I’m sorry it’s been such a long time between posts. The end of this last semester took all of my time. But I still want to write about the last days of mission.
For the last few days of mission, we moved to a beautiful retreat center and ran a Theology of the Body retreat for high schoolers, mostly seniors. These students came from the other end of the spectrum. In many ways, they were us: practically our age, from affluent families, attending a private bilingual school, and most importantly, they all had iPhones! They spoke perfect English, and dream big. I was so impressed that these students want to study at prestigious universities in Canada, Spain, and Mexico, and become cardiothoracic surgeons, presidents, and biomedical engineers.
With all of these dreams though, their hearts were not into the retreat at the beginning. They’d been to retreats since preschool, but they had not had the opportunity to encounter Christ or choose to have a personal relationship with him. So, we treated them like adults and let them choose to join in. The presenters on our team focused on witness talks. 
And boy, was our team good.
They got to hear about God’s plan for them as men and women, how Jesus wants a personal relationship with Him, and the stories of several of our team members.As Pope Paul VI said in Evangelii Nuntiandi, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Through skits, small groups, morning warm-ups, and Olympics, we got to have fun with them! In adoration, daily Mass, and praise and worship, we were able to lift our hearts to God with them. My favorite part was lunch, when we could just talk and spend time with them. God has so much in store for them, and they have the power to change the world.
At the end of the week, we sat the students in a circle, and prayed over each one of them. So many of the guys and gals were in tears. It was definitely the most powerful moment of the retreat.
But God continued to work even after the retreat. Several of the students texted a few of our team members and told them how they were committed to living Christ centered lives! When we returned to the states, we learned that one student turned himself into rehab and several of the guys were applying to Franciscan University! They wanted to grow in their faith and discover the joy our team had found in Christ. Of course, we didn’t plan on that happening. But God desired this for them.
Please pray for these students that God’s will would be done in their lives, and thank the Lord for the gift of getting to meet them.
Flood The World 