Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Please, please take the time to watch this video. It is incredibly inspiring, and thought provoking and totally worth your while. Once you watch it spread it around, it is a great message.
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
WYD Trip Part 4- Madrid, Spain
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is the last post in my World Youth Day post series. It's taken me long enough, but forgive me, I have been absurdly busy lately. Thank you Jesus for weekends! Anyhow, now for my WYD trip conclusion post... (drumroll please)
August 19th 2011
Madrid
This will be brief, I don't have much time. Today was blessed. Left Rome at 6:30, missed bus, took cab, flew to Madrid, arrived at Colegios Bosque. We went to way of the cross with the Pope! Ran into Steven from ECHO, that was crazy. We missed adoration, came home and had an awesome prayer. The Pope's address was sooo beautiful and inspiring! God blessed by him, it was Hollis' birthday.
-Alyse
So, that was basically a key word outline of my day, now to expound. We did leave from Rome at 6:30 and manage to miss our bus, non-refundable of course, and had to take cabs. It was funny to see how some of the people who hadn't ever ridden in cabs were excited about it, until the insane Italian cab drivers almost killed us all (not really but it felt like it). By the grace of God we made our flight to Madrid. We walked to the school that received us and got settled into the gym, the guys slept outside. Then we went out amongst the millions of people to the stations of the cross. Every station, the cross was carried by a group of people that the station related to, it was really beautiful. We were all blessed by the Pope after an amazingly inspiring address that I only wish I could remember. My beautiful friend Hollis received her first Papal blessing that day on her birthday, it was super cool. Then we went to the English speaking building for WYD, planned to go to adoration after going to supper, and then missed adoration. It was disappointing, but God really looked out for us. Also, crazy side note, Hollis and I ran into Steven who we had met at T.O.B camp this summer. Steven is from South Africa, was in Louisiana for a little while, and was at WYD with some of his South African buddies. It is truly a small world. That night we went back to the school and had a really blessed prayer time under the glorious blanket of stars and realized, "Guys we just saw the Pope!" it was a pretty epic day.
August 21st 2011
Flight Madrid to London
Yesterday was so blessed! We walked to the WYD field after leaving our school accommodations. It was insane to see how many people were there! More than the eye could see in every direction, they estimated between 1.5 and 2 million people! It was such a blessing to see so many Catholics in one spot. We ate lunch, and then walked around. We me Mexicans, Italians, Americans, Canadians, and Irish people. I was able to go to confession in one of the chapel tents. The Pope arrived and it began to storm! Wind was blowing and it was raining. He had to pause in his address to let it pass. During the pause, the chapel/canopy tent thing collapsed, with the babies and moms of our group inside. Only by the grace of God were they not injured. We had to leave that night, because we would miss our flight today if we didn't. We did stay for the Pope's address, benediction, and adoration. It was so blessed to be a part of the multitude. As I prayed the Our Father and said "Thy kingdom come" I felt that WYD was a foreshadowing of heaven. We are His kingdom! We spent the night in the airport, went to mass there, and are now headed to London. Praise God for His faithfulness!
-Alyse
WYD was really such an amazing blessing. I really felt that I was in God's kingdom. I always hear how we are His church, but I have never had such a clear image before that. That crazy night, when there was an extreme storm and the Pope's hat flew off (pretty awesome) the tent collapsed. I say tent, but it was more of a temporary building, the same that I had gone to confession in earlier. About two hundred people had gathered inside to stay dry from the rain, including my aunts and cousins. When it started to sway the people left, including my aunts, they say that they saw a metal beam fall on the place they had been sitting only seconds after they walked out. God really protected them. My Uncle John Paul was afraid that his family had been killed, this experience was a really profound one for our whole group. It seemed sad at the time to miss mass, but we had to leave for the babies, since they had no shelter now. We left and the next day found out that mass didn't have communion or electricity anyway, no one there received Jesus or heard the Pope's homily. Even though it was sad, God was looking out for us. We were able to go to mass in the airport with a little priest that made me think of Saints. Then, we caught a flight to London where we enjoyed each other's company before a many-hour-long plane ride. It was a life changing two days.
August 23rd 2011
Home- Wrap Up
To sum up our trip, we arrived in London at Gatwick and went to Heathrow, where we stayed the night. That night we all shared the ways that we were touched on the trip, it was so blessed. It was so wonderful to see the unique ways that God impacted each of us. I realized just how blessed I was to be around such an amazing group of people. The next morning we flew to Houston and were greeted at the airport. I knew that the 27 people that stepped off of that plane were not the same as the people who stepped on 15 days before. God had impacted us so much, and we all were changed. Even if it wasn't something super noticeable, it was profound, lasting, and unique in each one of us. God's promise was fulfilled, "Where two or more are gathered in my name", we gathered and he came. I arrived home with Anika and we shared our experience with our family. Summing it up for them made me realize just how full and blessed it was. I can honestly say it was one of the most blessed seasons of my life. The knowledge, growth, truth, sacrifice, and divine love that I was able to partake in still amazes me. It was all so big that it was/is hard to grasp. I do know that God is good, he showed up, and we lived with and for Him. Praise God!
