AnGeLs In OuR LiVeS

This Blog is going to be about how Satan can take advantage of our feelings of discouragment if we let him, but since Jesus is stronger than him, again I am to give our great Lord the glory and honor once again for stepping in and showing me once more how strong and mighty he is and how he never leaves our sight, no matter what !

This past Friday, I came across a picture of one of our teens in our youth Group, who is not a current member but occasionally shows their face. It was a disturbing picture sending out wrong messages. Upon seeing this picture I was very discouraged and even questioned myself about continuing to work in a ministry with Teens. I’d asked myself - “you know is this really worth it. Day in and day out talking to these teens, jumping right into their lives, sharing the truth about the Gospel and then seeing them turn their back and do exactly what they know is wrong. IS IT WORTH IT ?

Sometimes, you will not see the fruits of the spirit blossoming until these kids are approaching their twenties, along with bad choices that they tend to make, they also begin to live a non-godly life, making them very vulnerable to the work of Satan.

Well going back to Friday, I came home very discouraged in this area of my life and low and behold, sitting on my dresser, I found a letter from one of our teens, who is now 19yrs old. A letter that she wrote to the Core Members of our Life Teen program for one of our retreats back in March 2006. Again I sat down to read this letter and it brought back a smile and also tears. (Tears of happiness to hear how strong our Lord is in her life). I asked her if I could share this letter with all of you because it reminded me that in times of discouragement, God is there to lift us up and to breathe new life into us to continue his work, here on earth. I am so thankful for this TEEN - for allowing the Lord to work through her to touch my heart once again and to not give up on the lost but be persistent and strong in HIM.

Here is the letter:

Hey Guys,

As I sit down to write this letter, I am remembering the last time I was on a retreat at Campos San Jose. It was Valentine’s day weekend 2003 of my sophomore year and a great weekend that I will never forget. It was a wonderful time to get to know new teens and grow closer to those that I already knew. The weekend was filled with worship, fellowship, cleansing, renewal, and the greatest gift of all-the love of Christ. Of course, we had our fun too. There was “hinny writing”. “The fish”, and who could forget “Operation holy Undies”. For those of you who weren’t there, I’m sure the others will fill you in. Little did I know that my life was about to change drastically. Two months later, my dad got a job transfer to Washington D.C. To be honest, I was excited that Saturday morning when my parents sat me down and told me we where moving. It wasn’t until Life Teen the next day and at school the following Monday that it started to hit me-my school, my friends, the Our Lady of Light Community-were not coming with me. Did God really want me to leave all that behind and start a new life in Virginia? I love to travel and see new places, but let’s face it - Virginia is not one of those places you jump at the chance to go visit for the heck of it. Or at least I didn’t think so.

It took me a while to fully accept what God was doing in my life. It’s been almost three years and I can tell you that God is still surprising me with reasons for why he brought me here. My biggest fear was not having a support group - People that I can turn to when I needed a hug, a laugh, an encouraging word or prayer. People like the ones that are sit around you. Life Teen had become a second home to me and the thought of leaving it, scared me. What was I going to do on Sundays? How would I get through tough times without their love, support and prayers? I would constantly cast my fears at the foot of the cross and believed that in time, God would come through for me. Guess what?! He did- he always does.

I got involved in my new high school’s campus Ministry Team and grew close to a fellow member and the campus minister. I’ll admit that it didn’t come easy and it took time, but the relationship that I formed with them have made me a better person and brought me closer to Christ when I would start to slip away. And even a year after graduation those relationships are still going strong. God showed me that I wasn’t alone. No matter where I was, He was with me. He wouldn’t just drop me in some random place without putting people in my path to help me along and to keep my eyes on him. As I look back on these short two and a half years, I can see that God brought me here so that I may understand myself more, and grow into the person HE created me to be. This has truly been a learning experience, even if it didn’t seem like it a few months ago.

I have learned how strong of a person I am, how much the little things in life really do matter, never to take things for granted, and that snow days are only fun if there are other kids in your neighborhood. (I just thought I’d throw that in there). I’m still working on believing and practicing these things and know that I will spend the rest of my life doing so, but with God’s help and Grace it is so much easier. He sees that we mess up; He sees that we fall into temptation and sin, yet HE loves us still and always will. That alone is enough to make me want to serve HIM, and to try and just give back a small percentage of what HE gave us. Nothing will ever compare to the great gift of his son, Jesus, but if I can go to bed knowing that I did all I could to serve him that day, I am content.

Isin’t it amazing how everything that happens to us, every person we meet is all part of God’s intricate plan for us? Think about it. He has a plan for us- a big wonderful plan. The only way for this plan to come alive is for us to trust in him. We have to believe that everything from God is good. It will not bring heartache without bringing Grace to follow. While on spring break, I went to a three day parish mission put on by two Oblates of St. Francis De-Sales, and something was said that struck me - “If we want roses, we have to be able to accept the thorns” Good things will come to us, but so will bad. The important thing to remember is that we must look at everything as a blessing, even those instances that are tragic and don’t seem to bring any hope. It may seem like that there couldn’t possibly be any good that could come from it, but if we truly look for it, it is there. Whether it is from understanding a situation, learning something completely random, a new friend, or a better relationship with God, is totally up to him. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. They aren’t always in a big brown box with a ribbon, but they are special and necessary to our lives, none the less.

I am about to allow God to make yet another change as I move to Brussels, Belgium, with my parents for my dad’s final transfer. I am alittle nervous, it being a different country, but from my past experiences, I know deep in my heart that God is sending us there to do his work where it is needed. I am excited to see what God has planned for me in the next few years and it comforts me to know that it will be filled with His love.

The purpose of this letter is to not just go on and on about me, but to also tell you of the wonderful things God has done in my life and the wonderful things He can do in yours if you let him. It is truly awesome how much he loves us and the things He will do for us to manifest, that to us. I encourage you this weekend to allow God to show you how much He loves you, let Him come into the deepest part of your heart and make His home.

Retreats are the perfect time to get reconnected with Jesus as our Savior, our Lord and our Father. All of you are here for a reason, let God tell you that reason. I pray that your eyes, ears, and hearts will be open to whatever it is that God wants to share with you.

I cannot thank you enough for all of the years of love and support you have given me, I cherish every moment that we had together - NCYC, CHWC, Life nights, dinners at Nino’s, and just being together as a community to worship the Lord. You mean the world to me. Even when I am not with you physically, I am there spiritually, thinking of and praying for you always. I love and miss you all ! May God continue to bless you now and all the days of your lives.

“When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.” Philemon 1:4-7

Love and prayers,
Dana

After speaking to Dana and asking her permission for me to blog this letter on Isabella's site, she allowed herself to be an instrument for God to lift me up again and make me strong in this Life Teen Ministry. I and the rest of the Core Members have to be willing to be God's hands and feet in this ministry and though at times it may seem that there is no progress, our good Lord will send one of his angels to remind us not to take our eyes off of him, stay focused only on him and allow his grace to consume us.

Thanks Dana for these beautiful words of encouragement. You have totally refreshed me once again in his words to continue to do his work. I will always take with me the words of the Oblates " If we want roses, we have to be willing to accept the thorns". In this case Dana, YOU ARE A ROSE, and seeing this rose blossom in front of my eyes has made it all worth it once again. I will continue to allow the Lord to work through me, and when I'm faced with a thorn, I will embrace it and pray that the rose may blossom soon.

Thank you once again, I love this JESUS in you.
Blessings and hugs send all the way to Brussels, Belgium.