Thank you...

SPIRITUS has been a place of healing and growth—not just for those to whom we minister, but also for ourselves.  We, as a team, because we are human, have a lot of brokenness within us just as all people do.  Yet, it is you with your support—whether it be prayers, donations, funding, or other support—that allow us to keep going and do what we do, while being healed in the process. 

A few days ago, I had the rare opportunity to catch up with a close friend from back home.  After catching up and talking with my friend for about an hour, I was filled with so much joy and love that it overflowed from within me and I wanted to do anything and everything I could for my teammates to share my love with them.  There’s something about talking with those you love and who you know love you that allows you to persist in the face of struggles and obstacles.  While we know God is always there for us, it’s nice to see God working in human form as well, through each of you who support us. 

When I was talking with another friend recently about a different service program, she said that it was “not for the faint of heart.”  I would say that accurately describes SPIRITUS as well.  In these few months, I have been learning to survive on less sleep, deal with early mornings and late nights, and give up control of my schedule knowing that my time is not my own.  Obedience is tough.  Yet, every now and then we are graced to see a tiny sprout from the seeds we plant in those to whom we minister and know that SPIRITUS is truly making a difference:

At the end of each retreat, we hand out evaluations to the students to see what they liked and what we could do better.  The first question always asks how they would describe the retreat.  We’ve been blessed to see “life changing” quite a number of times, and that is definitely affirming to what we do.  Yet, I think the best affirmation comes from a retreat where the students wrote down temptations they faced and “suicide” was among the list.  At the end of the day, on the evaluation, a student wrote that the retreat was “life saving.”  Knowing that we helped even one person realize that their life is worth living makes all the late nights, all the early mornings, the lack of sleep, the frustrations—everything—worth it.

While I share this story, know that you played a role in it.  You saved this young person’s life.  Without you, we couldn’t do what we do.  We need your prayers and support each day to continue in this ministry.  Knowing that you are out there praying for and supporting us makes all the difference.

Yesterday I was privileged to attend the Steubenville Young Adult Conference in Milwaukee with a few of my teammates.  One of the speakers shared this slide:

That’s what you do through your prayers and support.  Every time you send up a Hail Mary for us, you invest in us.  Every time you bake us a casserole or send us cookies, you invest in us.  Each time you send us a word or note of affirmation, a quick text, or a phone call, you invest in us.  By investing in SPIRITUS, you are the ones who hold us up when we stumble and feel like collapsing, when we feel overwhelmed and think we can’t go on.  Yes, God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is always with us, but He is working through you.  No amount of words or eloquence can adequately describe how much this means to us, so I will simply say it in the best way I know how:

Thank you.