It's been a while since I've had something happen and instantly felt "I need to put this on my blog". So... finally... here is something that happened, just yesterday, on campus that I need to share.
Teia and I have been meeting for discipleship for a little over a month now and usually meet in the education annex of UMD. I like this spot because it's usually quiet enough to pray, but not where you feel disruptive while talking. Also, I like being around education stuff... my major hasn't been forgotten since graduation that's for sure.
Anyway, yesterday we began discipleship and were opening with meditative prayer as usual. I decided to lead with the story of Christ's birth found in Luke's Gospel (Luke 2:1-20). Usually, I begin by reading through the story, and then going back and prompting some ideas that stick out to me to guide whoever I'm praying with. So here's what happened...
Me: "...While they were there, the time came for her to have her child.."
Professor: "Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?"
Me: "No, that's fine."
So this professor takes a seat and I continue... I read the rest of the story, share some thoughts on the shepherds' perspective... think about it, they got front row seats at the birth of the Messiah!... and then close in a short prayer.
As we finish, Teia and I make the sign of the cross and our new friend also does so. He then asks if it was a Catholic Bible (it was) and shares that he is also Catholic. It turns out, his family is beginning their own Christmas tradition this year apart from his and his wife's families. "Maybe we will include a reading of this story in our new tradition," he said. All I could think was... YES that is so great. Expose those kids to Scripture!
We continued to chat and Dan, our new friend, shared that he teaches various education classes at UMD and before that had taught at a Catholic school in Central America. He was currently just stepping out of his class so his students could do their semester evals and appreciated a chance to hear a "beautiful story." It was so encouraging to both Teia and I, not only to know there are awesome Catholic professors on this campus, but also to hear how awesome he thought it was that we took the time to read Scripture.
Dan went back to class and Teia and I proceeded with discipleship, talking about Christmas and her bible study she will be starting next semester.Yet, I couldn't get over how awesome it was that he joined us for prayer!
One last thing to share... which I haven't yet done for all you blog readers... I'm going to Guyana next summer for a mission trip with FOCUS! I found out about 2 weeks ago and have been so excited! To hear Dan talk about his experience in Central America was awesome in light of this new opportunity I have been given to travel and do mission work abroad. It's so beautiful how things work out sometimes....
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
God at Work
Hm, been a while since I've written a post. It's hard to even know what to write about these past two weeks. Being a missionary allows me to witness so much beauty, so many amazing stories and conversions.
First of all, I get to hear and see how God is transforming lives here at UMD. Just this past week, I was blessed to hear that a student I've met has radically reoriented her priorities throughout the semester, to the point of moving out of her current not good living situation and coming with us to SEEK. I also got to hear multiple testimonies from our student leaders on Friday, including the full story of Christ's pursuit of my disciple Shannon. She has a beautiful story of discovering that true happiness comes from God and nowhere else.
Secondly, I get to work for the Kingdom that never ends. I recently read the book "The Way" by St. Josemaria Escriva (a gift from my wonderful friend Kelsey). In it, he points out that if you are on mission for Jesus, then you are working for a Kingdom with no end. That's a pretty awesome thing to strive for... to build up the Kingdom of God. And I get to be an "instrument for seeking instruments." God works through me to find others to also work for that never-ending Kingdom. That Kingdom has grown so much here at UMD this year, we have over 30 students in discipleship, over 30 bible studies on campus, and over 70 students going to SEEK2013 over break. Our chapel keeps overflowing at Thursday Mass n Meal. And it's all because Jesus is King....
Finally, I have realized in a profound way that God is working hard to mold me into a saint, into the best version of myself, through my yes to being a missionary. He wants me to be His. Wow. I belong to the King of the Kingdom. Despite all my past mistakes and all the times I ran away from Him, He has never given up on me. His love never would allow Him to. As great as it is to see Him working in the lives of others, sometimes it blows me away just considering how much He is working in my own life.
On a final, fun note, I recently had another of my "this is my job?!?!" moments. Friday night, I went with some students to Bentleyville, a large display of Christmas lights here in Duluth. When I say large, I mean largest in the Midwest. It was crazy. We walked by all the lights, spent time around a bonfire, and enjoyed free hot chocolate. As we were leaving, I realized that just spending time with these students, having fun, and sharing our faith in Christ... that's my job. What a blessing! God did not need me to be a missionary. He could have called me to pursue teaching right away after graduation. But, instead He chose to need me in the New Evangelization through FOCUS. He placed a burning desire within me to be a missionary and to serve Him in this way. And I am so glad He did.
First of all, I get to hear and see how God is transforming lives here at UMD. Just this past week, I was blessed to hear that a student I've met has radically reoriented her priorities throughout the semester, to the point of moving out of her current not good living situation and coming with us to SEEK. I also got to hear multiple testimonies from our student leaders on Friday, including the full story of Christ's pursuit of my disciple Shannon. She has a beautiful story of discovering that true happiness comes from God and nowhere else.
Secondly, I get to work for the Kingdom that never ends. I recently read the book "The Way" by St. Josemaria Escriva (a gift from my wonderful friend Kelsey). In it, he points out that if you are on mission for Jesus, then you are working for a Kingdom with no end. That's a pretty awesome thing to strive for... to build up the Kingdom of God. And I get to be an "instrument for seeking instruments." God works through me to find others to also work for that never-ending Kingdom. That Kingdom has grown so much here at UMD this year, we have over 30 students in discipleship, over 30 bible studies on campus, and over 70 students going to SEEK2013 over break. Our chapel keeps overflowing at Thursday Mass n Meal. And it's all because Jesus is King....
Finally, I have realized in a profound way that God is working hard to mold me into a saint, into the best version of myself, through my yes to being a missionary. He wants me to be His. Wow. I belong to the King of the Kingdom. Despite all my past mistakes and all the times I ran away from Him, He has never given up on me. His love never would allow Him to. As great as it is to see Him working in the lives of others, sometimes it blows me away just considering how much He is working in my own life.
On a final, fun note, I recently had another of my "this is my job?!?!" moments. Friday night, I went with some students to Bentleyville, a large display of Christmas lights here in Duluth. When I say large, I mean largest in the Midwest. It was crazy. We walked by all the lights, spent time around a bonfire, and enjoyed free hot chocolate. As we were leaving, I realized that just spending time with these students, having fun, and sharing our faith in Christ... that's my job. What a blessing! God did not need me to be a missionary. He could have called me to pursue teaching right away after graduation. But, instead He chose to need me in the New Evangelization through FOCUS. He placed a burning desire within me to be a missionary and to serve Him in this way. And I am so glad He did.
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| at Bentleyville |
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving and St. Cecelia
A year ago today, I found myself at the NDSU Wellness Center for a morning run.... with a dead iPod. Since music was no longer an option to motivate me for my run, I decided to use that time to pray. I found myself talking to Jesus about FOCUS. At the time, I had not started the application to be a missionary. As I ran, more and more of my fears came to light. Afterwards, I went to pray at the Newman Center and began to realize that I really needed to just start my application and trust God with the rest. I began the application later that day and as I filled it out, God slowly opened my heart to be able to desire for FOCUS to be the next chapter of my life. And so here I am, one year later, several months into my first year as a full-time missionary!
