Lay Witness Talk
On the weekend of August 15/16, 2009
lay witnesses spoke during the homily of every Mass on how answering God’s call
through stewardship of time and talent has changed their lives. Below are
transcripts of their talks.
Carlos Flores and Patricia Flynn
CARLOS:
Hello St. Francis! My name is
Carlos and this is my wife Patricia. We have been members of the parish since
1995 at the old metal church on Elm St. At that time we were also attending St.
Rita's in Dallas. I am a Catholic from birth and am very fortunate to have
received a Catholic upbringing to the University level.
PATRICIA:
I also received a Catholic
education through University level. I have been blessed with my relationship
with God all of my life therefore have never really been lonely. My parents
made sure that God was an essential part of my life. During Mass one Sunday I
was struck by the reading in Matthew chapter 20 – The Laborers in the Vineyard.
I always thought it was so unfair that those who worked in the vineyard all day
were paid the same as those that worked only an hour. And then it hit me – it
is similar to those that don’t know of God’s great blessings because they
haven’t taken the time to receive them. Life has gotten in their way. God has
given all of us special blessings and talents and with His grace calls us into
action. I grew up participating in ministries in the church since my parents
were very involved in the church and my mother was the Director of Religious
Education. Currently, my 3 jobs keep me extremely busy and often I have to
travel, but I try to maintain life’s balance by continuing in ministries and
growing my relationship with God. I am currently involved, when I can be, in
the ministries of Lecturing – where I am blessed with the opportunity to share
the Word of God; RCIA – where I work side-by-side with my wonderful husband;
Women of St. Francis – where I am able to share in camaraderie with other women
in the parish; and Engaged Couples Ministry – where God’s grace strengthens my
marriage even more. These ministries help me grow my relationship with God
individually, as a member of this parish, as a member of society, and as a wife
to my wonderful husband, Carlos.
CARLOS:
In 1985 I experienced God’s grace in action when I was called to active
ministry. Up until that time I had not given back to my Catholic faith.
Although at that time I was blessed with a great job that paid well I was not
fulfilled spiritually. I would attend Mass from time to time and did not have a
good relationship with the Lord. I decided I needed to get involved so I
started to attend a bible class at St. Rita's. After a few classes a wonderful
nun, Sr. Terese, said she would like to talk to me and ask me if I would come to
her office the following Monday. All weekend long I worried, wondering why she
wanted to talk to me. Well, that Monday I went to her office and she asked me
to teach Faith Formation to children. I was stunned, why me Lord? I responded
with the usual: I don't have the time, I don't know how to teach children, I
don't know the Sacraments. I sounded just like Moses in the book of Exodus when
the Lord called upon him. Just like in Moses situation, Sr. Terese did not
accept my excuses. She said “you can make time” and “I will sign you up for
seminars where you can learn to teach children” and “you will be able to relearn
the Sacraments.” She said “Carlos, I am not the Church, you are the Church."
So, St. Francis as I look upon each and every one of you, “You are the Church"
and today I am your Sr. Terese calling upon you to get involved, especially
those of you that are currently not involved, so that you too can share in God’s
great blessings. Since my calling in 1985, I have taught with Patricia, first
grade, reconciliation, confirmation, and now RCIA. Is it hard? Yes. Is it
difficult at times? Yes. Is it rewarding? YES! I have not missed teaching one
year. I have been faithful and God as rewarded me tenfold. I cannot begin to
tell you how blessed we are. So, now when I say “why me Lord” I am not asking
why is God calling me to be His servant by volunteering in one of the church’s
ministries, but I am asking God “why did You pick us to shower all of your
blessings!”
John and Betty Hamilton
Good Morning. We are John and Betty Hamilton. We were asked to share
our story about Stewardship, and how getting involved has impacted our life.
Because Betty wanted me to do the talking, you get to hear my version of how we
met, and how we ended up here today.
When I moved to Texas I was single, and I didn’t know ANYONE.
