Spring break is usually a time used by college students to kick back on the beach and spend late nights out partying with friends. This break I tried something new. In lieu of laying on a sandy beach, I traveled to the beautiful state of West Virginia. With me on this journey were 11 other bright Catholic University staff and students.

Instead of a typical mission trip, we went on a "service and justice immersion" trip. This meant we weren't there to save the people of West Virginia, but rather we were there to lend a helping hand, listen to their stories, and immerse ourselves in their culture to better understand why they are such a passionate people about their region.

On our first day I woke up at 6, we drove out to Wheeling, West Virginia to Wheeling Jesuit University. The car ride there was a good bonding experience, There, we were greeted with a brief orientation about what we would experience this week and a run down of logistics. There were two other schools there as well, but overall a smaller group than I expected. It was there that we met our first West Virginian of the trip, Tom Breiding. He talked briefly about himself and some of the cultural aspects of West Virginia we should know about.

We actually ended up staying in Ohio for the first few nights. Our destination was a campsite called "Zion", which we were told was beautiful. It certainly did not disappoint. The rolling hills and mile long gravel driveway reminded me of my days at summer camp. I noticed my cell phone service was gone when my music stopped playing in my earphones. My anxiety immediately began to rise. Not having connection to the comfort of my friends back home and my parents made me uneasy. It was later I realized, breaking that connection was a healthy way to remove myself from the crutch of scrolling through my feeds when I feel socially awkward (which happens a lot).

Arriving to the cabin, I could not believe how nice it was. The kitchen was nicer than my kitchen back home. We dropped our stuff and decided that tacos would be a good dinner option for us. A group left for the grocery store, and we journaled. Of course, me the writer of all people, forgets her journal. So, I sat on the dock of the lake with everyone and meditated on my day so far. I realized that even just a few hours into the trip, I felt so connected with Christ, and I heard his call to spend this week serving West Virginia. A wave of peace came over me. After struggling so hard with mental illness and heartbreak, I finally felt that this was the place I was meant to be healed. The rest of the evening consisted of dinner and games. I hardly used my phone to my surprise, as I started to feel exponentially more connected with the people around me.

Morning came, and we headed to the Wheeling Soup Kitchen. Becky, one of the most badass women I encountered in West Virginia, was the director of the soup kitchen. What I loved most about her was that she gave us an overview of herself and the soup kitchen, but not only that, she was so open and vulnerable with us. She told about her son going into the coal industry and how heartbreaking it was for her. She also took the time to go around the table and learn our names and a little about why we were there. I wasn't quite sure yet why I was there, but my first thought was to say that I wanted to capture West Virginia through the lens of a camera and write an article about my experience. Not surprisingly enough, I gained much more than that. I was nervous to help out at the soup kitchen. Sometimes I feel like I don't know how to help without getting in the way, but the people at Wheeling Soup Kitchen made serving feel like a breeze. Most unexpectedly, I connected with a man who came in with newborn puppies. He had me hold one, and I felt so honored that he was comfortable with a stranger handling his prized possessions. This is a microscopic moment that looks into the broader disposition of West Virginian people. They are incredibly trusting. I got to eat lunch with a woman who told me she lived off of disability checks, and didn't really find her town the most enjoyable. On the flip side, she began asking me questions. I wasn't expecting to be asked many questions, but she wanted to know if I did drugs or drank alcohol. I answered honestly that I had an encounter with being drugged a while back, and that I don't particularly care for alcohol. I found myself opening up to a complete stranger. She said, "good. Don't ever start that crap." I found that funny so I chuckled a little in both discomfort and wanting to fill the silence. Discomfort can be positive though. If I hadn't pushed through my discomfort I would not have had such a positive experience at the Wheeling Soup Kitchen. It was there that I saw my judgements about poor people dissolve. It's not that poor people don't try, it's that they feel lonely and need help.

Moving along the day, we toured a beautiful church in Wheeling and drove to go see a coal field. Tom was our tour guide and told us how heartbreaking this is for him to see. When he was younger, he grew up running through the very fields we were looking at. It used to be "Baker's Farm," but the coal company had bought out the land and drove property values of the surrounding homes into the ground. I could see the gross coal slurry ponds and I smelled the dust in the air. It was that moment that I truly wanted to open my heart to understanding how bad the coal industry had gotten in West Virginia. It's not a common topic in the news, and we don't even think about it day to day when we use electricity. I certainly do now. I could see the passion on his face, and it made me want to help him. Regardless of your politics, you had to just want to reach out and hug these people you met speaking about the effects of coal. It must be so hard to watch the land you love diminish to piles of coal. We saw exactly that as he guided our van by a creek and coal site he said was once his favorite drive on the way to school. I wish I had seen the beauty he was talking about, and I was saddened looking at his eyes pass by his childhood memories wrecked.

