First Retreat and Other Happenings

This week we (the missionaries) ran our first retreat. We were responsible for the planning, set-up, and execution, and wow, is it intense. Right now we're enjoying our first hour of truly free time in days. And so I'm sitting at a table in the meeting room watching Sean and Chris nap on the floor and Kesley and Reggie square dance to some country music playing over the speakers. Everyone deals with fatigue in different ways . . . Our theme was "Mission Possible" so we got to dress up like spies and climb out of fireplaces or repel from the rafters to greet the 50 eighth graders for their very first retreat ever.

It has been a humbling week for me, as I've never done middle school ministry, and I've certainly never been a part of running a retreat like this before. And by "retreat like this" I mean one with talks and sessions and props and planning. My formation was in the Michael Tigue Style and so I'm used to praying with the retreat group and seeing what teachings and witnesses the Spirit brings forth. This works amazingly well with college students, but alas, middle schoolers require more work, lots more. It is worth it though.

The eighth graders arrived on Wed. morning and were very tentative about being here, though very talkative amongst themselves. My small group in particular is very chatty, so there was no need for ice breakers (thank goodness- I don't really like ice breakers, nor do I really know any). The first small group session was creating a "God's Love Is . . ." banner, and wow, these kids are AMAZING. Some of the words they came up with were sacramental, big, unrelenting, unconditional, pure, merciful, and sacrificial. And even more than just knowing this, they were able to explain to me what they meant by each word. Watching the teens grow in faith over a few short days has been awesome! When they arrived they were reluctant to join in praise or talk about faith. But even by that first evening, when we had men's and women's sessions, they were sharing deeply about their lives and insecurities. And I have never seen a group so enthusiastic about praise and worship music as they were last night.

I think that the best part of the retreat was, by far, Adoration. Fr. J has been visiting us this week (he's a Life Teen priest from Florida) and he was good enough to facilitate it. Fr. J is fantastic One of the things I love about him is how completely in love with Christ he is. Each and every time he lifts the Eucharist in mass and the entire time we had Adoration, his eyes never left the Blessed Sacrament. What a witness that was to the teens and to me. We had only planned on having a half hour of Adoration, figuring that eighth graders couldn't/wouldn't sit through a full hour, but we underestimated them. Not only did they sit through the hour, but it was one of the most reverent Holy Hours I have ever experienced.

Danielle and I processed in with the candles and Sean with the incense before Fr. and Jesus. We had a few minutes of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and then Fr. J explained that when Jesus ministered to the crowds He walked amongst them, healing them. That, he said, was what was going to happen this evening. So he took the Blessed Sacrament, and slowly walked through the crowd of kids, allowing each to see their Lord in front of them, reminding each that they are good enough and special enough for the King of the Universe chose to be near them, to walk amongst them. Bringing the Eucharist back to the altar, he told the story of the woman with the hemorrhage, who made her way through the crowds, knowing that if she were to but touch the hem of Jesus's cloak she would be healed. And he offered them that same chance. Reminding us all that the same Jesus was before us, Fr. invited everyone to come up and touch the hem of the corporal and be healed from whatever it was we suffered from. The tangibility and the sameness of the moment struck me in a way it never has before, and as I touched the hem of the altar cloth, I was filled with the Presence of the Lord and a deep deep peace.

Getting to watch the seeds of faith being planted in these youths, and even to watch them sprout has been an amazing blessing. Throughout this week I've been reminded of when I was their age and the first retreat I went on. I looked up to those high school student leaders so much, and I wanted nothing more than to be like them. And even though I didn't understand everything that was said at the time, it was a beginning, it was a model for me.

Things I'm learning :
-obedience, to the priest, to the Rule of Life, to what the Spirit is saying, to listen to the ideas of others and trust that God knows best in the situation, even if its not how I pictured it.
-not using my "teacher voice" as Alex calls it and remembering that I am not their teacher, but a witness.
-humility

Sarah once told me that "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called." I can only pray that this is true because I am unsure how to do this new type of ministry work. I don't have the experience the other missionaries have with Life Teen or Edge (the middle school version of Life Teen). I don't know what I'm doing, but God knows what He is doing by bringing me here, and that is my consolation as I do my best to share my faith and passion with these kids and bring them to a deeper understanding of who God is.