Shortly after moving here from CA, I made a decision to get involved in
my community and church. I figured it was a great way to meet other “like
minded” people. At the time, I was attending St Marks Church in Plano. I got
involved by becoming a Eucharistic Minister. It was a very special experience
to bring Christ to people, and something I had never done before. There is
something remarkable about holding up the Body or Blood of Christ and giving
that gift to another person. I felt called through this Ministry to take it a
step further by bringing Communion and sharing our faith with the folks at the
Life Care Center Nursing Home. I joined the Nursing Home Ministry.
It was at this time, that I had a vision from God, and was told that I
would meet someone through the Nursing Home Ministry and get married. Now God
has a great sense of humor, and I just hoped he didn’t want to match me up with
a 90 year old woman. Thankfully he didn’t.
While volunteering at the Nursing Home, I asked the Coordinator of the
program if she could find a substitute for me when I went on vacation. She
asked if I was married and when I said No, I could see the wheels turning in
her head .
Yes, this is where Betty comes in….Betty was a parishioner of St Marks
and also decided to get involved, and became a Eucharistic Minister at the same
time I did. In fact, she was at the same Eucharistic Training session that I
was at, but I didn’t see her among the hundred or so folks that were in
attendance. But Betty saw me there. She can even tell you what I was wearing
that day.
She walked up to the Priest afterward, whom she knew very well, to ask
if he knew who I was because she was “interested” in meeting me, and he jokingly
told her that “I was married and had 3 kids”. He was joking of course, but she
didn’t know it at the time.
A few months later, Betty got multiple phone calls in a single week,
from MaryAnn, the Coordinator for the Nursing Home Ministry. She wanted to ask
Betty if she would like to help out at the Nursing Home the following week.
Betty was actually in Hawaii with her Mother. She always wanted to go to Hawaii
on her Honeymoon, and figured she wasn’t going to get married, so she decided to
take her mom to Hawaii instead.
Betty came back from Hawaii, and returned MaryAnn’s calls, and agreed
to meet MaryAnn and me at the Nursing Home the following week.
This is really where our story begins. As you might imagine, Betty
walked through that door, and I looked at her and went WOW! So this is the
person I am going to marry!? Am I supposed to see fireworks or something? How
do I know that she is the ONE?
Of course when Betty walked in, she was surprised to see the person she
picked out in the training session a few months back. It didn’t take long for
her to figure out that I was single and didn’t have 3 kids. The rest is
history.
We met, prayed with, and brought Communion to the patients. There were
some terrific and interesting people, and we learned about their lives and in
some cases, we were the only people to visit them that day. It was very
rewarding.
It was through this ministry, and our involvement in church, that we
began our own journey together and eventually got married. Oh, and just for the
record, we went to Hawaii on our Honeymoon!
A few years later, that journey brought us to St Francis as a married
couple, with a small child. The idea of being involved in our church community
has been the cornerstone of our relationship, but like most people, we thought
we didn’t have a whole lot of time to give. I have found that when you are
passionate about something or enjoy and have fun doing something, you make the
time for it.
The Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxiliary have been a great avenue
for us to meet many people and get involved in many very different activities
that impact our Community. We have been involved in the Special Olympics,
Ladies Holiday Bazaar, Angel Tree Christmas Program, Can Food Drives, Breakfast
with St Nick, Repairing parishioner homes, Fundraising for Morgan Watson
Foundation, and other events that impact our parishioners, like Morgan, and the
community as a whole.
One of the passions that I have has been assisting organizations that
positively impact children’s lives. Children are our future, so time spent with
a child or assisting families in need, will impact a child forever. St Francis
has MANY Organizations that help families and kids in various ways (Angel Tree
program, St Vincent de Paul Society, Faith Formation, and Clothe a Child to name
a few).
For the last 4 years, I have been the Church Coordinator at St Francis
and for the entire Frisco/Little Elm area for Clothe a Child (CAC). CAC works
with churches and the school district to clothe kids that are disadvantaged.