-Alyse
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
This is the last post in my World Youth Day post series. It's taken me long enough, but forgive me, I have been absurdly busy lately. Thank you Jesus for weekends! Anyhow, now for my WYD trip conclusion post... (drumroll please)
August 19th 2011
Madrid
This will be brief, I don't have much time. Today was blessed. Left Rome at 6:30, missed bus, took cab, flew to Madrid, arrived at Colegios Bosque. We went to way of the cross with the Pope! Ran into Steven from ECHO, that was crazy. We missed adoration, came home and had an awesome prayer. The Pope's address was sooo beautiful and inspiring! God blessed by him, it was Hollis' birthday.
-Alyse
So, that was basically a key word outline of my day, now to expound. We did leave from Rome at 6:30 and manage to miss our bus, non-refundable of course, and had to take cabs. It was funny to see how some of the people who hadn't ever ridden in cabs were excited about it, until the insane Italian cab drivers almost killed us all (not really but it felt like it). By the grace of God we made our flight to Madrid. We walked to the school that received us and got settled into the gym, the guys slept outside. Then we went out amongst the millions of people to the stations of the cross. Every station, the cross was carried by a group of people that the station related to, it was really beautiful. We were all blessed by the Pope after an amazingly inspiring address that I only wish I could remember. My beautiful friend Hollis received her first Papal blessing that day on her birthday, it was super cool. Then we went to the English speaking building for WYD, planned to go to adoration after going to supper, and then missed adoration. It was disappointing, but God really looked out for us. Also, crazy side note, Hollis and I ran into Steven who we had met at T.O.B camp this summer. Steven is from South Africa, was in Louisiana for a little while, and was at WYD with some of his South African buddies. It is truly a small world. That night we went back to the school and had a really blessed prayer time under the glorious blanket of stars and realized, "Guys we just saw the Pope!" it was a pretty epic day.
August 21st 2011
Flight Madrid to London
Yesterday was so blessed! We walked to the WYD field after leaving our school accommodations. It was insane to see how many people were there! More than the eye could see in every direction, they estimated between 1.5 and 2 million people! It was such a blessing to see so many Catholics in one spot. We ate lunch, and then walked around. We me Mexicans, Italians, Americans, Canadians, and Irish people. I was able to go to confession in one of the chapel tents. The Pope arrived and it began to storm! Wind was blowing and it was raining. He had to pause in his address to let it pass. During the pause, the chapel/canopy tent thing collapsed, with the babies and moms of our group inside. Only by the grace of God were they not injured. We had to leave that night, because we would miss our flight today if we didn't. We did stay for the Pope's address, benediction, and adoration. It was so blessed to be a part of the multitude. As I prayed the Our Father and said "Thy kingdom come" I felt that WYD was a foreshadowing of heaven. We are His kingdom! We spent the night in the airport, went to mass there, and are now headed to London. Praise God for His faithfulness!
-Alyse
WYD was really such an amazing blessing. I really felt that I was in God's kingdom. I always hear how we are His church, but I have never had such a clear image before that. That crazy night, when there was an extreme storm and the Pope's hat flew off (pretty awesome) the tent collapsed. I say tent, but it was more of a temporary building, the same that I had gone to confession in earlier. About two hundred people had gathered inside to stay dry from the rain, including my aunts and cousins. When it started to sway the people left, including my aunts, they say that they saw a metal beam fall on the place they had been sitting only seconds after they walked out. God really protected them. My Uncle John Paul was afraid that his family had been killed, this experience was a really profound one for our whole group. It seemed sad at the time to miss mass, but we had to leave for the babies, since they had no shelter now. We left and the next day found out that mass didn't have communion or electricity anyway, no one there received Jesus or heard the Pope's homily. Even though it was sad, God was looking out for us. We were able to go to mass in the airport with a little priest that made me think of Saints. Then, we caught a flight to London where we enjoyed each other's company before a many-hour-long plane ride. It was a life changing two days.
