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MARIETTA—This summer, teens from the Church of the
Transfiguration learned what it means to serve from the heart.
In late June, 27 teens from the Marietta parish traveled to
Mobile, Ala., to participate in a mission trip run by Catholic Heart Work Camp.
The teens, accompanied by six adults, were joined by over 200
teens and 40 adult leaders from other states, including Pennsylvania, Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Louisiana.
Working on 39 different projects, the group served people in need
by cleaning, repairing, rebuilding and painting houses, doing yardwork, setting
up apartments for refugees and providing love and attention to children
suffering from neglect or abuse.
Each adult was assigned to a work team of about five teens, all
from different parishes.
Marilyn Snyder, an adult leader from Transfiguration, who made the
trip with her husband and two sons, said that although the teens in the group
were strangers when they met, they left with a special bond of friendship. She
said she was impressed with the determination of the teens.
“The selfless zeal and spirit of cooperation of all the teens
in serving the poor was awesome,” she said. “‘No, I can’t
do it,’ was never heard, no matter how impossible the task.”
Each evening, the group would gather for singing, praise, skits
and sharing of each group’s experience at their worksites. On Friday, the
group was given a free day, when they headed to the beaches of Gulf Shores.
However, it was serving the people of Mobile that left the most
lasting impression on the group.
“We all found Christ in the poor and in our fellow workers
and no one will be quite the same for having done this,” Snyder said.
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