APRIL In Review

April has come and April has gone. Historically, April has been my least favorite month. There are lot's of reasons for that, but April 2014 was actually pretty great. I traveled a bit, got to see a lot of friends, and explored Denver some more with some great people. 

Also, I was intentionally creative and pretty much rocked all my goals. They were so life giving, which is why they were so fun. The only week I didn't quite succeed at them was the week I traveled, but it's kind of hard to bring your ukulele to 10 cities on a work trip. So I think that's okay.

1. Play the ukulele three times a week for a half an hour.
• Nailed it. Songs I learned to play from memory: Kiss the Girl, I'm a Believer, Cups from Pitch Perfect, Stay by T. Swift, and I'm currently working on Wagon Wheel. One of the committee heads for Summer Training plays the Ukulele, so I'm excited to play with her this summer!
2. Sit down two times a week for at least an hour and write.
• Success! And this was probably my favorite of the three goals. I loved adding this practice into my life. I got to check out a few fun coffee shops, and I felt a lot of freedom in my writing. Instead of frantically scrambling to get the words out of my head and onto the page (internet), I was able to jot down notes and really spend time with some of my ideas. I definitely want to keep doing this. 
3. Create something beautiful once a week. An image for this blog. A song. A craft for my wall. A card for a friend. A friendship bracelet. Just something.
• Semi-success? I was able to finish my scarf for #scarvesforthehomeless, I made some cool stuff for this blog, and some cute stationary/envelopes for friends. The main reason I sent this goal is because I've been wanting to make this craft for my room, but I didn't end up getting a chance to do it.

I have the map AND the paint! I just need to do it.
image via.

April, if you could continue to be so great for the rest of time, I'd really be okay with that.

How to Throw a DIVINE MERCY POPE PARTY

Thanks to Catholic Icing, FOCUS Equip, & The Marians of the Immaculate Conception's Divine Mercy App for the ideas and resources!

Yesterday was a HUGE day: Divine Mercy Sunday (DMS) & The Canonization of two awesome Popes! So obviously, I threw a Pope Party for my high school girls.

1. Make sure everyone is wearing blue or red in honor of DMS.

2. Start off with chapter 2 of the FOCUS Scriptural Apologetics Bible Study. This study is great, and helps students practically understand how Jesus established his kingdom and why we have a Pope.

3. Remind your girls that it's Divine Mercy Sunday, so to celebrate to need to eat DIVINE MERCY SUNDAES. 

4. Craft a Pope Puppet while eating said Sundaes and pretend that you are 5 years old and not 15/24. 

5. Talk about Mercy

6. Pray, and ask God for His Mercy. We prayed the chaplet, because it's awesome.

And that's it!

7QTs on Traveling to 10 Cities in 8 Days

If you were to count airports, I was in 10 different cities these past 8 days. Woof. Please enjoy the following quick takes that chronicle my cross country journey this week.

--- 1 ---

City #1: Leawood, Kansas. My whole family was home for a hot second with enough time to go to lunch on Saturday. It was great to be back Friday & Saturday afternoon to spend time with those that were home. I didn't do much, so it was a nice, relaxing way to start this cross country adventure.

--- 2 ---

City #2: Kansas City, Missouri. Megan, a friend from Drake, lives in town, so I got to spend a bit of time with her Friday night. Also, she's watching my cat before my allergic roommate moves out, so that was fun.

--- 3 ---

City #2: Lincoln, Nebraska. Read about this trip in more detail here. This trip was filled with ALL THE NOSTALGIA. It was great.

City #3: Omaha, Nebraska. AIRPORT.

City #4: Chicago, Illinois. AIRPORT & being reunited with Carol!

--- 4 ---

City #5: Nashville, Tennessee. SEEK 2015 is a mere 8.5 months away. Crazy. I am so glad I was finally able to see the space so I could stop picturing the Hyatt in Dallas for this event. The Gaylord Opry is HUGE and has three giant gardens indoors. It's amazing. I could start to picture what it would look like with 8,000 college students bustling through there. Our CSM, Banquet Manager, & Sales Manager were great - it is always nice to have a face to all the emails you're getting.

The best part was spending time in the exhibit hall with EideCom, our production company, and the marketing team brainstorming ways to implement the theme and the feel into the set and the space. I am so excited to keep working on it and to see what happens when it comes together. #whatmovesyou

Something I don't think I'll ever get quite used to as a meeting planner is the VIP status the hotels treat you with. When we check in at the Gaylord, they took us into a room called Celebrity Services. What!? I am not a celebrity. Regardless, it's fun to be treated well every now and then, even though it can get awkward when they discover our whole team is under 30.

City #6: Atlanta, Georgia: AIRPORT.

City #7: Ft. Myers, Florida: AIRPORT.

