Helping at Totus Tuus 2022 by Autumn

This summer my siblings and I had the opportunity to volunteer at, and attend, Totus Tuus at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Ozark. Totus Tuus is kind of like a Catholic summer day camp. The day is spent with younger kids, and the night program is for older kids. This wasn't our first experience with Totus Tuus. We were able to attend the program last summer, and our older brother Tyler has even been a Totus Tuus missionary multiple times.

This year I was blessed again to not only be able to attend the night program, but also volunteer at the day program. Carson and I attended each daily session and helped in whatever ways we could to make the missionaries' jobs a little bit easier.

One way we would do this was by sitting in the classes. We would help with keeping the kids in order and were there to help answer questions. Another way we helped was by setting up various activities and leading the kids in games. 

I was also very happy to be able to help by playing the piano during Mass. It was a new experience for me and I was very nervous. But, by the end of the week, I felt much more comfortable (Although I will say that I'm going to take a looonnng break from playing the song "Sanctuary"! We did it as the Communion song every day.). 

My week at Totus Tuus helped me to connect deeper with Christ, and help others do so as well, even if it meant stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit. We were also able to have friends join us for some of the days, which was a real blessing. If you have a Totus Tuus program in your area, I would encourage attending. You'll have a blast growing in your faith and helping others do so!