Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Love



Once again, the time has slipped past and I have not written. It has been a good couple of weeks. We had another Pan de Vida retreat, my last. It was a wonderful retreat for the youth who came. They were able to encounter God in a powerful way. For me, also, it was a powerful weekend. Knowing that it would be my last, I spent some time in prayer reflecting on everything that has happened in these two years. There have been so many challenges, triumphs, and moments to grow that I can barely believe it has only been two years. So much has happened that I can scarcely begin to think about it all without being in awe of God. During the retreat, the thought that kept coming back to me was “I am loved.” Through it all, at the end of it all, I am loved. I have seen to incredible power of God’s love, both in my own life and in the lives of those I have been blessed to walk alongside. It’s a love we can’t imagine, nor can we earn it. We are loved passionately, foolishly, to the extreme. And opening our hearts to that reality is what gives life its meaning and excitement. We are created for this.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Happy Easter

I guess better late than never is a phrase I can use for this blog post. I didn’t realize how long it has been since I have written.

Let me back up to the beginning. Holy Week was wonderful. I was on a team that went to one of the islands for mission. It felt like I was working in a post card, seriously. During the day we had kid’s programs and other activities on the beach. In the evenings, we had Mass or other Holy Week activities with the community. It was definitely a difficult place for mission, but beautiful nonetheless. We had to trust God to plant the seeds, even if we can’t see fruit. But I truly believe that if we take that step out to serve, God does the rest.

It seems like God has been showing me how He always takes care of us. I wrote about that after the mission to Ingrula. He did it again during Holy Week. There was a thunder storm that was headed to the island right as we were doing some outside activities. It went around us. No one got bit by a tarantula, though we killed 10 in the house we were staying in, including one in a suitcase and one on my ceiling. He helped us overcome the daily issues with getting the power we needed for the activities. Truly, God cared for us.

Now we are back in school. In the community we will be leading a Pan de Vida retreat next weekend. Then it is nearly summer and all the blessed craziness that that implies. I can’t believe how the time is flying!