For many, summer is a time to travel to the most exotic places in the world and experience their beauty. But for two Catholic youth, such a journey was taken for an entirely different reason.

Ashley Khan and Karena Ahwai-Mohammed, both students in the concurrent teaching program at Toronto’s York University, decided to spend their summer in Fiji, an island in the south Pacific Ocean. Starting last June, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed spent three months working on community projects in Sawakasa, an impoverished village only an hour away from Suva, Fiji’s capital.

“Fiji seems like paradise but there is such poverty, especially behind the resorts,” said Khan. “There are people who do not have access to water for days and don’t have resources for the education system.”

During their time there, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed mainly worked on school renovations, including sanding and repainting walls and doors, and building a rain water catchment near the school from which the children can drink.

While completing the projects, both stayed with a host family and lived in the same conditions as any other Sawakasa resident.

“We stayed with the most loving family with four children who treated us as if we were part of the family,” said Ahwai-Mohammed.

“The family that we stayed with didn’t have that much when it came to material possessions, but they had strong faith in God and appreciated everything that they did have,” she said.

“As long as they had God and their family, they were happy and satisfied, which has inspired me to be more appreciative for everything I have.”

Khan said the pair shared in the poverty of their hosts, bathing in the river because there was no running water and living in houses that had lizards and a variety of bugs.

But their positive attitude and the entire trip was inspired by their Catholic values, said Khan.

“Making a difference is truly an image of love, Christ’s love for His people,” she said. 

And now, Khan belongs to an even bigger family.

“Even though I live in Canada, my family in Fiji will always be a part of my life and I will continue to watch out for them,” she said. “I’m planning to send a help package for Christmas with things like school supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste.”

Their experiences in Fiji have also helped the pair to grow, both spiritually and personally.

“My overall experience was a rewarding one,” said Khan. “I’ve learned peace, humility, to be content with what I have and the importance of unity and family. This experience has led me to continue making an impact in my own community through the Church. It was the beginning of finding my true self and being able to do what I passionately love doing.”

Looking back on the experience, Khan recommends Catholic youth be more selfless in their everyday lives.

“Have a vision and persevere with it, always keeping God first,” she said. “By adopting an attitude of gratitude and giving, we begin to change the lives of those around us.”

(Hurren, 18, is a Media, Information and Technoculture student at the University of Western Ontario. Find out more about him at our YSN blog, youthspeaknews.org)