“Both (Northern Michigan University Catholic Campus Ministry and Michigan Technological University Catholic Campus Ministry) do mission trips every year,” said Hytinen. “Northern typically goes over spring break, and Tech typically goes on summer trips … we do a lot of retreats and stuff together, so we work together often enough.”

Last year was the first year that MTU CCM took their trip to Ghana.

“It was kind of just a getting our bearings trip,” said Hytinen. “(FOCUS) wanted us to go and just build relationships with everybody there, so we went to different Catholic parishes, and Catholic high schools and elementary schools … just to build that relationship of ‘what can we do to help you guys?'”

The parishes and schools that Hytinen visited on her trip were looking for support in the area of outreach to young adults.

“We have the same issue here,” said Hytinen “You have your ladies who sit in the front pew every Sunday and every other day of the week, and you’ve got all of the little kids who come with their parents, but there’s a gap of young adults … the parishes wanted to figure out how to get that group involved and how to get more people in general involved.”

MTU CCM’s trip to Ghana was based out of Our Lady of Grace Senior High School in Kumasi, a city located about 250 kilometers from the coast. While the travel was grueling — it took more than 30 hours of travel just to arrive at their first destination — Hytinen enjoyed meeting new people and getting to learn more about Ghanaian culture.

“The people there have so much energy,” said Hytinen. “We were supposed to help them, and they’re over here asking us ‘what can we do to help you guys?’ … Everybody was so hospitable; they’re just so open to helping everybody and helping each other. It’s such a close community.

“It felt a lot like being (in Marquette). Everybody just helps everybody. It was like an at-home feeling.”

Hytinen was planning to head back to Ghana this summer to work more with Ghanaian students and help facilitate a Vacation Bible School program. These plans had to be changed, though, due to the ebola virus outbreak that has, according to the CDC, killed over 100 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Ghana is nearly 5,000 kilometers from the outbreak, about the same distance between Marquette and Guatemala, but, out of an abundance of caution, this year’s mission trip has b

“I was kind of bummed because I was really looking forward to going back to Ghana,” said Hytinen. “But fair enough, they don’t want us playing with deadly viruses that can kill us … it’s probably for the best, unfortunately.”

Regardless of where she is, Hytinen is passionate about the work she’s doing.

“They say that in the Catholic Church, you have a home wherever you go,” said Hytinen. “Because no matter where you go, the Catholic Church has that same sense of community. If nothing else, I want to help people find that community. So no matter where they are in the world, wherever they might be, I want to be able to give them that same sense of community, that same sense of home.”

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.