It's incredible that this big step towards FOCUS took place on November 22, the Feast of St. Cecelia (the saint I chose as my Confirmation saint). It is amazing how that choice as an eighth grader continues to play a role in my life. And now to have that day fall on Thanksgiving... the day when we thank God for the many blessings He has given us. God must love making dates line up like this!
And so not only am I thankful as always for my faith, family, and friends. But I'm also really thankful for all of the graces that God has blessed me with through FOCUS... the new friends, support of mission partners here at home, and a truly amazing experience that is slowly helping me become closer to Jesus and His will for my life.
So, if you're reading this, thank you for allowing me to share my experience as a FOCUS missionary with you! Thank you for your support and prayers. And I hope you have a most blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
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| St. Cecelia, pray for us! |
And so not only am I thankful as always for my faith, family, and friends. But I'm also really thankful for all of the graces that God has blessed me with through FOCUS... the new friends, support of mission partners here at home, and a truly amazing experience that is slowly helping me become closer to Jesus and His will for my life.
So, if you're reading this, thank you for allowing me to share my experience as a FOCUS missionary with you! Thank you for your support and prayers. And I hope you have a most blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Fan into Flame and more
Well, another eventful week has passed for this FOCUS missionary. I don't even know where to begin with sharing about this past week... but I will try to do my best. Here are my top 5 events from the week:
#5: On Monday, my original five from my freshman bible study and I celebrated the first snowfall of the year here in Duluth by spending the afternoon at Caribou Coffee. It was fun to build fellowship with these great girls. I also found out that the holiday drinks are officially available.... mmmm HoHo Mint Mocha...
#4: On Wednesday, I made chicken enchiladas for the four women in my discipleship chain. We spent almost 2 hours squeezed around my kitchen table getting to know one another better and laughing lots. They are all so fantastic and I'm honored that they are in my chain here at UMD.
#3: Also on Monday, all seven girls made it to our freshman bible study. Topic of the night: the Eucharist. We read and discussed John 6, where Jesus explains that He is the Bread of Life. We had a really great discussion and I could just tell that everyone was thinking deeply about the role that the Eucharist has in their lives and how it could become even more important through the Mass and Adoration.
#2: Due to Monday's discussion, two of the girls in my bible study and I went to Adoration at a local Church Friday afternoon. We were only there for 30 minutes, but as we left, a woman there turned around and told us, "You give me hope for the world." Wow. Then today, I got a text from one of the girls thanking me for taking her because she had never been to Adoration before and really loved it.
#1: Fan Into Flame!! This weekend, we had our second retreat of the year at the cabin in Brainerd. Over 50 students attended, including several girls that I have gotten to know really well this year. The theme of the retreat was allowing Jesus to be the Lord of your life and to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promises to all those who believe in Him. We had some great talks, fellowship, and time for prayer. It was incredible to see these students be deeply moved during Adoration last night. It was also a great opportunity for me to grow, realizing what it means to allow God to work through me as I prayed over people along with my teammate Nicole.
Sharing these five things and realizing how great they were this past week just made it really clear to me how important having strong Catholic community is. How important it is to surround ourselves with others who are running after Christ, so that they can help us in our own journey to Him. It is such a blessing to serve as a missionary, where I get to have these wonderful friendships as a part of my "job".
Also, just a little insight into my retreat (because even though I was a leader, I also was on retreat). I realized in a very profound way how much God loves me and that He is more than enough, He is all I need. He is the One who truly makes me come alive, and He wants me to have the life I was made for... and I was made for more, I was made for love. What a perfect time to realize this, so that I can spend this week thanking Him for that love... and the many other blessings of my life.
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| bible study @ Caribou |
#5: On Monday, my original five from my freshman bible study and I celebrated the first snowfall of the year here in Duluth by spending the afternoon at Caribou Coffee. It was fun to build fellowship with these great girls. I also found out that the holiday drinks are officially available.... mmmm HoHo Mint Mocha...
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| my discipleship chain November 2012 |
#3: Also on Monday, all seven girls made it to our freshman bible study. Topic of the night: the Eucharist. We read and discussed John 6, where Jesus explains that He is the Bread of Life. We had a really great discussion and I could just tell that everyone was thinking deeply about the role that the Eucharist has in their lives and how it could become even more important through the Mass and Adoration.
 |
| Fan into Flame group |
#1: Fan Into Flame!! This weekend, we had our second retreat of the year at the cabin in Brainerd. Over 50 students attended, including several girls that I have gotten to know really well this year. The theme of the retreat was allowing Jesus to be the Lord of your life and to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promises to all those who believe in Him. We had some great talks, fellowship, and time for prayer. It was incredible to see these students be deeply moved during Adoration last night. It was also a great opportunity for me to grow, realizing what it means to allow God to work through me as I prayed over people along with my teammate Nicole.
Sharing these five things and realizing how great they were this past week just made it really clear to me how important having strong Catholic community is. How important it is to surround ourselves with others who are running after Christ, so that they can help us in our own journey to Him. It is such a blessing to serve as a missionary, where I get to have these wonderful friendships as a part of my "job".
Also, just a little insight into my retreat (because even though I was a leader, I also was on retreat). I realized in a very profound way how much God loves me and that He is more than enough, He is all I need. He is the One who truly makes me come alive, and He wants me to have the life I was made for... and I was made for more, I was made for love. What a perfect time to realize this, so that I can spend this week thanking Him for that love... and the many other blessings of my life.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Vocation Preparation
It is so crazy how fast the year has gone so far. With each day, I learn more and more about myself, my relationship with Jesus, and how to best love Him and help those in my life do the same. I also am realizing all the ways I am growing through my life as a missionary with FOCUS. It is so beautiful how God is using this experience to draw me closer to Himself and help me become, as Matthew Kelly says, the "best version of myself."
In a particular way, I'm realizing how this time is really helping me prepare for my vocation. Through much prayer, I have deep peace with trusting God that He desires for me to become a saint through the vocation of marriage someday. So how is saying yes to FOCUS, which includes a fast from dating for the first year, helping me in my vocation? Well, here is what I've discovered so far....
1. I'm learning how to be dependent on Jesus to provide me with happiness, not other people. This is still a work in progress, but it has improved a lot. Today was a perfect example: I was not in the best of moods, so I went to the Adoration chapel for a couple hours. I left with a deep peace - thanks Jesus! A great priest once pointed out that no person is perfect, my spouse someday will be human, and therefore will have some flaws. But, if I can lean on my relationship with Christ first, then His perfect love will fill what my husband's can't.
2. I'm learning how to give of my time in a very real way. Some days I go from one activity to the next, without a second to myself. Helping the wonderful students of UMD on their path to holiness, helping my teammates, and doing daily duties like cooking and cleaning. Yesterday, I went almost non-stop from 9am to 11pm! One day, I called my mom quick. She was busy, as usual, cooking for the volleyball team, planning something for my sister's birthday, and just being mom. I realized how learning to give of my time for this mission now will help me be able to do so for my mission as a mom someday. That's pretty awesome.
3. I'm learning all sorts of great ways to have fun doing things that aren't always fun. For example, how to improvise with cooking, brainstorm fun craft ideas (thanks Pinterest), provide snacks for my bible studies (future kids' birthday treats?), grocery shop efficiently, etc etc. Yesterday, I put on some music to speed along folding laundry and cleaning my room. The time flew by!