Each child is given a $100 voucher and is paired up with a volunteer to assist
with the shopping. The event takes place over two Saturdays in October, and St
Francis has been one of the biggest church participants. The year I took over
St Francis clothed 24 kids and had about 50 volunteers. 4 years later or last
year, we clothed 235 kids and had 240 volunteers. This is just the
money/volunteers from St Francis. Citywide, we invited over 1,700 kids to shop
with a $100 voucher, and had almost 1,000 volunteers to assist. With passion,
energy, and the great folks at St Francis, we have collectively made a big
difference in people’s lives right here in our Community. The people that CAC
serves are our neighbors, friends, and some could be sitting next to you right
now. This year I turned over this Outreach program to a new Leader, so someone
new can bring their energy and passion, and take it to the next level.
There are probably 100 organizations at St Francis, and someone out
there is looking and praying for a volunteer with YOUR talents. Some people
have money; some people have time. Some people can do both. (CAC and St
Vincent de Paul, for example, need both).
My wife makes a meal once a month for the AIDS Supper Club. I have
been involved in the Knights of Columbus Café Breakfast. It doesn’t take much
to make a meal or assist in preparing a meal.
Maybe cooking isn’t your thing. We are all here at church, so maybe
your time to give back is when you are already here. You can be a Lector,
Usher, Choir, or my recommendation, as you can probably guess, is being a
Eucharistic Minister.
Betty has been a Faith Formation Teacher for the past few years in
Mary’s class. Maybe this is something that you can do for/with your kids?
There will be times in life when you have more or less time to devote
to being involved. That is ok too. We are not here to guilt you into it…you
know “Catholic guilt”?
I wouldn’t say that we are currently involved in as many activities as
in prior years, and because we have a young daughter our activities are
constantly changing as her activities do. Some are church related and some are
Community related. The important thing is just doing what you can, when you
can, and following your heart. Find your passion. Better yet, put it down on
your calendar, and you WILL make time for it. Betty and I both made a decision
to get involved, and God rewarded us by putting us together. Our life together
began by volunteering, and that is something that will always be important to
us, and a part of our lives.
It is already a part of our daughter’s life too. Mary has helped me
with CAC, assisted with the Special Olympics, and this summer she and her
Brownie Troop hosted a Lemonade stand, and the proceeds went to Frisco Family
Services. Our children learn from the examples we set.
If you feel a tug on your heart to get involved with an organization or
an activity, please do so. You never know what path it will take you on, and I
can promise you this….when you give of your time, talents and gifts, you will
get more out of it than the people you help. St Francis makes it real easy for
you to get involved. Next weekend there will be tables in the Narthex and
people from the various organizations here to give you information. This is a
great time to find your passion, find a way to do something for someone else,
and get involved.
Not sure what to do? Why not pray on it this week and let God open
your heart. He certainly opened ours. I didn’t know I was going to become a
Eucharistic Minister and get involved in the Nursing Home Ministry, but we were
open to His call and our lives have been blessed tremendously because of it.
So next week when mass is over, Please don’t run out of the church with
your head down, hoping no one makes eye contact with you. Instead, please take
a few minutes to walk around and see what opportunities await you. We have all
been given special gifts/talents from God and that organization NEEDS YOU.
Thank you for listening to our story, and I hope you listen to your
heart, and get involved. I can’t imagine how differently our lives would be if
we didn’t make the decision to say YES to God.
God bless all of you, and thank you for your time this morning.
Melanie Duhaime
Good
morning. My name is Melanie Duhaime. My husband, Brent and our 2 children have
lived in Frisco for almost 7 years. When we moved here we were told it never
snows in Dallas. We were terribly disappointed to hear that, as we both grew up
way up north. Surprisingly, it has snowed quite a few times over the last 6
years so I hope you have enjoyed the snow we brought down here for you. I am
the Meals Ministry coordinator for the sick and new baby meals. We are part of
the outreach commission which houses 20 wonderful ministries. St. Francis
Parish is so blessed to have coordinators and parishioners listening to Jesus
and being Stewards of His word. The meals ministry brings meals to parishioners
and their families short term when they are too sick to take care of themselves
and their families or after a new baby is born and a new mom needs some extra
help with her family as she recovers.
