“A beautiful mess. It is. We Are.” That quote was Catholic Heart Work Camp or CHWC theme of 2014. In my world and opinion, this means that nobody’s perfect. Everyone has a different story and it makes them the person they are today. It also means don’t judge others or treat others in a way you don’t want to be treated. Hearing some of the bullying stories make me wonder what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. But not only that, I want to know their stories because they all differ from mine. When I went on this mission trip, summer of 2014, it made me realize things that I never thought it would. My friend and her sister went on a couple of these and reported all but good things about it. Not only that I got a chance to experience it myself.   

Catholic Heart Work Camp is a camp that travels around the United States to the cities with people that need help. When you sign up, it’s normally with a church group. You can paint houses, garden, help with a daycare center, help the homeless, and so on. One of my good friends went on a mission trip a couple years back. When she came home after a week being gone, she told me all about it. She went to Colorado to help the less fortunate. The things she did there struck me. It got me thinking to eventually go on one. So summer of 2014, I went to Oil City, Pennsylvania. When you first arrive to your destination, you set up where you are going to sleep. Then, you get to meet all of the different churches who all decided to go to the same place. They come from all over the United States, like a couple groups came from Virginia, one group was from Michigan, another stayed in their home state, Pennsylvania. The experience I got from meeting different people was a great one but it doesn’t even compare to my experience of the working part.  

Jerry is the son of the house owner. He was very shy at first, but when it was time to leave, he didn’t want my crew and I to leave. The crew consisted of five of the teenaged campers and two of the volunteer camp chaperones. The house I worked on was split into two. One was for the owners and the other part was for renting out. When they rented it out to a family who needed help, they didn’t take care of it and just left. Water started to leak from the roof, so the owner had to call some roofers to come in and fix the roof and leaks. But when Jerry’s mom paid them, they just took the money and left. They didn’t finish the job. So the apartment had mold underneath the carpet, and water damage everywhere else. One of the things my working crew and I did was tear up the carpet and put it into one of the huge dumpsters. This took all of our seven helpers to do. After that, the owner wanted us to chip off the wallpaper in the kitchen and re-paint it a yellow color. That took the rest of the time. It was a great experience getting to know the crew I worked with. All of the member’s came from different parts of the country. The family I worked for really struck me and made me look at life in a different way kids my age don’t look at it.  

Everything I did there changed the way I looked at my own life. Jerry and his mom are the only two that live in the house I worked on because her husband had died a few years back. Finding this out, right away I thought to myself that I was blessed with such a loving and caring family. Even though it’s just two of the three living in the house, the mom’s love for Jerry warmed me. I’ve never had such a big wakeup call in my short time I have been alive. Another thing that hit me was the town. It was in a rough shape. There are so many other houses that needed more help than what the camp can give them. The house that I helped at is getting more help than just the CHWC, more of the churches around the town with better experiences are helping this family. In the small town I live in, I’d say it’s in pretty good shape. But this town, needed help and I was glad to provide somewhat to this community. Just talking to the house owner, the community really appreciated the help CHWC had to offer. I could easily tell that they were brought together by the camp. It was seriously the best experience I’ve had.

The Catholic Heart Work Camp is a camp I recommend to attend. Most camps are fun and you play games the whole time, but this one it more than that. You not only play games, but you also help those in need and get closer to God. I found out about this by my friend and her sister when they went on their first one and had a good time. When I went on mine, I didn’t know how I was going to like it. To be honest, I was really nervous. I didn’t really know what to expect. But by the end of it, I didn’t want to leave. Not only that, but the experience I had was the best. Jerry and his mom bought us pizza the last day we worked on the house and it’s a moment I will cherish. The town and the family made me have a reality check and got me thinking that I am a lucky person with everything I have. The town proved that nothing is perfect and even though it isn’t, it acts like it. They are a nice and welcoming community that I will never forget. “A beautiful mess. It is. We are.”