I think this is the longest drought I have gone through in the three plus years that I have been blessed to blog about my, and my brother's journey. Why the silence? Honestly I don't really know completely, but it wasn't because I wasn't busy.
I'm wrapping up my inventory reports at the store, we had two days of training on customer service for my job, and I've been working a long stretch of days without a day off. Today I'm just trying to take in the moments to breathe.
This past Tuesday was a day that I will never forget in my life. I've shared with all of you a few times how I have felt a calling to minister to those behind bars. I've taken the mandatory training to receive the "badge", and then life got busy, and it got easier to procrastinate, and give into my fears. I wanted more training and it never happened, I wanted to shadow someone else and unfortunately it never worked out. The day was coming soon and the plans started unraveling. Sunday evening I get a simple message from one of the chaplains..."Come!" I shared the news with my wife and she said...."you said July, you said soon, why not?" That was the two nudges I needed and early Monday morning I sent them an email that I was coming.
Great, now what do I do? Well, I looked through my books and thought I would do a Communion Service, similar to what would happen on Sunday without a Priest. I looked up the readings, printed them, printed the psalm and the response, the Gospel for the day, reviewed some suggested General Intercessions, and voila, I was ready! Well, not quite! Do I do a reflection? The opportunity was one that I couldn't pass up on and amazingly within a few minutes I had something put together. I shared it with Terry while she was watching TV and she then turned down the volume and listened intently. She actually added a new piece for me that I used. Why did she listen intently? She said..." you caught me with the line about the childhood game of hide and seek, and I wanted to find out where you were going with this?" The Gospel was from St. Luke and it was the story of Zacchaeus, and the story ended where Christ said " I came to seek out the lost!" So there is where the inspiration came from hide and seek. It's one of those games that we all loved to play. It's great to play with little children as they hide ever so close to you and they are all excited when you find them. Ironically as they get older they stray, we stray, further and further away. When you hide ever so well it feels kind of bittersweet with the other person giving up, and then you feel kind of lost. Our lives at times can mirror the game of hide and seek, and without fail the Lord is always seeking the lost. One of the men shared with me his thoughts his hopes, his dreams, and how he also played hide and seek with the Lord. I was so touched by those words. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. I stayed for several hours and really loved the experience.
That evening I ministered to a family at a wake service and really felt Christ leading me and guiding me to offer some support to this family whom I knew.
I ended the night going bowling and had my best night of the year so far.
As we are winding down the week I'm preparing for the upcoming formation weekend.
So as you see, my schedule isn't slowing down at all.
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to discern our vocation.
Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,
Mitch
I'm wrapping up my inventory reports at the store, we had two days of training on customer service for my job, and I've been working a long stretch of days without a day off. Today I'm just trying to take in the moments to breathe.
This past Tuesday was a day that I will never forget in my life. I've shared with all of you a few times how I have felt a calling to minister to those behind bars. I've taken the mandatory training to receive the "badge", and then life got busy, and it got easier to procrastinate, and give into my fears. I wanted more training and it never happened, I wanted to shadow someone else and unfortunately it never worked out. The day was coming soon and the plans started unraveling. Sunday evening I get a simple message from one of the chaplains..."Come!" I shared the news with my wife and she said...."you said July, you said soon, why not?" That was the two nudges I needed and early Monday morning I sent them an email that I was coming.
Great, now what do I do? Well, I looked through my books and thought I would do a Communion Service, similar to what would happen on Sunday without a Priest. I looked up the readings, printed them, printed the psalm and the response, the Gospel for the day, reviewed some suggested General Intercessions, and voila, I was ready! Well, not quite! Do I do a reflection? The opportunity was one that I couldn't pass up on and amazingly within a few minutes I had something put together. I shared it with Terry while she was watching TV and she then turned down the volume and listened intently. She actually added a new piece for me that I used. Why did she listen intently? She said..." you caught me with the line about the childhood game of hide and seek, and I wanted to find out where you were going with this?" The Gospel was from St. Luke and it was the story of Zacchaeus, and the story ended where Christ said " I came to seek out the lost!" So there is where the inspiration came from hide and seek. It's one of those games that we all loved to play. It's great to play with little children as they hide ever so close to you and they are all excited when you find them. Ironically as they get older they stray, we stray, further and further away. When you hide ever so well it feels kind of bittersweet with the other person giving up, and then you feel kind of lost. Our lives at times can mirror the game of hide and seek, and without fail the Lord is always seeking the lost. One of the men shared with me his thoughts his hopes, his dreams, and how he also played hide and seek with the Lord. I was so touched by those words. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. I stayed for several hours and really loved the experience.
That evening I ministered to a family at a wake service and really felt Christ leading me and guiding me to offer some support to this family whom I knew.
I ended the night going bowling and had my best night of the year so far.
As we are winding down the week I'm preparing for the upcoming formation weekend.
So as you see, my schedule isn't slowing down at all.
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to discern our vocation.
Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,
Mitch
