Getting up early during the summer was a struggle because I was not used to being up at anytime before 10:00. Getting to Saint A’s, I felt very nervous as I approached the bus. So many questions filled my brain as I walked on the bus. I began to feel very stressed and quickly sat in any seat I could find. I noticed that there was an open seat next to a girl who I recognized from one of the previous retreats I did. I plopped my stuff next to her. She smiled and said hi to me and we began to talk about the camp. I quickly found out that this was her first year at the camp as well. The ride was fairly quick for me because I was so nervous, however I began to open my mind a little as we headed towards the camp.
Sofia
Once we finally arrived at camp, one of the first things I did was check which work group I was in. For the first time, I had another person from Good Shepherd Parish in my group. When I got to meet with my other groupmates, I was surprised to see that not one or two of the people, but all of the other kids were from Good Shepherd. I was a little bummed out because one of my favorite things about CHWC is being able to meet new people and establish relationships with people from all over the area. This year will be a little different, but I’m hoping that I might be able to work with a few other groups at our work site and meet new people.
Luciano
We started to get to know our CHWC groups by participating in group games such as Spikeball, Mega Connect Four, and Golf Tennis. We also played card games that allowed us to share fun facts about ourselves. The last thing we did tonight as a group was Mass. It was different from Good Shepherd because we sang different songs than usual. We also were in a gym sitting in folding chairs and kneeling on foam pads. Mass was similar to back home by the order of the liturgy, the readings were the same and, most importantly, we received the Eucharist. Overall, today was a really fun day. My favorite part was probably the group bonding activities. I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.
Jack
Good Shepherd Youth Ministry 