Cadence - Life with a New Rhythm! That was the theme of an Awesome Catholic Heart Workcamp I recently had the opportunity to go on to Memphis, Tennessee with 92 people from Teutopolis and the surrounding area. Fr. Vernon from St. Francis was very gracious to take this trip with the youth. There were many other Catholic youth groups there from different states.
Throughout the entire summer CHWC (Catholic Heart Workcamp) has over 11,000 participants touching the lives of so many people in need. The pounding of hammers, the swish of a paint brush, the giggle of a child, the clanging of canned goods, a voice saying thank-you, the silence of a tear, all create life with a new rhythm for those Catholic youth that choose to give a week of their summer to serve those less fortunate. It really makes the participant thankful for what they have. God is doing amazing things through CHWC. He is changing the hearts of our Catholic youth and the hearts of the many people served. The campers sleep on the floor at a Catholic high school, they get up early, work hard all day in the heat with other youth from across the country, go to Mass, eat together, and then enjoy an evening program which includes praise and worship music, witness talks, confessions, prayer share time, and games.
The best thing about this week for me is seeing the youth of our church very excited about their faith. They chose to do this and worked hard to make this trip possible. I felt honored to chaperone such a wonderful faith-filled group. All of us should be very proud of the youth in our area. Thanks so much to all who made this remarkable trip possible. When we choose to follow Christ and respond to the call of service to others... We choose a Life with a new Rhythm! The world invites us to rush through life, to keep going, to get ahead and achieve for ourselves. Yes, we should achieve, but this is the beat of the world. God invites us to be a part of His rhythm, to walk at His pace, to stop and look at the world around us and to be a part of a Cadence of change. Check out the web site at www.heartworkcamp.com.
