A Gift from God: Meeting Other 2018 Intake Families

This Sunday, we were very blessed to have been given a gift from God in getting to share an afternoon with two other families who will be joining us in Louisiana for FMC's Intake in September: the Becker's (a local family of 7 who happen to be long-time friends of Robert's brother and his family) and the Schmitz's (a family of soon-to-be 8 who used to live in the Twin Cities also but are currently in ND). Out of all the places that people could be coming from for Intake this year, it's amazing that our three families are coming from the same vicinity!

The kids had a blast meeting each other and playing together all afternoon. It was hard for some of them to say good-bye, but it has has made our kids that much more excited to begin Intake knowing that they'll get to see their new friends again and have 3 months to share life with these other families.

For us, it was a blessing to get to hear the stories of how these other couples felt called to foreign missions with large young families and talk about our shared joys and excitement. It was also a blessing to be able to relate so much with each others' personal struggles in feeling overwhelmed with all that we have to do in preparation before leaving.

As the day came to a close, we gathered for a short time of prayer and read the gospel reading for that day. Wouldn't you know, the gospel was from Matthew 28:16-20: Jesus giving his disciples the Great Commission:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

How Providential that we would happen to meet on the day of this gospel reading as each of us are being called to respond to this Great Commission as new disciples of Christ 2,000 years later!

Thanks be to God! 

Our Families
From left to right: Brad & Rachael Schmitz and their 5 kids with #6 due in July; Jason & Inge Becker and their 5 kids, our family with 4 of our kids (the littlest 2 were napping) and #7 due in August. 

Sitting outside for prayer.  All the girls and almost all of the boys sat together. 

The gift and joy of fellowship and communal prayer. 

Spiritual Preparation

We have a busy weekend coming up! Our second oldest, John Paul, will be making his first Holy Communion on Saturday evening, and then Sunday afternoon he and our oldest, Robert, will be getting confirmed at the Cathedral. They are really excited!

After we found out that we were accepted to serve with FMC, we were hoping we would be able to get the boys, at least, confirmed before we leave in order to equip them as best we can spiritually.

I wanted to share something from the Catechism on the sacrament of Confirmation that I just love and which ties in perfectly with this Sunday's gospel reading for the 7th Sunday of Easter from John 17:11B-19.

In the gospel reading, Jesus prays the “high priestly prayer” to the Father for His immediate and future disciples. He says, “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also my be consecrated in the truth.” (John 17:17-19)

The Catechism, in addressing the signs of Confirmation, says, “The post-baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation...is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off 'the aroma of Christ.'” (CCC 1294)

How beautiful is that? If you've ever smelled the chrism oil (it's used also in baptism), you can appreciate this phrase even more. Would that all of our lives give off “the aroma of Christ” as we are sent out by Him into the world.

One of the effects of Confirmation that will be particularly helpful for the boys as our oldest missionaries is that it will give them “a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the cross.” (CCC 1303)

Please pray for Robert and John Paul, and all of us, as we prepare spiritually for missions.

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

St. John Vianney, pray for us!

John Paul receiving his first Holy Communion 

John Paul with Fr. Jim Livingston

with Dawn, his Godmother

Newly Confirmed!

"Come, Holy Spirit!"

Bishop Cozzens confirmed the boys but unfortunately
we weren't able to get a picture of it or of him with the boys.