A mission trip turned out to be very timely as youth and adults from St. Anne Church in Brandon Township arrived in Pennsylvania June 21 to find the area of Greenburg devastated by a flood.
‘The water had gone up about 25 feet and the town hadn’t flooded in 50 years,? said St. Anne Youth Minister Kim Zernec.
Zernec was joined on the mission trip by 57 youths and nine adults from both St. Anne and St. Daniel Church in Clarkston. This is the fourth year St. Anne youth have gone on a mission trip through the Catholic Heart Work Camp, an organization which arranges such work for Catholic churches all over the United States and the world.
Greenburg, Pa. was chosen as the work site this year, Zernec said, because of the size of the group and the timing of the trip. The mission included yard work for the elderly and disabled; the exterior and interior painting of homes for low-income residents, and cleaning of the Red Cross and St. Emma’s Monastery and Sisters of St. Benedict retreat house.
The youth and adults worked in teams of seven on different projects.
Rachel Graveldinger, who will be a sophomore at Brandon High School this fall, washed all the walls and ceilings and painted the home of an amputee war veteran who, she said, was very welcoming and appreciative.
Josh Dolecki, who recently graduated from BHS, painted the interior of a Catholic schoolhouse.
The teams completed their scheduled work early and began the flood relief.
‘Many people lost their cars and they lost everything in the lower levels of their homes,? Zernec said. ‘We helped people wash down everything that was covered in mud, cleaned out basements and cleaned playgrounds so they could be used again.?
The mission work was both a bonding and learning experience.
‘I learned that no matter what happens, everyone is kind of your family,? said Graveldinger. ‘You work together and we all care about each other.?
‘People are so appreciative of the littlest things you do,? said Dolecki.
To go on this mission trip, youth had to come up with $400 each through various fundraisers, including a lock-in, their annual haunted forest, and bottle and can collections. Zernec said the trip also would not have been possible without the sacrifice of adult chaperones who worked and sweated along with the kids.