Connecting with Students

Time flies! It’s already October and as a first year SPIRITUS member it has been a great change. Firstly, it has been great to be living in this beautiful town in Wisconsin! Being from Michigan, the beauty really reminds me of home. The life of being a SPIRITUS missionary has led me to grow in my faith, gain life skills, make new friends, and receive the joy of living in a loving community. Not to mention- fun! Being here is such a gift from God! It is such a joy to witness to the students on the retreats. We really see God working on their hearts!

In order to give or receive love, one must trust because one is vulnerable or at least feels so when they love. The combination of trust and feeling vulnerable creates openness. The retreats foster the openness that is necessary for someone to receive God’s love and mercy. We try to meet the students where they are at because the students come to us at all different stages in the faith journey. This understanding makes students comfortable and open. One of my favorite things about the retreats is when the students really open up and share deep things about their life. We do small groups on the retreats for that so we can connect with students in a deeper way. With the working of the Holy Spirit we can then give them the advice and prayer they need to lead them closer to Jesus. I have already had times when I could really connect with students because they shared deep information that I could really relate to. This really helps the students not feel alone, and makes them feel loved by God. Love and connectedness (unity) have an important relation: “And above all these put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14).”It brings such joy when we connect with the students and witness to them because it leads them closer to God.

Thanks for reading!