____ shared with everyone all the struggles that he was going through and he was only 12. I was able to go and pray with Alex and the specific prayers that he had was for the homeless and for all those in the building suffering from stress. This kid has such a servant's heart and it encouraged me to want to care more for others than myself. I was able to give ____ a bible and his eyes lit up when I gave it to him. It was Awesome!
- Anonymous

Giving away my scapular-rosary was probably one of the most difficult things to do on this tour. I gave it away to Adrianna, as she had really touched my heart by her story and openness to God. He had put it on my heart, and I just couldn't ignore it. I don't like not having a scapular on me, so I was thinking of how I was going to find another one as a replacement. The next day, we had a private event at a house and there was a Carmelite priest saying the Mass. After, he announced that he had brought a ton of scapulars, which he blessed right there. God had really answered my prayer, and I am reassured that the scapular was supposed to be given away.
- Anonymous

We pulled up to the event and a bus of kids had already arrived to the event. I was looking out the bus window and made eye contact with one of the girls and her eyes pulled at my heart. We started set up and were moving at a pretty good pace to where we could minister to the kids. Right when I got my chance I went up to her and I immediately knew who she was and remembered her name and she knew who I was by saying “Oh my gosh! You're _____. You gave me my Bible last year.” I was super encouraged to find out how much she uses it and reads the note that I had written to her. I tried asking how she was doing, but she was a little stand offish with being open. I then had to go and start intro with the other missionaries. During the event, Confession was offered so I went to the back to help the kids through the process. The girl was one of the first to come back so I gave her a card and asked if I could pray with her before she went in. She was super encouraged but her youth minister interrupted us because she was next. I continued to hand out cards then she came up to me to give me her card back. I then asked if I could talk with her again. She was so encouraged because she wanted to talk before but people were around and they just don’t understand what she goes through with her family. The Holy Spirit totally guided the conversation because tears just filled her eyes with conviction to heal her family that has been broken for many years due to the separation of some in the US and the rest in Mexico. I then asked if I could pray with her again because we were interrupted before and she said yes. So I prayed and I just poured my whole heart and being into this prayer because I knew that's what I had to do. Christ blessed me with the chance to see her again because he knew we were meant to meet each other and to walk together through the wounds this life has brought her. He touched my heart in a way it needed to be touched that night and reunited me with my sister in Christ.
- Anonymous

I was with another missionary helping people get into confession. We then met this guy, and he shared that he was thankful for us since not so long ago he moved to New Jersey and not even a month into moving in his family's home got robbed. He then continued on to say during the same time his grandmother got hospitalized and his girlfriend cheated on him. This was very powerful as he went on to say that the only reason he kept going is because of the Eucharist. Anytime he could get adoration he would take it as a vacation away from all the stress and anxiety he felt at home. This helped me since it also put me in a state of mind where I should be more grateful for my time with the Eucharist and really take it as a vacation away from the world and into the arms of Christ.
- Anonymous

In my passion group, I had shared about my mom's bipolar and how lately I had been really struggling to forgive and love people, especially those who hurt me. The two guys next to me both nodded their heads and said, "Yeah, I get you." I asked them about their families, and one of them shared how his mom just goes off for 6 months each year and neglects the family and how he's just been really struggling to love her through it all. They both shared what they needed prayers for and that they were interested in follow up, so we could keep in contact with them and encourage them. I could see so much goodness in both of them, and I was so encouraged by their openness to share, to grow, and their authenticity.
- Anonymous

I was at an all-boy school, and the passion group I helped lead with another missionary was really impactful for me. Of course no matter where you are at these retreats there will be one or more boys who just goof around. And there definitely were some of those, however I was super touched by the boys’ authenticity. The event was as powerful as ever, and Justin did have to work with the COVID restrictions, but you could tell these boys really just wanted to care for each other. The boys in our groups were so open to sharing really hard stuff they had gone through. I was most impressed at how they really shared these things with their classmates, it wasn’t like they were talking to Orlando and I, they were speaking to their teammates and classmates. It was beautiful to see their community grow in that way. You could tell that until that day they really didn’t know very much about one another’s personal life; I’m so grateful to be a part of the team that gets to have a hand in opening these doors for them.
- Anonymous