On a lighter note, that night we had stir fry. We all stood around the kitchen and talked on and on about the things we were learning and also just life in general. I learned about people's families, their reasons for being at Catholic U, and watched people dance around to their favorite musicals blasting on the TV. We had an opportunity to hike up to a cross we saw at the top of the hill across from our cabin. It ended up being a gravesite, but still it was beautiful. The sun was setting. My friend Jean asked if I wanted a picture of me. I was taken back, because I'm usually just the designated photographer. No one really ever includes me or wants to take the time to make sure I had a photo of me. So, that was a really great moment for me. It was a reflection of how people were including me, and didn't forget I was there too. I'm sort of used to being the awkward outcast, so this trip being included was so new and foreign to me. I now have some of the most breathtaking photos of the sunset and cross, as well as a great group selfie I made my wallpaper. That night when I was in the shower, the power went out. It was terrifying, but also so funny. We were telling ghost stories and making the best of it.

The Appalachian Outreach Incorporated was our next service destination. It was kind of similar to a goodwill, but on a much larger scale designated for disaster relief. We got to unload trucks, organize boxes, use forklifts, and shrinkwrap palettes. It was honestly a blast. The time flew by, because there was no shortage of work to keep us busy. In between the work when we took breaks to sit down I got to know Rose, Diane, and Terry. They all work for AOI, and each had such beautiful stories. In particular, I found Rose's story very touching. Her fiance had passed away two years ago, and her fiance's family moved away out of state without telling her. Despite this misfortune, she still works her butt off at AOI. She pours her pain into serving others day in and out. The strength that radiated from her was inspiring. I almost related in a sense, after heartbreak I have tried to pour myself into serving others. I definitely look up to Rose. Terry was such a fun and carefree man. He let people drive the forklift and let us mess around with the dolly and floor jacks. We definitely should not have been doing those things, but at the end of the day he told us if we don't enjoy what we do in life, there is no point. We have to love what we do, and Terry is a living symbol of such. Diane was one woman I won't ever forget. She was a great leader, and despite her knee brace, nothing held her back. Even when she was bleeding she worked through it. I definitely had pre judgements about the people that worked there, but they were blown out of the water when Diane casually dropped in a sentence that she had worked for the FBI. I mean, seriously. That's insane! My whole experience there was just unforgettable. Post work at AOI, we stopped at dairy queen. I had forgotten my wallet. My friend offered to buy me a blizzard, and I immediately asked how I could pay him back. He shook his head and said, "we'll figure it out." Just another small indicator of the kind people I got the privilege of traveling with.

Our last night at Zion was special. Not only did we have fantastic spaghetti, but we also got a private concert from Tom Brieding. It's one of those experiences you just have to be there to understand. He sang and played like a professional, because he is. Seriously-- he's on spotify. Go check him out. He writes and plays songs about the coal industry. Tom had a lot of insight into the history of West Virginia and its importance. I was honestly embarrassed at how little I knew about West Virginia in general, but it's okay because I was there to learn. After he left, we had dinner. I was drained after such a long day, but each night I went to bed more joyful than the next.

What would a service trip be without some dirty outdoor work? The last service site of the trip was Edelman Garden. The garden is cared for by the visually impaired and blind people who are part of the Seeing Hand Association. Meredith, the woman in charge, was so grateful for our help. We turned the soil, planted peas, got rid of sticks, and finished building their greenhouse. In Between each task, she revealed more about herself. I found it interesting that she told us, "don't let just this part of West Virginia be representative of it all." She explained the poverty cycle and how poverty shifts locations every few years or so. We happened to be in an area that was very poor. What comes with that, she said, is people sometimes stealing the food they grow. I found that frustrating. She revealed that she had children, and she never expected to be here in charge of Edelman. Just like us, she had signed up through her ministry to volunteer one day and really just ended up sticking to it. It all starts with a small act of service that leads to long term commitment and change. I had always thought that you had to do service for a long time to get positions at non profits, but Meredith showed me that you mostly need a good heart and time to make your way into leadership service positions. A part of me lit up thinking about following a path like Meredith's. Maybe this West Virginia trip will spark a future of long term service for me. Afterwards, we took time to go to Seeing Hand Association. We met blind people who were employed there and doing amazing things that, I, as a sighted person can't even do. It was a bit uncomfortable, as I had never spoken to blind people before. Again, discomfort was good. It forced me to learn how to interact with a blind person, which is a skill I think we should all acquire as sighted people. It made me very grateful for my sight, but also I was in awe of their abilities even without sight.

