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One of CC@S’ student Service trips occurs each fall, from Saturday-Wednesday of Thanksgiving Break. In the past sev-
eral years, CC@S has served the St. Therese Center in Las Vegas. Students benefit from both an immersion and a service
experience while working for, and with, those with HIV/AIDS. One of the students, Eric, shared how the experience was
transformative to his faith and growth as an individual:
Service and Immersion
Serving Others: Thanksgiving Service Immersion Trip
Like all people experiencing intense growth at Stan-
ford, I struggle to adapt and assimilate improved modes of
thinking, being and living. As this growth happens in the
day-to-day, I am frequently absorbed in my own thoughts
and I wonder if how I spend my time working on research
everyday will truly make a tangible difference in the world,
positively impacting the lives of real people—people who
may be suffering or in difficulties.
Much of my time here, I have been haunted by a pas-
sage from the gospels: “Whoever can be trusted with very
little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10) I try to
be faithful to God in the big things through my research.
Achieving big things requires concentrated effort over long
time periods. And so by their nature, we can only achieve
very few big things in our finite lives, though not always.
But Jesus places more emphasis on the little things - so I
worry about getting so lost and absorbed in my own gran-
diose ideas and ambitions that I ignore the bulk of the good
that should come from my life through the small things that
I can easily do but effortlessly forget.
I went to the St. Therese Center with the expectation
of working with my hands and moving out of the realm of
thought, for a bit. I went with the hope of watching some
small, tangible good come forth from the work of my
hands. It was a quiet sort of togetherness, the kind where we
formed long lines from loaded trucks to empty boxes and
passed items to each other, smiling or nodding as we tossed
turkeys and handed the next food item to go into the boxes.
There was small talk, the braver among us venturing to ask
about the lives of others, the less brave content to listen,
absorb and just smile. We also assisted the clients (per-
sons with HIV) by carrying these packed boxes of canned
food and veggies, along with whole frozen turkeys to their
means of transport outside the distribution center. Some
had cars, some had only their trusty wheelchairs and others
a wheeled shopping cart. I wanted to say a few words of
encouragement while we walked with the clients but was at
a loss. All I could manage was an attempt to exude helpful-
ness. Some of them were dirty, a few smelled really bad.
There were children, with AIDS, carefree and happy as chil-
dren usually are. Some clients were all smiles and engaging,
thanking profusely all the volunteers who made eye contact.
They had found solace in each other, in God and there was
optimism about living their life well, in spite of the disease.
But their care-worn faces and their eyes betrayed the heavy
burdens they still carry—sometimes anger, sometimes a still
unresolved anguish that led to a lifestyle which gave them
AIDS. It struck me that they barely received a friendly pat, a
hug or a warm handshake.
There was some deep conversation time among us
volunteers after a long day of work. I made new friends
and learned important lessons about the love and action
of God in the lives of others, even as I contemplated anew
the action and fidelity of God in my own life. I am back at
Stanford now. As I reflect on the experience, I think about
all those little brown bags of canned food and pasta in the
van. I learnt therefore that we who call ourselves the people
of God are like ornaments on a chain of charity. And just
like on the turkey tossing line, all of us are asked to do
our part else the turkey stops. I am thankful for and to the
Catholic Community @ Stanford, without which we would
not have had the support and finances to make the trip. I
have received my gift. I understand a little better, the small
things of Jesus.
