YOUTH GROUP RETURNS FROM THE APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT IN KENTUCKY

Nineteen teenagers, seven adults and one priest made their way to Kentucky in July. This is not the start of a lame joke, but rather the beginning of an amazing journey for 28 people and four families who live in Magoffin County Kentucky!

Our four teams have just returned from the ASP Trip where students from St. Mary, Hauser, Fenwick, Trinity,
Nazareth and RB all worked together with their team leaders to install flooring and sub-flooring, repair a roof, dig and create a drainage system, install vents, repair a deck, trim a bathroom and lots more! Many of us have never worked harder, been hotter, or sweat more in our lives, but we can't wait to go back. The experience of working alongside a family in need, getting to know them, and hearing their stories, made this trip a true labor of love.
These volunteers took a week out of their busy lives to travel to hot and humid Kentucky to truly be the hands
and feet of Christ in this world. Known as "the Sixers" by the ASP team, our group from St. Paul VI experienced what it was like to live, eat, and work like the families we served in this very rural part of Kentucky. We enjoyed visiting with these families and meeting all of their pets including dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, pigs and chickens. It was so hard to say goodbye to the families we served because of the connections we made in the short amount of time we were with them!

We were able to leave them with hats and scarves knitted by our own St. Paul VI Shawl Ministry. These will come in
especially handy this winter in this area that regularly has temperatures below zero and homes that are only heated by wood stoves. In addition to the Shawl Ministry, we also have to thank the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society for their generous donations to this trip. We would not have been able to go without them! We also have to thank all the individuals who donated to our trip and everyone that prayed for us. Your prayers kept us safe and bolstered our spirits when we needed it!

​We will be raffling off the Adirondack chairs that we made in order to finish funding this year's trip and start funding our trip for June of 2024. Please look in the bulletin, eblast, and on the website for how you can buy your raffle tickets! Trip participants will also be speaking and selling raffle tickets at Masses September 9th and 10th as well as selling raffle tickets at the Block Party on August 27th. Our two winners will be drawn on September 26th, St. Paul VI's birthday! We would love your continued support of our mission trip efforts and welcome your donations at any time using the QR Code on this page. We would also love your participation in our trip next year! Please contact Elizabeth Kos at [email protected] for more information about participating as an adult or teen!

Make plans to join us next year: June 23-29, 2024!

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