When we were doing passion, I shared how I have been struggling with anger and self hatred. This led to all of the boys opening up and sharing how they too were struggling a lot with anger. Some of the boys shared how one of the reasons for their anger was because they felt like their family was forcing them to do what they didn't want to do which is something that I too struggle with. I related a lot with these boys and it helped me see that I am not alone with my struggle and they saw how they were not alone with theirs.
- Anonymous

This day we had an all-day Junior class retreat. During the retreat was breakout sessions, another missionary and I were leading the encouragement session. Our plan was to talk to them and have them write a letter to their number one encourager even if it's hard to see them as that. We had discerned it would be best for one of us to read an example letter, so I read the letter I wrote to my Dad. This was hard for me because I have not always had a great relationship with my Dad, but I read the letter to each group. During one of the groups, I had recognized a girl from the event that I had wanted to reach out to but couldn't get to in time. So I approached her but before I could say anything she told me "thank you." I was honestly so confused in the moment, but she said thank you for being authentic and reading that letter because it inspired her to write to her mom. She told me how my relationship with my dad is like her relationship with her mom. She began to cry because of the wounds this relationship holds, but this day she saw the hope that it has and it starts with her courage. I got the opportunity to pray with her and just encourage her in this step she is about to take for the healing of her and her mom's relationship.
- Anonymous

I was working a lunch station at a high school event. I didn’t really expect anything big to happen, but I was talking to these juniors--just asking questions. One of the kids just opened up about how he didn’t have time for sports because he works all the time to pay half his family’s house mortgage. He told me that his dad is an alcoholic and lost his job. It was just crazy how much this kid opened up to me and I didn’t even know him for 5 minutes. Definitely shows me that the Holy Spirit is working. Afterward I got him to give me his follow up.
- Anonymous

It was an all boys event and I met ____. He was wearing a Sponge Bob Hoodie. I introduced myself to him before the event began. Justin told the guys to man up or stand up. He asked them to claim what they needed to change in their lives and then man up and stand up. One of the few who stood up was _____. I talked and prayed with him and He shared that he had overcome cancer a few years ago. I asked him to follow up with me, and he said he would find me after the event. After the event he found me and asked if he could do follow up.
- Anonymous

I wanted to find some girls to talk to before the junior girls' retreat started. As I walked down the socially-distant aisle of chairs, I noticed this one girl sitting quietly in her chair. She caught my eye, and so I went up to her and decided to say hi. I could tell she was shy, but I knew that I needed to talk to her. As the conversation went on, she became more open. During the event, I checked up on her several times to see how she was doing because I could tell she was impacted and getting emotional. At the end of the event when I saw her, she was the one who joyfully approached me first and gave me a hug. It was so beautiful to see how much she wanted to encourage others after having been encouraged.
- Anonymous

On the first day of tour I had the privilege to speak to _____. At first I saw him at the assembly sitting alone off to the side. I said a few words to him and then he left early. I didn’t think much of it until I saw him sitting outside while we were packing up. We started talking and this kid just started opening up to me about some intense struggles he had already been through in his young life and I barely knew him.
- Anonymous

After one of the morning assemblies at a school in Ohio, I went to the Bible table to hand some out. As I got to the table a teacher came up to me. She asked if she could have 4 Bibles for the students who weren't in school that day but were watching on zoom. I told her she could have as many as she liked! She looked so hopeful and got super excited. She said she wanted a box for her classroom! She shared about how her class couldn't use the school Bibles anymore because of Covid, and they weren't able to share books at all. She talked about how disappointed she was that she had nothing to offer them for her Religion class. So I brought the box to her classroom and she was so joyful! It brought me so much hope!
- Anonymous