Tuesday, August 14, 2012

It's been a while...

-jmj

I'm BACK! Laundry is done. Suitcase unpacked. Caught up on sleep. Lovin' on the kiddos. Now I can sit down, blog and process! I have missed it. 

So much has happened in the time since my last post till now.  It's been a whirlwind of an adventure and I want to tell you everything that happened! But for the sake of your sanity and my good use of time I will refrain. 

But here is just a little taste:

Since August 2nd I have been in the beautiful St. Paul, MN! It began with the amazing Laura! We went to the Minneapolis farmers market, ate fresh Colorado peaches, had great conversation and wrapped up the day changing a flat tire! 

The next day the School of the New Evangelization started! This was the main purpose of my trip, and seeing so many wonderful people made it all the better. Check out the link to find out more about SNE.

A few things I learned & relearned at SNE:

1. God will not be outdone in goodness
2. To give yourself totally over to God's love is the most complete freedom possible.
3. Trust in God, He will never let you fall.
4. Walking & talking for 4 miles with Theresa = Good idea. Walking for 4 miles in flip flops = Bad idea.
5. I still have no idea where God is calling me in life. All He is asking of me is a little "yes" everyday.
6. Sisterhood is the most beautiful gift possible for a woman. No lie.
7. To bring Christ to others is first to love them for who they are.
8. Humility is beautiful.  
9. Be real.
10. Holiness is the perfection of Christian Charity
11. "To evangelize is to teach the art of living." -Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
12. Jesus is the "joie de vivre"! (Joy of living)
13. I love SPO!
14. I'm gonna miss Benedictine College and all the amazing people there when I'm in Florence. Like a lot =[
15. (Here's the kicker) The only reason that I'm not a saint is because I do not wholly want to be. Ouch.

Jesus, help me to look into my heart and see what is holding me back from surrendering everything to you.


***

There were close to 200 students at SNE from at least 12 different universities and 22 different states(?) and Scotland! It was such an amazing week. Here are some pics from the week... They tell the story best :)
The beautiful University of St. Thomas where SNE took place
Hiking down to the river on free time. God's glory revealed.

Service Day! 

St. Paul's Outreach sent teams of students all over the Twin Cities area to serve the community. A beautiful way to put into action what we have been learning. 

Service day! We got to work' it out at the Habitat for Humanity Restore Center!

Look Mom! It's as big as me! 
The Whole Group: 6 strong men and 4 beautiful (and strong) women =]
We got to smash stuff! Yup. With baseball bats.

Small Groups

Everyone was placed in a small group. I got the great honor of leading these 5 beautiful women in small group. The funny thing is they didn't need a leader at all. They taught me so much and inspired my faith by their conversation and lives. I have grown to care for each of these women so much!
Small Group Photo Shoot: God's beautiful daughters!
My Amazing Small Group Women! I was  am so blessed!

Elegate 2012: Trust One Greater

We were so blessed to be a part of Elegate 2012. Matt Maher and band put on a beautiful night of worship for us! Fr. Craig Vasek gave an amazing exhortation and hundreds of young people were present.

It was a very peaceful and affirming night for me. I felt God's love so clearly, but without the emotion. Reality. He is so Good to us =]

Inspiration:

Right above my bed was the best reminder ever.

Thanks for reading! I hope I didn't overwhelm you. It was such an amazing week. The biggest thing I came away with was that everyday is a lesson in trusting in God. Sometimes I think, "God, I've trusted you in many areas of my life. That must mean I trust you enough." And then He reminds me another area of my life I have not trusted Him in or I have taken back trust. Everyday I must ask God for the courage to renew my trust in Him and opportunities to do so. It is the most freeing thing in the world (when I do it right)!


God bless you! Michela

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