Newburgh, New York Immersion Reflections-June 2007
As I started to write this reflection, I was truly at a loss for words. As I attempted to list all of the “important” events of this week, I realized I would soon need an entire notebook. From working high in the rafts, to a long trip to the dumpsite, every waking moment has truly been a total experience. This trip has been a constant whirlwind of meaningful and unforgettable experiences. While my desire to help others was what brought me here, I have gained more than I could ever give. For me, the theme of the trip was companionship; Companionship with fellow volunteers, companionship with citizens of Newburgh, and most importantly, companionship with each other. For this entire week, we have truly shown each other what truly matters in life, good friends.
Brian Cain’08
In the beginning of the year I really never really thought of myself as a future leader and a participant in the Immersion. As a junior, I went with the flow looking to just get by and have a good time. I was actually really surprise when I was approached about attending the Immersion trip. I didn’t see any leadership qualities within myself. As the trip got closer, I remember Mr. Ahrens and Fr. Betti saying we are going to do work. It’s alright to have fun, but we can’t have much fun, because the trips not about that. When our group started to work, we had many fun jobs, many hard jobs, and many boring jobs. We all worked together though and got things done while having a good time. I think it is a testament to our closeness and leadership that we have been able to have a great time and at the same time accomplished so much. This group is remarkably close and have come together to accomplish a common goal. We have come to a city far from home and have been able to impress people and provide hope for an area which lacks so much. Chris Conley’08
Before I came on this trip I was apprehensive about the 8-hour a day work week and the fact that we were going to live together on not much for a whole week. On Thursday night, 5 days into the trip, I didn’t want to leave. As far as the work itself is concerned, my experience with two people really has defined my overall experience in Newburgh. The first is Brady Quinn, who has essentially been our supervisor for the week. He works all week for Habitat supervising and building with volunteers who have no idea what they are doing. He was a member of the peace corp. and has essentially devoted his life to service to others, yet he is very happy. He, along with my experiences on the trip has shown me that service without reward can be as fulfilling as that which is paid. I don’t even know the second person we met once for a few moments on the first day of work just before we left. As we closed up, a woman walked up to us and asked us whether we were with habitat, how we got involved, and how long were we working with them. After we told her, she simply thanked us and said, “God bless you”. Those three words were better than any paycheck I have ever received. They gave me a sense of purpose and a sense that we were doing something good and right. With regards to the communal living, I really enjoyed myself while learning and understanding my classmates more and more. There are so many people who gave of themselves for all of us to have a good experience and who dedicated their own time for us. Anonymous’08
Optimism was the start.
Dreams of unborn memories
Led me to believe in
Great times I hadn’t yet had
Then came Anxiousness,
The sensation, crying
To fast forward life to
This one week to live
The dreamt dreams.
I left home with confidence in the
Knowledge of knowing what
I was doing was selfless, and that it
would take me another step closer
to those dreams.
Curiosity filled me as I arrived,
never seeing this foreign place
nor knowing anything other than the fact
I would soon add to the manifestation of the area’s dreams.
Gratefulness filled my mind as I thought
of the others accompanying me on this
journey. They fulfilled both my
dreams and those of the needy.
That feeling helped bottle the despair from
The reality we now faced, a city
Destroyed from the inside out, left
To dream of heroes as it lay broken on the rocks
Our unity gave us the strength
To heal the broken city
And became a beacon of light
For the dreams of the poor
Yes, regret may have entered some
Thoughts after long days, but that
Too was thwarted by those who
Surrounded us, each other, and the
Fact we were making a dream a reality
Looking back now, Pride fills
My soul knowing we have
Made a difference and have
Helped someone take another step
Closer to their dream.
