Home for the weekend

I have been home for only 28 hours and I am already hurting for the drive back to Omaha. There is nothing like a little tender love from the parents and your family. Being a missionary and exploring news things is great. To keep it short because I need my rest;

• Who would have thought a girl who has never eaten sushi and has not eaten it two days in a row...its secretly really GOOD!
• Waffle House at 1 am and than again at 9 am---I eat too much.
  
• Parades are fun because candy is just too good [my friend, Brenda can totally testify] and ....
  
• Well nothing like sitting around a fire roasting some hot dogs, smoking some cigars and eventually eating those s'mores.

Phone calls are not hugs

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It has been a great night. Still have a lot to do. Yeah, but I love phone calls from my friends [especially ones from Amherst, MA :)]

Life what a wonderful thing?!?!

It doesn't matter how much you want to pretend you have your whole day planned out for you, God throws in a curve ball at you.

I cannot complain, tonight I shared with others the moment where evagelization became a reality. It was late one night around 1 in the morning and a few us where having a sleep-over at FOCUS summer training. The topic of judgment came about. "When you pass away, all your sins will be played to you in a big screen and everyone would be watching." One of the girls said. I said, "WHAT? No one ever told me that." Yeah I started thinking, oh crud I better start behaving or my life is going to stink and I won't go to heaven.

But life is not just about us. It's about all the souls around us. What good will heaven do if my loved ones are not joined with me. It's our duty and call to bring everyone we know to heaven with us, hopefully we make it that far.

"Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into a community of salvation can and must communicate it and spread it…" (No. 13) (Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI) However we cannot spread this news alone. That is why we have the Eucharist.

St. Augustine says it beautifully, “To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement."

"At least I am not Catholic"

One of things we do as a first year on a new campus is just sit around on campus and be present. Every once in a while we will make conversation and see people we have encountered before. After mass and prayer this morning, I was sitting there organizing my e-mails/working on a time sheet and so forth when the table next to me were being quite loud.

"What religion are you?" one the gentleman asked the other. One of them said, "I am Buddhist" and went on and on how the Buddhist is the best religion because no one makes fun of them or no one every gets in trouble for practicing such a religion. At the end of he claimed..."At least I am not Catholic." My heart just sunk to the floor. I thought, "What do I do now? Catholicism is my life." I sat there going back and forth in my mind on the conversation I could have with this fellow. As I packed my bag and walked to his chair, I said in my head, "Mother Mary, HELP ME NOW."

"Excuse I didn't mean to over hear your conversation, but I am actually a Catholic missionary and if you ever want to talk about religions and faith, let me now." and I handed him my card. He was caught off guard and said, "Oh, okay thanks." He didn't make eye contact whatsoever, but I walked away thanking the Lord.

We have those moments in our everyday life where we can speak the truth. What's keeping us from telling others the reason for our hope. 1 Peter 3:15

1. Touch - It's my love language and I am pretty sure I can never get enough hugs. I thank my friend for showing me my love this weekend.
   
2. School Bus - At UNO, there are shuttle buses that go from north campus to south campus, back and forth all day. I sat with a student to take a tour of campus. Yeah it's a good life I leave, we entered the same stop we were dropped off in.
   
3. Tennis - I enrolled in intramural tennis here at UNO. The amazing thing I won, I won my first ever sports competition. I don' t know what happened, but God, I thank you.
   
4. High School dance - Saturday night, I went to Hastings to hang out with a friend. She lives next door to a Catholic school. We walked with another high schooler to a homecoming dance. Lord, pray for all those high schoolers out there. High school is a time of confusion and I pray that our Mother Mary is guiding them to their Son.
   
5. Forgiveness and Understanding - I love the Sacrament of Confession. A friend told me over summer training, "Saints have past, Sinners have futures." I guess there is hope for all of us.
   

Quick few words

I know for those that read this, I haven't posted a real entry in quite some time now. I just have a few words and I will describe later...

1. Touch
   
2. School Bus
   
3. Tennis
4. High School dance
5. Forgiveness and Understanding

It's bed time. But I promise I will clarify what these statements mean tomorrow. If nothing else, you are in my prayers.