Posts related to on Sierra Service Project

2022 News: Scratching the Surface of Needed Repairs

December 15th, 2022

Navajo Nation winters bring ample rain and snow, so safe home access, water-tight roofs, and wood storage are essential. The 11 repair projects we completed were just a dent in the help needed.
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2020 Newsletter: Elvira Litson

February 9th, 2021

Elvira Litson, Community liaison, The Tsaile-Wheatfields Dineh Water Users

My name is Elvira Litson, and I serve multiple positions for a nonprofit organization within my community on the Navajo Nation. The Tsaile-Wheatfields Dineh Water Users (TW-DWU) 501(c)(12) was established to collect operation and maintenance fees from farmers to maintain major irrigation canals to irrigatable farmlands within the Tsaile-Wheatfields area. The Tsaile-Wheatfields Farm Board oversees three major farmland sites (Tsaile, Upper Wheatfields, and Lower Wheatfields) totaling about 1,678 acres and 127 contiguous farm plots leased by farmers through Land Use Permit Agreements.

“Now more than ever [we] are focused on revitalizing and strengthening our roots and responsibilities to the land by using the wisdom of our ancestors, helping us survive in these times of great transition.”

TW-DWU was awarded a 5 million dollar grant through the Navajo Nation Permanent Trust Fund to implement a 5-year revitalization of farmlands project, known as the Wheatfields Agriculture Project, where 80% of farmlands sat idle for decades. The mission of the organization is to develop, promote, operate, and maintain water conservation systems to sustain agriculture and community activities in the Tsaile-Wheatfields-Blackrock communities for present and future generations. Our vision is to have a sustainable supply of high-quality water to support a prosperous agricultural community that nurtures healthy and happy families.

The pandemic has placed an emphasis on food security and sovereignty within our nation. Now more than ever, our organization and many similar programs within our nation are focused on revitalizing and strengthening our roots and responsibilities to the land by using the wisdom of our ancestors, helping us survive in these times of great transition.

“Our solution is to strengthen our food and water systems to build an economic system for our community and our nation as a whole.”

TW-DWU is strategically planning and establishing partnerships to build capacity by supporting local farmers and ranchers with contemporary and traditional growing methods, food preparation and preservation methods, and improving the quality of our local livestock. Our solution is to strengthen our food and water systems to build an economic system for our community and our nation as a whole.

Editor’s Note: Thank you Elvira for your local leadership and for sharing about TW-DWU and food sovereignty with SSP participants during our online summer program. We look forward to our ongoing partnership, including our new Community Advisory Council!

Will Wood

November 26th, 2018

Youth Board Member from Pt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, Elk Grove, CA

I have participated in SSP four times, in San Diego, Smith River, Spokane, and Tsaile, all at high school sessions. Through my trips with SSP, I have acquired a plethora of memories and experiences, each of them special in their own way. A few of these include learning about the rich history of Chicano-Americans in San Diego, racing to save the beautiful Tolowa Dunes outside Smith River from invasive European beachgrass, and strategically demolishing an awning on a twelve-foot-tall deck in Spokane.

If I had to choose just one significant memory, it would be from Tsaile this year. Dr. Silver Nez Perry, a Diné community leader, talked to our whole group about motivation and how to be successful in life. To hear such inspiring words come from a place one would not necessarily seek it out was especially intriguing. Silver’s words have stuck with me since then, and will be with me for a long time to come. These (and many more memories) have made SSP a formative and important experience for me.

“To be able to significantly impact the life of someone else, while simultaneously deepening your own faith and connecting with fellow Christians, is a special thing I am proud to be a part of.”

Sierra Service Project has somehow struck the perfect balance between church retreats and service projects. To be able to significantly impact the life of someone else, while simultaneously deepening your own faith and connecting with fellow Christians, is a special thing I am proud to be a part of. The duality of helping others while also helping yourself, although in different ways, is what truly has made SSP an important experience in my life that has yet to reach its final chapter.

