True North Missionaries Journal

For the past 2 Saturdays, I was able to visit two of Edmonton’s mission areas: Lloydminster and Red Deer/Ponoka/Lacombe (RDPL). These mission areas are my MV Assignment serving alongside a fellow MV. After 5 months of being MV, I finally received my mission assignment and this month has been a start of the real deal of MV life. I was already getting an inkling that this would be my service assignment after I led the RDPL camp earlier this year (with a fellow MV who’s also my current counterpart).

Why “Mission Zone?” These visits for the past two Saturdays really showed me the foretaste of what mission life is like. First challenge was that I didn’t have my counterpart to join me for the two events.

For last week’s RDPL visit, the event happened at the park since we couldn’t find a venue. And as the event progressed, it rained heavily (just as I started my talk). Eventually, I decided to stop my talk because the rain overpowered my voice, haha. Though it was cold, we were able to bond through singing to Liveloud songs and jamming to pop songs. Though my plan didn’t work, I still feel blessed because I feel like the youth got closer. We prayed together while hugging as one group. I knew then that building relationship is really MORE important in the progress of the area more so than my talks/sessions. Funny thing was my talk was going to be about comfort zones. The whole event was definitely not in my our comfort zones but The Lord never left us. As RDPL youth, we stayed and faced the coldness together. Instead of sadness, we prayed and rejoiced. We rose above the challenge.

For Lloyd, it was my first event there. I knew some of the youth because I was there last year at their first camp but I was still really nervous. The event also happened outdoors. My talk was about CFCYouth 101. Despite all bumps, I was really affirmed. After my talk, I tasked them to come up with ideas of what they want to see happening or how they want Lloyd to grow. While listening to them, it was affirming and blessing because even though I realize that there’s really more work to be done (since they are a fresh area) but the youth there are willing to grow. That’s what’s needed for His will to happen in Lloyd.

As I reflect on these events, “mission zone,” is really going out of my comfort zone. From coordinating events with CC’s, to asking other CFCYEDM youth to serve, preparing for a talk, and confirming things are just some of the things that I’m constantly learning and growing. I know there will be more challenges but I’m definitely excited to continue serving these mission areas. Though it’s uncomfortable, I know the Lord called my counterpart and I to reach out to the youth from these mission areas. As long as I continue to pray and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit,, I know that His plan for these mission areas will be fulfilled, one event at a time.

*Slight spoiler alert for the movie Inside Out*

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had someone like Joy who protected our “Core Memories” from becoming sad ones? A switchboard to help us navigate through our emotions, telling us how to act or react in an instant? Or maybe an army of emotions fighting every second of our lives to ensure that our family islands or goofball islands stayed strong and intact?

Oh but, wait, we do have all of that!

We’re sent people and opportunities in our life, along with prayers from all our angels and Saints to protect our “Core Memories”. We have the Bible and the teachings of our Church to guide us and help us navigate through our emotions and actions. And last but not least we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit loving us in every second while fighting to keep our islands afloat – family island, friends island, honesty island, virtue island, purity island, personality island, phases of life island, etc.

The movie, in all its great simplicity, is a good starter to show kids how important all our emotions are, including sadness or anger, but that’s just the beginning. You see Riley develop the first emotion of Joy, then as she grows up there are new emotions that pop up until you have Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear. The thing is, there are many more that we develop over time and it’s a constant juggling act to figure out what they all are and what they all mean.

I like to think, in a certain way, that the “Core Memories” of Jesus can be found in the Mysteries of the Rosary. Similar to the end of the movie, we learn that these core memories aren’t meant to be Joy 100% of the time. In reality, they’re a mixed bag – like Joy, Sorrow, Light, and Glory. They make up who we are, and if we’re made in the image and likeness of God, then it’s expected that our “Core Memories” have spots of sorrow, light, and glory. That little piece of insight provides me great consolation; knowing that this journey is truly a journey, one that is not perfect, one that we can fight to remain joyful in to the best of our ability, but ultimately one that points to His journey and His mercy.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
[Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]

 

It’s frustrating when you don’t get what you want, or what you think you need, deserve, or are entitled to. I feel that we live in a society these days where we’re all a little too entitled – entitled to say what we want, entitled to do what we want, entitled to own what we want, entitled to believe what we want.

It takes a slice of humble pie each day for me to be reminded that when we “lose” our way to His way, there is no losing. There’s no one else I’d rather “lose” to than God. Wouldn’t you agree? Because if that were always the case, in the end, we all ultimately win. The art of “losing” to Christ is actually beautiful in that, what we may initially see as “losing” is just part of the journey to victory, which He’s already won. Our “loss” will always point towards His victory, His mercy, and His love for us.

My daily challenge when something doesn’t go my way is to think, God’s way is better – always has been, always will be, forever.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. [Romans 12:2]

“and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”

– Galatians 2:20 (NRSV)

Favourite bible verse hands down. I’m a very strong advocate of complete surrender. Surrendering yourself to the point where it’s really not just you that exists, but there is a whole other being that is dwelling within in you. That state of surrender humbles you, transforms you, and ascends you to become a greater version of yourself. Now think about if you were to do that daily. Absolutely nuts. The Lord asks us of that every day anyways, yet we have our doubts, insecurities and fears hold us back from being a part of that great ascension. It all always comes back to that fundamental idea of surrender, and when we allow ourselves to do so, we are no longer human; we are more refined, endowed with the supernatural with the natural as our foundation.

At the movie theatre, a good friend of mine together with her family happened to be there. My eyes were drawn to her Dad and so after I said hi to everyone, I patted him on the back and said, “I’m so happy to see you po.” He just smiled and didn’t say anything. The Mom smiled at me and said, it’s almost a year already.

Almost a year ago we visited him at the hospital. He had a knee surgery and had complications. It got worst. The heart and lungs were affected. When we came to visit, he had tubes in his nose, neck and mouth and had other stuff in his body, arms and legs. To see someone in that condition I felt I was in pain too. The heart was too weak. He couldn’t breathe on his own.

We stayed in his room for a while and prayed over him. I left in that room full of hope God will use the doctors and nurses to heal him.

Seeing him at the movie theatre, laughing with us, breathing on his own and waiting outside the auditorium to watch a movie, I felt the presence of the Lord. The Creator.

Thank you Heavenly Father for the air we breathe.
Thank you for waking us up every single day to experience life.