Service Trip - Camden

Before going to Camden, I visited my daughter in Atlanta, and on Easter Sunday I was privileged to hear the Archbishop of Atlanta preach. He left us with the question of where do we find the Risen Christ. As he spoke about finding the Risen Christ, I knew in my heart that I would most likely find the Risen Christ in Camden. Over Spring break, I was delighted to accompany four of our students to a Camden service retreat run by the DeSales Service Works. We stayed and ministered in the heart of Northern Camden, a city fraught with poverty, addiction, and suffering. We lived in the DeSales volunteer house run by Father Mike McCue. The girls and I had nice rooms, we brought our own food and so had fun cooking together, and we had a lot of time for reflection and prayer. And I dare say, we had an awful lot of fun and laughs together. During our visit, we served food to the poor through the sandwich ministry at the Cathedral, we worked hard making the local Catholic school’s grounds more beautiful, we visited a local shelter and helped clean it and tend to its flowers, we picked up a lot of trash around the neighborhood, we helped clean up the local park to honor Earth Day, and we spent time at a local Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meetings. One night Father Mike had us do an experiment by giving each of us a dollar and taking us to the local “bodega”, a grocery store on the corner, and buy dinner. We soon realized these local bodegas do not carry much fresh or nutritious food. It became apparent how hard it must be for families in this neighborhood to properly feed their children on very little money. But, we rose to the occasion and might I say we made some delicious quesadillas that night. I’ve asked each of the girls to reflect on how they found the Risen Christ in Camden.

Going to Camden was an experience I will never forget. The people we met and the service we did helped me grow closer to God and become more grateful for the important things in my life. Spending time outdoors, picking up trash on the roads, and helping clean up a community park for Earth Day enabled me to see the Risen Christ. I found the Risen Christ in the two police officers volunteering their time making the playground safe and clean, and unexpectedly taking the time to join our game of kickball with the local kids. I saw the Risen Christ in the faces of the small children living in dire poverty lighting up at the sight of being shown a little kindness and attention. I felt a sense of community working side by side with all the volunteers spending the day planting flowers and picking up trash in the park. In their hard-working hands, I saw the Risen Christ. I didn’t realize that such a simple clean-up activity would have such a huge impact on the community, until I saw the smiling faces of the children swinging on the swings and running around freely. Everything we did to beautify the park contributed to making this neighborhood in Camden a happier and more welcoming place. Through these moments and through and the entire trip itself, I realized that no act of kindness is ever too small, and while I was only there for a short period of time, I know that my service helped others and made someone’s day just a little brighter. In addition, I was changed by this experience by being more grateful for the small things in my life, and it has inspired me to continue showing compassion and love while serving others. I would like to end with a quote by a man named Scott Adams: “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

The time we spent in Camden was insightful and moving. One of the most eye- opening experiences was visiting The Last Stop, a place for people trying to recover from alcohol and drug abuse. When we were first told that we were going to be going to an AA/NA meeting, I was a little suspicious. I didn't really think we would get much out of it, or that it might not be the place for us, not to mention that we had to wake up at 7 that morning over spring break. I thought it was just going to be a strange experience where we heard alcoholics’ and addicts’ stories. After the meeting was over I really had a different perspective on the struggles that some people are going through. The meetings were very interactive such as a few of the members shared about their life and really spoke to us about taking the right path in life. At the meetings, they have these books where people take turns reading the rules, steps to improvement, and daily reflections. Our second day visiting, the five of us read from these books, and each of us reflected and shared our thoughts on the reading and what we were learning from these meetings. Towards the end of the meetings, the members who weren't currently abusing alcohol or drugs were asked to share their stories of improvement and their stories during times of weakness. One of the guys at the meeting told us how a couple days before on Easter Sunday, he and his daughter were baptized in the Catholic church, and he was beginning his journey of sobriety. Another member said her mom drove her to drink and get high because of how horribly she treated her own daughter, so she moved out and is beginning to take classes to get a college degree. In these two people especially, I saw the Risen Christ because they were willing to put aside the thing they thought they loved the most and that which really tempted them, to build a better relationship with God. They really want to better their future so they won't need to get high or drink to feel good. Even though I was feeling reluctant about going to these meetings at first, I am very glad to have gone because I got to witness the risen Christ with my own eyes and ears, hear some great stories, help people, meet all types of new faces, and see people who are truly willing to change into a better them.

