Our family we served consisted of many members, all with personalities bigger than this room. First, we met Troy, father and uncle to the children on the worksite. Troy is extremely passionate about his family. He had to fight to get his kids back from Child Protective Services and he won. Troy is also a talented and skilled carpenter. He informed us and helped us greatly with the construction we were doing on the house. Troy and his wife, Jaime, just had a baby girl about a month ago. Her name is Isabella and she is a ball of sunshine. We also met two of Troy’s sons, Josh and Dakota, who are ages six and seven. The boys loved sword fighting with extra insulation and always kept us entertained. Troy Sr., Troy’s father, and Joseph, Troy’s nephew, were always willing to help us out with anything. Troy Sr. assisted us in assembling scaffolding, which was a very important piece of equipment for our group. Joseph is a very intelligent thirteen-year-old. He loved to talk about hunting and boating with his family. Unfortunately, we did not get to interact with a couple of the family members, as they were occupied doing other things. Spending time with Troy and his family changed all of our lives for the better. Our group built a very strong relationship with the family and we are blessed that we were able to serve them.


This was my first year on ASP. I would always ask returning members a bunch of questions about the trip when they came home. They would all say how life changing it was and how I needed to experience ASP myself to know the feeling. I decided to give it a shot since this past summer was my last opportunity. Throughout the week, I built relationships with my group members, the rest of St. Marcelline’s ASP group, and the family we served. With every day that passed, more progress was made on the house. The amount of fulfillment and happiness I experienced was overwhelming. Seeing the smile on Troy’s face when we gifted him with a washer and knowing that we made a huge difference in him and his family’s lives made every second worth it. Knowing what I know now about the trip, I wish I had done it sooner. I am so blessed and lucky to have had this experience of a lifetime. ASP definitely changed me for the better. Now that I have experienced it myself, I know the feeling all of the past members talked about. It is very hard to put into words, so I’ll try to put it into three: Inspiring, motivating, and incredible.

back and looking at the finished rooms and smiles in our home owners eyes, I felt more than accomplished. There is no better feeling in the world than making a difference in our home owner's lives. During my ASP experience I learned to not take anything for granted and to enjoy every moment. I also have learned a lot about myself throughout this trip. I can honestly ASP has changed my life forever and I will never forget all the friendships, memories, and work that were made in West Virginia.

Throughout our two awesome activities, Cedar Point and Whitewater rafting, I knew this was going to be a trip to remember. I grew tremendously close with my group and knew that we worked well and would have each other's backs. Pulling up to our home owner's owners house Sunday night for the home visit, my heart felt like it was skipping beats.

God had answered her prayers and given her family a safer and warmer home. Each day, happy and smiling faces would enter Heather’s house and give her something to look forward to and new friendships to make. The positivity was infectious and Heather only became more and more elated about the entire process. At the end of the week we purchased Heather a screen door so she would be able to watch Blake from inside and prevent bugs from entering the house. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw the door being installed, a door she had wanted for the past three years. She told our group she felt like she won the lottery and she could not wait to paint her house once the work was done. She said that people with faith have a bigger smile than others, and as the week went on I could see Heather’s smile get bigger and bigger.


It was difficult to say goodbye to Heather and Blake, but I understand that God has a plan and there’s a reason why we were all meant to be in each other’s lives. Everyone in my group shared their favorite memories from the week and I was surprised to find that we all were touched by a different moment. God spoke to each one of us to connect with this amazing family in a time specific to our personal experiences. At the root of it all, we connected with a family from a completely different community in a way I will never be able to put into words. We are all God’s people created with our own strengths and weaknesses, but we must find the way to complement and bond with one another. ASP changed my respect and perception of life, but it is unique for every person. If you really want to find out the secret, you’re going to have to make the decision to experience it for yourself. 

This year being my first year of ASP I didn’t know

what to expect other than hearing how eye opening

and fun it is, and it truly was. I will never forget this

experience and the memories that came along with it.

I will always remember the feeling of accomplishment

after completing what our group had at the end of the

week, along with the gratitude the family had shown.

I was surprised how grateful they were considering

how we did not complete the house, but how happy

they were with what we had done. This trip made me

realize that some things that I take for granted are

really valued to others. With all that’s happened on this trip, I will definitely continue with asp throughout high school.      

This year was my fourth and final ASP trip.  I feel so blessed to have been a part of something that is so hard to let go.  Because this was my final year, I wanted to make this year all about the family, and so I did.  Wayne, Randy, Theresa and Lena were the highlight of my summer.  Usually on ASP, I feel as though I have to make it a point to work extra hard on construction, lift heavy things and do everything the boys can do, just to prove myself. I have never gotten as close to a family as I did this year. Sure, we put up an entire ramp, but we did it with purpose!  Seeing Randy going down the ramp was a feeling I cannot put into words. 


Nor could I even fathom hearing Wayne say he didn’t want us to leave, it confused me.  I didn’t understand why he enjoyed us so much. It didn’t make sense then, but on Friday we all experienced an overwhelming rush of emotion. I can genuinely say I have never felt more in the presence of God than I did that day.  Every year ASP is special in its own way, but I couldn’t have had a better end to this experience!

Whether St. Marcelline sends another group of teens down to Appalachia or not next year, there will still be walls needing replacing and ceilings needing patches. The difference though is that there will be a group of us down there next year, and the year after that and so on. We as a church have made so many continuous contributions of time and energy down in Appalachia, and spent days serving others in order to better their lives. I'm honored to be a part of this legacy. While I wish I could come back again and again to this group, I know that it was a gift not meant to last forever. I am so so grateful to Howard and the purple team and all the other teens and adults on this trip. I'm honored to be able to say I served among you, so thank you for having me for the past three years. I'll never forget it.