4. I'm learning a lot about what makes me, me! What brings me joy, sadness, peace, fear. The more I learn about myself, both my strengths and weaknesses, the more I can learn how to best become a saint. That is a good life lesson regardless and it comes from "putting out into the deep" and not being afraid to try new things (like not living in Fargo!)
I'm sure God has much more to teach me this year. And I'm so excited to learn it! I hope that when that wonderful husband eventually comes into my life, I will be able to make a much longer list of ways that God prepared me and helped me be ready for that vocation He planned for me. Until then, I'm not just gonna sit around waiting, I'm going to do my best to actively prepare for that vocation.
In a particular way, I'm realizing how this time is really helping me prepare for my vocation. Through much prayer, I have deep peace with trusting God that He desires for me to become a saint through the vocation of marriage someday. So how is saying yes to FOCUS, which includes a fast from dating for the first year, helping me in my vocation? Well, here is what I've discovered so far....
1. I'm learning how to be dependent on Jesus to provide me with happiness, not other people. This is still a work in progress, but it has improved a lot. Today was a perfect example: I was not in the best of moods, so I went to the Adoration chapel for a couple hours. I left with a deep peace - thanks Jesus! A great priest once pointed out that no person is perfect, my spouse someday will be human, and therefore will have some flaws. But, if I can lean on my relationship with Christ first, then His perfect love will fill what my husband's can't.
2. I'm learning how to give of my time in a very real way. Some days I go from one activity to the next, without a second to myself. Helping the wonderful students of UMD on their path to holiness, helping my teammates, and doing daily duties like cooking and cleaning. Yesterday, I went almost non-stop from 9am to 11pm! One day, I called my mom quick. She was busy, as usual, cooking for the volleyball team, planning something for my sister's birthday, and just being mom. I realized how learning to give of my time for this mission now will help me be able to do so for my mission as a mom someday. That's pretty awesome.
3. I'm learning all sorts of great ways to have fun doing things that aren't always fun. For example, how to improvise with cooking, brainstorm fun craft ideas (thanks Pinterest), provide snacks for my bible studies (future kids' birthday treats?), grocery shop efficiently, etc etc. Yesterday, I put on some music to speed along folding laundry and cleaning my room. The time flew by!
4. I'm learning a lot about what makes me, me! What brings me joy, sadness, peace, fear. The more I learn about myself, both my strengths and weaknesses, the more I can learn how to best become a saint. That is a good life lesson regardless and it comes from "putting out into the deep" and not being afraid to try new things (like not living in Fargo!)
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| my recent crafty project! |
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Becoming Prayer Warriors
A little over a month ago, I received an email from a missionary at Benedictine College in Kansas. Their students had proposed a "Fast for Freedom", inviting college students and missionaries across the country to fast and pray in the month before today's election. So, along with my teammates Nicole and Rosalin, I joined in this fast: a personal fast from chocolate.
Growing up Catholic, I am used to giving up things for Lent (which is 40 days) so I didn't think 31 days would be all that bad. Wow was I wrong! Saying no to chocolate was super hard, but I did so in the hopes that my sacrifice would help our country make some good choices today. That is a great thing about Catholicism, the idea of "offering it up" as a way of uniting our sacrifices to that of Jesus.
The students here at UMD also saw the need to pray and fast. From 7pm last night until today's 5:30pm Mass, we had an (almost) 24 hour prayer vigil at Newman, with ongoing Adoration. What a beautiful witness to see these students give up precious time to spend an hour with our Lord and ask Him to watch over our country, and especially the protection of marriage here in Minnesota. Many of them also chose a fast today. Two girls actually endured headaches due to their sacrifice of coffee. What an awesome sacrifice!
As I sat in the Chapel waiting for Mass to begin tonight, I could feel the power of all these prayers and sacrifices. There was this feeling of prayerful expectation, just doing all we could after casting our own votes: praying and waiting. Because we believe in a God who listens to our prayers and answers them. And we should never doubt the power of those prayers.
I don't know how the election will turn out. And I'm writing this post before I do because either way, I believe that the young people of today's Church are truly discovering the power of their faith. And that they will be vigilant prayer warriors to ensure that their right to worship God is always protected. Regardless of tonight's results, this election and the threats that the faithful of the Church face have only made us stronger. Jesus Himself said, "take courage, I have conquered the world." (John 16:33) And so, we keep fighting, recognizing that the One we follow into this battle has assured us of our victory, provided we fight for Him.
Growing up Catholic, I am used to giving up things for Lent (which is 40 days) so I didn't think 31 days would be all that bad. Wow was I wrong! Saying no to chocolate was super hard, but I did so in the hopes that my sacrifice would help our country make some good choices today. That is a great thing about Catholicism, the idea of "offering it up" as a way of uniting our sacrifices to that of Jesus.
The students here at UMD also saw the need to pray and fast. From 7pm last night until today's 5:30pm Mass, we had an (almost) 24 hour prayer vigil at Newman, with ongoing Adoration. What a beautiful witness to see these students give up precious time to spend an hour with our Lord and ask Him to watch over our country, and especially the protection of marriage here in Minnesota. Many of them also chose a fast today. Two girls actually endured headaches due to their sacrifice of coffee. What an awesome sacrifice!
As I sat in the Chapel waiting for Mass to begin tonight, I could feel the power of all these prayers and sacrifices. There was this feeling of prayerful expectation, just doing all we could after casting our own votes: praying and waiting. Because we believe in a God who listens to our prayers and answers them. And we should never doubt the power of those prayers.
I don't know how the election will turn out. And I'm writing this post before I do because either way, I believe that the young people of today's Church are truly discovering the power of their faith. And that they will be vigilant prayer warriors to ensure that their right to worship God is always protected. Regardless of tonight's results, this election and the threats that the faithful of the Church face have only made us stronger. Jesus Himself said, "take courage, I have conquered the world." (John 16:33) And so, we keep fighting, recognizing that the One we follow into this battle has assured us of our victory, provided we fight for Him.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
A Weekend Home
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| with friends before the game |
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| with some girls from my NDSU bible study |
So until God decides it's time for me to go home to Him, I am incredibly honored to serve Him here on earth as a missionary. Not only do I get to love Him and draw close to Him myself, but hopefully I can help others to discover His love and His invitation to them as well. Then someday we can all be home in Heaven. That Pintrest pin is so true when it gives the following definition:
missionary: someone who leaves their family for a short time
so that others can be with their family for eternity.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Grace Like Rain
Today's wet, dreary weather has me wanting to be at home, curled up with hot chocolate and the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. But, I guess I must love being a missionary, because here I am on-campus anyway! Here are some quick stories from my day so far:
Last week, we gave away some scholarships for students to SEEK2013. This morning, I was able to get the information to Joanna, who won the full scholarship, and told her to let me know when she registered. Within 30 minutes I had a text saying "Ok I just registered! I was too excited to wait :)"
Just a bit ago, I met with Paulin, an international student who heard about SEEK at Mass 2 weeks ago. She was so excited about the opportunity to attend SEEK and couldn't stop smiling while we talked about it. Paulin also won a scholarship to reduce her registration. As we were getting her registered, I shared that I am not a student, that I am here as a missionary. She stops, looks at me, and so sincerely says "thank you!" Wow. It's not very often that I receive that genuine thanks from students for being here on campus to share Christ with them!
