"As I left to go on my 3rd year of ASP, I thought to myself, 'Wasn't I just here?' Time is passing by quickly and I wanted enjoy this trip to its full potential.  God made it easy.  I had such a wonderful group and family who made every minute memorable and filled with happiness.  We of course ran into some problems, but each time God was there to comfort us.  On Friday specifically, we had to stop what we were doing to leave the work site to get the parts necessary to finish our project. At this point, the group was tired and frustrated. Just as we were about to leave to get the tools, Theresa said her goodbyes to us, as she wasn't going to be there when we returned. Theresa's farewell words washed away our negativity and gave us the perseverance to finish the job we had with determination and love,  a true radical reversal moment."

“This was my first year being a part of ASP and I really enjoyed it. I figured going in the trip would be a good experience and it surpassed my expectations. I was so lucky to be a part of Team Concern. We worked so well together and got along great even during tough times on the worksite when we considered changing our group name to Team Complications. I want to thank my team for making every ride in the van so fun even though by the end of the week we were all exhausted and for helping me shy away from my usual quiet self. The theme for ASP this year was radical reversal, meaning we are serving ours families and they are serving us by allowing us to be grateful for the experience. It was awesome to get to know our family-Theresa and Todd- and hear their stories. They appreciate the little things they have and made me realize how lucky I am to be able to experience this trip. The whole trip was memorable and it has been great getting to know everyone throughout the preparation for the trip and the trip itself.”

“I didn't expect the family to be as open and as trusting of as they were.   It made me feel very comfortable and welcome in an situation that I have never been in before.  The oldest daughter,  Carrolynn, 11, never let a second go by without telling me a joke or explaining something that I didn't understand.   And there were a lot of those moments!  With Andy, the 7 year old boy, you wouldn't even suspect him to be younger than us because the way we communicated was like we were the same age and from the same background.  When I first met Becky and Len, the parents,  I didn't know how to expect the week to be.  But, they welcomed us with open arms and made us feel at home even though we were visitors at their house it felt like so much more. I will never forget the amazing family I met that week and how amazing it was to step out of my comfort zone and do work I never thought I was capable of doing.   I also learned that even though you may have never done something before, that doesn't mean that you can't learn how to do it now."

"In the home, we served by repairing the flooring in the second bedroom. One corner had a hole that they had temporarily covered with a piece of metal, and there was a weak spot in front of the bathroom door that needed added support. We patched up the hole and cut out the weak spot to add in a 2X4 for support. Then, we covered the floor with luan, a this piece of wood used to help level the floor, and then tiled. Tiling the floor was really fun because I learned how to spread the adhesive and once we started, the room came together very quickly. It was amazing to see the family’s faces when they saw their home because they were very appreciative of our work. Since we were the last group to work on the house, it was awesome to see the work complete and how the house came together. ASP was a great experience for me because I was able to step out of my comfort zone and go to a new area, with new people, and doing construction work I’ve never done before. I was able to make a difference in the family’s lives and serve them. Without ASP, I would never have had the chance to do something so significant as to repair flooring and whole-heartedly serve the family. They were very grateful we were able to come. Also, one of the highlights of my trip was being able to teach the other team in our home tiling when we finished with our project. It felt great to pass on the knowledge and teach others. I also made and strengthened a lot of friendships while away. I had a great time working with my group in the home."

"This was my first ASP trip and I had so much fun on the trip with my amazing group and also learned a lot about each one of them! The whole trip was great but if I had to pick one thing I enjoyed most, it would be meeting our family, especially the kids. They welcomed us into their home and cared and loved us. Karen and Dave, the kids of our family, showed me to have fun and enjoy life with whatever you have. They were always around us and always so happy, cheerful, and outgoing!! Whenever I felt stressed about anything we worked on, the kids would come by and that would bring a big smile on my face. I enjoyed this whole trip very much with my awesome, hard-working group and the wonderful family we had. It was a splendid experience that I will never forget!"

"Like many people, this was my first year partaking in the ASP experience. I had been asked in previous years leading up to this and have kindly declined each time but have always held it in the back of my mind. All the wonderful stories I've heard from others were so powerful, but I always thought that I was never going to have such a powerful story to tell.  Eventually I did join St. Marcelline ASP.  I joined late and was really nervous because I wasn't close with many of people going. Now, fast forward past the retreat and meetings to the day we left and I was still pretty nervous. It was being 11 or so days away from my mom and brother knowing I’d miss them greatly.   Looking back, the relationships I made and the bonds I made with all the people who were on the trip as well was something I'd never want to change. I've met so many great people and have heard so many great stories from people that I will never ever forget. I learned more about myself on the 11 days away from home than I thought possible. I learned a little about construction and a little hands on information around the house, but the life lessons I learned will carry on forever and I cannot feel more proud of the choice of joining ASP. And now just like the many others who have done ASP,  I'm the one telling the stories and I have made a positive impact and made a memories that will last forever."

"I joined ASP (Appalachia Service Project) mainly for two reasons. To find clarity in myself and my life and to step out of my comfort zone. And that's exactly what happened.  I'm being serious when I say, there are no words to describe the feeling of truly serving from the heart.  I remember leaving my house at 5:45AM to leave for this Mission trip, scared out of my mind about the construction work we had ahead of us. Next thing I knew, I was walking up to the door of the family I would be serving for the next week and a half, saying "Hi, I'm Michelle from the Appalachia Service Project, nice to meet you!". An unexplainable feeling of comfort and an eagerness I've never had came over me. The conditions these people were living in were horrific; you cannot imagine it until you see it. But yet, they were so happy! Little did I know, they were about to help me more than I was about to help them.