If we were having troubles or something went wrong, Brenda would promise to pray for us later that day when she went to church. Her daughter, Jennifer, was outgoing; she would talk to us when she had the chance to, like if we were all eating lunch together. The day we left to head back home, Brenda told us to make sure to keep helping the world like we helped her.

I want to thank everyone who made these four years unforgettable and so uplifting. Thank you Green Team for becoming life long friends and pushing me through the rough times and reminding me of all the better times to come. Thank you Mom and Dad for always being so supportive and trusting me enough to let me go each summer. And thank you St. Marcelline ASP for all the unbelievable experiences you've provided me with. I'll definitely miss the mountains and the love and happiness it brings me. 

This was my first year on ASP and it was nothing that I expected at all. Back in September of 2015, I thought I missed my chance to be a part of such an amazing group. My life changed forever when I found out that there was an opening for ASP in March. I was thrilled that I was apart of the ASP group. The night before leaving for West Virginia all I felt was excitement and couldn't wait for my alarm to buzz at 3:30am. But that morning my feelings went from excitement to nervousness. To think that the day has finally come that I have been waiting for since March, I didn't know what to expect. 


As soon as we walked up to the family and started making conversation I felt determined to give them a warm, safe, and dry home to live in. Throughout the week I pushed myself and my team to work as hard as we could to finish our end goal. Even though it seemed as though there were more lows than high during the week, seeing the finished product Friday

afternoon took all of them away. All week I

was disappointed in myself because it looked like nothing was getting done. But after taking a step

Kelsey Davis

As many of you know, St. Marcelline is home

to a variety of youth ministry groups to help

teens and young adults become involved in

faith, service, and the community. One of these

very special organizations is the Appalachia

Service Project, which leads many members

of our church to repair homes in towns in the

Appalachian Mountains suffering from high

poverty and unemployment rates. This year

marks our church’s 17th annual ASP trip,

however, it was my first time experiencing this

wonderful journey. 


On Friday July 8th at approximately 4:00 AM, 34 teens and 12 adult leaders eagerly piled into 6 vans headed toward Guyan Valley, West Virginia. There was a series of preparation for this trip including role playing, learning about the community, retreats, operating power tools, and lots and lots of food. The time had finally arrived and although the night was foggy, nothing beat the image of a brigade of St. Marcelline ASP vans driving down Wise Road on a literal mission. 


Not only did we repair her home but through our group and all of ASP, we restored Heather’s faith. Heather was diagnosed with a disease that prevented her from working and being able to take care of her children the way she used to. Heather explained to us that after receiving this news it seemed like more and more problems with her home and family arose and there was nothing she could do physically, or financially, but give up hope. Then with ASP, Heather said her world got noticeably brighter.

Michelle Borla

Madi White

This is my final year of ASP, and as everyone has and will say, it's like no other. Every year is a different experience. Every year, there's a new family, a new center, and a new home that needs repairs. I personally believe that the reason you come back to ASP varies year to year. My first year, I wanted to try something new. Proving to myself that I could do it was more important to me than actually going to serve the families. The second year around, I began to actually realize the importance of ASP. These families were in situations that could not be fixed by themselves. Like all of us at some point in our lives, they need someone to serve them. 


  But still, I came back because of myself. I'd had a fun time the year before and I knew it would look good to colleges, so the trip wasn't nearly as selfless as it seemed. My third and final year going on this trip, everything clicked into place. What this trip meant to me, wasn't and isn't really important. The trip is about the family. Whether I come back another year or not, there are still going to be homes down in Appalachia that need repair.

Donato Copertino

The family we were working with was a mom and

daughter. Brenda, the mother, had a lot of faith in

God. One day while we were sitting down with her,

she told us how she lost her son in a car crash about

two years ago. She also said how God will give you

“double for your trouble.” She told us how she felt

as if ASP was double all the trouble she went though.

Throughout the days working at the home, Brenda

would always have a smile on her face, mostly after

we completed a task.

Kate Giglio

Everyone always says each year is different. And it is. This being fourth year, I came into the trip having lots of expectations. I already knew the ropes and I knew how the trip works each year. I

learned not to expect too much out of it because no year would ever live up to my first. But that was a lie. My final ASP trip has surpassed the years before it and is definitely the one I'll remember most. I've never connected to a family more than this one. It's crazy to think that after just 5 days of sharing conversation, laughs and love, it's heartbreaking to say goodbye. The first couple of days on the worksite were rough. It seemed like all we were doing was digging holes in the hot sun and standing around. I thought there was no way that we could finish.

So whenever I felt like my hands weren't needed, I would go inside and start up a conversation with the family. I would walk to Randy's chair and sit down on the ground right next to him. I learned all about his background through his caretaker Teresa. I talked to Randy and I gave him the attention that he adored. Randy became my friend.

In that moment I wanted nothing more than

to see Randy get wheeled down that ramp.

Wednesday through Friday we continuously

worked hard and pulled through. After driving in that last screw, tears fell to my eyes. Looking at the ramp and seeing how nicely everything came together I couldn't believe that 6 teens and 2 adults could finish something like that in just 5 days. We called Randy and his brother Wayne outside. It was time to wheel him down. For once I actually lived in the present. With each rotation of the wheels more joy flooded the green team. It was the perfect ending to ASP.