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:

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... 

my discipleship chain November 2012

#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.

Fan into Flame group

#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.