Called to Greatness

Hello from Waterford City! Things are going very well here; it has been sporadically busy. A few weeks ago my team and I took to the streets for some Halloween Ministry. You know how most people will go Trick or Treating for Halloween? Well, we took the idea and turned it upside down. We purchased a lot of candy, taped papers advertising one of our prayer meetings onto the candy, and went door to door in pairs giving candy. Many of the groups had a very good reception! My partner (Sean) and I ended up talking with a group of 15 or so elementary school students who all wanted us to come to their schools! It might just be because we were American and had funny accents. Still, maybe one of their teachers will call us and book retreats!

But wait, there's more. We also had the chance to do a series of retreats for a bunch of 12/13 year olds at a school in Tramore, which is a town by the ocean. So cool! The talk for that retreat was based on God's Love and given by yours truly. It's actually pretty different from a lot of other talks we have on NET. Whereas most of the NET talks are meant to work mostly with our life story and our relationship with God, this particular talk has a lot of specific points we have to cover. One of these points, the one that stands out most to me, is: "We Don't Have to Be Holy for God to Love Us". It's pretty much what it sounds like. It's in the outline to combat the misconception a lot of people have that they have to be perfect for God to love them. God loves you and me just as much as he loves St. Francis and St. Peter.

Me giving the talk for about 60 1st years in Tramore

 But the thing is, He also loves us too much to leave us where we are. He knows what we can do and wants the absolute BEST for us. And He gives us all the tools to do this. The day after Halloween is known in the Catholic Church as "All Saints' Day." It's a day when we get to take some time and celebrate those who have gone before us, and have done it right. But it's also supposed to be an encouragement. When we were having our prayer meeting that Wednesday night, that is what the priest chose to emphasize. We are not called to just coast through life. We are called to do the absolute best we can do. For me, since I am called to be a missionary here this year, that means that I am called to always give 100% to this diocese and the young people here. How does this apply to your life? How are you supposed to give 100% for your home and your family? How are you called to do the best you can do?

Essentially, how are you called to be a Saint? 

Our first team day... also in Tramore

Waterford Crystal

Token picture of the cathedral. Bonus points if you can

guess why I've posted it!

Hello from the Sunny Southeast! Unfortunately it’s not too sunny today, but that’s just a part of life here in Ireland. I just wanted to write about a really important phenomenon that I have noticed in the Diocese: Waterford Crystal!

I’m sure many of you have heard about it. I remember growing up that my sister would always get a Waterford Crystal ornament at Christmas and it was a big deal! They’re supposed to be among the highest quality because each one of them is hand-crafted. Every piece of authentic Waterford crystal was made by one person’s very hard, intentional work. There is one very unique way that you can tell whether a piece is authentic: the imperfections. Each hand-crafted piece will have little parts of them that if I found that in a Walmart glass I’d probably have it returned. But in all reality, the little chips that might not seem to belong there reflect a special uniqueness that can never be duplicated. I’m hoping everybody can see a certain parallel here.

Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to write about today. I wanted to give just a brief update on how I am doing, how my team is doing, and the work we are beginning to do. We have been in Waterford for two weeks now, and most of it has been preparing for the ministry and contacting people. We have been visiting the parishes in Waterford City and making announcements after Masses. We have gone to different meetings and groups that we’ve discovered. We also have the advantage of being the second NET team in Waterford, so we are really just trying to pick up and re-cultivate the relationships that they left for us. In doing this, we’ve done a lot of walking and I’ve seen a lot of new, different churches. But there’s been one thing that’s struck me. Something I’ve never noticed in any church before.

Surprise! (From the Cathedral)

In every church in this city, whether it be the classically styled Cathedral or a newer circular church, I have seen Waterford Crystal. There are pieces set in each of the churches, like the one above, or there have been chandeliers that I can only assume are Waterford Crystal. It’s really cool, and it has reminded me of what I’ve been reading in regard to being Catholic in any culture. This crystal is a trademark of the city, and they make beautiful pieces in the churches where they reside.

Example: They're harder to see, but can you see the random crystal chandeliers

in a more contemporarily built church?