Room Prep

Part of each Thursday afternoon is designated for preparing the rooms that guests will stay in that weekend. What that means is that we make sure that everything is clean, that there's enough toilet paper and soap, we check to make sure that the smoke detectors work and that the toilets aren't clogged. Basically, we want to ensure that each person coming on a retreat has a clean and pleasant place to sleep.
But this seemingly mundane process takes on significance here at Covecrest, because during room prep we also bless each room. Because each person coming brings with them emotional and spiritual baggage in addition to their suitcase full of clothes, we want to ensure that they are protected and given a spiritually clean place to reside. We also want to make sure that if through the grace of God they are able to get rid of that baggage and sin, Satan doesn't find another way back in or a new person to tempt. And so we bless each bed, doorway, and meeting space with holy water and say prayers for each of the teens (or adults) staying there.
Being reminded of those coming on retreat through praying for them also helps me to stay focused on the importance of the simple task of prepping rooms. When done right, the little things like this go unnoticed, but when neglected, they become a distraction from the greater purpose of the weekend: the Glory of God and an intimate encounter with him.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

In the tender compassion of our God,

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Blessed Mother pray for us.

My New Favorite Covecrest Task

Today was deconstruction day here at Covecrest. We had a couple of leaking showers to tear down in the Cole House and I got to help rip down the plywood and lining. Afterwards when it was time to salvage some wood I got to use the table saw. I probably should have taken pictures, because I know none of you are going to believe that I can do such a thing. I'm even learning to drive a stick shift so I can drive Old Brown, the beat-up camp truck. Who knew I could be so handy?

On a more serious note, I'm enjoying the simple rhythm of life here. The small tasks of everyday, whether it be cleaning the chapel, tearing down a shower, or helping out in the office, are filled with such meaning when you consider who you are doing them for. To be able to help make this camp a conduit of God's grace for all of those who come up on retreat is an amazing blessing. To work and play with intention, to be focused so fully on each and every moment of the day is the way life is lived here. We do a lot of work here each day, there isn't much "down-time" in the traditional sense of the word, but I've never felt so peaceful and relaxed.

First Week At Covecrest

Move-in day finally came. And after months and months of waiting, it did not feel real. After spending a couple of weeks back at Emory visiting, I began to forget that I was leaving, that I was not going to get to know the new freshmen, be there to help out at the 6pm mass, or hang out at Wed. night mass and dinner. So when the day finally came for me to drive up to North Georgia, I wasn't sure how I felt. On one hand I was incredibly excited to start my new life at Covecrest, but on the other, I wanted to stay within my comfort zone at Emory.
And then I and the others arrived and dove right into our new missionary life. I was surprised, and at the same time not surprised, to see how quickly we bonded (Though I guess you can't scrub bathrooms and baseboards with someone and not get closer). We were welcomed in by Chris and Michelle, Jason and Melissa, Sarah, Christina, Eric, Gabriella, and all of the kids, and you can't spend time with them without feeling like a part of the family. We women moved into St. Francis, our amazing double-wide, and the guys are two doors down in St. Benedict. The closeness is great, it's nice that everyone lives and works together. . . That is, until you are walking up your driveway to find that the guys have hidden in the woods and are waiting to jump out and scare you. Given the group we have here, I feel like that's going to happen often.
The other missionaries- Alex, Reggie, Sean, Chris, Carla, Danielle, and Kelsey- are all fun and with very distinct personalities, but we mesh well together. Thanks to Alex and Reggie, we're all learning a lot about Louisiana culture. Louisiana is truly a different world, full of mythical creatures like nutra-rats (I'm sure they'll correct me if I've spelled it wrong) and delicacies like alligator tail and squirrel stew.
We're all still getting used to the schedule here, and wake up everyday asking, "do we really get to live here?" I can't wait to see what God does over the course of the next year, because in only four days He's already changed us from 8 strangers into a community, a family. So for all those who are wondering what that schedule is, we wake up and meet at the chapel at 7:15 for an hour of adoration. Getting to begin everyday in the presence of the Lord is an amazing blessing, even though it is very very early. At 8:15 other members of the community join us for morning prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. I've never prayed that consistently before, and I'm really starting to enjoy the rhythmn of the prayers. Following Liturgy of the Hours we (finally) eat breakfast. And then its on to Mission Formation Class with Chris. In the afternoons we work around the camp, cleaning or preping for the retreats. We close each day with Evening Prayer, and then its early to bed. I'll have more specifics about the daily schedule when we settle into the routine of it all. Our first weekend here at camp is two days away, and I can't wait to see what it's like. . .