As I thought about these stories, the song about grace falling like rain comes to mind. And the graces God has given me today are just like the rain outside, not in a huge, heavy downpour, but more a gentle shower. As I leave this post for discipleship with Kelly, my prayer is that each of you may also experience some sort of gentle grace today. Thanks for reading!
Last week, we gave away some scholarships for students to SEEK2013. This morning, I was able to get the information to Joanna, who won the full scholarship, and told her to let me know when she registered. Within 30 minutes I had a text saying "Ok I just registered! I was too excited to wait :)"
Just a bit ago, I met with Paulin, an international student who heard about SEEK at Mass 2 weeks ago. She was so excited about the opportunity to attend SEEK and couldn't stop smiling while we talked about it. Paulin also won a scholarship to reduce her registration. As we were getting her registered, I shared that I am not a student, that I am here as a missionary. She stops, looks at me, and so sincerely says "thank you!" Wow. It's not very often that I receive that genuine thanks from students for being here on campus to share Christ with them!
As I thought about these stories, the song about grace falling like rain comes to mind. And the graces God has given me today are just like the rain outside, not in a huge, heavy downpour, but more a gentle shower. As I leave this post for discipleship with Kelly, my prayer is that each of you may also experience some sort of gentle grace today. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Blessing of Family
This weekend was such a blessing. My mom, dad, and sisters came up to Duluth to visit! While my three college sisters couldn't make it, it was still so nice to spend quality time with the rest of my family. I hadn't seen them in over 2 months! That's been one of the big sacrifices and challenges of my first year as a missionary: not living in my hometown with my family just a 15 minute drive away. So when they arrived in Duluth Friday afternoon, I did my best to soak up every moment. Here's a snapshot of our weekend:
Friday: after piling Lauren, Andrea, and Julia's stuff into my room (we had a weekend-long sleepover!) we all headed down to Canal Park. After showing them Lake Superior and the lift bridge, we spent time checking out the shops that line downtown. Claire (age 7) of course believed that the birds were her best friends. Andrea (age 14), Lauren (age 17), and Julia (age 13) about cried when a life-size cutout of their favorite 1D member was bought before they could get to it, and Olivia (age 8) had lots of stories to share. For dinner, we went to Pizza Luce, where you can watch them make pizzas. It was so fun to just enjoy a family meal again. Afterwards, Lauren, Andrea, and I attempted the Haunted Ship, but changed plans due to the long line (and my fear of stuff like that). Instead, we joined up with Julia and enjoyed a night at Adventure Zone until crashing back at my place for the night.
Saturday: We all piled in the car and drove North! It was pretty foggy, but we still got to tour Split Rock Lighthouse, enjoy lunch (and pie) at Betty's Pies, and explore Gooseberry Falls. As we climbed over rocks and logs to get to the falls, Olivia informed me that it was "the funnest day" of her life. Awesome. After taking some pictures by the falls, we drove back to Duluth, did a little shopping, then enjoyed dinner at Valentini's (a recommendation from my teammate Nicole). It was delicious and so fun! Not to mention the so-needed text updates from Jen and Beau as the Bison football team crushed USD! After dinner, it was true sleepover night. While mom and dad supervised Olivia and Claire's swimming at their hotel, the rest of us enjoyed a movie and snacks with lots of giggles before going to bed close to 1am!
Sunday: The last few hours of their trip went so fast. We all went to Mass on-campus and then to lunch at Little Angie's down at Canal Park. Then it was back to my place to load up the car and off they went, the only reminders of their visit being the wonderful leftovers and homemade goods in my fridge.
What I realized more than anything during this weekend was how incredibly blessed I am. People often hear that I'm the oldest of us 9 girls and somewhat freak out. But I love it so much. How many other people have 8 built-in best friends? Without my sisters, I don't know who I would be. And to also have such wonderful Catholic parents... wow, thanks God! My family is a blessing He gave me before I even knew what it meant to ask Him for things. Yet He knew exactly the loving, supportive family I would need - especially as a missionary. Although it has been since August that all 11 of us have been together, and will be until Christmas that we're all back home again, I know one thing is for sure. I love my family, they love me, and no amount of distance or time can weaken that.
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| Canal Park |
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| Gooseberry |
Sunday: The last few hours of their trip went so fast. We all went to Mass on-campus and then to lunch at Little Angie's down at Canal Park. Then it was back to my place to load up the car and off they went, the only reminders of their visit being the wonderful leftovers and homemade goods in my fridge.
What I realized more than anything during this weekend was how incredibly blessed I am. People often hear that I'm the oldest of us 9 girls and somewhat freak out. But I love it so much. How many other people have 8 built-in best friends? Without my sisters, I don't know who I would be. And to also have such wonderful Catholic parents... wow, thanks God! My family is a blessing He gave me before I even knew what it meant to ask Him for things. Yet He knew exactly the loving, supportive family I would need - especially as a missionary. Although it has been since August that all 11 of us have been together, and will be until Christmas that we're all back home again, I know one thing is for sure. I love my family, they love me, and no amount of distance or time can weaken that.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Seeking Answers
This year is an exciting year for FOCUS. Not only have we expanded to 74 campuses, but we also have an exciting opportunity to offer students over their winter break: SEEK2013. SEEK is the national conference sponsored by FOCUS January 2-6, 2013 in ORLANDO!! (that's pretty exciting for a girl who lives in states with winter). The goal of the conference is to help students find ways to answer some of life's bigger questions, like "What is the meaning of my life? Who am I? Does God matter?" Check it out at http://seek2013.com/.
Here at UMD, we've just started our registration push to get students to sign-up to take that step and go to SEEK. We've had announcements at Mass, a table in the Kirby Center on-campus, and most importantly, a "Are you Going?" night on-campus this week. I've been assigned as our campus liaison for the conference, so this has added some extra excitement to my first year as a missionary. In addition to bible studies, discipleship, hanging out with students, and team life with my fantastic team, I also have been planning these promotion activities, brainstorming fundraising, and organizing efforts to get students signed up!
At times the added responsibility is a little crazy - I mean, I like to be busy, but wow is a national conference lots of work. But, at our event Tuesday I was reminded why I absolutely LOVE conferences like this - they have the potential to change lives! I cannot wait for these students to experience conference. Speakers from around the world, fantastic entertainment, and Mass, Confessions, and prayer with 6,000 of their peers! Plus, it'll be a great time to catch up with my fellow missionary friends and just be inspired in my role as a missionary. Not to mention that it's 5 days of just experiencing the joy that only God can bring into people's lives. 75 days to go...
I've been praying a lot lately about why I'm a missionary, trying to answer some of those "why" questions that SEEK will try to answer for the students. You can read my story with FOCUS under the "How I Got Here" tab, but this week has given me a really great insight into the plan God has. I realized that He created me to be a missionary. As His daughter, I was made to share His love with others. And, at this particular moment in my life, that means being a missionary with FOCUS. It is the best way that I can set the world on fire for Him and fulfill that desire He has placed in my heart. Being a missionary isn't just my job, it's my identity and my way of living out my love for God.
