Did you ever think about sweat as part of God’s will? After Adam and Eve sinned, God taught them an important lesson: They would need to work hard—“by the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3:19)—in order to eat.
You work at school. But God designed some lessons to be learned best outside the classroom. Just ask teenagers in Aroostook County, Maine. Every autumn, many of them leave school for “Harvest Break.” But don’t let the name fool you. Harvest Break is no vacation. For generations, northern Maine farmers have hired students to help haul in the potato harvest.
Gathering potatoes is dirty, noisy, and difficult. Sixteen-year-old Nick Powers drives a potato truck. He guides his truck alongside a harvester. Blades, gears, and belts pluck spuds from the ground and transport them sideways into his truck. The sound is deafening. The truck jolts and shakes. After dark, it’s tough to keep the two machines running parallel. Nick’s truck collects about 30,000 pounds of taters every 15 minutes. That’s lots of tots!
Other student-workers sort potatoes coming off the truck. Dusty tubers move along a conveyer belt. Workers like Malerie Buck remove rocks, plants, bad spuds, and debris. Workers must be careful of the moving parts and giant equipment.
What makes these teens toil from before sunup to after sundown? “It’s a good learning experience,” says Malerie.
There is payment for the work. Student-harvesters make about $2,000 in three weeks. Some put the money toward college. Others buy hunting equipment or save for a car. Still, the potato money represents weeks of sweaty labor. “You never know what work is until you do something hard,” Malerie notes.
Potato harvest teaches lessons about the value of money and the satisfaction of physical effort that often aren’t learned in a classroom. Next time you’re sweaty, remember to be thankful for the lesson—and the blessing—of work.
