Two Weeks and Counting ...

JMJ+OBT

Imitate Mary. Become Like Jesus. Live for the Triune God!

No we're not pregnant (and by "we" I mean Christine, but I'm not either).

Less than two weeks from today, on June 20th, we'll be leaving for Robstown, TX for our family's first exposure to serving in a Mission. We'll be down there for four weeks - three serving the local community and the fourth to be there for the yearly assembly of Our Lady's Society (think big family reunion). It's an extremely exciting, anxious, humbling, and galvanizing time for us. We don't know how often we'll have access to the Internet, or the time and energy to respond to e-mails. However, we plan to use this blog as the primary way to keep all of you up to speed on what we're doing and how things are going.

A little background

We are committed lay members of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) and will be staying at the Ecclesial Team Formation Center while down there. With the headquarters of Our Lady's Society there in Robstown, there is a large and active community. They are graciously welcoming us into their community and helping us to get plugged in so that we will have an extended family - Our Lady's family - for support.

Our Lady's Society is a recognized Society of Apostolic Life in the Catholic Church. As lay members, we have chosen to gift ourselves to the Society and serve in "areas of deepest apostolic need" - whether that be here at home in Covington or wherever Our Lady might lead us. This trip is an early step in the process of discerning God's will for our family. How long that will take (years, the rest of our lives, ???) and where it will lead us, we have no idea.

What we hope to gain

We hope that this experience will help us to:

• grow spiritually as we participate in the sacramental and prayer life at the formation center;
• be able to live more fully in community by joining in the communal life and learning from the example of those who've walked this path before us; and,
• strengthen our desire and ability to serve as the hands and feet of the Body of Christ as we experience service in a number of apostolates while we're there.

Some of the things we'll be doing

This isn't an exhaustive list for a couple of reasons. First, I don't really know all we'll be doing since the plans may change. And second, I'm too tired to type it all out. So, here's the abbreviated list:

• Possibly visit Laredo, TX and serve in our mission there for a few days.
• Help with the Lay Formation Program in South Texas
• Praying at the abortion mill in Corpus Christi
• Door-to-door evangelizing in the local area
• Working with St. Vincent de Paul at one or more of the SOLT run parishes
• Helping with meals, up-keep, and maintenance at the Ecclesial Team Formation Center
• Helping with the arrangements for the Regional Assembly, if needed
• Basically, whatever Fr. Dale wants us to do and to serve whoever he wants us to serve

Fr. Dale, General Servant for the Laity, and Fr. Zachary of the Mother of God have really worked with us and have expended a lot of energy on our behalf. Please pray for their needs and intentions, as well as for our family to fulfill God's plan for us on this mission trip so that we can enter more deeply into Communion with the Most Holy Trinity and Our Lady.

Ave Maria!

Ken

P.S. - Sorry for the incredibly long post.

P.P.S. - I promise that the other posts will have pictures (when possible) and will be more interesting and stuff.

P.P.P.S. - Melinda, since you asked, here's a new post. We promise not to bother you more than 20 or 30 times a day while we're down there. But we'll be sure to give you time to bond with your Godson - especially when he's in a "vocal" mood. :-)