Someone
once said it is a good ice breaker to begin with a joke, so here goes. A 17
year old young man told his dad he wanted to start using the family car. His
dad replied like this: “Son, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with
driving a car, so here is what I would like you to do. First, your grades are
poor. You’ll need to pull them all up to at least a B+ or better. Second, you
need to start going to church and reading your bible. Third, PLEASE, get a
haircut, all by the next report card.” 8 weeks passed and the teen approached
his dad with his report card. He said, “Dad! Dad! Look at my grades! I got
3A’s and 2 B+’s, and have you noticed I have been reading my bible everyday and
I have not missed a single Sunday mass!” His dad smiled and said – “I am really
proud of you and what you have been able to accomplish son,” as he gave him a
hug. “But what about your haircut?” The son smiled and smartly replied, “Well
Dad, since I have been reading the bible, I learned that everyone had long
hair. The dad replied without missing a beat, “Did you also notice those long
haired men walked everywhere they went?”
The
reason I am here today is not for comic relief, but to tell you of my
stewardship experience and what it has meant for my spiritual life and to be
part of the body of Christ. What is stewardship? Stewardship is one of
the foundations of the Church’s social doctrine, which is, that God gave human
beings stewardship of the earth. That means we have the will and the
intelligence to be in charge. Not to dominate or overpower but to create a just
and reasonable society and use the goods of the earth in just charitable ways to
help every person in the world. The St. Vincent De Paul society and AIDS
Supper Club are just 2 societies in the outreach commission through which the
Church’s social doctrine is brought to life.
Now,
isn’t it much easier to get through the hard stuff in life when there is a
reward in sight? Sometimes there is a monetary bonus at work for completing a
certain job or looking forward to that great vacation after a really long hard
year. These things are tangible, we can touch them and know we are going to
experience them in the near future. As Christians, our reward is to be in
heaven with Jesus someday. We hope we are going to see Jesus and our goal is
to do His work on earth. Jesus said, No one gets to my Father except through
me. There are days when we lose sight of His work and are not sure how to
accomplish this. God gives us signs everyday. We just have to look for
them. 5 years ago there was an opening for a meals ministry coordinator listed
in the bulletin. At first I thought, I just don’t have time for that. I am too
busy. I knew I wanted to become involved with the church so I prayed on it.
As I was still deciding whether I should help in that role, a friend’s child
became sick and I made a meal for her and her family. When she opened the door
she began to cry. We stood there for a second and I said, “does my lasagna
smell that bad?” She smiled and said, “You have no idea how much I needed you
today.” Jesus answered my prayer and showed me where I needed to be. A year
later I was not so sure I was in the right role. I was going to resign from the
position and prayed again for Jesus to tell me what to do. I got a phone call
from a parishioner who sounded just like me. She told me her name was Nadine
and she was from New York like I was. She has become one of my dearest friends,
sent to me through Jesus to tell me to stay where I was. Another sign.
If I had
left the Meals Ministry before that I would never have met Nadine. If you are
like me then you feel like you are always struggling with time- there is never
enough time in the day. We work, take care of our families, clean the house,
cook dinner, run errands, do the laundry, drive to and from school activities,
drive to birthday parties, and do the shopping… Aren’t you exhausted just
hearing it lay out like that? And somehow, during all of that we have to make
time for God and His church right? Hmmmmm.
3 years
ago, my mom became gravely ill. I helped to take care of her night and day
because of course, when something is that important, we know what we need to
do. We find and make the time to do it. Like the Nike commercial, “Just Do
It.” One night I just could not sleep so not to wake my husband while I
tossed and turned in bed I went out into the living room. I was not eating or
sleeping well and I was just exhausted from worrying. I stood there in the dark
and began to pray. I remember dropping to my knees and sobbing uncontrollably
into my hands saying to Jesus, I have prayed to every one I know to pray to, I
have prayed to every saint I could pray to, and as Catholics, let me tell you,
there are a lot of saints to pray to. I prayed and said “I just can not take
anymore.” I needed help and I needed it yesterday. I asked Jesus to please
help me and I said, “what else do I have to do, who else do I have to pray
to?” I made the sign of the cross and mouthed in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the….
