Work Camp - 2007

When we pulled into the school parking lot at Hoosick Falls, NY, I knew I would have fun, and the Mission Trip certainly delivered. Then there were things that I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to bond so deeply to my crew or come to appreciate my resident so much.

In fact, my resident became a source of inspiration for me that week. On the first day at our work site, Mrs. Grennen, our resident came outside to eat lunch with us and even joined us in devotions, a type of daily prayer with our crew. She told us that she had lived in her house since 1937, when she got married. She’s now ninety-four (though we always told her that she never looked a day over seventy.) The crew and I discovered that because we were there to help her, she would probably be able to continue living in her home.

Daily devotions were something that I didn’t really have any strong feelings about at first. Devotions took place daily on the worksite, and in the evenings with the rest of the Sacred Heart Youth Group. Daily devotions became something to look forward to after the second day. Through them I bonded with my crew and became closer to the others from Sacred Heart. It was nothing short of inspirational to share our thoughts about daily themes, such as forgiveness and peace, or look to see how we had seen God in one another and in the world around us.

God Sightings came in all shapes and sizes at Work Camp, and I think the biggest one for me, was when we sang. Can you imagine four hundred voices singing? It’s really hard for me to describe. There was the amazing feeling of belonging and community. It didn’t matter what type of Christian Church you came from, not just in the singing, but always in the entire camp. There was never a need to know, because everyone was there to help.

My biggest fear, on the last day of work camp, was that the things I had done wouldn’t have mattered when I went home, that maybe I wasn’t really renovated like our worksite. Maybe my fresh coat of paint wouldn’t stick. And yet, when I find myself thinking of the trip and looking at my nail and its inscription, “All in the name of Jesus,” I don’t fear. I feel joy and inspiration that I pray will never leave me.