--- 5 ---

City #8: Ave Maria, Florida. We returned to the tiny, tiny town near Naples to prepare for New Staff Training (NST). Not only was the trip fun, it was essential to the success of NST. For the first time we had the Event Managers (the events team), the Collegiate Outreach Representative, Formation, the Committee Heads, and Ave Maria together in one place to talk about NST. We toured, we planned, and we had a lot of meetings. But mainly, we had epic golf cart races from Queen Mary's Pub back to Xavier Hall. Brian, Cait, & I totally beat Christina, JP, & Mark. This team is great, and I think we are going to ROCK NST2014.

--- 6 ---

City #9: Indianapolis, Indiana: AIRPORT. When we got off the plane I mentioned to Christine that every single time I've been in this airport the last few years I've run into someone I know. To which she responded, "well, today is the day that will change." Such a naysayer. Approximately 10 minutes later we were waiting for our lunch and Paige, a former camper of mine strolled by. I had her in Teton in 2011 when she was a baby sophomore. Now she's 18 and graduating in 19 days! I'm old.

Paige is Mt. Wister in this picture.

City #10: Denver, Colorado: HOME.

--- 7 ---

You know you've been on a site visit when the last 25 pictures on your phone are of different meeting spaces.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

5 Reasons to Talk to Strangers

I went to ink! coffee with Holly & Cass two weekends ago to write and do lesson prep while they studied. First of all, I got a blended chocolate and banana espresso smoothie, so that was amazing. Second, while I was getting my coffee I became best friends with the barista. 

He asked why we were up to, so I told him. He told me he thinks it's so cool when people blog and that he's always wanted to start a blog focused on interviews, but never felt qualified to do it. I told him that was silly and he would start it anyways. He's in such a cool position to meet a bunch of people, working at a coffee shop. We talked a little more about dreams, and then I quoted Tangled at him and went to get working.

image via.

I loved this little encounter and am so grateful for his willingness to chat. I am constantly amazed by how honoring others by talking to them or acknowledging them can turn your day around. Holly told me that last week she was walking home from school and when some random guy have her a high-five, it just made her day.

Events is reading The Hidden Power of Kindness by Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik.

Approximately every sentence he writes jumps out at me and kicks me in the pants, but this really struck a chord with me:

"Greet people enthusiastically and sincerely. A man's name is to him the most important sound in his language."

Seems simple, right? But I think my mouth dropped all the way to the floor and I started banging my head against my desk when I read this. How many times to I walk by another human, even at work, and fail to acknowledge them? 

Christine had us pick one thing from chapter one that we were going to work on for the next week. Greeting people was my personal challenge. Guys, it was embarrassingly hard. Even in a place where our main goal is relationships, we too can shy away from greeting one another. But, I persevered in my challenge and I'm glad I did.

After many awkward and failed encounters, and a few pretty great ones, here are

5 Reasons To Talk To Strangers:

1. It's actually not that scary. Seriously. You can smile. So what if you feel awkward? Actually, why do I feel awkward when I greet someone I don't know?? I know it can brighten my day when someone says hello & says my name. Why can't I do that for other people?

2. You honor & acknowledge the other person's dignity & worth. Guess what? I'm not the center of the universe. And neither are you. There are billions of other people out there with value and a story to tell. You just have to ask them.

3. It leads to great conversations with people you wouldn't expect. Exhibit A: Ink! Coffee Barisita, my new bestie. You'd be surprised how a simple "hello, how is your day?" can lead to deep, meaningful conversation.

4. It's a way to step outside of yourself. I used this quote when I wrote about loneliness and stepping outside of ourselves to fight that struggle, but I think it applies just as much here.

5. It increases your capacity to love. To love is to will the good of another. So if we know making connections and saying hello does the other good, we can love them by doing this. We also increase our capacity to love when we think of the other person's need first.

So carry on, my friends. And tell me, when was a time you had a good experience talking to a stranger?

The Return to Nebraska

I ventured back to what some might call The Good Life and what others might call Nebraska on Saturday. Not only did I attend my very first Easter Vigil (I know, I know), but I had the privilege of watching Jiayuan enter the Catholic Church.

When I was a missionary at UNL, I had seven disciples who I would meet with on a weekly basis. Olivia, was one of those girls. Olivia had been randomly assigned to be Jiayuan's roommate the summer before I arrived on the scene. Jiayuan watched Olivia go to Mass every day and became extremely curious about who this Jesus person was and why everyone who knew him seemed to be so nice and joyful all the time. One day, Jiayuan asked Olivia about it, and started on her own journey to know The Lord.

Olivia, Jiayuan, & me.

I should mention that Jiayuan is an international student who had never heard of Jesus or the Catholic Church before coming to Nebraska. After an extended interest in The Church that summer, Olivia introduced us so she could know more people at Newman. Jiayuan taught me so much about being a missionary and evangelization. I loved our weekly lunch dates and her curiosity and the time we spent becoming friends. It was crazy to watch her go from knowing nothing to being so overwhelmed at SEEK to having a complete conversion after her mission trip to NYC. I am so happy for her, and proud of her courage to pursue Truth in her life.

Sunday marked FEASTER, and after getting hailed on while playing crochet, some friends whipped out their guitars to play for a bit. We proceeded to hang out in the living room for the next eight hours playing, singing, and laughing.  Father (Danger) Holdren is the best (better than JohnMarc).