The days were physically exhausting and long, doing the tasks of construction, building, mudding, plumbing, digging, painting and using power tools we weren't experienced at using. I can say that I've never sweat so much in my life. But none of that mattered because we wanted to do anything we absolutely could to help this family.  I experienced amazing feelings I've never experienced before: To hold a stranger's baby in your arms; To feel safe in a stranger's home in a different environment; To feel welcomed by a stranger you will never see again; To be comfortable in an unfamiliar surrounding; To serve as God teaches us to do. That is life changing love.  Everyone that goes on these mission trips is there because God put them there for a reason. I feel blessed to have had such an amazing and unforgettable experience.


Following is Scripture that we focused in as we prepared for this trip:


'Whoever wants to become great among you, must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom to many.' Mark 10 43-45"

"Despite my past experience with the program, before we left, I still lacked confidence in my construction abilities, specifically in the simple task of hammering in a nail.  I had practiced with nails before, but every time I managed to look like a fourth stooge.  Because of this, I had spent hours dreading a project requiring hammers, because it would render me practically worthless to my team and the family that we were serving. 


Naturally, I was worried when our group leaders explained the assignment, a project that had nails on the supply list. However, my group would not let me fail. It was with their encouragement that I decided to work on my most difficult task rather than one I’m already good at. And it was my group members’ advice that finally taught me how to hammer those suckers in. 


Conquering the task was the perfect summation of my time with ASP, because the thing about hammering is that you have to face that nail head on. My first year, I was a shy kid who didn’t want to leave home, didn’t know how to talk to a family I had never met before, and had never even heard of half of the tools that I have since used. Yet with the support of my family and friends, I took the plunge and jumped into the program. 


Every time that I stepped out of my comfort zone on ASP, and trust me there have been several (peeing in the forest isn’t even in my top 3) I really became a stronger person, and with that, someone who could do more. If we are not bogged down by fear, we can do anything, and help anyone. I wanted God to protect me from my insecurity, but instead he threw it right at me, knowing I would adapt and conquer it. ASP has not only allowed me to become stronger person; it has inspired me to empower myself at every chance I get. And the best part of this year’s trip was knowing that my little sister was getting the same, life-changing experience."

"As I look at my experience with ASP I can say that it has really changed how I look at what I have in comparison to what others have and learning to appreciate that. Before ASP I had really never thought about appreciating what I had, I had thought about it but it never went into full depth. I guess that’s what society had formed me into, but that doesn’t go for all people. I can say that because the people who had changed me from that mind set were the children from our family that we had served; Andy, Carrolynn, and their cousins who had been staying with them Rory and Mason. All of them always had a smile on their face and they were happy with the things they had. They appreciated what their parents had done for them. After watching and talking with the whole family over the week they had served me more then I served them; they had taught me to appreciate what I have in life and I truly do now."

"This was my first year actually participating in  ASP, but I have known about the program for a few years now. My three older sisters have all done ASP, 2 of them with St. Marcelline. Every time they came home from their adventures, they couldn’t stop talking about their trip. They raved about it. When I became old enough to go, they encouraged me to try it. I was a little nervous, well actually very nervous, because this was completely out of my comfort zone. I had never worked in construction a day in my life, and had only been away from home for a week at most. But despite my concerns, I took the plunge and signed up. The days before our departure dwindled, and before I knew it, it was time to go.


As we drove in our vans, I found myself truly enjoying the company of everyone in my group. They made the long ride seem short, and even more importantly, fun. It then dawned on me that my week had just begun, and I already loved every minute. I couldn’t wait to arrive at the Center, and when we finally did, I was lucky enough to get to meet my family ahead of time with Howard and Michelle.


As we approached the home we would be working on, my jaw dropped. It was a trailer home, run down and over run by animals. The family had 13 kittens, a mule, a cow, 3 dogs, chickens, and ducks, and you could smell it. As we walked in, Betty, the mother, who looked exhausted as she held a baby, greeted us.  We learned of our task for the week, to fix up and paint her children’s rooms, Karen  and David , repair some plumbing and build a closet in Karen’s room. As the week went on, we all started to bond with the family. We learned about their struggles.  But we also learned about their every day lives, like what Larry did as a quality assurance worker at the coal mine. And most importantly, we learned about their personalities.  We learned what each liked, for instance Karen loved pink and was a girly girl, while David loved tractors and camouflage. By the end of the week, I felt I had known them for a lifetime, so having to leave knowing that I would never see them again was tough to day the least.    

I learned so much from this trip and from the family we served. I learned to be thankful for what I have, but to also remember that no matter how bad things get, I can find love, happiness, and beauty in anything. The family inadvertently taught this second lesson. They had so little, yet they were full of so much joy and love, and it just showed me that that is the way to live my life. I feel that God was very involved in this trip. I believe he helped everyone here every step of the way, and led us through the week to make us all stronger individuals.

My ASP experience didn’t live up to the expectations promised by my older sisters, it exceeded them in every way, and I can't wait to go again next year.  

Shannon Maiers


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’14

Taylor Helton


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’15

Ann Martin


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’16

Billy Shea


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’13

Michelle Borla

1st Year With ASP


SHS ’16

Theresa Finneran

3rd Year With ASP


SHS ’13

Paul Jaworowski


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’17

Annie Finneran


1st Year With ASP


SHS ’17