Jack McDonald’08
Newburgh, NY: a diamond in the dust. When I found out that I was going on the 2007 Immersion trip I was very excited because I left the 2006 trip early due to an injury. I knew that this week would be fun but also a big challenge. There are so many memories made on this trip. Many of the kids who went on the trip I had already known because I lead their Kairos this past April. The trip was a retreat from our regular lives but an initiation into a new life, a life of service. The week was difficult. We played hard but worked harder. Building a house isn’t an easy task. I found that at times during the week I wanted to drop my tools and go lay down, but at the same time I felt that I am blessed with an opportunity to make a difference in a family’s life and that gave me the motivation to keep going. Many times I we drove around Newburgh and I would look at their poverty stricken city and think there is not much hope for these people, yet at the same time, I would think of the 27 house already built by Habitat for Humanity and I wanted to help make number 28. This city will change, one house and helping hand at a time, and my hand was next in line. Not only was I helping Newburgh, but Newburgh was helping me. Newburgh put me in a situation where I was living with 14 people for a week. It taught me patience in times of friction. It also taught me compassion and helped me mature. I call Newburgh a diamond in the dust because although it is a very poor city, I achieved something from going there. My desire to serve others grew, my friendships hardened, and some of the best memories were made. I look over my past four years and realize that I am a man to serve others, molded by Canisius. Newburgh has solidified my desire to serve and when I look at the future, I see my experience at Newburgh pushing me to continue to serve and to put other before me, no matter how challenging it is.
Mark Henry’07
It was once said that there is no progress without struggle, and over the course of the last week, I have found that statement to be very true. When I signed up to go on this trip, I expected a fun week with my friends. And I did have fun. In fact, I bet the Habitat workers have never heard so much laughter from people carrying 80-pound bags of concrete in the pouring rain, chopping at a stump, or hauling endless piles of plywood up three flights of stairs. And progress was made, but it didn’t come easy. Tasks we had to do required determination and teamwork. The jobs we did took more physical strength than we expected. Even after the first day, I realized how much struggle rebuilding a house, or on a larger scale, the city of Newburgh would take, but friendly workers, and even the people we encountered on the street assured that it was definitely worth it. One great aspect of this trip was I got to know a few of my other classmates better. I had to work side by side with these people I grew to know them a lot better and learn more about them than I had in three years. Most of us went on the same Kairos where we started to get to know each other. On this trip, I learned things about these guys. Despite all our struggles in the last week, I think that we have made progress in our mission of becoming men for others.
Matt Shea’08
I wanted to attend this retreat to become a better person. I wanted to make a difference by helping Habitat for humanity give a family a home. It showed me that I have it a lot better than many people, yet the people act as if they have it as good as me. Lou, Doug, Brady, and others are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. For one week, I can give back to the community and make the world just a little better.
On this immersion
We went to Newburgh, New York
I knew it would be tough
I hoped I wouldn’t have a stroke
When we found the right house
We entered through the door
It wasn’t the cleanest of places,
You could tell by the floor.
The first day was hard
I worked on the roof.
It was many things,
But it was not sun proof.
When we came back home
We went in the pool,
We had a chicken fight battle
And Jim looked like a fool.
The second day was worse,
It was about 95 degrees.
We almost melted,
From our hands to our knees.
I worked with the drill
And I mixed some cement,
By the end of the day,
My energy was spent.
Day three was a weird one,
From beginning to end.
Many different things happened,
Some of which I’ll bend.
I got to use the saw
It was the coolest thing ever
It sliced up tons of wood,
I’ll remember it forever.
Then there was rain
As it started to downpour
We lifted 80 lb. bags of cement
And about 50 wood boards.
We came back home soaked
Everything needed to be dried,
Then we all hit the sack
Because everyone was fried.
Day 4 was a doozy
We worked a lot more
We had the two T’s
A tree stump and a tour.
We hacked at the stump
For an hour too far
We pried and we sawed
All we did was bend an iron bar
Day 5 was the hardest
All I saw were stones
We shoveled and wheel barreled,
Until we broke our bones.
God Bless Newburgh!