And I
stopped. The Holy Spirit. This peaceful feeling came over me and I realized I
had prayed to God the father, Jesus the son, Mary, every saint in the book but
not the Holy Spirit. In the bible the Holy Spirit had appeared to so many. I
said my prayer to the Holy Spirit wiped my face and went to bed. The next day
while I was in the bedroom I heard a loud thump against a window in the living
room. There on the window was a full white imprint of a large bird. I ran to
the window to see where the bird was, after all a hit like that had to at least
stun, if not kill the poor bird. There was no bird. I looked around again and
ran outside. There was no bird. No bird anywhere. The symbol of the Holy
Spirit is a white dove and it was now on my window in plain site. What a
blessing to know He was listening to me. That was my sign that in my hour of
need, when I laid my cross in His hands, he was there listening to me. I took
a picture of the imprint of that bird. I look at it all the time as a symbol of
what He is capable of doing when we lay our cross in his hands. My mom has
since recovered but not without residual issues. We are so blessed to have her
in our lives. She is truly an angel.
There was
a time before that when I thought Jesus was sick of hearing from me. I went
into premature labor with our son at 20 weeks. I was on medication around the
clock, developed gestational diabetes due to the medication and I needed full
time babysitters not only for our daughter but for me too. I had chef mom
taking care of all of us and personal driver dad bringing me every week to the
doctor and my husband taking over where my parents left off. I prayed for the
next 18 weeks for one more day, every moment I could to keep our son from coming
into this world too soon. At 38 weeks, we delivered a healthy baby boy and it
was on Good Friday We brought our son home on Easter Sunday. I know that was
God telling me “OK, OK, I’ve heard you. I sent this angel to you during the
holiest time of the year and next day God rested.
We have
an obligation to share our time and talent and material treasures with others.
Not because of that “Catholic Guilt” thing we hear people talk about but because
we are Christians and God gave us the ability to be stewards of His world. Some
say they are guilted into having to give. I don’t see it that way. When God
gives us something, we should share it. We teach our children to share
everyday. We ask them to share their toys with their friends and siblings, to
share their snacks, to share a seat on the school bus. We as adults can do the
same. It just takes time. We have to give of ourselves and give our time
otherwise we are not doing God’s will. The Our Father says “Thy will be done”,
not ours.
There is
a feeling we get after helping someone. It is euphoric. There are endorphins,
those happy hormones that come out when we know in our hearts we have truly
helped someone in Christ’s name, the way Jesus wants us to. Jesus taught us to
Love thy neighbor as thyself and to love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul and all your mind. We need to make time for Jesus and to be a
servant. Jesus was a King. People should have served him but He served us.
Jesus says whoever wants to be first Shall be last in the Kingdom of Heaven and
he who is last shall be first. Our children look to us to learn about
compassion and love. We teach them about charity and generosity.
In
parting I would like to leave you with a Gospel passage according to Matthew.
. In Matthew 25: versus 31-46 he says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory
and all the angels with him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Then
the King will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my
father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me
clothing, I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited
me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord when was it that we saw you
hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?” And the
King will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least
of these who are members of my family you did it to me… just are you did not do
it to one of the least of these you did not do it to me and these will go away
into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.” Amen
Our take
away from this message is to help those less fortunate. I hope and pray you can
find some time to join one of the wonderful ministries at St. Francis. There
is something for everyone. I know if you pray on it you will hear from Jesus.
Open your hearts, ears and eyes and it will be there. Just look for the signs.
Thank you for your time and may God be with you always.