August 23rd 2011
Home- Wrap Up
To sum up our trip, we arrived in London at Gatwick and went to Heathrow, where we stayed the night. That night we all shared the ways that we were touched on the trip, it was so blessed. It was so wonderful to see the unique ways that God impacted each of us. I realized just how blessed I was to be around such an amazing group of people. The next morning we flew to Houston and were greeted at the airport. I knew that the 27 people that stepped off of that plane were not the same as the people who stepped on 15 days before. God had impacted us so much, and we all were changed. Even if it wasn't something super noticeable, it was profound, lasting, and unique in each one of us. God's promise was fulfilled, "Where two or more are gathered in my name", we gathered and he came. I arrived home with Anika and we shared our experience with our family. Summing it up for them made me realize just how full and blessed it was. I can honestly say it was one of the most blessed seasons of my life. The knowledge, growth, truth, sacrifice, and divine love that I was able to partake in still amazes me. It was all so big that it was/is hard to grasp. I do know that God is good, he showed up, and we lived with and for Him. Praise God!
-Alyse
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Sunday, September 25, 2011
WYD Trip- Part 3 Rome, Italy
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have been so busy lately it has taken me a while to finish this post series, but I am still trying and this is my third shot at sharing about my wonderful, life changing experience at World Youth Day a little over a month ago. This post will cover my visit in Rome, la cita eterna (the eternal city)!
August 15th 2011
Rome
We've been traveling all day long. We had mass in Cordoba and said goodbye to our families. Everyone was crying, it was a total God moment. We took a bus to Madrid, said a rosary in the airport, and flew to Rome. Then we caught a bus, to a metro, to a bus, to walk to our "Peter Pan" hostel. God has really been with us in our travel.
-Alyse
Let me pause for a second to let you know that my dad is a professional tour guide that lives in Rome with Simona, my step mom, Livia, my little sister, and Bea my little step sister. (This post might be confusing without knowing that)
August 16th 2011
Rome
Today was a super blessed and full day. We saw so much of Rome! My dad gave us all a super full tour, it saved us thousands of dollars today alone. He has been so generous to us, it is such a blessing. We saw Piazza del Popolo, a really fancy street, the Trevi fountain, the church with Bernini's angels, the "Spanish" steps, the Sistine bridge, the Pantheon, the Piazza de Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Mamertine prison, the Roman Forum, and the big white building with the horse, also the square designed by Michelangelo, and the ruins that are a cat sanctuary. It was so awesome! Dad paid for the whole group to get gelato, I actually ate gelato twice today. We went shopping for free time. Today has been such a blessing! Praise God.
-Alyse
Just a commercial break, my dad who is a wonderfully generous person is also a wonderful tour guide. (No you couldn't go for free, unless you're his family) but if you are going to Rome it is worth looking into my dad's tour company to enlighten your visit. If you plan to go to Rome soon, check out www.walksofitaly.com . Thanks ;)
August 17th 2011
Rome
We had another full day today. We saw the Vatican museums, St. Peter's basilica, St. Peter's square, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and maybe the oldest Catholic church in the world. Livia came with us today! It was such a blessing to see her. It was such a blessing to be where Christ's disciples lived and dies. I was so inspired. I also saw Pope John Paul the second's grave, that was so cool! God has been blessing us so much, it's crazy. Rome has so much rich church history.
-Alyse-
August 18th 2011
Rome
Today was such a blessing! We saw the basilica of St. Paul, Sta. Maria Magiore, Sn. Juan Lattero, St. Peter's, and we climbed the steps Christ climbed. It was really such a blessed day. St. Paul's was my favorite, it was so gorgeous! Mary's church was beautiful too, and I could feel her smiling down on us. I was able to climb the steps that Christ climbed on my knees, it was a wonderful opportunity for prayer. We, well five of us, were able to catch mass at St. Peter's. It was so wonderful! While we were there, I got so excited at the thought of seeing all of the Saints, who we venerate, in heaven! I am so excited at that coming soon. It was so nice to spend the day with Livia, she is so big now, and it was a blessing to see her. I will miss her so much. Being in Rome reminded me of the majesty of the universal church, and made me realize how small we are compared to God. Well it's late now, I'll write later.
-Alyse
Being in Rome was really such a blessing, that last day especially. At St. Paul's I was able to see the chains that held St. Paul while he was in Rome. It is amazing to see the links of our church and a tangible piece of history. We aren't composed of a recent group of people who had a neat idea to do something cool, our history is built on the blood of martyrs who died for the church and for love of Christ Jesus who they knew was God. There is so much history held in Rome. It seems like most buildings are older than the United States. Another cool thing about Rome was to see an image of Mary and Jesus on almost every corner, even if the city itself is not religious, it is built on religion and love of the church. Being in Rome made me appreciate my church and it's real history so much, that visit will be one I will always hold close in my heart.
Peace and love in Christ Jesus,
Alyse
I have been so busy lately it has taken me a while to finish this post series, but I am still trying and this is my third shot at sharing about my wonderful, life changing experience at World Youth Day a little over a month ago. This post will cover my visit in Rome, la cita eterna (the eternal city)!
