Thanksgiving celebration

Hello Everyone!!! These two weeks have been full of blessings and experiences! We had more amazing retreats, stayed with some class Irish families and even skated on some ice. In addition, all of NET got together for a lovely Thanksgiving celebration last weekend. 

During our stay in Trim, we got to see the Castle where Braveheart was filmed. It was quite a surreal experience to realize we got to be at the set of a major blockbuster! We also got to have a couple retreats at a very ritzy hotel, it was probably one of the nicest retreat venues ever (thus far).  We stayed with some beautiful families and it was all around great craic.

One of the experiences we had while in Dublin was that of ice skating! In a shopping center decked out in Christmas lights they had a little skating rink to top off the Winter Wonderland experience. I, Mary, had never been ice skating in my life so it was definitely an experience to be had. With the help of the sisterhood and a plastic penguin meant to help balance on the ice, I managed to make it around the rink with maybe only 3 or 4 falls.

Ice skating was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. Not having any control over where my feet are taking me, was quite a difficult thing to get used to; I wasn’t even able to stand on my own without help on that ice.  I was grateful for the help of my team to help me get across the ice. It made me think a lot about life in retrospect. Sometimes life is really difficult and we just can’t stand on our own, much less make it anywhere or move on with our lives. Sometimes we literally have to lean on others and rely on their support to make it through those difficult times.

 

In many ways that is what we do here on NET. We not only help thousands of young people across the ice of their own lives but we help each other as a team through the rough spots. We push each other to reach our potential and we never let go. We surround each other with love so we can see how much fun it is to glide through the spots where, just seconds earlier, it seemed as if we could not even stand. I realized this especially when all of the NET teams came together for an epic Thanksgiving dinner. All the teams contributed a dish or two, or three, and all our gifts put together equaled a tremendous feast with more than plenty of food for all of NET and more.

 

It just goes to show that when you give all that you have and all that you are, others are more than willing to do the same, and all our gifts put together can have a tremendous impact on the world. So, this Thanksgiving, let us be grateful for all the gifts that we’ve received and  let us not be afraid to lean on others (and maybe even a penguin) to get across the icy parts of life.

God Bless! Always remember to Stay Classy.

- Road Team Jesus

Back to work

         The leaves are changing, the temperature is getting nippier, and we're back on the road!  We left Donegal on Sunday with smiling waves and a full schedule of retreats for the week.  Upon rolling into Dublin we commenced with a couple of retreats for a class of third year boys.  Our past experience with third year boys was limited and undoubtedly marred by a rough group. However, after 10 minutes with these guys, it was plain to see that they were going to be some “great craic” (Irish for a good time).

            Our stay in Dublin, unlike the last time, was only for a couple of days and we didn't really have much time to sight-see, and after a couple of days we were off to County Wicklow and the large town of Bray. There, we had the pleasure of putting on two retreats for a lovely group of 4^th year girls.  This group was full of so much life and energy it was impossible for us not to have a great time.  Even though it was the end of a full week (5 retreats in a row), this group kept our energy and spirits up with their inexhaustible  enthusiasm.

            Our stay in Wicklow has also been incredibly blessed by the absolutely wonderful family we've gotten to stay with.  Uncharacteristically, just about all of us are staying together, and we've been spoiled rotten.  In addition to the tons of ice-cream we've been fed, we've also been able to attend mass every day we've been here - a huge, unexpected, and wonderful privilege.

            We'll be moving on from Wicklow tomorrow and heading back to Dublin for another week full of retreats.  Our newly decorated van is getting quite a work-out and so are we!  It's crazy to think that it's already November and we've been out on the road for close to two months!  A week that began with the lingering question of whether we'd be ministry rusty after 10 days without a retreat has been answered with a resounding NO. The Lord has gifted us, yet again, with the fortitude and spirit to get out into the field for another week of ministry.  As always we thank you so so much for your continued prayers and support, we definitely wouldn't be anywhere without them.

            That's just about all to report this week!  Thanks for reading and God Bless!

- Road Team Jesus

Fully Charged!

            Once upon a time, the NET Road Team had a supervisor visit, and the craic was Mighty! A supervisor visit is when the supervisors visit the team and they have a week or at least a few days, where they just get to hang out with the supes and have fun. We got to know each other better and got to do things like evaluating our team, and just essentially having a great time.

            We started every morning with Mass and ended each day together with team prayer. On the first day, we did a photo scavenger hunt. I feel like we might have caused a little stir in the town with 9 of us running amuck. The scavenger hunt consisted of 28 ridiculous things that we had to take pictures of to prove that we accomplished them. One was to find things that remind you of your country (we had to do 4 different countries). Another was a challenge to fit our team into the smallest space possible. I think that one was the funniest. We were able to single handedly fit 9 people into a phone booth, and have a stranger take a picture. At least we know if the world ends and the only thing left standing is a phone booth we will be okay. Over all this week was a real bonding experience for our team. We were able to get to know each other on a deeper level and it was a great Christ-filled experience.

            The other days of supe visit were spent nurturing the inner life of our team: having adoration, team meetings, brotherhood and sisterhood time, and a lot of chill time. This was a great way to invest in each other both emotionally and spiritually. God has really anointed our team!

Over the past few weeks, not just on supe visit, we have really grown closer together. We have been very blessed by each and every one of the host homes we have been staying in. It’s been a wonder to see how God was working in the lives of each of us, and in those He allows us to touch.

Our team is very blessed with the ability to have fun anywhere, whether we are in a cramped and tiny space or an open field, whether we have an x-box or a cardboard box, this team is never lacking in entertainment. Between Mike coming up with random lists and scenarios (like hypothetically who would be on the all star NET soccer team), Devan telling us about Super Fast Muscles (a superhero he and the brotherhood developed) or Teallia talking about “sheeps and cows” we never fall short of a good time. That’s not to say that those three are the only ones who contribute to our good times, but there are too many jokes to count at this point, and we’ve only been doing this for a couple months!

We will be getting back on the road tomorrow, heading to Dublin. I must say, having this week off has been great and relaxing, but I am anxious to get back to ministry. A quick request before I go, if you remember keep in your prayers Morgan and Juan, our supervisors. They do a lot of work to keep us going and our team wouldn’t get very far with out them. Everything we were able to do this week was because of them, as is everything that we do in the year. They are such a blessing to our team and they always know how to lift us up and encourage us when things get rough. Anyways, here’s to being back on the road again!

Cheers,

Road Team Jesus