Cora Melton
Good
Morning! My name is Cora Melton. I am here this morning to speak to you about
stewardship and our music ministry at St. Francis. First, let me give you a
little information about myself. We moved to Frisco, Texas, from San Francisco,
California, in November of 1997 due to my husband’s work. I became a registered
parishioner in May of 1999. About 35 years ago, Sister Bette Gambonini, my
music teacher, discovered my talent as a guitarist and singer. As soon as I had
enough chords and a few songs under my belt, Sr. Bette recommended that I put
this gift and talent to good use. I started singing and playing guitar at St.
Paul’s Catholic Church in San Francisco when I was 11 years old. I learned at
an early age that sharing a God given gift was very important to my faith
community and very necessary to my faith. Although, I have always been involved
in other ministries in the Church throughout my life, choir has been a special
way for me to express my faith.
As I had
been very active at St. Paul’s, I needed to be active in my new church in TX. I
asked myself, where could I give of my time and talent? Going back to what I
knew and loved, I decided to join the choir once again. Being ACTIVE during the
Mass is so important to me because the music reinforces what the readings say to
us. There are many ways to pray during our Mass. I like to pray through
music. For me, singing is praying twice. Being in the choir allows me to help
others pray through music as well. Being in the choir enables me to give of my
gift completely. I still have enough time for my family and for other
ministries. I can give and still have more for next time. Yes, there is a
little bit of a time commitment because of practices, but what do we do in our
lives that does not require prep time?
Here at
St. Francis, our music ministry is blest with seven choirs! The Sat. 5:00
p.m. and the Sun. 8:30 a.m. choirs have more traditional, organ based music.
The Sun. 10:00 a.m. choir is a blend of traditional hymns and contemporary
music. The Sun. 11:30 a.m. Mass is primarily contemporary music with keyboard,
guitar and electric bass. Sometimes we do use some of the tried and true hymns,
but we add a contemporary feel to them by adding rhythms and changing the tempo
of the songs a bit. By the way, we are looking for a drummer and more singers
if any one is interested!!
Of
course, there is the Spanish choir providing music for the Sun. 1:00 p.m. Mass.
The Sun. 6:00 p.m. Mass is a youth led service with contemporary music.
There is
one more choir at St. Francis called the Schola Cantorum that sings the last
Sunday of the month at the 8:30 am Mass. This choir also sings for other
Liturgies during the year such as the Advent Prayer service in December, and at
our Easter Vigil. The music sung at these Masses is more traditional; organ
based music, or Gregorian chant. Most of this music is sung in blended four
part harmonies. We are blessed to have all kinds and styles of Liturgical music
here at St. Francis!
To quote
what has been written in the bulletin several times: “The choirs lead the parish
in song during the Mass. It is not necessary to be able to read music, only to
be able to sing on pitch, blend with the group, and convey a sense of prayer
through song."
Friends,
if you are looking for a ministry in which to offer your time and talent, we ask
you to please prayerfully consider joining one our choirs. Sunday, August 29,
is Commitment Sunday when you will be able to sign up to volunteer in a ministry
to which you are called. You may contact Kevin Shelley, our music director, as
well. His information is in our parish bulletin. Singing is (dare I say it,
FUN) and good for the soul. But…after some thought and prayer you still feel
that being in one of our choirs over there in the corner is something outside
your comfort zone, please remember that you always belong to the much larger
choir right here before me called the congregation! So, sing out! God wants to
hear you, we want to hear you! Let us together make a joyful noise to our Lord
God, Creator, and Giver of all gifts and talents! Let us praise God TOGETHER in
word and song! Thank you for your time! God Bless!
Humberto y Sylvia Urrutia
Buenas Tardes,
Nosotros somos Humberto y Sylvia Urrutia. El dia de hoy queremos
comentarles nuestra experiencia de pertener a un ministerio de la Iglesia.
Nosotros decidimos participar en el MFC, y esperamos contestar a las
preguntas que algunos nos hacemos de como, cuando, donde y porque hacerlo.
Como?
Ustedes pueden elegir de todos los ministerios que hay en la Iglesia el que se
adecue a sus necesidades y expectativas de ayuda de cada quien. Ya sea
como catequista, en el MFC, ujier, ayudandado en los diferentes eventos ,
visitando a los enfermos, etc.
