I haven't always been the most religious person, but the past few summers, as long as I didn't have to work, I have attended a church work camp. It isn't everyone's idea of a perfect week, but it was everything to me.

For three days, we followed a routine: mass every morning, work site jobs for 2 hours, lunch, 3 more hours, and then, depending on the day, an activity in the evening.

I was used to going to these camps as a participant and I had never really been a leader (or if I was, I wasn't responsible for a whole lot). This time around, my main job was being responsible for the kids who came to the particular site I was working at, in this case, the garden at the local food bank.

I am not one for gardening. Like, at all. But I knew that this was going to be important work, helping care for the crops that would help people who needed produce.

And what's 6 hours out of all the time this summer I am spending on my laptop or working in an air-conditioned office.

Along with the garden work, I helped haul potatoes off and on trucks to be made into french fries for the church carnival, cleaned out classrooms, and created a proposal video for a contest on opioid use and the effects it has on people (and if you are so inclined, here is the link to that website- I bet my video is even up by now!).

I spent three days reconnecting to my faith, as tired as I was, and what it means to be a Christian. My leaders have always said that the work of a Christian lies in showing the world what we do with our faith. Even in my least religious moods, doing good things for people reaps good. It benefits others. It makes a group of seventh graders see that I'm doing the same work they are, and that they should take service seriously.

I have met some of my best friends in church, and seeing them for a few days apart from the school year felt really good. We had all taken time out to make sure we were devoting our effort to the work instead of focusing on school or life going on afterward. It felt good to sit and listen to music, to drink coffee and have a snack, to complain about how tired we were and have a common experience. It felt less like work and more like family.

I know that there were lots of things I could have been doing with my week. Heck, I could have not taken off the day from work and made some money. But there is something special about working together with others for something bigger than yourself. There is something spiritual, if not religious, about feeling the impact of what you've done while you're doing it.