August 15th 2011
Rome
We've been traveling all day long. We had mass in Cordoba and said goodbye to our families. Everyone was crying, it was a total God moment. We took a bus to Madrid, said a rosary in the airport, and flew to Rome. Then we caught a bus, to a metro, to a bus, to walk to our "Peter Pan" hostel. God has really been with us in our travel.
-Alyse
Let me pause for a second to let you know that my dad is a professional tour guide that lives in Rome with Simona, my step mom, Livia, my little sister, and Bea my little step sister. (This post might be confusing without knowing that)
August 16th 2011
Rome
Today was a super blessed and full day. We saw so much of Rome! My dad gave us all a super full tour, it saved us thousands of dollars today alone. He has been so generous to us, it is such a blessing. We saw Piazza del Popolo, a really fancy street, the Trevi fountain, the church with Bernini's angels, the "Spanish" steps, the Sistine bridge, the Pantheon, the Piazza de Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Mamertine prison, the Roman Forum, and the big white building with the horse, also the square designed by Michelangelo, and the ruins that are a cat sanctuary. It was so awesome! Dad paid for the whole group to get gelato, I actually ate gelato twice today. We went shopping for free time. Today has been such a blessing! Praise God.
-Alyse
Just a commercial break, my dad who is a wonderfully generous person is also a wonderful tour guide. (No you couldn't go for free, unless you're his family) but if you are going to Rome it is worth looking into my dad's tour company to enlighten your visit. If you plan to go to Rome soon, check out www.walksofitaly.com . Thanks ;)
August 17th 2011
Rome
We had another full day today. We saw the Vatican museums, St. Peter's basilica, St. Peter's square, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and maybe the oldest Catholic church in the world. Livia came with us today! It was such a blessing to see her. It was such a blessing to be where Christ's disciples lived and dies. I was so inspired. I also saw Pope John Paul the second's grave, that was so cool! God has been blessing us so much, it's crazy. Rome has so much rich church history.
-Alyse-
August 18th 2011
Rome
Today was such a blessing! We saw the basilica of St. Paul, Sta. Maria Magiore, Sn. Juan Lattero, St. Peter's, and we climbed the steps Christ climbed. It was really such a blessed day. St. Paul's was my favorite, it was so gorgeous! Mary's church was beautiful too, and I could feel her smiling down on us. I was able to climb the steps that Christ climbed on my knees, it was a wonderful opportunity for prayer. We, well five of us, were able to catch mass at St. Peter's. It was so wonderful! While we were there, I got so excited at the thought of seeing all of the Saints, who we venerate, in heaven! I am so excited at that coming soon. It was so nice to spend the day with Livia, she is so big now, and it was a blessing to see her. I will miss her so much. Being in Rome reminded me of the majesty of the universal church, and made me realize how small we are compared to God. Well it's late now, I'll write later.
-Alyse
Being in Rome was really such a blessing, that last day especially. At St. Paul's I was able to see the chains that held St. Paul while he was in Rome. It is amazing to see the links of our church and a tangible piece of history. We aren't composed of a recent group of people who had a neat idea to do something cool, our history is built on the blood of martyrs who died for the church and for love of Christ Jesus who they knew was God. There is so much history held in Rome. It seems like most buildings are older than the United States. Another cool thing about Rome was to see an image of Mary and Jesus on almost every corner, even if the city itself is not religious, it is built on religion and love of the church. Being in Rome made me appreciate my church and it's real history so much, that visit will be one I will always hold close in my heart.
Peace and love in Christ Jesus,
Alyse
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
World Youth Day Trip Part 2- Cordoba, Spain
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to post this next part, I have been so incredibly busy/blessed this past week or so. Anyhow, here is for the next part of my trip. After we left London we headed for Cordoba, Spain, a city where I lived back in 2008. This is my journal entry from my first day there.
August 11th 2011 Cordoba
So after a day of frantic running, endless mishaps, and "that was so close"s God got us through. We were greeted in Cordoba by the parish of Sta. Beatriz de Silva. Our host family, the Morales family, was so hospitable! They made Amelie and I feel right at home. We received Christ's body at mass and had a big supper afterwards. It was so much fun! Our family is the greatest. God is sooooo good!
-Alyse
That was my first night in the parish in Spain, one that I had never been to while I had lived in Cordoba. Our group was split up, I was with Amelie, and we stayed with separate families (no family was crazy enough to accept 27 of us (-: ). My next journal entry is two days later...