As a missionary, I have been challenged to remember that I’m not here to shoot down the culture. I am not here to try to break it down and demean it. However, I am here to help people encounter Jesus in a way they have not before. Some things in a culture do make that harder, but perhaps it just emphasizes a need for Jesus. On the other hand, what is good within the culture I’m working? The culture I’m encountering here, while post-Catholic, has a bigger concern for the individual than what I’m used to in the United States. That is something good; in fact, it is Holy. So, I need to help people see how that can be incorporated into the Catholic Church. Because since it is good, it is of God. And, like the Waterford Crystal, it belongs in His home.

Thank you for reading! Our first retreat as a team is on October 9^th, so please pray for myself, my team, and the students!

T Minus 36 Hours

Hey everybody! I am currently in the NET Office. We finished the training portion of training, so we spent yesterday doing the first retreat as a team! They’re called practice retreats, but if they’re real retreats for real students… are they really “practice?”

Anyway, our first retreat was great. We actually had the chance to do a retreat with another team, which was so good! There’s a lot of different things I’m responsible for which I’ve never actually done before so it was so good to have another person to help me get that stuff done (and her name is also Courtney so that was fun as well). I'm getting to know all the new ropes to the new services I've got!

But one of the coolest moments was at the beginning of the day when I was helping sign people in and two of the students walked by. One of them turned to me and said “Do you remember me?” The two students had been in my small group at one of the retreats last year! I did not get a chance to catch up with them unfortunately, but I was able to see them at times. I get to see them at a few different places on their faith journey. Which is so nice; when do you get a chance to meet somebody again on the road! You never really know where they go. But this year I have had the opportunity to see so many people I had met last year, and it makes me SO excited to be able to get to know the new community down in Waterford! Last year I was able to meet people and work to get to know them for a day. Now, I’ll have a chance to meet people and get to know them throughout the year! The relationship does not end after the retreat. We’ll have a chance to return to the school and keep working with the students. It’s absolutely amazing!

Again, to everybody who has partnered with me, thank you so much for the support! I really appreciate it, and it helps the mission work! If you haven’t partnered with me financially yet, I encourage you to pray about it! If you want, the link is www.netministries.ie/donate. If you feel hesitant about donating online, contact either me or the NET office for more info. But please keep praying! Pray for me and the Diocese of Waterford & Lismore.

Not My Words

If you haven’t gone to Mass today, don’t read any further!! Spoilers ahead!!!!

Just kidding. Not about the spoilers, but go ahead and read. It’s good to know the readings ahead of time.

So the gospel reading for today is when Jesus revealed himself to his apostles. But He did not flat out tell them who he was. Rather He asked and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Peter declared “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Jesus responded: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Heavenly Father. So I call you Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” (Please note that these are not direct quotes since my Bible is not with me.) It’s amazing. At that moment, Peter completely and totally relied on God. There is NO WAY he should have known who Jesus was. He may have guessed Messiah; that wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. But to say that Jesus is the SON of GOD… that’s pretty much unheard of. Peter took that moment of inspiration, went with it, and that was that.

But as we know, that’s not the end of the story. In practically the next verse Peter tries to take ownership of his role and tell Jesus what not to do. “No Lord, you will NOT go die in Jerusalem”. It’s almost as if he had a little taste of relying on God, and then turned right back and tried to do his own thing. In the homily at the Mass today, our priest talked about how throughout the Gospel Peter had the journey from realizing the possibility of relying on God, to relying on himself up until after the crucifixion when he ran. But afterward, he takes up the mantle as leader of Christ’s new church. Once Pentecost comes and Peter realizes the power of God, there is nothing that can stop him.

Only a few days ago, we had our team announcements when the staff finally told us what areas we will be serving this year and who we will be serving with. This year I will be in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, which for those of you who don’t know that is in the south of Ireland. It is the team I wanted to be on, and in one of the two counties I did not go to last year!!!! Just yesterday I found out that I will be serving my team specifically through leading the dramas, experiential learning activities, and making sure we have what we need on retreats!

A picture (albeit blurry one) of the new Waterford Lismore NET team on our first team day out!!!

