The first week we spent together has brought more joy to my heart than I knew was possible from 7 essential strangers.
Our journey began with daily mass on the first feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Church. After which we all piled into a 12 passenger van to a mystery location, completely trusting.
What this formation week has taught us most is that the Lord desires to meet us where we are, delight in us, and accompany us on the journey He has us embark on.
The first week in the office, moving in to our communal housing and getting to know each child of God on our mission team more and more intimately each day has been a true gift.
We have been praying for all of our mission partners, donors and friends and family daily. We have been so blessed to experience the joy and generosity of the churches faithful in supporting us financially, prayerfully, spiritually and materially in creating the spaces we have been residing in over the past few weeks.
Our communal life has been greatly impacted by the hearts of one another and our spiritual lives enriched by our daily mass, daily holy hour and communal night prayer commitments as a community.
My fellow missionaries have shared the following words about our community and how they have been impacted by the Lord, the community and missionary life thus far:
"I don't think I have ever experienced a community where I could feel completely free to be myself in such a short an amount of time."--Matthew
"This community has quickly transformed my heart into one greatly entrenched and rooted in charity and service to the Church."--Tyler
"The ability and grace to see the Lord, and feel His love, through these sisters and brothers has profoundly changed the way I let the Lord love me. God's grace provided through my sisters and brothers has given me the gift to understand my uniqueness and the unrepeatable human being God created me to be." --Caitlyn
"The formation received through this internship touched me to the core and showed me how to receive and give love authentically. Our community of missionaries are teaching me to live out this truth in the practicals of daily life."--Mary
"Being a part of the missionary team that God has put me in has allowed me to grow in such an incredible way. Not only have I grown in loving others in community, but I have also grown in understanding of myself. through this growth, I have been able to make a better gift of myself to others."--Michael
"The missionary community honestly and authentically affirm the qualities they see in me."--William
"I have experienced great freedom through the experience of loving and being loved by Christ through others. Because of this, I have been able to see and be seen by my community In such a genuine way."--Caroline
Our mission is just beginning and as we embark on the rest of the summer please continue to pray for us as we follow the Lord's voice in the silence of our hearts. We will continue to prayer for each one of you as well! The deep spiritual and prayerful lives of all of the missionaries is a true inspiration as we call each other deeper each and every day. Whether its me or William leading worship, Michael sharing his gift of playing piano, Caroline and Caitlyns powerful images and words of affirmation, Tyler and Matthews ability to interpret scripture and intellectually encounter the Lord paired with Mary's beautiful artistic side, the Lord has paired us all together to bring out the best in each other and guard and protect each others hearts. The spiritual and personal connections each of my fellow missionaries have with the Lord propel our ministry forward and draw us deeper into the Father's most intimate and sacred heart.
If you feel called by the Holy Spirit to aid our mission through prayers or financial assistance to equip the rest of our mission, please send us any prayer requests or intentions and submit any financial donations here with the missionary's name whom you are supporting included in the 'additional comments' section!
Be Not Afraid!
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. --JP2
St. Thomas Aquinas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph and Pope Saint John Paul II PRAY FOR US!
Below are some pictures from our week of formation and first week in communal life!
![[top] Michael, Matthew, Cortney, Rita, William, Tyler; [bottom] Brian, Caitlyn, Mary, Caroline, Michaelyn, Adam](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84410e_71dcd5d0370c447592638cedcf288a16~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_533,h_480,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/84410e_71dcd5d0370c447592638cedcf288a16~mv2.jpg)
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