So, as I return to my "to do" list here at Caribou, I'm so thankful for the grace last February to recognize God's plan and say "yes!" I can't imagine doing anything else with these 2 years of my life... what a privilege to have this role in the New Evangelization!
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| our event on campus to promote SEEK |
At times the added responsibility is a little crazy - I mean, I like to be busy, but wow is a national conference lots of work. But, at our event Tuesday I was reminded why I absolutely LOVE conferences like this - they have the potential to change lives! I cannot wait for these students to experience conference. Speakers from around the world, fantastic entertainment, and Mass, Confessions, and prayer with 6,000 of their peers! Plus, it'll be a great time to catch up with my fellow missionary friends and just be inspired in my role as a missionary. Not to mention that it's 5 days of just experiencing the joy that only God can bring into people's lives. 75 days to go...
I've been praying a lot lately about why I'm a missionary, trying to answer some of those "why" questions that SEEK will try to answer for the students. You can read my story with FOCUS under the "How I Got Here" tab, but this week has given me a really great insight into the plan God has. I realized that He created me to be a missionary. As His daughter, I was made to share His love with others. And, at this particular moment in my life, that means being a missionary with FOCUS. It is the best way that I can set the world on fire for Him and fulfill that desire He has placed in my heart. Being a missionary isn't just my job, it's my identity and my way of living out my love for God.
So, as I return to my "to do" list here at Caribou, I'm so thankful for the grace last February to recognize God's plan and say "yes!" I can't imagine doing anything else with these 2 years of my life... what a privilege to have this role in the New Evangelization!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Let the Year of Faith Begin!
Well, it's been over a week since I've updated on where life is at. Just goes to show how crazy the past week has been. After a fun weekend attempting to surprise my college sisters in the Twin Cities, I've been running around Duluth like crazy. Why you ask? Well, it's time to send out newsletters (which I finally got in the mail today!), plan some fun events to promote SEEK2013 (our national conference, check it out seek2013.com), prepare a talk for tonight's night with the student missionaries on campus, fill out my missions application, and do all my usual missionary fun!
But, I figured before heading over to campus to hang out with our student missionaries, I just had to write about some new graces God has blessed me with in the past week. It's been really amazing.
Yesterday (Oct 11) began the Year of Faith, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. It was incredible to kick this off here at Newman with our Thursday Mass & Meal! We had a special musical guest, Danielle Rose, for Mass last night and the chapel was overflowing! As we began Mass with the song "How Great is our God", I could just feel the Holy Spirit present with us. During Mass, I just kept thinking of how incredibly blessed I am to be a part of the Catholic Church at this exciting moment in history. And even more crazy, to be called to be a missionary with FOCUS right now. In a very real and tangible way, God has called me to help others develop a relationship with Him and be equipped to help their peers do the same. Sometimes I seriously wonder if this is really my job.
This week, I was able to witness 2 of my bible study members express their desire to grow closer to God. One even told me that she recently started reading the Bible before bed each night. I have 2 members of my athletes bible study who have officially signed up for SEEK2013, and some other girls who are really thinking about it (please pray for their yes).
God has just really shown me that my role as a missionary is to be the one to provide students with the opportunity to choose Him. What an honor! I had amazing discipleship with both Kelly and Shannon, these two girls are truly living their lives for Jesus and I love being a part of it! I've also realized how much I love being a part of FOCUS and being in Duluth specifically. I'm starting to feel like I really belong here.
At Mass the past couple days, Fr. Mike has talked about what faith entails. Faith means acting on Jesus' promises. It means being all in for love of Him. And I'm slowly realizing how being a missionary provides me with such a concrete way to do this and to see how much God loves me and wants to take care of me. As I write this, my heart is just overflowing in thankfulness for how good God is. He really desires to use my "yes" to FOCUS to help me grow and become a saint!
Which leads to a final comment. Part of the Year of Faith is looking back at Vatican Council II, which was held 50 years ago. It was then that the Church encouraged all the faithful to recognize and embrace the Universal Call to Holiness. What does that mean? Each and every one of us is ultimately called to be a saint! So sometime this weekend, take a moment and think about those ways that God is molding you into a saint, into the best version of yourself. Because even when we fail to realize it, that is what He wants to do for us.
But, I figured before heading over to campus to hang out with our student missionaries, I just had to write about some new graces God has blessed me with in the past week. It's been really amazing.
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| Picture of St. Peter's from my 2011 pilgrimage |
This week, I was able to witness 2 of my bible study members express their desire to grow closer to God. One even told me that she recently started reading the Bible before bed each night. I have 2 members of my athletes bible study who have officially signed up for SEEK2013, and some other girls who are really thinking about it (please pray for their yes).
God has just really shown me that my role as a missionary is to be the one to provide students with the opportunity to choose Him. What an honor! I had amazing discipleship with both Kelly and Shannon, these two girls are truly living their lives for Jesus and I love being a part of it! I've also realized how much I love being a part of FOCUS and being in Duluth specifically. I'm starting to feel like I really belong here.
At Mass the past couple days, Fr. Mike has talked about what faith entails. Faith means acting on Jesus' promises. It means being all in for love of Him. And I'm slowly realizing how being a missionary provides me with such a concrete way to do this and to see how much God loves me and wants to take care of me. As I write this, my heart is just overflowing in thankfulness for how good God is. He really desires to use my "yes" to FOCUS to help me grow and become a saint!
Which leads to a final comment. Part of the Year of Faith is looking back at Vatican Council II, which was held 50 years ago. It was then that the Church encouraged all the faithful to recognize and embrace the Universal Call to Holiness. What does that mean? Each and every one of us is ultimately called to be a saint! So sometime this weekend, take a moment and think about those ways that God is molding you into a saint, into the best version of yourself. Because even when we fail to realize it, that is what He wants to do for us.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
In God's Hands
The past couple weeks I have really been thinking about what a great mission God has called me to. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing much. My recent prayer and mindset have just been to give it to God and tell Him that it's up to Him to make this ministry effective. In other words, I'm trying to just put myself on campus and then let God handle it from there. After all, He knows what the students of UMD need better than I do. Therefore, it seems to make sense that I would just put my desire to share the Gospel in His hands. So here are some fun stories of how God has responded:
Yesterday, we had RCIA/Catholicism 101 at Newman. This is a class for those who are considering entering the Catholic Church and those who just want to learn more about what the Church teaches. It was our 2nd week and again I was super impressed with the attendance! There are several students who are thinking about getting confirmed this Easter. I'm attending the classes because my disciple Kelly asked me to sponsor her when she is confirmed! I'm super honored.
Anyway, another wonderful girl I know from my athletes bible study went on our First Timers Retreat last weekend and has been coming to the classes as well. She also is going to be confirmed at Easter. Here is a proof of her determination to grow in her relationship with God: she came to class last night on her 21st birthday! I don't know about you, but most students I know would spend their 21st out at the bar. It was such a great witness to see Nicole choosing her faith!
