In 2019, the Sequoyah UMC Youth Group went on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The pumpkins that we sell each year are grown on the Navajo Reservation by Navajo people who are employed by Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers. 

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This organization partners with the Navajo government and employs over 600+ Navajo people in an area with over 40% unemployment. This fundraising organization that started as a dream for one man at one church, now blesses over 1,000 churches and nonprofits across the country, as well as the Navajo people who gain a job during harvest season.

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On this mission, we spent the first part of the week helping to build a home for a man named RJ. He was strong in his faith and had built most of the framing for his home by himself from scrap wood and nails from his old home. We worked alongside him through the week, learning many valuable lessons and seeing his faith in action. RJ spends his days working to share the love of Jesus with his family, who do not believe. We learned that RJ had worked on the Pumpkin Patch years before. 

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On our last day we got to visit the farm just an hour north of where we were serving. We spent the day hearing about the life of the workers, seeing every bit of work that goes into growing our pumpkins, and truly how natural the process is. 

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We are proud to partner with Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, and proud that this fundraiser supports not only our youth, but the Navajo people as well.