August 13th 2011 Cordoba Yesterday, since I didn't write, we walked through Jewish Cordoba and had a tour of the Cathedral. We were allowed into the "Spanish Sistine Chapel" to pray and sing. The tour was such a blessing! We saw a place where a martyr carved a cross into the pillar with his finger nail. After, we came home, ate, swam, napped, and went to a get together that was a lot of fun. We stayed up till almost two talking with Luisa and Cristina. It was a great day. Today we saw an ancient hermitage at the top of a mountain. It was sooo, breathtakingly gorgeous! It was amazing to see the way those men lived. We celebrated mass and it was such a total blessing! I am going to swim again today, which will be so refreshing.
-Alyse
As you probably noticed I really enjoyed my family's pool... As mild as the weather was compared to most of the time (Cordoba is one of Spain's hottest cities) it was still nice to take a swim, especially in a non-air-conditioned country like those in Europe.
August 14th 2011 Cordoba, Spain Today has been such a blessed day. Today we went to mass, with the other pilgrims in Cordoba, at the Cathedral. It was so cool to see us united by the mass, I think it was a beautiful foreshadowing of WYD. Afterwards we shopped, I got a fan and a bunch of candy. We came back home, ate lunch, showered, and napped. We went to adoration after and there was confession. God is so good! After that, we had another BIG community meal with sharing afterwards. Almost everybody was in tears as we shared how God blessed us. It's crazy to think this is my last night here. My "mom", Luisa, shared afterwards that she loved having us, and that our faith inspired her. It blessed me to see a change in Cristina, I felt her love of our faith in her attitude. I wish I could better express to my new family how much they have blessed me. Being with them made me less home sick. God really does have a universal church, family, and I felt it here. When I lived here it was a tough time for my family and now I was able to enjoy the city for what it is. I know how much God loves us, His church on Earth, and this experience confirmed it. Now I will write for last night, because it was SO cool and I didn't get a chance to write. We went to the church I used to attend, and gathered with the other pilgrims here. There were people from the U.S, Spain, France, Canada, Iraq, and even more. We had demonstrations from the different countries. Spain put on a play of the life of St. John the baptist, and then it was our turn. We showed them Cajun dancing, I danced, it was so much fun! Then we sang a song all together. As I sang I felt God's presence so strongly. There I was, in Spain, on stage in front of a whole bunch of youth, singing to my God, the God of the universe! It was so, so, so beautiful. We had an encore and sang "Rise Up" which was awesome. After, I was Sara and said hi. Then, Amelie and I, and our family, went out to eat and for ice cream. It was a blessed day. I could write for hours, but it's late now.
-Alyse
Spain really was so blessed, and the night where we sang on stage was an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. I still miss the family I met and made in Spain, and it shows me how much people can be united through Christ and love of Him. The next portion of my trip is coming up, hopefully soon, God bless!
Peace and love in Christ, Alyse
I am sorry it has taken me so long to post this next part, I have been so incredibly busy/blessed this past week or so. Anyhow, here is for the next part of my trip. After we left London we headed for Cordoba, Spain, a city where I lived back in 2008. This is my journal entry from my first day there.
August 11th 2011 Cordoba
So after a day of frantic running, endless mishaps, and "that was so close"s God got us through. We were greeted in Cordoba by the parish of Sta. Beatriz de Silva. Our host family, the Morales family, was so hospitable! They made Amelie and I feel right at home. We received Christ's body at mass and had a big supper afterwards. It was so much fun! Our family is the greatest. God is sooooo good!
-Alyse
That was my first night in the parish in Spain, one that I had never been to while I had lived in Cordoba. Our group was split up, I was with Amelie, and we stayed with separate families (no family was crazy enough to accept 27 of us (-: ). My next journal entry is two days later...
August 13th 2011 Cordoba Yesterday, since I didn't write, we walked through Jewish Cordoba and had a tour of the Cathedral. We were allowed into the "Spanish Sistine Chapel" to pray and sing. The tour was such a blessing! We saw a place where a martyr carved a cross into the pillar with his finger nail. After, we came home, ate, swam, napped, and went to a get together that was a lot of fun. We stayed up till almost two talking with Luisa and Cristina. It was a great day. Today we saw an ancient hermitage at the top of a mountain. It was sooo, breathtakingly gorgeous! It was amazing to see the way those men lived. We celebrated mass and it was such a total blessing! I am going to swim again today, which will be so refreshing.
-Alyse
As you probably noticed I really enjoyed my family's pool... As mild as the weather was compared to most of the time (Cordoba is one of Spain's hottest cities) it was still nice to take a swim, especially in a non-air-conditioned country like those in Europe.
