Well, it's been a wonderful week adjusting to life back in Duluth. And it is super great to be back. Being home in Fargo those 2 weeks after SEEK was a bit of a "buzz-kill" for lack of a better expression. Thankfully, Jesus and my wonderful friends on Team NDSU kept my momentum and zeal going. It was a new experience for me to be in Fargo, yet longing to be somewhere else. What a beautiful grace to recognize that I truly belong where God has sent me... here in Duluth as a FOCUS missionary.
So, last Thursday I packed my car and headed east through lakes country. With each small Minnesota town, I got more and more excited. As I finished my Hwy 200 leg of the journey, I saw the "Duluth 60" sign and just smiled. After unpacking and repacking, our team headed south to the Cities for a wonderful weekend together before the semester started. It was a pretty chill weekend just spending time at the cabin we rented, playing games and relaxing, as well as taking in a Six Appeal concert (local acapella group) and Mass at the Basilica and Cathedral!
After a Monday full of getting life back together (Target run, cleaning, and organizing), it was back to campus on Tuesday as school resumed for spring semester. It certainly didn't feel like "spring" though, with sub-zero temperatures that made me thankful for UMD's campus, which is completely connected indoors. My week was quickly filled with planning bible study, meeting up with my 3 wonderful disciples, and following up with students from SEEK... wow God is good. The speakers and sacraments at SEEK led to some big changes in these women's hearts, and a renewed zeal for evangelization on campus, something I share in a new way too.
Perhaps one blessing about being home for a bit after SEEK was the time it gave me to reflect on my first semester as a missionary and ways in which God was calling me to grow more this semester. My prayers and reflections eventually led me to the following vision of what this semester might look like, what the rest of my life might be, and it is my personal mission: to become a saint in such a way that others are inspired and led to become saints too.
How do I do this? By radiating Christ's love. That's why I'm here. Not to lead good bible studies, or be on campus so many hours per day, or meet with 10 women each week. No, I'm here to invite these students to know Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him. To help them know how to do so in the Church He founded and to share that with others. Basically, I just need to introduce everyone I meet to my best friend. With that perspective, and a clearly defined mission, I know I am ready for a really great semester. And the great part is, when I shared that with Teia, Catie, and Shannon in discipleship, they all seemed really excited to do that too.
In addition to these goals about sharing Jesus this semester, I'm also undertaking a few personal goals to balance my time a little. This week, I'm starting spinning class with Tessa. We will be cycling hard from 6:30-7:30 am 2 mornings a week! I'm also trying to spend more time just living life with my wonderful friends here, which started today with an afternoon holy hour and then Caribou work-time with Teia and Shannon.
Finally, I am determined to use this blog more this semester to share the beautiful gift God has given me of being a missionary with anyone who would like to read. My call to FOCUS is just that, a gift, and I think sharing it a little more will help me keep that in perspective, even when sacrifices might be required. Sometimes I still can't believe that God has called me to be a missionary... thank you Jesus!
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