A Firey Finish

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. The last week of summer training and the first week home have been very busy! Our last week, we participated in special training with a pro-life group called Justice for All to learn how to talk about difficult issues with strangers and how to take an angry comment and turn it into a constructive conversation. Then, we practiced by doing surveys out on the streets of Madison. I was a little skeptical at first and nervous, but it proved to be a really valuable experience for me to force myself out of my comfort zone.

The Fourth of July included the ohhs and ahhs of a firework display, but the most fun for me began after that. We had a campfire and sang and played guitar for a long time afterwards. People joke that about 75% of the missionaries play guitar, and I would add to that a commendation of their vocal talent (or at least their enthusiasm where talent is a bit lacking). At the same time, some of the missionaries had fun with sparklers and slow speed film [see picture below].

Friday was a crazy day. The morning was first year testing. The written portion was a bunch of Bible verses we had to write down word for word. The second and more important part consisted of two interviews. The missionary would walk up to a table with a veteran missionary who would pretend to be a typical student (Christian/atheist/relativist/etc.) and would begin a conversation about some aspect of the Catholic Faith. Then, we had to discuss and defend the topic, using our Bibles and whatever else we could remember. For instance, one of my questioners was a relativist who questioned how I knew that Jesus was really God and how I could believe that He really rose from the dead. With some help from the Holy Spirit, I got through both and kinda had some fun too.

This week has been spent trying to get back into the swing of things at home, working on fundraising, and spending time with family, Larry, and friends. Next week's schedule: 100% Ministry Partner Development. Pray for me!