Pictured in the front row left to right are: Meagan Chumchal, Haley Tucker, Jenny Chilek, Lexi Schmidt, Ashlyn Patek, Melanie Wagner, McKenzie Kresta, Loni Soefje, Cassidy Thomas, Kristin Schacherl, Elise Patek, and Samantha Siegel. Second row: Ashton Kutac, Alexa Schaefer, Kaylee Vargo, Kenzie Vargo, Chaperones: Sharon Patek, Kristin Litzmann, Donna Schmidt, Leah Janecek, and David Schmidt. Back row: Shayne Phillips, Jed Janecek, Laddie Pate, Justin Siegel, Sean Wenske, Mitchell McElroy, and Ben Janecek.
A group of young students from Shiner spent a week of their summer vacation to take part in an experience they won’t soon forget. In the early morning hours of June 26 2011 they loaded a bus and traveled eight and one half hours to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where they were joined by other young people from around the country. Hundreds of young people came from different communities and backgrounds but with a common purpose in mind – to make a difference in the lives of others.
The trip was under the sponsorship of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church Youth Ministry and Catholic Heart Work Camp (CHWC), which is a national organization that promotes love and service to others. The mission statement of CHWC is:
First: To share the love of Jesus and serve the neglected,brokenhearted and marginalized in any way needed. The Catholic HEART Workcamp mission is to revitalize communities and beautify homes for the elderly, disabled and those who cannot afford needed repairs. Our goal is to inspire participants to serve in their local communities.
Second: To empower participants to live as Disciples of Christ through serving others. To foster the spiritual growth of each participant through the sacraments, Catholic faith sharing and prayer.
Holding true to this mission statement is exactly what the Shiner youth group did. They grabbed hammers, paint brushes and scrapers, and offered their physical abilities to do whatever they were asked to do for the week. They soon found out they had their work cut out for them.
Even though the weather was less than ideal for outdoor work, they rolled up their sleeves and seemed to forget their discomfort as they scraped old paint and re-painted homes for the elderly and the disabled. They saw first hand what a little elbow grease and paint can do for a house and were amazed at the results. Morning showers and afternoon temperatures that reached 105 degrees at times did not deter these young missionaries from accomplishing their goal. And they did not have to wait long to see the results of their efforts. They witnessed smiles as well as a few tears on the faces of those whose lives they touched. No matter what the conditions were like, the young people said little to complain and stated it was well worth every minute of the time and effort to see the reactions of the homeowners when the jobs were completed.
Some members of the youth groups assisted in packaging over 26,000 pounds of food at a food bank. The manager of the bank said that this would have been impossible to do without the help of the volunteers from CHWC.
Following are comments from some of the students who participated in this missionary trip:
“By far it was an awesome week!!!!”
“Best week EVER!!!”
“I loved meeting everybody and working hard for the people of Oklahoma City.”
“I enjoyed it so much. I wish it would have lasted longer even though the work was hard but it was worth it.”
“It was really hard work but with great people in my group it turned out to be fun.”
“I loved it! I got to meet new people and I got closer to God.”
The young people’s main goal for the week may have been to help others, but after listening to the comments of the youth, one can conclude that they were rewarded as well. They came home tired but happy knowing that their hard work made in difference in the lives of others.