My Own Project for Project Life

by Julie Schneider

I have been on Project Life the past two years with St. Ferdinand and had absolutely amazing experiences both times. When spring time of 2005 came around, I started thinking about Project Life again and began wondering when it would be, and where it would be, and how many teens I will get to go this time, etc. etc... So, with all my curiosity building up, I began searching the good old OYM website for details. Unfortunately, nothing new had popped up yet so I browsed elsewhere and came upon an internship link. Hmmm, I thought to myself as I pondered on how wonderful it would be to help out this year in a different fashion. Within two seconds of thinking about it, I filled out the application and sent it in. A couple days later, I received a phone call from Sister Consolata and we set up our first appointment. After that, all I had to do was wait for summer to arrive so I could begin my work.

Summer arrived and the day had come for my first day as an intern. I stepped into the office and right off the bat, received the warmest welcome by everyone including Sister C, Liz, Joel, and of course Rosanne. Mieke, our Netherlands girl was there as well.

Within a week, I was joined by 3 other amazing interns whose stories you may have already read. I had a blast working with them and grew very close to them all, as well as the staff. If you are not familiar with the OYM office, there is a wide selection of cd's available to listen to, so everyday, we would choose a new cd and jam out while getting our work done. Sometimes, Rosanne would surprise us with some tasty treats after lunch. I won't dare reveal what it was, but boy was it good. I may make it sound as if it were all fun and games, which it was, but we really did get a lot of work done in the process.

From this experience, I have learned that to truly love and enjoy what you do at the OYM or with any job, you must first truly love and understand your faith. With every little task we did, we knew what we were doing it for, which in return made it worth the hard work. Sometimes, things got stressed, sometimes, carrying big boxes and objects into a truck on an extremely hot day, didn't seem to be worth my time, but by stepping back and realizing what I was doing this for, I was able to shift my negative thoughts into positive ones. I was able to make myself stronger, with the help of God of course.

Overall, my experience is unforgettable. I know I have gained an overwhelming meaning of what it is to be a servant unto God and to his people. God's love filled my life while serving my time with this faith filled community. I have carried this love with me everywhere I go and I try my best to pass it on along the way.

Thank you OYM for your love and kindness.