "We love having college groups come," affirms Karen. "They bring a lot of fun and laughter to the house. The kids are excited to be in Denver, the weather is usually great, and it's just an enjoyable time of growth and learning. It's a privilege to share our home with kids who are sharing their hearts with the poor of Denver." It's not all fun and games, though, and that's the point. Karen and Jim try to accompany the students, and facilitate prayer and reflection. "Jesus calls us all to build relationships with the outcast, the poor," asserts Jim. "It's that call the students are responding to". For many, this is their first experience of physical poverty, and there is a lot to mull over. With their experience and training as missioners, Karen and Jim are able to help the students bring this experience to a new awareness of global issues, and also to a very personal and spiritual level.
One of the activities and reflections that the Halberg Weavers try to incorporate into the week is a "Hunger Meal." The Carroll College students, plus twelve Colorado Vincentian Volunteers, gathered one evening at Casa Karibu for the Hunger Meal. They were divided into three groups representative of the global distribution of food and resources. Two people were served as though in an elite restaurant, with steak, wine and candlelight. Seven were given fries, burgers and unlimited pop from a local fast food restaurant, while the other thirteen sat on the floor and shared a bowl of rice and beans.
James and fellow Carroll College student Rachel Day were the two whose lot was the steak dinner. James had facilitated a similar activity a number of times while in high school, so he didn't expect to be very impacted. Since he hadn't eaten much all day, he felt fortunate to be one of the two chosen for a four-course meal, and settled into his fair with relish. James' previous experiences of the Hunger Meal were that no one ever wanted handouts. He and Rachel discussed sharing their food early on in their meal, but were sure that "no one would want to share two pieces of steak among fifteen people."
Rachel soon began to feel "really uncomfortable", especially when a few people kept reaching their hands out. The young man who waited on them had led them to understand that they "weren't supposed to share their food." James, too, began to feel the effects of the others. Someone asked James and Rachel "if they noticed the empty bowls on the floor." Stated James, "It was a weird feeling because there were just the two of us isolated people eating." It pointed out "how empty our lives can be" despite material abundance. The group on the floor was busy chatting and had formed a sense of community in their mutual disadvantage. Rachel and James felt "no community," and wondered if perhaps each group was experiencing its own form of poverty.
Reflecting afterwards on what they had learned in the simulation, James shared that much of the causes of world hunger are from "lack of knowledge." At one point a young woman from the fast food table began to share what she had, and then to advocate for James and Rachel to join the rice and bean eaters on the floor, bringing some of their food with them. It was after they could see how it could be done that James and Rachel stepped out of the "game rules" imposed on them. They appreciated the role modeling.
Friday night, before their early morning return to Carroll College, Rachel thought back on the experiences of her week in Denver. "It taught me I can live simpler." That day she had been shown the shoeboxes in which the homeless at a local shelter kept their belongings. "I can do without lots of what I have", she reflected.
Most of us can. For Karen and Jim, that's what the hospitality of Casa Karibu Sze-Ming is all about.
To support the work of Karen, Jim and our other Maryknoll lay missioners, please click here
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The Carroll College students at Casa Karibu Sze-Ming
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Jim and Karen with Daniel and Emma
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