Training Update.

Its good to be back, at least here online! This week i have an update and a video:

So it has been just over two weeks since i have been here in St.Paul Minesota/Camp (lake) Wapogasset - Wisconsin. it is 19:10pm here and 01:10am in London and i have just finished my first proper 'Non-obligation' day.

The past two weeks have been intense. Spirits have been really high. We have had many lectures, prayer sessions, praise and worship, recreational and sports activities, group exercises, driving trips, talent shows and most importantly Mass for breakfast every day. In amongst all of this we have worked through basic Catholic instruction with the progression of re-newing our baptismal vows, confimation 'descent of the Holy Spirit', and a public commitment promising obedience, chastity and poverty.

A considerable amount of time has been focused on building brotherhood and sisterhood with a refreshing Catholic oinmtment to soothe the sores of society's views of 'man-woman' relationships and renewing true values of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman and how we relate with one another. Amen.

I have grown really close to the lord over the past two weeks through personal prayer - visiting Jesus in the eucharist and speaking with him pretty much every day early in the morning and then receiving him 'Body, blood, soul and divinity' a few hours later in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Everytime i recieve him I say to him 'Thy will be Done' and hand him over, as an infant, to his mothers arms and then asker her to interceed for me. He has become the source of my conscience, my strength, my insight and every day i submit my will to his, and although i may fault he is always there to show me my fault and his will, be this through scripture, a passing comment of another, a homily, a talk, adoration or simply just a reflection of the day.

This past week has been one of the best weeks of my life. One night was actually the best night of my life, it was the summation of all the grace in my whole life- it made all other graces in my life make sense and was crowned with a midnight mass. But thats all about that i can say about that really :P ...

Anyway as if it could not get any better, the next day I was approached by one of the Supervisors 'Steve Villa' (please pray for him - he is discerning marriage) anyway steve pulled me aside and said some thing to the affect of:

"Dan i just want to affirm you on the fact that you are clearly a man of great faith... So much so that it has even caught the attention of the senior members of staff and we would like to offer you the position of Team Leader for one of the Nine teams that will be active over the next 8 months... Now we (the staff) have all been praying long and hard for this and we feel God is calling you to Lead a team for a parish in Hastings. This means that, if you accept, you will stay in one parish for that amount of time and minister to them only... they have about 400/500 youth in their parish but only 40 attend the church. Your team will be responisble for bringing the other 90% back. Now, we dont usually, in fact i think we have never sent an overseas person to the parish team, because we like them to see America, but given your particular skills and talents and the type of ministry it entials we would be thrilled to have you lead the Parish Team, so we just wanted to give you the option...."

Back up a second!!!

Now a few days before Steve approached me, the NET staff gave everyone (all 102) of us a form to complete with the options:

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What type of ministry do you want to do?

1.I am open to gods will.
2.I am open to gods will but i'd like to travel.
3.I am open to gods will but i'd like to be on the home team.
4.I am open to gods will but i'd like to be on the parish team.

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I chose the 1st option. If only for the fact that what ever is chosen I have complete confidence that it is the will of God especially as it would be coupled with the daily 'Thy will be done' during communion with the Trinity.

Now to answer Steves question, that also re-echos my previous blogs point of 'Gods will is always beyond our expectations'.

In fact when i first came to NET I wanted to travel and still do, its no secret that part of the reason I first was attracted to NET was for the Travelling. In reality though I dont know what will fufil me in life. Only God knows. Sure i can say 'Traveling will be so cool, i will get all this experience of different culture and I will see load of cool things' but what has that got to do with the will of God. Nothing. In fact the only way for me to have any clarity over 'what is the will of God?' is by submiting my will, completely giving up my desires, to allow his will to be in control. And if my initial desire was pure then his will will confirm that. As the quote from benedict says I must 'come out of myself' and allow God to step in.

So i replied to him 'Although i want to travel, i came to NET not to travel but to do the will of God. Whatever you discern to be the will of God through prayer I will follow.'

So My training for team leader starts tomorrow. In the future i will introduce you to my team, but for now i will leave you with this from my small group in lake wapogasset:

May God be praised in all things now and forever.

I hope to see you all soon with a new Blog... Deo Volente.