Megaphone reporter Erin O’Neill is one of the students participating in the annual spring break mission trip to Johns Island, South Carolina.

She has filed her first personal narrative relating the experience of her and her fellow participants, which follows.

April 3 was a gorgeous, sunny day spent in Charleston. We began the day with French toast for breakfast, headed to the buses, and made our way to Charleston.

Our first group activity was a boat tour of the harbor. It was super interesting and a great time to take in some sunshine on the upper deck, while many of us played cards on the lower deck. After the tour, we were released to go and walk around in groups and explore Charleston.

Several of the small groups chose to enjoy a sit-down meal followed by some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Many of us shopped around the Charleston market, and then around 5 p.m. we headed to Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub for dinner. Just before meal ended, monsoon rain began to pour, ending the otherwise sunshine-filled day.

After arriving back at St. Christopher Retreat and Conference Center, all of us assembled in the chapel. We sang a few songs together, and then we were each randomly assigned a prayer partner, a person we should keep in special mind this week, and each of us made a bracelet with that person’s name.

After this, we went over a few final details about the plans for the next day, and we were dismissed for free time before lights out. It’s been all touristy fun so far, but the real work begins April 4.