Last week, some members of the youth ministry program and other members of the parish ventured to southern West Virginia for the annual mission trip. I made a brief visit Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate Mass for our crew, and to visit the three work sites they were working at. Overall, it was a long, but good trip.
Heading down on Tuesday afternoon was wonderful! A sunny, blue sky with a smattering of clouds along the way made it a wonderful time to enjoy traveling and driving, which I love to do, but do not have the ample opportunities to do so. I arrived at the center where our group and a few other groups were staying. (It was actually the small city's middle school.) When I got there, the groups were in a meeting, but shortly heading my way for dinner. I was able to grab a bite of spaghetti and green beans with the group, catch up on what they were doing, and enjoy hearing their stories.
Each night, the participants have an activity each night. Tuesday night happened to be square dancing. Yes -- SQUARE DANCING. I and a few of the adult leaders from our group remembered having to learn square dancing as part of our physical education course in grade school. I guess times have changed, because these kids had no clue what to do. (But, in all honesty, I wouldn't have remembered what to do, either.) True, our missionaries seemed a little clueless when it came to square dancing, but, in the end, I believe that they did have some fun just trying to figure out what the heck they were actually supposed to be doing. One of the teens, though, ended up in the group closest to the sound system (on which the music actually came from a record player!), and was able to master the dance a little more than his counterparts. However, he was also finding himself in the group which had the most experienced square dancers - so I'm sure that helped him out, too.
Following the adventures in square dancing in the way-too-hot-to-be-in gymnasium, I celebrated Mass for our crew, and for some of the other Catholics in the various other groups. I was good to spend some "holy time" with them. It was good, also, to celebrate in an air-conditioned room, since it was uber-humid outside.
After the Mass, we celebrated the birthday of one of the teens with a surprise ice cream cake and Twinkies party. It's always a good idea to give people sugar right before you tell them to go to bed. When the party was done, I went and found a hotel room for the night. (I've slept on the floor before, but I'm not that crazy!)
Wednesday marked my third anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. What did I do to celebrate? I visited the work sites where the groups went to. We had three groups, which meant traveling to three sites. Luckily, they were not too far from one another. (Two of the sites were along the same road, just about a little under two miles from each other.) I had the opportunity to meet the people who lived at the work sites (which were their homes). They are all beautiful people in their own right - having pain and frustration in their lives, but, in their own way, giving God the glory and honor.
The first work site was work being done to a woman's living room in her house. They ended up rebuilding the floor (basically from the bottom, up), cleaning and painting the walls, and even into the hallway.
The second site was replacing a family's roof and giving them a new bathroom. Talking with the gentleman who owned the house, he thought that the group was just going to do a little spot repair here and there, not take off the entire roof and replace it! He was surprised by that, but very grateful for the work being done. The bathroom floor was almost falling in on itself, but our workers there had stabilized the floor from the basement, and was just about to finish laying the subfloor for the room before setting the tiles, and putting the toilet back into place.
The third work site was to work on the underside of a house, and prep work for skirting the house. Apparently there was much activity with spiders the day before I was at the site. (Better them then me!) There was also a lot of ditch digging to support the skirting that was to be done. The woman who lived at the house was, in my own words, spunky. She didn't hold anything back from telling you what she thought. But it sounded like the team enjoyed talking to her and getting to know her.
I left for Pennsylvania following lunch, and enjoyed taking my time to get back. (Not just because there wasn't anything pressing for me to do, but, also, because I was so tired from all the driving!)
While driving down and back up through West Virginia, I couldn't help and think about my experience in Guatemala. The mountains there reminded of the Central American country, and seeing some of the housing along the road reminded me of the poverty I saw there last year. And while poverty is still poverty, there was a difference - Guatemala versus the United States. But it reminded me all the more that while it is important to do what we can for our brothers and sisters throughout the world, it is important to keep in mind the poor that are in our midst here, mere miles away.
Also, while thinking of Guatemala, the thought came to me to recognize that while the people our youth was serving was grateful for the help, there was the inter-personal aspect which makes all mission trips successful. It's just not going to "do something good" for another person, but, ultimately, seeing and serving Christ in that other person, and allowing yourself to be Christ to those you serve. I think that our mission workers got an understanding into that insight. *Service really isn't service unless there's that personal interaction.*
All in all, while it sounds like the crew who went down had a terrific opportunity to engage in getting to know the people they were serving while helping improve the quality of life where they were - albeit just a little bit -, the great gift for me was sharing in this mission, even for a brief time. It reminded me not only why I was ordained, but it also reminded me all the people that I have served - both here in Pittsburgh and throughout the world. I continue to pray for all of them, and hope that the Lord is continuing to do great things in their lives.
For right now, my pilgrimage along the country roads of West Virginia was the reminder for me - especially on the third anniversary of my ordination - of why I entered into a life of service. I may not always get it right, and I'll down-right fail from time to time. But it's in coming to know those who I serve, and to appreciate the presence of Christ in them, as I try to allow Christ to work in and through me.
But NOT through square dancing.
Enjoy the journey . . .
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