On the Road

Today is our last blissfully quiet day before Gospel Road gets rolling. Gospel Road is a week-long program of service for high school students. We kick off the week tomorrow night at Mass with a blessing of our participants, then early Monday morning we load into vans to head to the Worcester area. I’m traveling with 17 kids and two other adults, plus a bunch from a local Catholic High School.
Scott’s done this trip many, many times- and although I’ve visited and helped out there a few times, this is my first official time. I’m really excited about the kids that I’m going with, and the adults- I think we’re going to have a great week. Every year Scott comes home with a new attitude about wasting food and appreciating what we have. I know it’ll be a week of hard work and high heat and tired bones. I bet we’ll be tired and I bet there will be frustration. But we’ll be there for a higher purpose that I think will keep us going when it’s hard.
Our group, in particular, is “offering up” the tough parts for specific people. We wrote our names on little pieces of paper, and then chose people to dedicate our week to. Some chose specific people, like relatives or friends who are struggling with health issues or difficult times. Some chose groups, like Hurricane Katrina victims, cancer patients, etc. I chose the elderly, because I think a lot about how frustrating it must be to lose the abilities that you’ve had in life, to know that you may have done something you love for the last time.
I know, I’m grim. But I do think about that kind of stuff. I’m thankful that I can use my body to do stuff, and feel guilty that I let it sit around and go to waste (waist), while I could still, technically, go for a run or at least a ride on the bike. I imagine that someday I’ll be lying in some hospital bed really regretting that I didn’t go running while I could.
Pray for us this weekend, that we’ll be good servants and that our kids will see Christ’s face in the faces of the people they serve. Pray that the people will see Christ in our kids’ faces too, please- and please pray for everyone’s safety too! I’ll be back in a week to report!