It is very nice to have the specific duties we will have on team. But one of the things that we have been learning on training is that it’s not about what we do. We have been told many times that this ministry year is not about us. Which sounds sort of obvious, but even in a sense it’s not about what we do for others. We are not defined by our service, and we are not supposed to do it alone. When Peter worked alone, he told Christ that he would never abandon him only to run away when times got difficult. I am supposed to lead the dramas. I am supposed to make sure our activities run well. But I am supposed to do it through Jesus. I am supposed to let Jesus work through me so that HIS will is done. Not mine.

Anyway we’ve reached about the mid-point in training. There’s a lot of work still to be done, and I’ve still got a lot to learn. Please keep praying for me, my team, and the young people in the Diocese of Waterford Lismore!!!!

Pope Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina, pray for us!

5 Things I've Learned on NET this Year

Well it’s been a while, but the NET year is over. I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve seen the people who really became my family on the road. Looking back, I can see that this last year has been transformative. I expected to go and serve the young people of Ireland. I expected to see God move, if only in the small ways. But the one thing that did not cross my mind was how I was going to change personally. God had a lot to teach me this year, and each thing made me a slightly better person.

Here are some of those little, but important things:

1)      Do I really need that fourth t-shirt?

Around this time last year, I was about to embark on my first NET adventure and I wanted to be ready! Now I’m a really good packer; I know how to fit a lot in my suitcase and not use too much space. Then during of the year on the road team, almost everything was weighing me down. Maybe if I really did need everything I packed it would not have bothered me so much, but the fact was that I didn’t. Obviously I need to have clothes, but I do not need all the extra t-shirts I brought. That’s just not with a traveling lifestyle, but just living in the world today. Now that I’ve come home, I’ve even could go through my things and ask if I REALLY need them. The answer is, mostly, I don’t. I’ve realized that there’s a few things I’ve been holding onto just to hold on to. I think it’s just a side effect of the consumer culture I live in. There’s still a lot of room for growth, but I’m much less attached to material items than I used to be. And so I’m more free to do whatever it is I’m actually supposed to be doing with life.

2)      Love people where they are at.

This was perhaps the most important aspect I learned about being a missionary. We love because Christ loves us (1 John), but not everybody knows that he even loves us. Or agrees that it’s true. And you know what? That’s ok. Or it’s not, but that does not make them any less of God’s children or any less worthy of my love. As Christian people, we’re called to love those who are listening to us and agree with us just as much as the people who are trying to undermine everything we do. Anything less is putting a condition on our love, and that COMPLETELY defeats the purpose. And you know what? I’m sure we have all been that person present who does not want to be there and does not care. Wouldn’t we want somebody who cares about us?

3)      Being honest is being strong.

As a part of being with NET, my team was given a very specific structure for life together. Team Life is what helps build us up and makes what we do possible. It helps us have Jesus in a way that we can give Him to people. Your team is there for you in the ups and downs. They are there to give support both during retreats and during personal life. I’ve learned to be very independent. I never even liked to do group projects in school because I’d have to depend on somebody else to do the part. This year, that just was not possible. I had to rely on my team and tell them about different challenges I was facing. Some of those were just talent based, and some people were much better at fulfilling a need than I was. Some of those challenges were emotional and I needed to lean on my teammates for support. I learned to trust a lot more, and that vulnerability is much braver than sticking it out on my own.

4)      Ability is a cheap imitation of worth.

I wish I could say that I coined this phrase, but that would be a lie on the world-wide web, and I’m just not into that. Anyway, we live in a world where your worth is what you do. In schools, people are praised for what they are good at, and people who don’t have demonstrable talents just fly under the radar. Colleges give money to people who they think will make them look good, placing a numerical worth on these talents. When you get out to the real world, those who can do more tend to be paid more. I know why things happen this way, but I honestly think there are psychological implications. I think sometimes we take the number paced on our talents, whether it be good or bad, and carry it over to our own worth as individuals. We’re only as good as whatever it is we’re good it. I know I fall into this trap a lot. This year though, I was reminded that I am not a sum total of what I can or cannot do. My worth comes from the fact that the creator of the universe, my God, came down from heaven and chose to die on a cross rather than lose me. And it’s not about what we do for Him. It’s just that we ARE.

5)      I THOUGHT I had a relationship with God.

