Thoughts

We aren't really sure where to begin when it comes to ASP. There is so much to say and we can only type so much for now. We started off feeling anxious about what the week ahead would bring. For some of us, it was a new experience and we didn't know what to expect. For others, it was exciting because we had been on ASP before and were ready to get going on our projects and see the houses we would be working on for the week. The journey down to West Virginia was quite an adventure and the excitement built up once we got to Virginia and stayed over at the church. We were growing impatient and simply wanting to get there. Sunday afternoon we arrived at our destination and were greeted by the friendly and witty ASP staff. We got our name tags and we were thrilled to have arrived.
Monday morning we woke up early and were prepared to be introduced to our family and work site. We all staggered into our cars and were off to our first day of work. Once we arrived we were introduced to Linda, the owner of the house we would be repairing. She had a lot of spunk and we felt a connection with her right away. Since we had two groups on our site, there were many people and only so much to do at first. Some of us felt useless, while others were working really hard. But we didn't let that bring us down, we knew we were here for a reason which was to restore hope. We got our tools and were prepared to work to our best abilities.
It is now Wednesday and our eyes have opened wider than ever. Our minds are filled with random thoughts and we are overwhelmed with what we have witnessed. When they told everyone back home that this experience would change our young lives, they were absolutely right. We realize how thankful we are for what we have, and to live life to the fullest. Today, it is Wednesday and we had a reflection and some silent time to ourselves. We may only be working for 5 days, but this experience will stay with us for a lifetime. Not only have we gained a new outlook on life, but we have gained friendships along the way. ASP is truly life changing, and we are going back home with something some of us might not have come with in the first place, and when people ask us how our trip was, we can simply say . . . you had to be there.

Written By: Chelsea Sebastian
Thoughts Contributed By: Erin Cascio and Zach Battista