“You can’t always go work in other people’s front yard until you clean up your own backyard.” –Papa Dreher

This year’s mission trip was quite different than the few years past. Instead of a long bus drive and crossing state borders, the students elected to stay in Amarillo and help others locally. Amarillo and Canyon are “our back yard” and it meant a lot to the students to help out local residents.

Day 1- The students drove to St. Francis, between Panhandle and Amarillo, to assist the parishioners with their annual Sausage Dinner. After the dinner, the students had a small break to go home and pack or rest for the remainder of the trip. We reconvened at 5:30 for mass and a delicious dinner. We then headed out to the High Plains Retreat Center where we would be staying during the mission trip.

Day2- On Monday morning we were all ready to go with our sack lunches (though some mysteriously disappeared). We loaded up into cars and drove to the main office for Catholic Family Services. After an in depth tour and explanation of the services offered by Catholic Family Services, we were divided up into 3 different groups with varying tasks. One group went to work in the food pantry preparing boxes for the handicapped, elderly, homebound citizens. Another group headed to the youth shelter to assist in some much needed cleaning. The last group ended up at the SOS clothing distribution center where we applied fresh coats of paint to the walls. After all of our work was done, we all met back up at the High Plains Retreat Center for an amazing dinner of Chicken Fajitas. The night was spent socializing around a fire with all the makings of smores.

Day 3- On Tuesday, we all went to an apartment complex owned by Catholic Family Services to set up a clothing distribution for the surrounding area. It was a great experience in which we got to interact with those we were helping as we aided them in finding clothes and sharing stories. While we were at the complex, we also assisted several of the residents with laundry, and cleaned a vacant apartment, as well as the sidewalks and parking lot. Back at the retreat center that evening a Dr. Pepper 10 truck drove up and offered all of us free drinks. This surprise was greatly appreciated and offered us some exciting picture opportunities. The night activities consisted of a game of capture the flag and unwinding by the fire.

Day 4- This morning we all woke up to breakfast being cooked by a few of the girls. Instead of heading into Amarillo to work today, we assisted with several projects at the High Plains Retreat Center. One group went to a small cabin that was being renovated and had the job of tearing the sheet rock down from the ceiling. Three students had the adventurous job of climbing into the attic and stomping the sheet rock to the ground while the rest carried it out. Another job we completed was the painting of the platforms for a low ropes course. The platforms were very colorful and decorative in a fun manner which hopefully future retreaters will enjoy. As a reward for our work, we were able to use the large swing which lifts you approximately 50 feet in the air and then drops you. After the swing, we deep cleaned our cabin, and then reluctantly headed back to the CSC as that was the end of our mission trip.
The mission trip was a great experience that everyone enjoyed. The students believe that this is a great way to spend their spring break giving back to those less fortunate. There was an added bonus this year in that the people we were helping are our own neighbors. To learn more about the mission trip be sure to check out the photos posted on the website.