Thank you for this opportunity. Tim Twarozek’08
When I thought about what the trip would be like as far as work was concerned, I figured it would not be labor intensive. I was very wrong! I was not ready for the work we had to do from demo to rehab to construction. We were really depended on and trusted to do the job right. This kind of trust was appreciated and really made me work as hard as I could to do the best work possible. Up until the meeting we had a week before the trip I didn’t think the trip in general would be a struggle. I went on an Emmaus and had a great time and it was very relaxed. This trip was different. It was physically exhausting which leads to mental exhaustion. The point of the trip was to get away from the world we know and are used to and it really pushed my limits. Some morning it took more power than I possessed to avoid being short with the people around me including the leaders, Mr. Ahrens, and Fr. Betti, not just my classmates. It was very difficult to hold back my unprovoked anger in the morning. Although sometimes I seemed okay I may have been screaming on the inside for something that was bothering me to stop. The most noticeable growth has been in my patience. Whether it is dealing with a job that requires time even though right from the start it feels as though you are on the verge of finishing or dealing with a classmate on the job that seems to be awful at what the does or goes about things in different ways with the same finish. Sometimes I stand by and watch a person do a job and I could get frustrated because they don’t do it the way I think is right in my infinite knowledge of construction/demolition. It was also very difficult to do a job with constant criticism coming from those around you. Learning to deal with the criticism and not get frustrated and give up was very important. This is what I hope to bring back to my world, a good work ethic and patience. It was something so important to this retreat and I can foresee it being very important during the near future. This was also a very good week because it made you feel appreciated even if your job showed no progress, the people you met were very grateful from the people serving food to the people we met on the street, It was important to feel needed.
Patrick Sutter’08
Fredrick Douglass once said that, ‘if there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This quote really sums up our trip to Newburgh. We as a group struggled through many things. They were physical struggles, oh so many, but there was also the struggle to grow and live together as a group. Because trust me, there were countless times when we were ready to push each other off the roof. But in the end something amazing happened, we became not only more aware to the plight in the world in which we live, but for all intensive purposes, we became a family.
When I first signed up for the trip back in December I was excited. I had grown to think of campus ministry as my home away from home, a safe haven from the chaos that is Canisius High School, and I have tried to dedicate myself to as many service trips, retreats, and of course the lunch period debates. They say that in high school you start to develop passion for things, and this was becoming mine. So on Sunday, the tenth of June, I said goodbye to my parents and girlfriend, little did they or I know how different the young man who got on that bus would be from the young man who got off a week later would be.
Like Mr. Ahrens said, Newburgh had changed us even if we didn’t see it at first. But to understand how it chances us, you have to understand what we’ve done, and how we’ve lived. We had thirteen guys between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, living in and old carriage house where there was absolutely zero privacy. Oh, and we had two showers between all thirteen of us. It’s safe to say we looked a little scruffy
Then of course there was the manual construction labor that we’ve had to do, I’ve personally demolished a stonewall with a pickaxe, dug up an old stump, mixed cement, filled in an old fireplace with that cement, lifted 20ft long boards of lumber through second and third story windows, and took down stair cases. Just to name a few of the labor intensive things I’ve done. All of these left me exhausted and yearning for a shower, but my most memorable jobs are those that, eventually, got me over my fear of heights. The first time I was sent up a ladder four stories above the ground, was on the first day, and all I had to do was drill holes in a piece of wood resting on the wall. I was really scared and got off that roof as fast I as I could. I don’t know what made me get back on the roof the next day, but I did. Over the next couple of days I would do jobs such as build supports for a temporary fourth floor, put up and demolish rafters. The two jobs that were the most intense were laying brinks and cement four stories up on makeshift scaffolding.