Cuando?
Siempre utlizamos de pretexto que no tenemos tiempo, pero cuando
realmente quiere hacer uno algo, buscamos el tiempo que necesitamos y Dios
siempre nos ayuda a encontrarlo. Tambien nos damos cuenta que luego
perdemos mucho tiempo sin hacer algun beneficio a alguien y preferimos ser
un poquito egoistas y nadamas dedicarnos a nosotros.
Donde?
Puede ser dentro de la Iglesia apoyando en la misa o en las diferentes clases
que se ofrecen. Tambien , si usted prefiere organizar, socializar o
donar su tiempo en la preparacion de diferentes actividades donde se necesita
creatividad y manualidad como Festividades Religiosas. A lo mejor le
gustaria reunirse con un grupo de familias y platicar de diferentes temas para
crecer tanto como individuo, en pareja y famila , pues puede
participar ya sea en el MFC o en los Encuentros Matrimoniales, etc. Ahora,
si usted es de la personas que realmente es muy ocupada y prefiere apoyar
economicamente, tambien se le agradecera ya que hay otras personas que no lo
pueden hacer de esa manera y mejor ayudan con tiempo o trabajo.
Porque?
Bueno, nosotros pensamos que siempre estamos pidiendole a Dios que nos ayude en
muchas cosas, pero nosotros no hacemos nada para ayudarlo a El. Somos muy
buenos para pedir cuando tenemos necesidad y a veces prometemos cosas que al
poco tiempo dejamos de cumplir o se nos olvida, como las promesas de cada
fin de ano. (Ejem: Ahora si voy a bajar de peso y en Enero el
gimnasio esta lleno y comforme pasan los meses perdemos el interes de nuestra
promesa). Por lo tanto , creemos que es una buena manera de ayudar a
alguien y a Dios participando en algun Ministerio Religioso.
Nosostros
escogimos el MFC porque Dios asi lo quiso, ya que nunca habiamos participado en
algun ministerio . En breve nuestra historia es que durante un tiempo le
pediamos a Dios cada vez que rezabamos ,que nos ayudara en una situacion dificil
en la que nos encontrabamos. Un dia nos dimos cuenta que siempre pediamos
pero no ofreciamos nada a cambio, entonces empezamos a pedirle a Dios que
tambien nos guiara a encontrar la oportunidad de ayudar a otros como El lo hace.
Un dia a la salida de la misa mi esposo me dijo que habia dado nuestros datos a
los del MFC que se encontraban haciendo promocion para poder participar. (Es el
dia que uno los ve a la salida y le corre ). Yo lo vi y le dije algo
molesta, pero si yo no tengo tiempo (pensando en que soy ama de casa, trabajo y
tenemos un hijo con sus respectivas actividades). Pero le conteste, O.K.
vamos a venir el dia de la junta pero no nos vamos a inscribir en nada. Se
llego el dia y la persona que se encontraba hablando en la junta de repente dijo
las mismas palabras que nosostros utilizabamos cuando le pediamos a Dios que nos
diera la oportunidad de ayudar otros. En ese momento pense, esto es lo que
tengo que hacer para cumplir con mi promesa. Cuando nos preguntaron si
ibamos a participar, yo dije SI y mi esposo me volteo a ver con cara de asombro
y despues cuando nos propusieron ser coordinadores tambien dije SI. Al
salir de la junta mi esposo y yo nos volteamos a ver y nos dijimos:
Te fijaste las palabras que dijo la persona. Humberto me pregunto, fue por
eso que te decidiste, verdad??? A lo que conteste asi es, Dios quiere que
ayudemos aqui. Y de verdad, esperamos de todo Corazon poder estar ayudando
a nuestras parejas asi como ellos tambien nos han ensenado mucho a nosotros.
Muchas gracias
por su tiempo y ojala muchos de ustedes tambien se decidan como nosotros.