Another story would be in regards to the power of prayer. I have had a couple times where God has very directly answered my prayers. The first was last week. I met a student at the campus coffee shop when she generously shared her table with me (there is only one coffee shop on campus, so tables are a hot commodity). We chatted for a few minutes until she left for work. I prayed the next two days for an opportunity to run into her again (as we had not exchanged numbers). Sure enough, Friday morning she showed up at the off-campus cafe where Shannon and I were for discipleship! Crazy!
Then, this morning, our team spent time doing intercessory prayer. Basically, we took time to be in the chapel and pray outloud for specific students we are meeting with through bible studies and other activities. I spent time specifically asking for the athletes I have been meeting to be willing to make time for bible study. When I left the chapel, I had a text from a girl on the soccer team, asking if we could hang out this weekend. We're getting dinner Sunday! Prayers really do get answered.
I'm not saying I'm perfect at being a missionary. But, I think with time I am learning. For now though, it's time to do some work on SEEK2013 (our upcoming national conference in Orlando!!) However, I am at the coffee shop on campus... so maybe God has other plans for my afternoon. I'll be sure to update if that is the case!
Yesterday, we had RCIA/Catholicism 101 at Newman. This is a class for those who are considering entering the Catholic Church and those who just want to learn more about what the Church teaches. It was our 2nd week and again I was super impressed with the attendance! There are several students who are thinking about getting confirmed this Easter. I'm attending the classes because my disciple Kelly asked me to sponsor her when she is confirmed! I'm super honored.
Anyway, another wonderful girl I know from my athletes bible study went on our First Timers Retreat last weekend and has been coming to the classes as well. She also is going to be confirmed at Easter. Here is a proof of her determination to grow in her relationship with God: she came to class last night on her 21st birthday! I don't know about you, but most students I know would spend their 21st out at the bar. It was such a great witness to see Nicole choosing her faith!
Another story would be in regards to the power of prayer. I have had a couple times where God has very directly answered my prayers. The first was last week. I met a student at the campus coffee shop when she generously shared her table with me (there is only one coffee shop on campus, so tables are a hot commodity). We chatted for a few minutes until she left for work. I prayed the next two days for an opportunity to run into her again (as we had not exchanged numbers). Sure enough, Friday morning she showed up at the off-campus cafe where Shannon and I were for discipleship! Crazy!
Then, this morning, our team spent time doing intercessory prayer. Basically, we took time to be in the chapel and pray outloud for specific students we are meeting with through bible studies and other activities. I spent time specifically asking for the athletes I have been meeting to be willing to make time for bible study. When I left the chapel, I had a text from a girl on the soccer team, asking if we could hang out this weekend. We're getting dinner Sunday! Prayers really do get answered.
I'm not saying I'm perfect at being a missionary. But, I think with time I am learning. For now though, it's time to do some work on SEEK2013 (our upcoming national conference in Orlando!!) However, I am at the coffee shop on campus... so maybe God has other plans for my afternoon. I'll be sure to update if that is the case!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Weakness is Strength
Wow, this has been a crazy week. Here's a snapshot of what life was like for this FOCUS missionary:
Monday: Holy hour, time with the team, mentorship with the wonderful Kelsey Kaufman, freshmen bible study, athletes bible study, movie night at home
Tuesday: Holy hour, time with the team, lunch with a student I met during outreach, Mass, Old Chicago outting with some new Duluth friends
Wednesday: Holy hour, errands, Mass, time on campus, discipleship with Kelly, dinner with Nicole (a student in my athlete's study who went on the retreat), and opening night of RCIA
Thursday: Holy hour, team time, lunch with my discipleship chain, time on campus, DQ and a walk by the lake with Teia (a bible study member), Mass & Meal (plus birth of my teammates Andy and Laura's son Gabriel!), bowling with retreat group
Friday: Holy hour, discipleship with Shannon, Mass, run, go meet baby Gabriel, catch up with Britni (a former disciple at NDSU), go to Abby Johnson's pro-life talk with Kayla (a bible study member), and outting with the team
Saturday: Holy hour, lunch with a student I met last week, laundry, speedball, UMD volleyball victory over Mankato, Bison football victory @ UNI
As we say in North Dakota, oofda! But typing those lists I realized the common theme: beginning each day with prayer. Towards the end of the week, I was getting tired and it was so hard to get out of bed and get going for the day. But, God gave me all sorts of little graces throughout the week to help remind me of why I do get out of bed each morning: for Him! I'm so thankful that my life as a missionary gets to be rooted in prayer and that each day begins with an hour of just spending time with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
God really used this week to show me how much I need Him and how much He is willing to help me. I think one of the biggest lessons I have learned so far this year has been that sometimes God sends us trials because He wants us to have opportunities to truly trust Him and realize that we really can't do anything on our own. Without His help this week, it would have been so easy to just give up when I was tired and hide out at home. But instead, God gave me the little signs I needed to know that He wants me at UMD and that He wants me on campus to share Him with the students here.
It was those times when I felt the weakest that God brought forth some amazing conversations and experiences. I think 2 Corinthians 12:10 makes a lot more sense to me now. When we are weak, then we really are strong. Because it is then that we can truly let Jesus take over. And He is definitely stronger than any of us ever could be.
Monday: Holy hour, time with the team, mentorship with the wonderful Kelsey Kaufman, freshmen bible study, athletes bible study, movie night at home
Wednesday: Holy hour, errands, Mass, time on campus, discipleship with Kelly, dinner with Nicole (a student in my athlete's study who went on the retreat), and opening night of RCIA
Thursday: Holy hour, team time, lunch with my discipleship chain, time on campus, DQ and a walk by the lake with Teia (a bible study member), Mass & Meal (plus birth of my teammates Andy and Laura's son Gabriel!), bowling with retreat group
Friday: Holy hour, discipleship with Shannon, Mass, run, go meet baby Gabriel, catch up with Britni (a former disciple at NDSU), go to Abby Johnson's pro-life talk with Kayla (a bible study member), and outting with the team
Saturday: Holy hour, lunch with a student I met last week, laundry, speedball, UMD volleyball victory over Mankato, Bison football victory @ UNI
As we say in North Dakota, oofda! But typing those lists I realized the common theme: beginning each day with prayer. Towards the end of the week, I was getting tired and it was so hard to get out of bed and get going for the day. But, God gave me all sorts of little graces throughout the week to help remind me of why I do get out of bed each morning: for Him! I'm so thankful that my life as a missionary gets to be rooted in prayer and that each day begins with an hour of just spending time with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
God really used this week to show me how much I need Him and how much He is willing to help me. I think one of the biggest lessons I have learned so far this year has been that sometimes God sends us trials because He wants us to have opportunities to truly trust Him and realize that we really can't do anything on our own. Without His help this week, it would have been so easy to just give up when I was tired and hide out at home. But instead, God gave me the little signs I needed to know that He wants me at UMD and that He wants me on campus to share Him with the students here.
It was those times when I felt the weakest that God brought forth some amazing conversations and experiences. I think 2 Corinthians 12:10 makes a lot more sense to me now. When we are weak, then we really are strong. Because it is then that we can truly let Jesus take over. And He is definitely stronger than any of us ever could be.
