Global Peace in Dirt/Mulch/Earth/Worms/Soil

On Sunday we did our service at the Global Peace Initiative outside Indianapolis. We woke up at 6AM for the second day in a row but everyone was super enthusiastic and were in good spirits. Since there is absolutely no traffic in and around Indianapolis our drive was relatively short considering we were working on a farm and our housing is almost in the center of downtown.
The Global Peace Initiative was started by an incredible woman named Linda Proffitt. She's a very lively and energetic speaker and overwhelms you with her personality and story. She described to us the story of how her meditative programs for her community evolved into an organization which creates urban agriculture for vulnerable populations, including individuals with disabilities. She said that she survives on volunteers, so we were especially glad to be a small part of her success.

After receiving a rapid-fire and highly technical explanation of the types of dirt/mulch/soil/earth that we were helping with (Elizabeth, the plant sciences major, was probably the only one who grasped it) we got to work. Six of us worked pitchforking and wheelbarrowing the mulch/dirt/soil into workable piles while the other four helped Linda do heavy lifting in preparation for the worm day (?) (she loves earth worms since they play a big part in the optimal soil creation. We worked for about 3 1/2 hours straight and it was really physically taxing in the hot Indy sun but it felt good to know that our efforts were supporting an awesome initiative. After our work was complete, we, as a team, carried solar panel bases across the farm to an area where solar panels could be installed. They were quite heavy but our coordination and team efforts finished the job. We ate lunch, said goodbye to Linda and headed back into town.
We went straight to the YMCA for showers and our "thank you service" for the Y. We sprayed, wiped down and dusted their exercise equipment rooms for the large facility. It was nice to be able to do a favor in return for their generosity. We then drove back home for dinner, reflection and a movie. We ate mac and cheese (comfort food after a calorie burning, labor intensive morning whatup!) had a superb reflection and watched My Left Foot (A film about an artist/writer with cerebral palsy). Once the movie ended we collapsed into bed.
The first half of our AB experience has been so great! We've met some amazing community partners and have really bonded as a group. Looking forward to see what else we can accomplish during the rest of the week!!
Ariel