This isn’t to say that I never prayed. Before NET I went to Mass and spent some time on my own praying and trying to build a relationship. I’d even say I was relatively honest, and I was able to be led by God to NET in Ireland. However, This year I learned to have a real relationship, and sometimes that involves disagreements. Now, when you’re disagreeing with the Lord of the Universe, well, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re not in the right in that circumstance. But this year I was much more open to God moving in my life than I ever have been before. Part of that openness was being honest about what I thought about it. He didn’t create me just to robotically go along with whatever he says. He created me with free will so I could freely choose him. However, with that comes the choice to disagree. But he loved me through it and helped me get to the point where I could say “Lord, I don’t have any idea what you’re thinking. But I’ll do it. And I’ll do the best I can.”

I thank you all again for reading! I leave for Ireland again on July 28^th, so please pray for my safe journey and for a good year!

Until next year!!!!! <3

ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Hey everybody! I know it’s a few days late, but Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Ireland!!!! The team and I had a great day in County Donegal; it was just a special day. I remember 3 years ago to the day I was in Sunday Mass in England and that was the first time I felt called to be a Missionary in Ireland. I just felt so certain about it, and that eventually prompted me to do a little research on organizations I could work with. That was how I originally discovered that there was NET in Ireland. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

This year it was so cool to be celebrating this feast day in the country that was impacted so much by this Saint! They do a really good job showing the impact in Mass, and I could see it just looking at all the people dressed in green in the pews. Like Mass wasn't just full, but there were many young families. There were children running around, teenagers with their families but who seemed engaged, and of course the old people whose prayers are probably making work for people like me possible. I’m not sure if every St. Patrick’s Day Mass in Ireland is like this, but I have been to way too many empty Masses in this country. This one had so many families that they were able to gear it towards children. The altar boy was dressed as St. Patrick, with a staff and everything. Before the bringing of the gifts, children presented multiple items that represent the impact this Saint had in the world. The two I remember would be a Gaelic football and hurling stick, which are both crucial to Irish sports here. Then at the end, before the final blessing, some more students came to the front and presented an Irish dance performance.

There’s a few things that stood out to me from the Mass, and I’m not sure if it’s what people were aiming for or if it’s just me, but here it is:

                During Mass, they incorporated all those elements of Irish Culture. But what’s more, they attributed it to St. Patrick. While I’m about 90% sure St. Patrick didn’t invent hurling or Irish dance, the point is that he shaped the Ireland that developed each of those things. He brought the Catholic faith to Ireland in a way that people have never seen before. He brought it in a way that changed their lives. Faith isn’t supposed to contrast with the culture; they’re supposed to be complementary. If that’s not happening, something is wrong.  

Following that, we did go to the pub and to a parade! Yes, the parade which had a few familiar faces in it. Which is good because here in Ireland, one of the most important parts of St. Patrick’s Day is the family. Even with a country where drinking is one of the most notorious stereotypes, spending time with family is more important. While it may be in the pub, it’s not an excuse to go out and get drunk.

Yes America, I’m totally calling you out on that.

Anyway, thank you all for reading!!!!! I’ll update soon, but in the meantime please pray for me!

Spiritual Warfare - Physical Health

             

Hello from Donegal!!!!! Good to see y'all after a while!!

               Good afternoon everybody! So today I’m going to write on something very dear and near to me: my nose.

                Ok I’m going to talk about having a cold, which took a solid month to go away, but it was the strangest thing. So I had a cough all during Christmas break, but then right after January retreat we went to do a series of retreats in County Kerry. During that time my cough turned into a cold and I felt sick those retreat days I still went, but it was not comfortable. Ironically enough, those were the best retreats we have done yet. God was really working through each and every one of us, and I believe that there are some teens that genuinely encountered Jesus for the first time.

                Then we returned to County Dublin and County Donegal and during those times I began to recover. I began to physically feel better and I even felt confident enough to go off my cold medicine. I even had a day off just to rest. However, we returned to County Kerry at the end of that week and everything came back full force. I began to actually feel bad and my body hurt. I was still needed for retreats so I still went, but it’s been two weeks since that and I still have the residual cough and runny nose. And I was not the worst on my team. Several other girls started getting sick around the same time I did. One girl even just had to go to the doctors for an infection. All of the men have had coughs and one has even felt worse than I believe most of us did during the retreats.