August 14th 2011 Cordoba, Spain Today has been such a blessed day. Today we went to mass, with the other pilgrims in Cordoba, at the Cathedral. It was so cool to see us united by the mass, I think it was a beautiful foreshadowing of WYD. Afterwards we shopped, I got a fan and a bunch of candy. We came back home, ate lunch, showered, and napped. We went to adoration after and there was confession. God is so good! After that, we had another BIG community meal with sharing afterwards. Almost everybody was in tears as we shared how God blessed us. It's crazy to think this is my last night here. My "mom", Luisa, shared afterwards that she loved having us, and that our faith inspired her. It blessed me to see a change in Cristina, I felt her love of our faith in her attitude. I wish I could better express to my new family how much they have blessed me. Being with them made me less home sick. God really does have a universal church, family, and I felt it here. When I lived here it was a tough time for my family and now I was able to enjoy the city for what it is. I know how much God loves us, His church on Earth, and this experience confirmed it. Now I will write for last night, because it was SO cool and I didn't get a chance to write. We went to the church I used to attend, and gathered with the other pilgrims here. There were people from the U.S, Spain, France, Canada, Iraq, and even more. We had demonstrations from the different countries. Spain put on a play of the life of St. John the baptist, and then it was our turn. We showed them Cajun dancing, I danced, it was so much fun! Then we sang a song all together. As I sang I felt God's presence so strongly. There I was, in Spain, on stage in front of a whole bunch of youth, singing to my God, the God of the universe! It was so, so, so beautiful. We had an encore and sang "Rise Up" which was awesome. After, I was Sara and said hi. Then, Amelie and I, and our family, went out to eat and for ice cream. It was a blessed day. I could write for hours, but it's late now.
-Alyse
Spain really was so blessed, and the night where we sang on stage was an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. I still miss the family I met and made in Spain, and it shows me how much people can be united through Christ and love of Him. The next portion of my trip is coming up, hopefully soon, God bless!
Peace and love in Christ, Alyse
Friday, August 26, 2011
WYD Trip Part 1- London
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
I gor back from my two week world youth day Madrid trip four days ago. Since I have been getting over jet-lag, and been getting ready for my new school, I haven't had the chance to post about it yet. The trip, which began in Houston with 27 people, including 2 infants, started off on the eight of this month. When I arrived at the airport and saw the group of people I thought, "This is such a random assortment of people, I wonder how Uncle John Paul found them all." I later realized that God was the one who put us together, and His plan for us was above and beyond all that I could possibly imagine.
Starting off I had no real idea of what to expect the next two weeks, I decided to keep it that way. I figured I didn't want to have expectations in case they were not fulfilled, although God would have rocked my world anyway. So, arriving at the airport was exciting. I could already tell this trip would be un-ordinary. And it was.
We arrived in London on the 9th of August at 6:30 in the morning. The plane ride had been uneventful, and I managed to squeeze some sleep in. Now I will share my journal entry from that day.
August 9th 2011
WYD trip- London
Today has been so blessed! We arrived in London safely and came to St. Patrick's where I stayed a few years back. We saw Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. We have had blessing upon blessing bestowed upon us all day. God is so good! I am so thankful that God sent me here. Before confession and mass I really heard God saying to me that I was chosen to be here. That it is His will! That knowledge is so comforting, and challenging. I am excited to see what God has in store!
To clarify, St. Patrick's is a church with a missionary evangelization program where my family and I stayed on the way back from living in Spain in 2008. At the church I ran into a woman who I had met those years back, it is funny to see that way that God runs people into each other again. The church had changed a lot, but we stayed in an older room up on the top floor. The girls all slept on the ground with the London air, coming straight from outside, surrounding us. It was so awesome to see the way that the people responded to the suffering that God blessed us with. Now for my next journal entry...
August 11th 2011
On bus in route to Cordoba, Spain
Yesterday, since I didn't write then, was such a blessing. We focused on seeing what there was to see in London, since it was our last day. We saw St. James park and palace, the marble arch, Buckingham palace, Westminster Abby, Parliament, Big Ben, the tower of London, tower bridge, and the Catholic cathedral. It was such a full day! We chose not to pay to enter Westminster Abby. It was insane to see how long the line was. It made me cry not to see anyone at the Catholic church. "How sad it must be for Christ," I thought, "for no one to see His house." "No," He said to me, "I am sad because they don't know." I cried again. If only the world knew that our savior, the One, lived in Catholic churches. That all what they were looking for sat in the tabernacle waiting eagerly for people to see. How beautiful is salvation! How beautiful is the truth! Christ is dying for people to know HIm, and most don't respond. Our day started with adoration, and ended with cleaning St. Patrick's, where we stayed. We slept till 3:00 a.m. to start off today, a crazy day of travels. It led me here , to this bus, waiting to arrive in Cordoba, but I'll write about that later.