I think the best part of visiting UNL this weekend was how normal it was. One student came up to me an hour into the Vigil party Saturday night and said, "I'm SO sorry I didn't freak out when I first saw you here - I just saw you sitting at a table and it just seemed so normal, like you still belonged here!"

But here's the thing, it is so not normal. While I was sitting in the Vigil, I was staring at the back of Olivia's head, watching Jiayuan get baptized, and I was just overcome by how strange it was that I was there. How incredibly blessed I am to have entered into the lives of these students for a year. They loved me well and allowed me to speak into their relationship with Jesus and challenge them to go deeper, to step outside of themselves, and to share His love. And here I was, a year later, sitting alongside them welcoming a friend into this family. 

I was further floored at the afterparty when students would come up to me and immediately become vulnerable with me. Many girls shared right where their hearts were at, and I stepped right into my old role as friend and mentor. Not only was I able to challenge them to make Christ more of a priority, they received it and really listened. 

This is the type of friendship that emerges from 40+ hours in a van in one week.

I am still so humbled by my time as a missionary at UNL, by my continued ability to serve FOCUS on the Events Team, and that others pray for me and support me financially to make this mission a reality.

I am so honored to have been called to FOCUS, to have had the opportunity to run alongside so many wonderful missionaries and students, and to continue to lead others to Jesus through these events. Thank you to all of you who  have walked alongside me during each step of this journey with FOCUS. My heart is humbled by your love and full of gratitude. 

 Jesus, thank you for counting me worthy, for giving me the grace to respond to your call!

Linking up with Stephanie today because everything in this post makes my heart extremely happy. He is risen! Hallelujah!

Mass in Spanish

I took three years of spanish in high school (well technically two - year one was in middle school), and I remember approximately 0.17503% of it. A little came floating back to me when I went to El Salvador for a week sophomore year of college, but it didn't last much longer than that. (Though I did think a girl said "I cheese you" instead of "I love you." Whatever "queso" & "quiero" sound the same.)

My mom, sister, and I were in Mexico on a Sunday, which meant venturing into town for Mass. I was really excited about this. I wanted to see where the people of Puerto Morales worshiped and how they engaged in the Mass. I was looking forward to what I love the most about the Catholic Church - the universality of it. No matter the language, the Mass is the same. Jesus is always present. 

They were kind enough to have the first and second readings in Spanish and English (which my sister and I somehow got roped into reading - worst), but that was it.

As the Mass continued, I tried to focus on the externals and the fact that even though I couldn't understand what they were saying, I knew that Jesus was truly present in that place, so it didn't matter that I didn't really know what they were saying.

In the middle of the Eucharistic Prayer I noticed that whenever the priest or congregation addressed Jesus in prayer, they used the word "tú" for you. A tiny amount of Spanish came floating back to me. Tú is the pronoun you use when you are talking to someone informally, like a friend or an equal. Usted is the pronoun you use when you are speaking to someone in a position of authority, someone you respect, or someone you don't know well.

When you pray in Spanish, you don't address Jesus as a formal, far off figure, you address him as a friend. How beautiful. 

In the midst of Holy Week, I am grateful for simple reminder that Jesus is my friend, someone who chooses to come down to my level, so I can speak to Him freely and without reserve.

Little Happies [2]

In the spirit of practicing gratitude, I am back this week with some little happies!

--one--

It's Holy Week, so obviously that's a happy! Michelle (my roommate) & I are going to try to get up early every morning to say morning prayer. Lent has been challenging for me, so I'm excited about this opportunity sprint to the finish line this week.

--two--

While it was nice to have a month long break from traveling, I am excited for what the week ahead holds. I'll be hitting up Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Florida. I love the anticipation of seeing old teammates and students, fellow missionary friends, and spending a lot of time with my team. Hopefully I will return refreshed from Easter and even more excited for SEEK and NST!

--three--

Last week I read an entire trilogy in a few days. Whoops. Matched had beed on my list for awhile now, so I was really excited when I got the email that it was finally available for download onto my Kindle.

image via.

It was an easy read, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character Cassia. Probably because I would have picked her to be with a different guy, but whatever. It also really reminded me of the Delirium series.

What I did love was the love of words and poetry the characters have, how the author explored the different types of love, and how she showed that even the revolutions against oppressive systems can be corrupt. It was fun reading the books and escaping into the world of The Society for a bit. 

--four--

Speaking of reading, Megan & I have quasi started a long distance book club. It's really informal, we read a book and then text about it, but it has been really fun. I highly recommend it as a way to stay in touch with a friend and to keep yourself accountable to reading. BONUS: I get to see Megan this week since she lives in KC. 

--five--

I have been about to burst at the seems with passion for youth ministry these past two weeks. So I took sometime this weekend to pray specifically for my girls and set some goals for the summer. I am excited to talk with Megan about making some of these dreams a reality. 

Look at how much fun youth ministry (camp) is!!!

For more happies, check out Blessed to Be!