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| with my disciples Kelly and Shannon after Holy hour on Thursday |
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Another kind of beauty
What an amazing weekend. This weekend was the First Timers' Retreat for us here in Duluth. 30 students plus about a dozen "staff" spent the weekend at a "luxurious cabin on Gull Lake" and were given an amazing opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ and make Him the center of their lives. It was a truly beautiful and humbling experience to be on this retreat with students who desired to spend a weekend getting to know Jesus more deeply, or maybe even for the first time. I'm not going to give all the details of the retreat, but here's some thoughts.
I witnessed a lot of beauty in nature this weekend. Saturday morning, as we jumped in the lake, the water was so calm. A few hours later, it was sparkling. This morning, I saw the sunrise for the first time in a while. It rose bright and strong as we drove east back to Duluth. And then as I walked over to Mass on campus, the trees were a bright canvas of colors; fall is so beautiful here.
But there was another kind of beauty this weekend. The beauty of students on retreat encountering Jesus Christ and confronting the truth about how they have been living. The grace that poured out in the Chapel during Adoration and Confessions last night, evident through the reverence of everyone there and some heartfelt praise and worship music. The joy of just spending time together in such solid community. Everyone was having so much fun, free from the social pressures of the college party scene or other temptations. It was so wonderful to see these students just enjoy their weekend, while also learning more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I went on the retreat to help, but ended up taking a lot away for myself as well. I'm so thankful that God reminded me of the core of everything I do, as a missionary and in everything in my life, and that core is.... a relationship with Him. Sometimes it is so easy to forget that basic fact, that even though I've done nothing to deserve it, God created me to know and love Him. And not only that, but that He desires to give me more love than I even know what to do with at times. And that's the message I need to share with the women I meet on campus, as well as all those already in my life. That God loves us, no matter what! And there is nothing we can do that is too big for Him to forgive. He wants us to be His, and He will fight for us, if only we let Him. When we understand that, then our lives also become beautiful... a beautiful witness to His unconditional love.
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| the trees of Bagley near UMD |
But there was another kind of beauty this weekend. The beauty of students on retreat encountering Jesus Christ and confronting the truth about how they have been living. The grace that poured out in the Chapel during Adoration and Confessions last night, evident through the reverence of everyone there and some heartfelt praise and worship music. The joy of just spending time together in such solid community. Everyone was having so much fun, free from the social pressures of the college party scene or other temptations. It was so wonderful to see these students just enjoy their weekend, while also learning more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I went on the retreat to help, but ended up taking a lot away for myself as well. I'm so thankful that God reminded me of the core of everything I do, as a missionary and in everything in my life, and that core is.... a relationship with Him. Sometimes it is so easy to forget that basic fact, that even though I've done nothing to deserve it, God created me to know and love Him. And not only that, but that He desires to give me more love than I even know what to do with at times. And that's the message I need to share with the women I meet on campus, as well as all those already in my life. That God loves us, no matter what! And there is nothing we can do that is too big for Him to forgive. He wants us to be His, and He will fight for us, if only we let Him. When we understand that, then our lives also become beautiful... a beautiful witness to His unconditional love.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
To get tickets...
So anyone who knows me would probably tell you I'm a huge Bison football fan (see picture below). I missed only one home game last season and flew down to Texas to watch them take on Sam Houston State for the D1 Championship. This season has been a little rough, considering my FOCUS commitment has relocated me to Duluth, MN - not exactly within walking distance of the FargoDome as my former apartment was. But, I have been faithfully wearing yellow each Saturday, have found out how to watch or listen to games online, and have secured some football posters for my bedroom wall. After all, Once a Bison, Always a Bison.
Last night, while walking to my athlete's bible study, I walked past a large line of camps. These camps weren't out in one of Duluth's many parks or along the North Shore, no they were along the hall leading to the Sports and Health Center on campus. Students were spending the night there, complete with their TVs, gaming systems, homework, Dominoes pizza, and other snacks and entertainment. All to be there at 8am this morning. Why? Student season hockey tickets of course!
My first thought when I saw this was: That's so ridiculous! They are spending all night for hockey tickets?!? But then I thought some more, and realized: That would have been me! Had NDSU sold season football tickets for the student section, there is not a doubt in my mind that I would have found myself with my friends in line all night as well. Maybe they aren't so crazy... or maybe I'm just crazy too.
I then started to think about the fact that each Sunday, Jesus Christ Himself is present on the campus of UMD. Two times each Sunday, He is there, offering His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to these students. Why is there not a line leading upstairs to the Ballroom and Rafters, of students camped out to receive Jesus come Sunday morning? Hmm.
Now, just to clarify, I'm not saying that having a sports team you follow is bad. But, we do need to be careful that these teams don't get higher priority in our life than our relationship with God. As with anything in this life, it's all about finding that balance.
Back to the lack of a line on Saturday nights. Maybe the reason there isn't one is because these students just do not know. They do not realize the amazing gift being offered them in the Eucharist. And if that is so, then those of us who do know should probably tell them. And that's what we want to do as FOCUS missionaries and student missionaries. We want others to understand this gift and be willing to spend all night waiting just for a chance to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. It's a big task, but one I'm sure God will help us to accomplish. After all, our desire for Him comes from Him in the first place.
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| at a Bison playoff game last winter |
My first thought when I saw this was: That's so ridiculous! They are spending all night for hockey tickets?!? But then I thought some more, and realized: That would have been me! Had NDSU sold season football tickets for the student section, there is not a doubt in my mind that I would have found myself with my friends in line all night as well. Maybe they aren't so crazy... or maybe I'm just crazy too.
I then started to think about the fact that each Sunday, Jesus Christ Himself is present on the campus of UMD. Two times each Sunday, He is there, offering His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to these students. Why is there not a line leading upstairs to the Ballroom and Rafters, of students camped out to receive Jesus come Sunday morning? Hmm.
Now, just to clarify, I'm not saying that having a sports team you follow is bad. But, we do need to be careful that these teams don't get higher priority in our life than our relationship with God. As with anything in this life, it's all about finding that balance.
Back to the lack of a line on Saturday nights. Maybe the reason there isn't one is because these students just do not know. They do not realize the amazing gift being offered them in the Eucharist. And if that is so, then those of us who do know should probably tell them. And that's what we want to do as FOCUS missionaries and student missionaries. We want others to understand this gift and be willing to spend all night waiting just for a chance to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. It's a big task, but one I'm sure God will help us to accomplish. After all, our desire for Him comes from Him in the first place.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
That's a good book...
This was a crazy, wonderful week. Getting both bible studies started, spending time with my team on-campus and off, and staying at Newman after Thursday's Mass & Meal for pizza, Icee's, and NFL football. Needless to say, come Friday morning I was pretty tired and 8am Holy Hour was more of a fight to stay alert and awake than it should be. So, when 9am came and it was time for discipleship with Shannon the suggestion for where to go was pretty simple: Caribou Coffee.
After getting our coffee, finding a table in the crowded Canal Park Caribou, and chatting about life, we spent some time in prayer. This year, we are striving to include prayer with Scripture in every discipleship. More on that a little later.
We finish the meditation on Jesus' agony in the garden before His Passion, and I set my Bible on the table as we discuss how this story applies to our lives as young women striving to love Jesus and share Him with those around us. As we're talking, I notice an older woman nearby waiting for her coffee (my own has made me more alert by this point) and clearly listening to our conversation. A few minutes later she stops at our table, points at my Bible and simply says "That's a good book." I agree and she walks away, coffee in hand.
