Life-teen update (07-08-2007)

Now that we are all back safe and sound from our mission trip to the Gulf Coast, I just wanted to give a second update on how the trip ended. Aside from the heat and humidity which I ranted about last week, I wanted to just share on what the Lord did in my life while we were down there. It was a great opportunity to work and pray with relatively few external distractions. As a group we went to daily Mass at the oldest Catholic Church in Mississippi and for the most part were faithful to praying morning, evening, and night prayer from the liturgy of the hours. We were also able to go to Eucharistic adoration at the local retreat center and have some good discussion about a movie. In addition to taking time to pray, we helped two different families clear some of their land of debris from the storm and clear away some of the local jungle so that they could begin the process of rebuilding. We also helped a group of 7th Day Adventists put in the windows and tyvec insulation on a house they were building. The work was nothing more than good hard physical labor; the kind where you can sweat away your worries and leave your mind free for God. This is what I often found myself doing. As I heard someone say once “The only God some people might ever meet is the one that they see in you.” This is not to say that we are God, but we are his servants. We are called to carry out his will in the world and to let his love shine forth from within us. While this was constantly In the forefront of our minds while we were on the mission trip, it is no less true in our daily lives. St. Therese of Lisieux talked about how the path to holiness is not through doing great things, but by doing little things with great love. The love of Christ and the desire to serve his people must permeate our daily lives. This trip served me as a good reminder of that fact.

Friday Night Flix: We will go ahead and kick off our Friday night movie night this Friday (July 13) at 7:00pm with the consumption of some Nachos and a viewing of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I know that many of you have seen this movie, but I encourage you to come anyway, if for no other reason than to eat nachos with me.