성 정 바오로 성당 워크캠프 팀은 6월 17일(월)부터 6월 23일(금)까지 진행된 알링턴 교구 워크캠프(WorkCamp)를 다녀왔습니다. 올해에는 총 13명의 CYO 학생들(남학생 8명, 여학생 5명)과 다섯 명의 어른 봉사자(2 Adult Crew Leaders, 3 Contractors)들이 참가했습니다. 워크캠프는 매년 알링턴 교구 내 고등학생들이 모여 집 수리에 도움이 필요한 이웃들에게 좀 더 안전하고 편안한 환경을 제공하기 위해 봉사활동을 하는 프로그램입니다. 이번에는 교구 내 약 600여 명의 학생들이 참가했고, 총 86명의 거주자들을 위한 집 개선 프로젝트를 통해 새로운 deck, 계단, 휠체어 경사로, 지붕 및 화단 등을 짓거나 수리했습니다. 참가자들은 오전 7시 미사로 하루를 시작해서 낮에는 이웃을 도와주었고, 일을 마친 후 저녁에는 강의, 성체 조배 성체 행진, 고해성사 등 신앙적인 프로그램에 참여했습니다.
이 행사를 통해 우리 학생들이 하느님과 더욱 가까워지는 은총의 시간이 되었기를 바랍니다.

Sydney Jeon
(2023 WorkCamp Participant)
WorkCamp can be seen as a week of waking up to go to mass for an hour and working in the straight-up sun and getting sunburned, however, though it does have all of these, WorkCamp is a great way to become closer to God and other people who believe the same beliefs as you.
I was actually a little scared and nervous when our church was initially split up because I wanted to stay with the people I know best, but even after the first day of team building, I enjoyed being with different people in my crew because it included different people from different areas with different perspectives.
Our crew had a deck, where we built our residents a new deck from scratch while also bonding with each other over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
When we came back from our worksite, we would shower in cold water before going on our walk in the warm sun to dry off our hair. We’d eat dinner and then all be gathered in a program room for an evening program where we sing songs, reflect on the day of the crew site, dance, laugh, and then be dismissed to parish discussions where our parish would meet up again after a long day and discuss what happened.
This was one of my favorite parts of the day because I got to see everyone again and have a laugh before tucking in after a long day of making a deck.
WorkCamp is great to get closer to God and closer to your parish in the best and most fun way possible. It helped me connect myself with people from different places and learn more about Catholicism.
I left WorkCamp happy and content and I’m looking forward to going next year.

Jiho Oh
(2023 WorkCamp Participant)
This was my first ever WorkCamp, and I was very nervous and scared. My most memorable WorkCamp experience was the chance I had to really look back on myself and have a confession during one of the evening activities. After confession, I felt a really big and heavy burden coming off my shoulder.
As the last day of WorkCamp got closer, I got to know many people at WorkCamp, and looking at the deck my crew and I built made me really happy and proud.
On the last evening of WorkCamp, we had a chance to share our feelings, and a camper said “there is no appreciation of sunshine without the thunderstorms;” and that really made me appreciate what I have at home and be really thankful for it.
Overall, I really enjoyed and learned many things at WorkCamp, grew closer to God, and became a better person. I will definitely come back next year!

Rachel Lee
(2023 WorkCamp Participant)
WorkCamp, the most difficult thing was the living condition for me. We have the privilege of having a bed and our own private space, but here we were, crammed in a high school classroom on an air mattress and the lack of privacy as we shared a room with another parish.
We had to wake up at 6:30, attend mass super early, eat stale pb and j’s for lunch, and take cold showers. I remember wanting to leave the minute I got there. But as the days went by, I began to experience true faith.
There were 700 students that were the same age as us, praising god every single evening. Whether they were Spanish, Vietnamese, or American, I realized that everyone was the same as me. Everyone did the things that I did every Sunday. Everyone took the eucharist during mass. Everyone recited the same prayers I knew. Everyone praised the lord. With those connections, I began to feel like I belonged at WorkCamp.
During Adoration, I remember breaking into tears during the Eucharistic Procession. I realized how much God loved and continues to love me.
On the last day, the residents that had their homes repaired attended the celebration ceremony. They each got up to the mic and shared their story. One resident started bursting into tears, explaining how her disabled mother could now get out of the house with the newly-built ramp installed to her home. That day, the campers at Work Camp changed so many people's lives.
I felt so blessed to be a part of WorkCamp this year. We sacrificed a lot of things normal teenagers could not to help the less fortunate, who could now feel protected and safe in their own homes. Our impacts were powerful. God had called the teens from St Paul Chung Parish to change others lives. I am so proud of each and every one of the people from our parish for attending work camp and renewing their faith in God.