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Sarah Slazyk traveled to Greensburg, Pa., with other teens and chaperones from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church to the opportunity of a lifetime: Catholic Heart Work Camp, a national organization that sponsors mission work sites throughout the country.
The News & Record will continue to spotlight the work and the fun moments of youths such as these, who in many cases spent the past year raising money to be able to reach out to help someone else.

A lot of times, for me, it feels as if there are few teens who have the same passion to serve others and to praise and worship our God as I do. The Catholic Heart Work Camp gives me the reassurance that I need. It brings tons of kids together who have the same ambition to love God and the same relationship with him that I want and have.

During this week of madness and mayhem, everyone is assigned to a work group and a work site. This year, my group, made up of six people, went to a men’s home, Union Mission. We were given multiple painting jobs to accomplish by the end of the week. However, painting isn’t the only task. It really depends on where you’re working and what needs to be done at your site.

Other tasks included building sheds; installing toilets, kitchen cabinets, sinks and AC; ripping up carpet; stripping wallpaper; and installing lights. This may be hard to believe, but for some people, getting a toilet might be their first time with indoor plumbing.

The week of CHWC is made up of many different activities and experiences.

Each day, my group awoke at 6:15 a.m. to get ready and be at breakfast by 6:45 a.m. I’d gulp down some food and head to one of the highlights of everybody’s day: a time to praise God through song and prayer, and even learn some valuable lessons.

Once we’re dismissed from program, we go to our designated jobs (gathering tools, getting paperwork, making lunches), hop in our cars, vans, and buses, and head out for our day of God’s work. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., we are working, doing the multiple tasks given to us. The work sites are scattered throughout the city and take five minutes to one hour to reach. This year, on my group’s first day, we went 50 miles out of our way and got to our site two hours late.

Each morning, if you’re the break coordinator, you go to the cafeteria and grab all the food needed for your group that day for lunch. There are drinks, sandwiches, chips, pretzels, cookies and fruit. Three of the days we have Uncrustables (a camp favorite) and the other two we have ham or turkey and cheese sandwiches. The meat sandwiches are made the previous night, and groups share that responsibility.

Each day I got back from my site at 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Because I was the break coordinator (the one who put together the lunches for my team), it was my duty to take the cooler to the cafeteria, clean it, give any extra food back to Lauren (our kitchen manager) and store the cooler for the next day.

Once finished, I immediately started my hike up four flights of stairs to my room to gather my things and head back down three flights of stairs to the showers.

There were eight communal showers and four private. I preferred to just throw a bathing suit on and hop in a communal. It was easier, and the waits weren’t nearly as long as the private showers.

We had free time after our showers, until dinner at 5:15 p.m.

Two dinner meals were popular. Taco Tuesday is just one of those days you gotta love. And as for the hamburgers, it’s a CHWC tradition to add our side of macaroni and cheese to the top of the meat. We call it a Brent Burger. They’re amazing!

Next is our evening program! It’s the time we get into our more serious topics of discussion and really show off our faith. It’s a great bonding time and although I love all the singing and dancing, I have grown to like the staff testimonials.

This whole week is an experience you’re not able to have anywhere else. It makes you try things you’d never imagine doing. You go outside your comfort zone, and, believe me, once you’ve done it, you feel great!

Sarah Slazyk is a rising sophomore at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville.