Nashville, here we come!

Tomorrow I'm heading out to Nashville, TN for the FOCUS conference! I've never been to a FOCUS conference before, so I don't really know what to expect---but I'm thinking I kind of like it that way. I am going into this weekend with an open mind and an open heart, ready and willing to take from this weekend whatever it is God wants me to take. I'm excited for this opportunity to get away from campus for a bit and spend some time in prayer and learning about the FOCUS ministry. Oh, and did I mention there will be lots of Covecrest people there? :) It's sure to be a great little mini reunion!

Mission Houston (part 2)!

And the mission continues...

The Way Station --- On Friday, the Houston missionaries headed downtown to The Way Station at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. 5 days a week, The Way Station provides a hot breakfast to over 300 homeless men and women from all over Houston. This place is absolutely incredible! They feed 300+ people every single day, offer social work services, a mailing address, and a place to shower. It was such a blessing for us to be able to help serve breakfast on Friday. We all took our places in the food line and had the opportunity to serve and talk to each person that came through the line. Even though we only had time to exchange a few words with the people who came through, their impact was lasting. It is incredible that people with so little by the world's standards could come up and when asked "How are you today?" respond simply with an enthusiastic "Blessed!" I was in utter shock. Spending time at The Way Station really made me appreciate everything that I have. I was able to see Christ in the eyes of all those who came through our food line, and I can't even explain how beautiful that is. We have so much to be thankful for, and I was absolutely honored to have the opportunity to serve at The Way Station.

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) --- Sunday was undoubtedly my favorite day of Mission Houston. We had the opportunity to visit Joseph Stanton, a 16 year old boy who was in a skateboarding accident this past June. Joseph suffered a serious brain injury and is now being cared for at TIRR in downtown Houston. We were able to stop by and meet Joseph and his aunt Sunday evening after mass, and I was absolutely blown away by this 16 year old boy. Currently Joseph is pretty heavily sedated by all of the medicine he is on to allow his brain to heal, so he cannot talk or really move. While Joseph lies in a hospital bed, unable to communicate, hundreds of thousands of people are being touched by his story. The night of the accident, the doctors told Joseph's mother that they didn't think he would make it through the night---but Joseph and his family never gave up, and they will continue to fight. The walls of Joseph's room are covered in pictures and messages of love from his family, friends, and teammates. His story is one of hope and unwavering faith, and Joseph has touched the lives of SO many people without even realizing it...talk about being missionary! I was blown away by Joseph's story, and it was such a blessing for us to be able to spend time with Joseph and his Aunt Sherri. If you are interested in hearing more about Joseph's story, click HERE to see his CaringBridge website. There are tons of pictures, a guestbook to sign, and someone posts updates on Joseph's status every single day.

Throughout Mission Houston, we were able to attend mass and a Holy Hour every day. The last two weeks were so filled with prayer and graced by God. It was amazing to be able to serve in Houston and really lift up the Mexico missionaries in prayer! We didn't take any pictures at The Way Station or at TIRR, but here are a few more snapshots from Mission Houston:

After mass at the new Cathedral in downtown Houston

Cuddle Puddle in Herman Park after serving at The Way Station

Morning Prayer in Herman Park

Erika, Lizzie, Erica, Me, and Anna on our last night together

As it is with most missions, I was served far more than I could have ever served this week. I am blessed beyond measure to have been a part of this mission!

Counting my blessings,

Marissa

Mission Houston (part 1)!

As I write this, I am sitting on a plane St. Louis bound. The last two weeks have been an amazing whirlwind of adventure! I arrived in Houston on New Year’s Eve, and we had a Summer Staff reunion at Lizzie’s house. It was unbelievably great to see my brothers and sisters from camp, and to meet some Summer Staffers from the second session of camp. We spent the night reminiscing, catching up on each other’s lives, and of course, setting off fireworks and sparklers. Missions Houston and Mexico officially kicked off on Monday night, January 3rd. We all gathered together in The Woodlands for dinner, fellowship, and praise and worship. We ended the night in prayer before sending off the Mexico missionaries. Here is a little glimpse into the places we served this week. Let the missions begin!

Door to Doors --- On Monday, the Houston missionaries began mission in The Woodlands. Emails had been sent out to some families in the St. Anthony of Padua Life Teen program (both their Life Teen and Edge kids came to Covecrest this summer). We spent the day going to the houses of the people we emailed. We wanted to invite as many people as we could into our mission, and we did this by explaining what we were embarking on and asking for their prayers. This was a great way for us to connect with the community and to really cover Missions Houston and Mexico in prayer.

Catholic Charities --- We were able to serve at Catholic Charities for two days during our mission. This organization is working to reduce poverty, support families, and empower communities throughout the nation. We had the opportunity to get a tour of their brand new beautiful facility in Richmond, TX, and we also helped prepare the food pantry to be opened. On our second day at Catholic Charities, Lizzie and I ate lunch with 3 employees---Johnny, Jim, and Nancy. It was so great to be able to spend time hearing their stories and getting to know them! Johnny told us all about his childhood and how he met his wife, Rosie. This was probably the best meal I ate all week. Our conversations were amazing, and I cannot begin to explain how much I enjoyed the company.

Organizing lots and lots of cans for the food pantry!

Turns out shrink wrapping a Christmas tree is a lot harder than it sounds...

The group with Johnny and Rosie!

Habitat for Humanity --- We were blessed to have the opportunity to spend three days working with Habitat. The worksite was about 30 minutes away and we definitely had some early mornings, but it was undoubtedly worth it! There were a ton of houses under construction on the worksite, so our group split up and worked on various different projects. The first day I cleared out a bunch of houses and caulked exteriors. One of the homeowners was there to help out all day, and it was such a blessing to meet her! I really enjoyed spending the day working with her because I got to know someone who will be living in the house we were working on. It was great to be able to have her as a reminder of why we were working so hard, and what we were working for. On day two I had the opportunity to work with Miss Dottie, who was absolutely wonderful! She was so sweet and taught us how to lay tile inside houses. Day three was spent with Frank, a retired man who works with Habitat weekly. We worked on putting in the attic of the houses, which meant we got to use the electric saw and nail gun---on a ladder---talk about scary! Day 3 was definitely a learning experience, and it was really great to spend the day with all the Habitat volunteers that offer their time regularly!

What lovely painters :-)

Luke and I caulking the house...

Hard at work putting up some siding.

Mikey and I tiling the bedroom...

Someone found this written on a beam inside one of the houses :-)

"I will lie down and sleep in peace for You alone, my Lord, will keep me safe." Psalm 4:8

I could talk for days about this mission and the ways God worked in my heart over the last two weeks. Stay tuned for part 2 of this post to see details of the rest of our mission!

-Marissa