But the most important thing I learned on this trip was that where I once believed that doing good and helping others was what I was supposed to do, now it’s not only what I want to do, but that this is what makes me happy. I mean this….. this last week I was truly happy. These past few days have been some of the hardest of my life, but doing this hard work to help people, who I don’t even know, made me realize how special this trip really was. James Czodli’08
Everyday I learn more about life. As I say this very general statement, it is difficult to articulate all of the chances and experiences that I have encountered lately; I’ll begin with how I became involved with this trip. After lunch one day, Brian Cain asked me a question about the trip. For years, I had been wanting for an opportunity such as the immersion trip to Newburgh. The opportunity to go on this trip came at a very favorable time in my life. I had recently decided to make certain chances in my life. The experience of going to Newburgh seemed like it would be good for me. All of the guys going to Newburgh were good people. Because of this, I was really looking forward to the trip. Now that I am actually on the trip, I see why I was looking forward to it so much. Good friends, good work, and growth are three things I have learned a great deal about, while on this trip. These three things should never be taken for granted.
Fredrick Douglass stated that if there is no struggle, there is no progress. This made me think about a quote from one of the world’s best thinkers, Albert Einstein, who stated that “the only road to greatness is through the school of hard knocks.” I, someone born into money, a loving family, and a generally good employment, have recently learned how true this quote is. Until I was about fifteen years old, a sophomore in high school, I truly believed that everything was going to work out for me no matter what. Once this false ideology came crashing down, I realized many things, as well as my humility and my dependence on God. I realized not to take the things that really matter in life for granted. I realized that certain bad things can be the downfall of anyone, including myself.
Finally, I realized that it was not only my ability but my responsibility to make a difference in the world. To love and to do good, while I realized these things in principle and in a limited level of personal experience, I know that I can became a stronger person and I can do much more. This trip has allowed me to take steps in the right direction. Sure the trip has been tough at times, waking up early in the morning, doing honest hand labor, and other jobs, and doing them all with a good, positive attitude and be tough at times.
Doing good work for others has put me in the company of good people I never would have met otherwise. Aside from the company of my classmates, my leaders, and Fr. Betti and Mr. Ahrens, I have been the company of other great. Brady Quinn, our local Habitat leader, is a very talented person who could do just about anything. He could be making big money working another less fulfilling job. However, he chooses to help people less fortunate that him day in and ay out. I can admit that after a few days, the work involved in building houses for others has gotten boring. However, Brady does the work every day, even Saturdays, and most important, he does it with class. The ability to have a positive attitude is one that is truly admirable. Dan Haines’08
It has been said that without struggle, there can be no progress. In a way this immersion trip can be defined as just that, a struggle. Not just a physical struggle, but somewhat a mental struggle within ourselves. Back sometime at the beginning of the year, I decided that I would sign up for this immersion trip to Newburgh, I had seen the pictures of previous trips and though why not sign up for a week with a few friends to have a good time, it never occurred to me what the trip actually was about. It wasn’t until about the second day it being to hit me. Like I said before, I thought I was paying $250 to have a good time and I did have a few laughs that will last a lifetime, but overall this trip did more than just entertain me
I began realizing how much of a difference this little project was making. Of course two houses is only a pinprick, but it was also a changing experience not only for the eleven of us taking part in it but also those around us, especially the little kid next door to one site.
After setting up a fence with a few others, a young lady walked across the street to us and asked us if we were doing work for other people. When we told her yes, she kept saying “God bless you!” This made me realize how someone with barely anything can be so kind in giving a few randoms kids blessings. It also showed me that if you look beyond the graffiti and boarded up windows, you many find beautiful things and beautiful people. Seeing how someone in that kind of situation can be as thoughtful as she was really brings the meaning of this trip in perspective. After seeing people in the conditions they were living in, it inspired me to look at my personal insignificant problems in contrast.
Even though what we have done this past week we may have done something to improve the lives of few families out of the thousands in need. I’m truly honored to have taken part in this memorable event. Jesse Hughes’08
Unrequired deed mean more than required deeds.