An aerial view of any city shows many streets. Along those streets are sidewalks, parks, and homes. Walking into any city for the first time can be nerve wracking. When that city has a reputation of crime and drug abuse, it can be petrifying. It can cause you to second guess every step and action you make. As I entered the city of Camden, New Jersey with Fr. Mike, Mrs. Gordon, and three other Gwynedd girls, that sense of fear overcame me. I’d heard the stories of what happened here and I was not prepared. On that first day, I held hands with another girl everywhere I walked. I was nervous, always looking over my shoulder, expecting the worst. I remember walking down a street of Camden, near where we were staying, and I began to pray. I prayed that we would be safe, that the children we saw in the park would be safe, and I prayed for the two young men who died in the same spot I was standing. I soon realized that my fear stemmed from things I had heard, not from what I was going to experience. My opinion of the residents in Camden was based on a stereotype. I had grouped this diverse population into one unspeakable community. A community of homeless, lazy drug addicts who had less than a care about the world. These people surprised me in the end. Many Camden residents are people who work hard, who do their best to support their families, who place all their trust in God. Yes, here in the streets of Camden I found the Risen Christ.

We walked everywhere during our service trip. Each day I met a new person who thanked me for what I was doing in their community. By the third day I no longer needed a hand to hold in the street because I wasn’t afraid. I was welcomed into a diverse group of people who were all thankful for my presence. I met a little boy who had as much joy and happiness as a kid in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The only difference between this boy and other kids is where he lived.

I went into this trip with a mind closed to the true identity of the people in this city. I was not prepared to see the Risen Christ in the faces of those who received a sandwich, who played in the park, or in those who were grateful for what I was doing in their community. Thankfully, I did open my heart and mind to the people in the city of Camden, because without them, I would not be as thankful for all I have and for where I live. Each person you pass on the street has a different story and background, and to judge them without knowing this information is something I will never do again.

I’ll admit, going into the sandwich ministry in Camden, I was slightly skeptical, mostly because I wasn’t sure about what was to come. However, despite my doubts, this was an amazing experience. Our first day at the sandwich ministry, I arrived with what now seems to be a naive mindset but it did not take long for me to learn the shocking truth about the desperation surrounding me. Making the sandwiches was an experience in and of itself, the people I met while slapping meat onto bread were people I will likely never forget. One couple in particular really moved me. That was Renee and “The Rock” as the other volunteers called him. They were an elderly, Italian couple who had been married for 65 years; the two of them volunteer at the sandwich ministry every Wednesday. They were eager to tell me stories and share their experiences. Meeting people like them, working so whole-heartily to serve others, showed me one of the many ways the risen Christ has taken over Camden. Although the making of the food is memorable, the really sobering experience here is working at the window from which we pass out food to what seems to be an endless line of hungry people. When you see the grateful smile of a starving child as you hand them a sandwich, suddenly your eyes are opened. There are people of every color and creed, but the one thing they all have in common is their everyday struggle, for some are fighting just to survive. Many accept the food with huge smiles and words of God’s blessings, and others are disoriented and say nothing. Their faces are forever ingrained in my memory, and for them, the people who feel forgotten and hopeless, I will pray. Working with this amazing place has changed me, I am more aware and more empathetic. This ’broken city’ stands proud and people who are in what seems like the most awful situations are smiling. In both their lonely stares and in their smiles, I saw the risen Christ in Camden.