SSP has given me so many great memories. Through each of my four trips with SSP, I have become enthralled with philanthropy and the deepening of faith. When I am older, I would love to be involved in the non-profit world, to help others find that same passion. This is why I have chosen to serve on SSP’s Board of Directors, to help others find their passion through service. Serving on the Board of Directors will allow me to give back to a worthy organization, and help other teenagers take advantage of opportunities to serve with SSP.

Editor’s Note: Will Wood is a senior that attends SSP with Pt. Pleasant United Methodist Church. He has been elected this year to serve as a youth representative on SSP’s Board of Directors. This article is featured in SSP’s 2018 Annual Newsletter; read all the stories written by youth volunteers, summer staff, and community members. Request a hard copy newsletter to be mailed to you.

MySSP Login

SSP's Group Registration Portal

First-come, first-served registration is open for SSP's summer of 2019! If you are your group's liaison, click the button to login to your MySSP account.

Andrea Maniti

November 26th, 2018

Youth Board Member from Vista United Methodist Church, Vista, CA

Youth today juggle classes, extracurriculars, and everything in between, leaving no room to breathe and grow. The pressure to be a well-rounded person sometimes compromises one’s passion. Sierra Service Project allows youth to discover not only different communities in the world, but also themselves, as they explore their own identity and passions.

At least once in our lives we have been told something like, “life is about the journey.” It’s very cheesy and cliché, but also true. At the beginning of a week at SSP, you are plunked into a place you have most likely never been before, whether it be a gym in Chiloquin, or the red clay of Tsaile, Arizona. You are in new surroundings, with new people. You find yourself embraced by an open community who wholeheartedly accepts you, for you. Throughout the week you discover new things you never would have known otherwise, about yourself and others, in a safe and nurturing environment free of judgment; a safe haven.

“Seeing God’s work in action proved to me, that good exists in this world of hurt; it just needs to be facilitated; igniting a new hope in me.”

I have always struggled with my faith. Growing up, I was taken to church every Sunday, and sat in the same pew between my parents while the pastor proceeded with their sermon. My first time attending SSP sharply contrasts with my most recent summer trip in 2018. The main aspect that has altered my entire relationship with my faith is my overall confidence. Before SSP, I never took notice of how seldom I dedicated myself to growing my faith. It was a topic I never thought to explore for myself. My natural instincts led me to piggyback on the ideas of my parents, or popular beliefs. I always labeled myself as a Christian and attended church, but failed to interpret God’s teachings for myself.

Sierra Service Project helped me open myself to the world, resulting in me opening myself to God. Seeing God’s work in action proved to me, that good exists in this world of hurt; it just needs to be facilitated; igniting a new hope in me. SSP allows youth to see the bigger picture of the world; both good and bad. The SSP experience puts the world into perspective. The overall message of Sierra Service Project is to provide service to others above self, and contribute to the betterment of communities in need.

“Even though Mary didn’t speak a single word, her tears and strong hugs were enough to bring our work team to joyous tears.”

I will never forget my first year at SSP in Tsaile, Arizona, where our work team had just finished the top of a wheelchair ramp. The homeowner, Mary, no more than five feet tall. Every day we worked on her ramp, she would sit under a tree in a chair, with assistance from her nephew. On our last day, Mary took her first stride out of her house by herself. This was Mary’s first time stepping outside without assistance in a long time. Even though Mary didn’t speak a single word, her tears and strong hugs were enough to bring our work team to joyous tears.

This moment made me realize – this is God’s work. Sierra Service Project truly shows in order to see good in the world, you must put good into the world. There is an active love felt by every single person involved that promotes a foundation of growth and providing service above self. As a participant, you learn there are so many things much bigger than you happening in the world. This, in turn, opens your perspective to the world and your ability to create change.

Editor’s Note: Andrea Maniti is a senior that attends SSP with Vista United Methodist Church. She has been elected this year to serve as a youth representative on SSP’s Board of Directors. This article is featured in SSP’s 2018 Annual Newsletter; read all the stories written by youth volunteers, summer staff, and community members. Request a hard copy newsletter to be mailed to you.

MySSP Login

SSP's Group Registration Portal

First-come, first-served registration is open for SSP's summer of 2019! If you are your group's liaison, click the button to login to your MySSP account.