Traveling downstate towards Charleston, we headed to our next cabin location. It was a bit more rustic this time, which made me happy. I do love camping and the outdoors. We had pizza that night and reflected on our trip as a group so far. We came to the conclusion that, despite the challenges they face, West Virginians have a pride and strength like no one else we had ever met. I really enjoyed the reflection, it made me think about the week as a whole and how impactful it had been on me. I didn't notice, but I had grown and changed so much in the span of five days so far. The uno games and laughs that followed the reflection were just as great too.

We got the chance to tour the capitol building of West Virginia, which was shockingly beautiful. One of the prettiest rotundas I have ever seen. We got to stop by the state museum, too. Afterwards we headed towards Kayford mountain. It was a long trip up the mountain, but the views were worth the drive. Our guide Julia showed us a spot with some coal we could touch. I remember thinking how brittle it was, kind of like a butterfinger. We heard her talk about mountaintop removal and what a huge deal it was. I had no idea, but West Virginia is apparently one of the most diverse forests in the world. Its variation of species is almost unmatched. We always think of these exoctic places outside the U.S. as more environmentally diverse and beautiful, but trust me you don't have to travel outside the country to see it. It's right there in West Virginia. Julia took us to a point where we were on top of the mountain, looking down at a mountaintop removal site. You could hear the passion in her voice, almost to the point where she was in tears. She made a strong case against this type of coal mining, and was adamant that the value of the land does not lie in its resources, but rather its people and the care they put into the land. I honestly could not disagree. Seeing a woman standing on top of a mountain in almost tears speaking about this was so moving. After getting some pictures, we headed back down the mountain. This is where the fun begins. We got a flat tire. Yep. Guess who had no service? All of us. Luckily, guess who knows how to change a tire? Our driver and me. I've never had a positive experience with a flat tire, but we made it such a funny and lighthearted situation. Long story, but the car ended up being towed. It was funny. Our seemingly indestructible mom van needed a new tire, which we got that night! *Phew*

The last day arrived so soon. I was sad packing up, but we had to make our way back to Wheeling where we started the journey. We got some closing remarks and watched a brief documentary before giving our reviews of the trip to one of our trip leaders, Father Rich (who bought us amazing ice cream). No one had anything negative to say, except that we wanted more activities. We couldn't get enough of them. Free time was nice, but we loved immersing ourselves into West Virginia. The car ride home was iconic. We did not stop singing for hours. I've never been happier in my life that my phone died as we got into the car.

Arriving back on campus was weird. It felt strange being back in a city, and back in a dorm. I was so sad the trip had ended. One of the most touching things was getting to read letters everyone had wrote to me. I knew we were writing letters to one another, but I did not think I would get one. I was very mistaken. People were complimenting me left and right in these letters, and call me selfish, but I enjoyed every second of it. I was so proud of myself. I had made 11 new friends in a week, served, and learned about West Virginia.

To anyone thinking about an immersion trip, do it. Don't even question it for a second. This experience has changed my life, it sounds dramatic but it's true. Before this, I was so lonely and I had no direction in my life. Afterwards, I can say that I feel like I have genuine friends who love and serve Christ. My faith was strengthened and gave me direction. I attended daily mass during the week, which I had never done before, and I prayed. I never usually pray, but I found myself speaking to God daily. In speaking with him, I know that I'm meant to serve in some capacity. I have no clue where, when, or how, but I know this trip was only the beginning of something greater to come.

On our first day, Tom told us West Virginia is a "rich place with poor people." I found the opposite. It's a place that is physically poor with run down towns and desolate coal fields, but its people are so rich in spirit. If you take anything away from this summary of my experience, it is to trust in God. He knows your heart better than anyone, and will fill it with beautiful people, places, and experiences. Maybe you've already had a life changing experience such as this one, or maybe you're waiting desperately for something to change your life's course. All I know, is it will definitely come and impact your heart in ways you didn't know to be possible.