Mallory
Zenthoefer
Hello
my name is Mallory Zenthoefer and I have been a member of this parish for around
ten years. Throughout my time here at St. Francis, I have matured in my faith
and become involved in various church ministries. I have been in the choir for
many years and last year became a youth leader. However, this past summer, I
was given the opportunity to go on the mission trip to Brownsville, Texas.
Although several people had suggested that I go on the trip before, I had never
wanted to commit to actually going. This was because I did not know what exactly
to expect of the trip. I feared that the work would be too difficult, the days
would be too long, and that the trip as a whole wouldn’t be very fun or
exciting. Regardless of what I felt, I knew it would be a good spiritual
experience for me and earn me plenty of service hours.
During
the trip our team was able to help and serve multiple families living in
impoverished conditions. We tore down walls, shingled roofs, and restored
ceilings -all things I previously could have never imagined myself doing. While
working, we encountered obstacles that seemed impossible to overcome. Every time
I wanted to quit or at least complain about the dilemma. But then I looked
around and realized that not a single other person had whined about their
problems the entire trip. I was surrounded by a group of people who loved God
and were driven to do His work no matter how difficult. These strong Catholics
worked to be examples for all who saw them and enabled others less fortunate
than themselves to live a better life. The second a problem would arise,
somebody would begin a prayer or would break out in a song before I was even
tempted to complain. Their attitudes kept my spirits up and their example
encouraged me to avoid complaining.
Even
though the mission trip team worked its fair share, we weren’t the only ones
serving. I recognized the appreciation and generosity of the community. Whether
it was making us meals or giving us a handmade rosary, their actions made me
realize I was working for a purpose and working for God. It amazed me to see how
a community that had so little could give so much. Their actions taught me to
appreciate every blessing from God no matter how big [small?] and to always be
giving in whatever way possible.
Although service was the primary focus of the trip, everyone was also given the
opportunity to deepen his or her faith. Mass was held each morning before
breakfast and every night the Catholic mission trip team gave talks about the
saints, prayer, scripture, and the Eucharist. At the end of the week we had a
surprise visit from Father Vincent who held adoration and confession. This time
allowed us think about the reasons and purpose behind our service. It also
forced me to take a close look at my spiritual life and see how I could grow.
Overall, from the beginning of the trip to the end, my outlook on the whole
experience changed drastically. I can honestly say that the trip was one of the
most rewarding experiences of my life. I learned not to take even the basic
necessities of life for granted and to always be thankful for what God has
blessed me with. And it was a trip that strengthened my faith and allowed me to
feel closer to God than I had in a long time. What it taught me most however was
the importance of giving back. God, by His grace, has given us all the gift of
salvation. And this is a gift we do not deserve because of our depraved fallen
nature as human beings and we certainly cannot earn it. Nevertheless, I found
there is still great importance in serving even though we cannot pay Him back.
I see service, above all else, as a way to thank God and as an opportunity to
share his grace with others. It amazes me to think that he has entrusted us to
bless others around the world with His grace. Because of this reason, I would
never hesitate to go on another mission trip.
I
would encourage all of you, especially the youth, to go on the mission trip next
year. But this is not the only service opportunity available. You only need to
get involved with a ministry that suits you and believe me when I say there is a
ministry for everybody. I speak from experience when I say that doing service
from your heart for God’s glory and the advancement of his kingdom will leave
you with no regrets.
I
personally no longer feel as I used to, sitting through mass and only going
through the motions. But being a good steward, like anything, takes time and
effort. Before, I used to be the first to say I was too busy or make up some
excuse why I couldn’t go to church or youth group, but now I have made God a
priority in my life and I knew no excuse would be good enough to blow off God.
And as Catholics, God should be the primary focus of our lives. So we need to
make time for God, both to give back to Him for all he has done for us and to
draw closer to Him. During the mission trip, the theme of the week was “Into
His presence and out to the world”. It is easy to listen to the words and
understand their meaning, but it is another to put them into action in our
everyday lives. God calls us all to do just that and we must respond or the
words become meaningless. Please don’t make excuses and put God on hold.
Instead, find a ministry you enjoy and get involved. |
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