Young, but strong in faith

The young parishioners of Hope Lutheran Church in Long Grove took a different kind of vacation this past summer.

Instead of spending time on the beach, high school and junior high students took trips to impoverished areas to volunteer.

Junior high students, through YouthWorks, went to Green Bay, Wis., to help with homeless organizations and centers that work with the elderly.

The high school group went to Reading, Pa., to build and repair houses.

Some high-schoolers also went to Leadership Lab, a week of leadership training designed to assist youth in using those skills in the community.

Stephanie Mater, who graduated from Stevenson High School earlier this year and is now at Miami University, said she's been going on mission trips since junior high and then took on the task of attending Leadership Lab as she got older.

"Lab is seriously the best week of my life," he said. "You're with the same people for four summers, so you make strong friendships."

She said the experience has helped her learn about herself and her faith.

"It teaches you skills you can use anywhere," she said.

Linda Poe of Mundelein and Juanita Wundsam of Palatine both chaperoned the senior trips to Pennsylvania this year.

"The experiences we had were unbelievable," Wundsam said. "You develop a relationship with the area; you hate to leave."

Poe said the youth groups come together at night from the various projects they've been working on and discuss their experiences from the day.

She said one group went to repair a home where the father had died recently. She said the man's wife was so pleased to see someone help her that she called those students her angels.

"We saw someone so faith-filled joyful of receiving something even in the mourning process," she said. "A story like that just touches your heart."

Justin Pankiewicz, an eighth-grader from Buffalo Grove, and Kylie Johnson, a seventh-grader from Buffalo Grove, went on the junior high trip to Wisconsin.

They said they worked in a thrift store during the day and then the senior center in the afternoons.

"Some people were so generous (at the thrift store)," Pankiewicz said. "It was amazing to see that and work there."

Johnson said she made friends at the nursing home and was amazed by some of the stories she heard there.

She met a woman whose sons had died; the woman was especially attached to a stuffed dog.

"It was the only thing she had left," Johnson said.

The church raised funds for the trips almost 10 months in advance with events like a cookie walk, spaghetti dinner and silent auction. Several local businesses, such as Dorfler's Meat Market and Didier Frams, helped sponsor those fundraisers.

Junior high mission trip attendees: Emily Geocaris, Connor King, Kelly McGowan, Maddie Sarmas, Kylie Johnson, Mike Lueck, Justin Pankiewicz. Chaperones: Peter Frazer and Jennie Pankiewicz

Senior high mission trip attendees: Andrew Johnson, Kevin Krieger, Stephanie Mater, Katie O'Connor, Amanda Oller, Bobby Phillips, Susan Roth, Callie Schoeneman, Josh Stzrelczyk, Kevin Wheeler, Lucas Wood, David Krieger, Karen Lowry, Ryan McGonagle, Colleen Peters, Katie Phillips, Stephanie Solomon, Meredith Whitehead, Kaitlin Wood, Kylie Wundsam. Chaperones: Doug Fritsch, Chuck Johnson, Rick Krieger, Sean McGonagle, Linda Poe and Juanita Wundsam

Leadership Lab attendees: Leilani Chee, Andrew Johnson, Kevin Krieger, Daniel Mater, Amanda Oller, Zach Smith, Kevin Wheeler, Lucas Wood, Kylie Wundsam, Emily Findling, David Krieger, Karen Lowry, Stephanie Mater, Colleen Peters, Stephanie Solomon, Meredith Whitehead, Kaitlin Wood