An amusing anecdote from the leaders on a recent Deer Hill school custom program. The host for their service project with the Navajo, or Diné people, was Patricia, who plays the role of healer in her community close to Gallup, New Mexico.

“One evening Patricia came out to sit around the fire with the group and share stories about her life and role as a medicine person. One of the examples she gave of traditional techniques was of using hot coals to draw out “bad things” from someone with health problems. Patricia explained that one of the side effects of this was that she inadvertently draws out heat from all fires, especially fires used for cooking. We had been cooking a Pineapple Upside Down Cake in our dutch oven throughout the evening, with charcoal scattered around the base and on the lid. Needless to say, when we checked the cake after Patricia left, it wasn’t close to cooking through!”

Thanks to the leaders Rachel Landis and Lexi Tuddenham for this story.

Learn more about Deer Hill’s custom-designed class trips for schools.