bulldogCatholic week

Last week was awesome. crazy. exhausting. inspiring. busy. grace-filled. Many adjectives would work to describe how the first bulldogCatholic week was... it was just that incredible. It will be hard to do the week justice in a post, but I'm going to try to just share some of my experience from a missionary standpoint.

First of all, I did not realize how much work goes into planning a Catholic week. When I was a student at NDSU, I helped with our first bisonCatholic week - but I owe the missionaries a big thank you because wow is there a lot to juggle. Thankfully, my amazing teammate Mat and a group of 4 students did all the promotion. Plus, I had a great group of 4 students to help with the many logistics of room reservations, set up, tear down, and everything in between.

The excitement began the Thursday before it all started when Shannon and I went barehanding. Essentially, barehanding is all about just walking up to someone you don't know and talking to them about faith. With the upcoming week, our opening line was easier than usual: "hey, have you heard about bulldogCatholic week and the debate?" After a few invitations that weren't super welcomed, we tried another students. Let's call her "L". L seemed very interested in what we had to say, and shared that she was Christian and striving to have a relationship with Jesus, but not really involved in formal campus ministry events. Shannon instantly knew what to do and invited her to join her bible study! The girls exchanged numbers and we went on our way. The next week, Shannon came up to me on Monday after her bible study. "L came to study! And she's coming to the debate tonight!" Sure enough, L was there at the debate with Shannon and her friends that evening. I can't wait to see what the semester has in store for her.

Speaking of the debate, we hosted one! Last Monday, we invited a Catholic philosopher and an atheist philosopher to discuss the rationality of Christianity and take some Q&A. I was really nervous about what kind of attendance we would have..... and then the lecture hall started to fill. and fill. and fill. until about 330 people filled Boh90! Needless to say, I'm learning not to worry so much about how things will turn out.

We also had Australian native Matt Fradd come to Duluth. I had the honor of being his chauffeur while he was here and it was so fun to talk with him about his ministry and share the state of our campus ministry with him. About 175 students came to his talk on Tuesday, which was awesome. It was great to see so many people there, including quite a few members of my athletes' bible study!!

Overall, what was most inspiring to me was how much ownership of the week the student missionaries took! They really rose to the challenge of filling the events and promoting them, taking shifts at our booth on campus and helping hang posters throughout the week. It was great to see them being bold as Catholic leaders on the campus. Below is a picture of one of my disciples, Kayla, and I at the Ask a Catholic booth:

I'm excited to continue to ride the momentum created by all the events last week and really dive in to bible study and discipleship more. My Thursday bible study is going to begin a new series about Who Jesus Is. I'm excited to put the study together just for them and hopefully help them grow in their ability to pray and know Christ!

Until my next blog...

Why I love Leading my Athlete's Bible Study

Last year, God had placed it on my heart to try starting an all-athlete women's bible study at UMD. At first, it was a little rough to meet athletes and have them be committed to coming to bible study. But I was convinced that God wanted me to do it - so I stuck with it. Today, I am thankful that I did. I wanted to just share the graces that are why I love leading this bible study, especially after a fantastic study on trust last night:

1. The Women: are amazing! I have been blessed now to have 2 volleyball women, 4 basketball, and 2 track join my study. These women inspire me. They not only pursue excellence in their sport and academics, but also in bible study. Their openness in sharing their struggles and successes in following Christ is amazing and their dedication and appreciation of bible study is truly inspiring. I am so thankful for having met each one of them. 

2. The Prayer: This semester, we are taking 10 minutes each week to pray with Scripture as a part of study. Not only does God teach me something amazing, but He also is truly at work in the minds and hearts of each woman present. I love hearing what they have been inspired with. Last night, we even started having the ladies take turns closing in prayer! I'm excited for them to grow in their confidence in prayer with others and leading others to Christ. 

3. The Games: Part of leading these women is also watching them compete - and I love it! I've always loved sports, and knowing these ladies gives me a reason to not just be a Bulldogs fan, but to support and encourage the athletes I know. I will gladly support them in the stands at as many home games as I can and love them win or lose. 

4. The Trust: Through the rough start last fall with this study, God has taught me to trust Him. Additionally, last night during our prayer time at bible study, I realized I still have a long road ahead of learning this trust. While meditating on Matthew 6:25-34, I realized I often have a mindset of a non-believer, rather than truly letting my trust in God's love be my default reaction to stressors in life. It was a great wake-up call to continue to trust more.

5. The Humility: Through our discussions, I'm constantly humbled because these women teach me so much - and I'm supposedly the leader! It is refreshing to remember that just because I plan Bible study and communicate plans to everyone, I still can learn a lot from each of these women. Sometimes I think I'm learning more than they are! 

I am so thankful for these women, their love of Christ, and their willingness to carve out an hour each week to spend a little time with me growing as sisters in Christ together. Wednesday nights are definitely a highlight of my week and I hope this post encourages other leaders to view their bible studies with deep gratitude and joy as well. 

Can't Save Them All

I don't always realize how random the moments God sometimes uses to talk to me are. Having a relationship with Him is unique because, as long as you're listening, He can talk to you at any moment of your day. I have been trying to improve my awareness of His presence with me throughout the day this semester, and so far it is still a work in progress. But last week, He spoke really clearly.

Jesus is the love of my life. He has captivated me, heart mind and soul. And I want nothing more than to help everyone know His love for them. As a missionary at UMD the past year and a half, God has developed within me a heart for His children here on this campus. It's a great gift to motivate me and encourage me, especially when I'm tired and a little stressed. Sometimes though, it is also frustrating. I look at the fruit that has come through our team these past semesters and think, there are still so many more! Only 150ish students in bible study, 300-350 at Mass on Sunday.... for someone who likes to check things off a list, it's hard sometimes to realize that this campus is still a long way from fully belonging to Jesus. What more can I do?

Well, last week, I was walking through the main hallway on my way back to Newman after some meetings at the coffee shop. And I was getting a little discouraged at how many students passed me that I do not know. Then God spoke: "Kristen, you can't save them all. Only I can. All I'm asking of you is to make a difference for a few, who will do the same for others... until they all know me." My response: "That's it?"

See, sometimes I think in our pride, we want to be the savior. We are not. Jesus is. Only He can save those around us. Sometimes we try to take on more than we are capable of and think God is asking the impossible of us. We think "I can't do all this... I'm going to fail at what He is asking." But the amazing thing about how spiritual multiplication works is that if I do what He has asks of me and invest in the disciples He has given me and then women in my two bible studies, then hopefully they will also reach some of the women on campus. And over time, all UMD women will meet Jesus. That's all I can pray for. That's all God is asking. And I can do that.

This semester, my focus has shifted to this more intentional approach to my mission. I'm trying to spend most of my time investing in my team, disciples, and bible studies through prayer and personal relationships. Because God is so right, I can't save them all. But if His Church here at UMD simply does what He is asking, we can allow Him to work through us. And someday I know this campus will be His.