-Alyse
Well that concludes the London portion of my travels, I will post the rest later!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I gor back from my two week world youth day Madrid trip four days ago. Since I have been getting over jet-lag, and been getting ready for my new school, I haven't had the chance to post about it yet. The trip, which began in Houston with 27 people, including 2 infants, started off on the eight of this month. When I arrived at the airport and saw the group of people I thought, "This is such a random assortment of people, I wonder how Uncle John Paul found them all." I later realized that God was the one who put us together, and His plan for us was above and beyond all that I could possibly imagine.
Starting off I had no real idea of what to expect the next two weeks, I decided to keep it that way. I figured I didn't want to have expectations in case they were not fulfilled, although God would have rocked my world anyway. So, arriving at the airport was exciting. I could already tell this trip would be un-ordinary. And it was.
We arrived in London on the 9th of August at 6:30 in the morning. The plane ride had been uneventful, and I managed to squeeze some sleep in. Now I will share my journal entry from that day.
August 9th 2011
WYD trip- London
Today has been so blessed! We arrived in London safely and came to St. Patrick's where I stayed a few years back. We saw Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. We have had blessing upon blessing bestowed upon us all day. God is so good! I am so thankful that God sent me here. Before confession and mass I really heard God saying to me that I was chosen to be here. That it is His will! That knowledge is so comforting, and challenging. I am excited to see what God has in store!
To clarify, St. Patrick's is a church with a missionary evangelization program where my family and I stayed on the way back from living in Spain in 2008. At the church I ran into a woman who I had met those years back, it is funny to see that way that God runs people into each other again. The church had changed a lot, but we stayed in an older room up on the top floor. The girls all slept on the ground with the London air, coming straight from outside, surrounding us. It was so awesome to see the way that the people responded to the suffering that God blessed us with. Now for my next journal entry...
August 11th 2011
On bus in route to Cordoba, Spain
Yesterday, since I didn't write then, was such a blessing. We focused on seeing what there was to see in London, since it was our last day. We saw St. James park and palace, the marble arch, Buckingham palace, Westminster Abby, Parliament, Big Ben, the tower of London, tower bridge, and the Catholic cathedral. It was such a full day! We chose not to pay to enter Westminster Abby. It was insane to see how long the line was. It made me cry not to see anyone at the Catholic church. "How sad it must be for Christ," I thought, "for no one to see His house." "No," He said to me, "I am sad because they don't know." I cried again. If only the world knew that our savior, the One, lived in Catholic churches. That all what they were looking for sat in the tabernacle waiting eagerly for people to see. How beautiful is salvation! How beautiful is the truth! Christ is dying for people to know HIm, and most don't respond. Our day started with adoration, and ended with cleaning St. Patrick's, where we stayed. We slept till 3:00 a.m. to start off today, a crazy day of travels. It led me here , to this bus, waiting to arrive in Cordoba, but I'll write about that later.
-Alyse
Well that concludes the London portion of my travels, I will post the rest later!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Sunday, August 7, 2011
WYD Madrid Trip
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I know I have posted about my world youth day trip in the past, well now it's the present! I will be leaving for London, Spain, and Italy tomorrow morning. I am just posting to ask you to pray for me and my entire group while I am gone. We will be on a two week trip, during this time we will stay in houses, hostels, churches and a mix of other accommodations. We are all packed in back packs and are taking this as a pilgrimage and mission trip. It will be great, exciting, fun and new, but mostly it is about CHRIST, who is the reason! I am already excited about posting about the trip when I return. I will pray for you all in Europe!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I know I have posted about my world youth day trip in the past, well now it's the present! I will be leaving for London, Spain, and Italy tomorrow morning. I am just posting to ask you to pray for me and my entire group while I am gone. We will be on a two week trip, during this time we will stay in houses, hostels, churches and a mix of other accommodations. We are all packed in back packs and are taking this as a pilgrimage and mission trip. It will be great, exciting, fun and new, but mostly it is about CHRIST, who is the reason! I am already excited about posting about the trip when I return. I will pray for you all in Europe!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
In This World, Not Of It
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
One thing that has constantly been pressing on my heart since Faith Camp, and forever really, is the title of this blog post. "Living in this world and not of it" is one of the hardest things on earth to accomplish, right next to martyrdom and plucking your eyes out for the gospel. The Bible verse that best describes this is, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
It is almost like asking a sponge, completely submerged in water, to not get wet. It is IMPOSSIBLE... without God. Alyse will fail every single time if she tries, Alyse with God's help will not. Do not be conformed to this world! Do not sell into what the world tells you is good and acceptable and perfect! Only by following what God's will is, is when we find the goodness that he has for us. If you take one minute and watch television, or read a magazine, or listen to secular music, one minute and you will find that the world is full of lies. Every single day we are fed the lie that you need x,y, and z to be happy. You need clothes, cars, electronics, a snazzy house, and money to be find fulfillment. If only you get the right job that lets you "make a mark on society" and gives you a good, steady income, then you have found goodness in life. This is so contrary to what God says! God says, "Sell all that you have, give alms to the poor, and go and proclaim the gospel", that is what GOD says. The media says, "Buy this, do that, act like this, work here, serve yourself and you will be happy." And after a long day of listening to that being fed to you from every direction, you are supposed to not be conformed to this world? The answer is yes. It is so hard! How do we do it? Good news guys, scripture tells us how!
