"I began to learn about the trip after dropping in on a meeting while visiting Bethe's hometown in October 2015. They happened to have one during the short trip, so I tagged along because it sounded interesting. I never thought that single night sitting around Joanne's kitchen table talking about camp ideas would spark something within me. The spark never really left, even weeks after I was back in Long Island. The idea that I was meant to go on this trip kept with me, and randomly the idea would linger and pop in and out of my every thought every day. This persisted throughout the rest of the semester, growing in intensity. Every Sunday at Mass, I would pray and contemplate the possibility of this trip. I eventually brought it up with my mom, who supports me through everything... except this. She was adamant on me not leaving the country for the first time to go to a country such as Ukraine. This led me to waver on if I should go, so I talked to my campus priest, Father Greg, about my feelings toward the trip, who was hesitant to push me to go against my mother's wishes. I started to suppress the feelings, until I went on a retreat with my Fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta, to the Seminary nearby. During this time, the feelings became so strong, with every speech or talk having a spark of the feeling that I have to go. We had confessional, and I talked to another priest, who told me that the feeling wasn't simple wonderlust, but instead it was God pushing me toward His will, that every part of this path was intentional by Him. This was the first time where her permission and blessing was not going to stop me. I was never more sure of the fact that I had to go. I immediately called my mom and told her that I love and respect her, but I am going on this trip. Her response was "Okay, let's start figuring out fundraising". " - Kyle
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