Date: Fri 30-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Trinity-workcamp-youth

Full Text:

WITH PHOTOS: Having The Nerve To Serve Without Thanks

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

The South Carolina man's speech was fairly unintelligible after he suffered a

stroke, a heart attack, and the loss of most of his teeth. But the last day of

workcamp he was able to tell the youths who repainted his house and built a

porch, "I love you guys. Thank you so much."

"It was a pretty emotional last day," recalled Maggie Tomasiewicz, one of 24

Newtown youths who joined 325 other kids at a Christian workcamp in Greenwood,

S.C. the first week in August. "We showed the community that teenagers really

do care. And that we were not there to destroy, but to help."

The local students, most of whom are members of Trinity Church Youth Group,

learned about themselves, about working together with "strangers," and about

how their work related to Christian philosophy. Each one was assigned to a

different crew of six, and most helped paint the exterior of homes. At night

they participated in an ecumenical program, which included prayer, sharing,

and singing.

"We had a lot of fun. The first day, we thought the singing was corny but then

by the third day we were really into it," said Maggie. "Thursday night was the

best night. It changed a lot of people. It was Sin Night - He will forgive you

for your sins. Everybody was crying - it was the most spiritual thing."

Part of that evening program focused on a sad occurrence that happened that

morning. One of the residents whose home was being painted had died. Sarah

Lux, who was working at that site, was able to share her feelings that night

with the group.

"The house was all shut-up. His sister, who lived next door, came over to the

house and told us he had died. We were all upset, but the other crew came over

and we prayed," she said. The resident, Rufus, who was in his early 50s, had

had prostate cancer and heart problems.

"Our crew was really much closer [after going through that together] and we

were so pumped to get the house done for the relatives," said Sarah. "We

didn't know Rufus had appreciated the work until the last day, when his sister

told us how much he had loved having us there."

Many of the homeowners who had their homes spruced up by the work crews were

sickly and disabled, said Trinity's Youth Director Mary Tomasiewicz. Although

unable to communicate well, the director said "you just got the sense they

were so happy that you were there. One of the lessons was: Have the nerve to

serve without thanks."

The week was not without time for relaxation and pranks. "The most fun for me

was probably our break on Wednesday when we all went to the river. There were

dead snakes there. And you couldn't see the bottom of the river," said Ben

Eberts. Also fun was "waking up and finding someone had rubbed deoderant all

over your pillow."

Last year when kids came back and told Maggie how much they enjoyed work camp,

she said she responded, "Yeah, sure. Whatever." But now that she has

participated in the program, she would recommend it to anyone. "Work camp is

fun," she said. "The only way to really understand what it's about is to

experience it." She especially enjoyed talking with participants from

different parts of the country.

Jenna Kelkres said the best part of the trip was seeing the change in the

Newtown group. "You come back and you're so much closer," she said.

"I had the satisfaction of helping someone who is in need and appreciates my

help," said Gordon Schmidt.

Next year, the group hopes to travel to work camp in Ohio. The popularity of

the trip has spread beyond the Trinity Youth Group, so Mrs Tomasiewicz hopes

to coordinate with other churches to offer the ecumenical experience to anyone

who wants to participate.