"But be transformed by the renewing of your mind". That's how! After being a sponge in a glass of water, that's not supposed to get wet, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That way, we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. "The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Revelations 21:5. God makes us new, God renews us!
If it were up to me, and every day I had to try and renew myself I would fail. After a warm bath, comfort food, and calming music, I would be no better off than before. But if I turn to God and say, "I am tired, and weary, and sick of the lies that I am being fed. I need You to renew me." He will. He never thinks twice about it, He always says, "Yes. Done, you are new, I make all things new, because I love you!" To be transformed means "to make a thorough, or dramatic change in form, appearance, or character". If we let God make us new, and if we are transformed by that renewal, then we will find what is good and acceptable and perfect!
God has really been challenging me with this lately, and that is why I am sharing it with you. This is a discovery to me, and it shows me how much God has our backs. So much of how to live a Christian life is in scripture. I could search forever on how to live in this world and not of it, and could fail to find it, but if I flip to Romans in the Bible it is sitting right there in front of my face. This challenge is presented to us, but we aren't left with this huge and difficult thing to struggle aimlessly with forever. We are presented with the way to live it out! God is constantly showing us how to have the best life. Because, lets face it, if we live what this world has for us we end up no where. We end up in sin, and "the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23. God is constantly stretching out His hand for us, all that we have to do is hold onto it with all that we have. All it takes is everything :) .
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
One thing that has constantly been pressing on my heart since Faith Camp, and forever really, is the title of this blog post. "Living in this world and not of it" is one of the hardest things on earth to accomplish, right next to martyrdom and plucking your eyes out for the gospel. The Bible verse that best describes this is, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
It is almost like asking a sponge, completely submerged in water, to not get wet. It is IMPOSSIBLE... without God. Alyse will fail every single time if she tries, Alyse with God's help will not. Do not be conformed to this world! Do not sell into what the world tells you is good and acceptable and perfect! Only by following what God's will is, is when we find the goodness that he has for us. If you take one minute and watch television, or read a magazine, or listen to secular music, one minute and you will find that the world is full of lies. Every single day we are fed the lie that you need x,y, and z to be happy. You need clothes, cars, electronics, a snazzy house, and money to be find fulfillment. If only you get the right job that lets you "make a mark on society" and gives you a good, steady income, then you have found goodness in life. This is so contrary to what God says! God says, "Sell all that you have, give alms to the poor, and go and proclaim the gospel", that is what GOD says. The media says, "Buy this, do that, act like this, work here, serve yourself and you will be happy." And after a long day of listening to that being fed to you from every direction, you are supposed to not be conformed to this world? The answer is yes. It is so hard! How do we do it? Good news guys, scripture tells us how!
"But be transformed by the renewing of your mind". That's how! After being a sponge in a glass of water, that's not supposed to get wet, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That way, we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. "The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Revelations 21:5. God makes us new, God renews us!
If it were up to me, and every day I had to try and renew myself I would fail. After a warm bath, comfort food, and calming music, I would be no better off than before. But if I turn to God and say, "I am tired, and weary, and sick of the lies that I am being fed. I need You to renew me." He will. He never thinks twice about it, He always says, "Yes. Done, you are new, I make all things new, because I love you!" To be transformed means "to make a thorough, or dramatic change in form, appearance, or character". If we let God make us new, and if we are transformed by that renewal, then we will find what is good and acceptable and perfect!
God has really been challenging me with this lately, and that is why I am sharing it with you. This is a discovery to me, and it shows me how much God has our backs. So much of how to live a Christian life is in scripture. I could search forever on how to live in this world and not of it, and could fail to find it, but if I flip to Romans in the Bible it is sitting right there in front of my face. This challenge is presented to us, but we aren't left with this huge and difficult thing to struggle aimlessly with forever. We are presented with the way to live it out! God is constantly showing us how to have the best life. Because, lets face it, if we live what this world has for us we end up no where. We end up in sin, and "the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23. God is constantly stretching out His hand for us, all that we have to do is hold onto it with all that we have. All it takes is everything :) .
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
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