This is why I love having discipleship at public locations; you just never know the witness you get to be. I remember back at NDSU, my friend Brittany and I once had our discipleship on-campus interrupted by a man who wanted to talk about faith and God. It's moments like these that I am reminded that FOCUS is such a good thing.
Back to Scripture, prayer, and discipleship. A couple years ago at NDSU, we began to include Lectio Divina (prayer with Scripture) as a part of discipleship. The idea was that if our goal is to help college students have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then what better way than praying with them and helping them learn how to pray? This idea has spread throughout FOCUS nationwide and was emphasized at our summer training in June.
Here at UMD, our team director Andy and the rest of our team completely agree. Last night at our gathering with the student missionaries (students currently in discipleship and leading bible studies), Andy explained this vision. Prayer is the best thing we can teach others to do, because it is the way we come to know Jesus and to love Him. As mine and Shannon's Caribou friend said, it really is a "good book".
So, as I finish up this blog and move on to my Saturday to do list, I leave us all with a challenge. When was the last time you picked up the "good book" and spent some time learning more about who Jesus is and the love He has for each one of us? Is reading and praying with Scripture a part of your life? Even if you've read every page, I encourage you to go back and read the story of God's love again. I promise, it never gets old.
After getting our coffee, finding a table in the crowded Canal Park Caribou, and chatting about life, we spent some time in prayer. This year, we are striving to include prayer with Scripture in every discipleship. More on that a little later.
We finish the meditation on Jesus' agony in the garden before His Passion, and I set my Bible on the table as we discuss how this story applies to our lives as young women striving to love Jesus and share Him with those around us. As we're talking, I notice an older woman nearby waiting for her coffee (my own has made me more alert by this point) and clearly listening to our conversation. A few minutes later she stops at our table, points at my Bible and simply says "That's a good book." I agree and she walks away, coffee in hand.
This is why I love having discipleship at public locations; you just never know the witness you get to be. I remember back at NDSU, my friend Brittany and I once had our discipleship on-campus interrupted by a man who wanted to talk about faith and God. It's moments like these that I am reminded that FOCUS is such a good thing.
Back to Scripture, prayer, and discipleship. A couple years ago at NDSU, we began to include Lectio Divina (prayer with Scripture) as a part of discipleship. The idea was that if our goal is to help college students have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then what better way than praying with them and helping them learn how to pray? This idea has spread throughout FOCUS nationwide and was emphasized at our summer training in June.
Here at UMD, our team director Andy and the rest of our team completely agree. Last night at our gathering with the student missionaries (students currently in discipleship and leading bible studies), Andy explained this vision. Prayer is the best thing we can teach others to do, because it is the way we come to know Jesus and to love Him. As mine and Shannon's Caribou friend said, it really is a "good book".
So, as I finish up this blog and move on to my Saturday to do list, I leave us all with a challenge. When was the last time you picked up the "good book" and spent some time learning more about who Jesus is and the love He has for each one of us? Is reading and praying with Scripture a part of your life? Even if you've read every page, I encourage you to go back and read the story of God's love again. I promise, it never gets old.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Diving In
Well..... thanks to some encouragement from wonderful friends, here I am, with a blog. If you're reading this, welcome to my life as a FOCUS missionary. Maybe sometime later I'll put my story up. For now, I just wanted to share some highlights of my first four weeks on-campus.
Highlight 1: Getting to be a part of the lives of young people who really love Jesus. The students here at UMD (University of Minnesota Duluth) and CSS (College of St. Scholastica) are truly inspiring. This morning, about 15 of them showed up at 8am for morning prayer and we almost filled our small chapel for Mass this evening. Not to mention how determined our student missionaries are to call their peers and start up bible studies on-campus this week. We will have over 20 bible studies on-campus this year!
Highlight 2: Hanging out with my team. We have a great group of 7 missionaries here in Duluth. And within a few weeks we've already had a several adventures, like driving up to Gooseberry Falls for the day (see picture), watching all 3 Batman movies in 24 hours, and taking students camping at the lake for a weekend.
Highlight 3: Learning some new life skills. My confidence in my parallel parking skills has boomed. I've also discovered how to go for runs with massive hills to go up and down (Fargo really was that flat!) Additionally, I've discovered ways to transform a room of white walls into a super wonderful looking bedroom (just waiting for some Bison football posters to finish it off!) I am slowly figuring out how to use our gas stove without setting fire alarms off due to smoke. Stay tuned on that one.
Highlight 4: Meeting new students! I've met some great women and am looking forward to starting 2 bible studies this semester - with one geared for our Bulldog athletes. I've already gotten to attend a volleyball and soccer game (picture included) and can't wait to get some UMD gear to be a big athletic fan. I'm also excited for a bible study for freshmen women - we had our first meeting tonight and it's going to be really wonderful getting to know them.
Highlight 5: The amazing support I've received from family and friends as I embark on this adventure. It is so awesome to know that those I love are behind me and believe in what I'm doing.
Well, I can't think of much else for now. But feel free to follow me by using the provided email sign-up or through your own blog account. I can't wait to share more about what God is doing on campus and in my life as well. St. Therese of Lisieux, Pray for us!
Highlight 1: Getting to be a part of the lives of young people who really love Jesus. The students here at UMD (University of Minnesota Duluth) and CSS (College of St. Scholastica) are truly inspiring. This morning, about 15 of them showed up at 8am for morning prayer and we almost filled our small chapel for Mass this evening. Not to mention how determined our student missionaries are to call their peers and start up bible studies on-campus this week. We will have over 20 bible studies on-campus this year!
Highlight 2: Hanging out with my team. We have a great group of 7 missionaries here in Duluth. And within a few weeks we've already had a several adventures, like driving up to Gooseberry Falls for the day (see picture), watching all 3 Batman movies in 24 hours, and taking students camping at the lake for a weekend.
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| our team on the shore of Lake Superior |
Highlight 3: Learning some new life skills. My confidence in my parallel parking skills has boomed. I've also discovered how to go for runs with massive hills to go up and down (Fargo really was that flat!) Additionally, I've discovered ways to transform a room of white walls into a super wonderful looking bedroom (just waiting for some Bison football posters to finish it off!) I am slowly figuring out how to use our gas stove without setting fire alarms off due to smoke. Stay tuned on that one.
Highlight 4: Meeting new students! I've met some great women and am looking forward to starting 2 bible studies this semester - with one geared for our Bulldog athletes. I've already gotten to attend a volleyball and soccer game (picture included) and can't wait to get some UMD gear to be a big athletic fan. I'm also excited for a bible study for freshmen women - we had our first meeting tonight and it's going to be really wonderful getting to know them.
 |
| with Sarah, Nicole, and Catie at Sunday's soccer game |
Highlight 5: The amazing support I've received from family and friends as I embark on this adventure. It is so awesome to know that those I love are behind me and believe in what I'm doing.
Well, I can't think of much else for now. But feel free to follow me by using the provided email sign-up or through your own blog account. I can't wait to share more about what God is doing on campus and in my life as well. St. Therese of Lisieux, Pray for us!
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