SEND trip brings unexpected passion

Whenever I told someone I was going to Camden, New Jersey over winter break on a SEND trip, I got the same responses: "Why are you going to the murder capital of our country?" and "You won't find anything in Camden except drugs and poverty." While the effects of drugs and poverty are evident all over the streets of Camden, there is much more to this city. To say that I fell in love with Camden and its people over the four days I spent there may sound strange but it is true. I have never met a group of more hopeful or inspiring people. I stayed at the Romero Center in East Camden along with five other students and our advisor for the four days that we were there. The first day that we arrived, we were given an orientation about Camden. A young woman named Holly told us about the poverty, the homelessness, the drugs and the gangs that are a part of the daily life in Camden. I have to admit, I was feeling a bit discouraged. We had come here to help and she had just made that seem impossible. There was no way all the problems in Camden were going to be fixed just because we were coming to do a few days of service. As I continued to listen, trying not to lose faith, it was like she read my mind. She told us that we probably would not do much to change Camden over the few days that we would spend there. This trip was about how Camden would change us.

The Romero Center operates on the teachings of Catholic Social Justice. Their main mission is to spend time being present to others. This means sitting with people and listening to their stories. Simply enjoying their company for the few moments you spend with them. These are people who society looks down upon as lazy and unworthy. If you were to walk past one of these people on the street, you might look right through them, forgetting that they are a person just like you, that they have a beautiful story that should be heard. These were the people who I spent my days with in Camden.

My first day in Camden, I went to a men's homeless shelter where I helped to prepare and serve lunch. After everything was cleaned up, one of the men asked if we would like to play Bingo with them. Like any other Assumption student, I love a good game of Bingo. I sat down at a table and started to play. I quickly realized that these men are not all that different from us. They too get competitive with Bingo, yelling when someone does not listen to the numbers being called out. Or cheering for their friends when they win, booing when someone they don't like wins. They may look different or dirty or even crazy but they are real people. The only difference between us and them is that when we play Bingo we are trying to win iPods and big- screen TVs, whereas they are ecstatic when they win a candy bar, a bottle of shampoo or a pair of boxers. Think about that for a second. Think about how privileged you are. How lucky you are to be at Assumption College and to be getting a college education. That was something I heard again and again from the people I met in Camden: "You are so lucky to be in college" or "I wish I had the chance to go to college." Be grateful for your life and the opportunities you have been blessed with.

The next day I spent at a homeless drop-in shelter. My only job for the day was talking to people. Going up to total strangers and asking them to tell me their story. Few showed any interest in the group of us standing together, unsure of what to do or who to talk to. Before I could panic and wonder what I was doing there, a man, who probably was not that much older than me, came up to the group of us and asked us our names. He shook our hands and started telling us his story. He was a heroin addict and was in the process of getting better. He lived in a tent in an area of Camden called Tent City. He told us no one thinks that he can get clean. He doesn't want to let his family see him like this; the way he is living alone on the streets of Camden. But he believes in himself. He will do this. He will get clean. I can't even imagine having the hope that this man has or his ability to believe in himself despite everything that he has been through. Before he left, he said, "I have to suffer now so I can celebrate later." How many people can be in the midst of suffering have the heart to look past it and say it will all be worth it because one day soon I can celebrate? Very few.

One night during reflection at the Romero Center, the same young woman who had given us our orientation told us a story. "On the street I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God, 'Why do you permit this? Why don't you do something about it?' For a while, God said nothing. That night He replied quite suddenly, 'I did do something about it. I made you.'"

We each have been placed on this earth for a specific reason. We may not know what that reason is yet, but there is a unique purpose for each one of us. I challenge you to really think about what your purpose in life is. What makes you happy and feel alive? What are you passionate about? I found my passion and purpose in Camden: serving others. What's yours?