                Part of it is just the business of our schedule. Part of it is the physical aspect of many of us are from warmer, dryer climates and we’re here in Ireland with the cold and the rain. But I think there’s also a spiritual aspect of it. When you’re sick, it’s so much easier just to cruise through the day and not invest. I think the devil would like nothing more. He doesn’t want us to have any impact on these teens. He wants us to roll in and just run through the motions of the day. He does not want energetic missionaries on fire for the Lord; he wants missionaries who want nothing more than to lie and bed and to act like it.

                The key word in there is “to act like that”. There were many days during those times that me and my teammates wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep. However, we decided to push back the sickness. We decided to push back on any sense of feeling unwell and to give the youth every ounce of ourselves.  We decided to sacrifice. And that’s what Jesus wants. Things are going to go crazy. Sickness happens, no matter what directly or indirectly causes it. It’s our response that’s important. We can either choose to give in and to feel bad and feel sorry for ourselves. Or we can choose to sacrifice and to go through with it. And the sacrifice helps unite us to Jesus, and it reaps rewards from the youth.

                I would say there are direct results. Like during our retreats we have a time of prayer where we ask the youth what they’d like to pray for. I’ve had more teens accept prayer than refuse, and I think that’s always a victory. Then some have prayed for things that would blow your mind away. I don’t want to go into too many details, but it’s the kind of things that show you that they’re paying attention to the retreat during the day and are absorbing what we have for them. Then I have had one teammate report that she had a youth thank her for praying with them. Then each retreat we’ve had confession, most the teens go!! While I’m sure that most would still have gone, the question is: if we weren’t sacrificing, who would not go? Which young person would not encounter Jesus in this way? Or even any way at all? That isn’t something I want at all.

                So I’ll take the stuffy nose. I’ll take the runny nose. I’ll take the sinuses being thrown off. If it helps somebody get to Heaven, I’ll take it. I hope everybody, whether you’re on my team or just reading this blog, feels the same.

Some of us overlooking the Ring of Kerry

MGM

                Hello everybody! I’m back! This is our second week back in ministry after two weeks of Christmas break. So yes. I like to do everything in twos. Which is why now I’m going to talk on something that, biblically, Jesus told people to do in twos. In scripture, he told his disciples to go in pairs and to spread the word.

                Which comes to my title: MGM

                Wait Courtney, you might be saying, why are you throwing me random letters? And some of you might be asking me what a movie company-sounding title might have to do with NET and Youth Ministry and such. Well on NET we like to deal with acronyms, and MGM stands for Meet, Greet, and Mingle. Which at the beginning of the year, we were consistently doing in twos. Maybe that's stretching the biblical metaphor, but just go with me here.

                Basically, this means going out at the beginning of the day and just talking to the youth as they walk through the door. You have the basic questions such as what is your name? Do you have any pets? Are you super excited? It starts out as small talk, then the retreat begins. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to end up in a small group with that teen, and you have some sort of basis to talk with them. If MGM is a success, it'll be a successful retreat day. You see, NET is a relational ministry. This basically means that we try to get to know the teens and help them to encounter Jesus in that way. Once they know we’re normal people with similar interests to their own, and that we respect them wherever they are at, they are open to us. Then they may be a little more open to what we have to say. Then they might be a little more open to Jesus.

                It’s not rocket science, but it’s not as easy as one might believe. Maybe some people find it easy going up to strangers, regardless of their age, and talking. I personally do not. Even though I usually enjoy the conversations I have, it’s still hard to muster the courage to actually start them. However, it’s still one of the more important things we’ll do in a day. It’s just as much a part of the ministry as any of the dramas, talks, or prayers. In fact, without this portion of ministry, the teens will completely write off all the rest.

                So as you go on out into your everyday life, just remember NET and MGMing. Then the next question is: what will you do about it? Who is there in your life that you could just talk to? Have a friendly conversation with? Show that you’re actually a living, breathing human being as well as a practicing Catholic. They say that people don’t care what you know until they know you care, so find that person and show them that you care.