The Amazing Race... Reach Style!

Well, now we're back in wonderful Yakima, WA (for all those you did not know, we got SNOW!!! That's right! It was pretty much flippin amazing!) and now we're filling up our day with work around the community. We have mass every morning at one of three parishes: Holy Family, Holy Redeemer or St. Paul's Cathedral. The three teams are assigned to different parishes for one month at a time and, as the months go by, spend time at all three parishes. Right now, our team is going to Holy Family and the Fatima team is at Holy Redeemer. The Lourdes team would be going to St. Paul's but they're never here at the center, so they don't have so worry about that. Keep them in your prayers as they travel around the Northwest.

After mass, we usually go get coffee and have breakfast. But on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, whenever we can, we go pray at the local Abortion Clinic in Yakima. It's a trying and emotional exercise in spirituality, walking outside a building where murder is committed every day. For our team especially, this is something that's very close to our hearts, and we were blessed with Our Lady of Guadalupe as our patron saint, who is also the patron saint of the unborn. So, with her intercession, we spend Tueday and Wednesday morning, and occassionally Tuesday afternoons at Planned Parenthood, protesting the evil committed there. I can say from personal experience that I was the girl who laughed at people protesting and swore I would do no such thing, but now that I see the effects that Abortion has on women and families I know that it's something that must be stopped. Watching people walk in and our of the Abortion Clinic with a haunted look behind their eyes and a defensive tone in their voice makes me realize that there needs to be so much more love in the world and much more support for those struggling with unexpected pregnancies or any of the lies in this culture of death that we are a part of. So, please pray for an end to Abortion, because our prayers will not go unanswered. Mother Mary is our greatest advocate and she's watching over us as we go out and protest the evil. As it says in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed ar you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil agains you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." So, what do you have to lose?

CHOOSE LIFE!

YOUR MOM DID.

When we're not in Mass (Yay Jesus!) or saving babies, our team spends time at our lovely center in Cowiche, WA. We spend our days helping Dan and Laura with work here. By the way, thank you so much Sean and Alicia Haler for our sweatshirts, t-shirts and polos! They're definitely the coolest designs ever and much better than the ones from past years! :D We just received those yesterday, so we're all very excited about that. Our team spends some time every day in prayer, during which we usually lift up intentions or pray the Rosary or pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We also clean and maintain the retreat center that we are so lucky to be able to use. Juan Gonzalez keeps our lights working and everything maintained so well for us, so thank you Juan! Some evenings we will go out into the community for dinner, usually to a family's home. This week our team is having dinner with the Urlacher's, which we're all very, very excited about! If we're not out for dinner, though, we make our own meals and clean up all our own dishes. It's a good exercise in discipline for us all. This Thursday my team will be attending a Charismatic night at Holy Family Parish called Sprit of Christ Alive. We're not quite sure what we're getting ourselved into, but we're all excited for it. The charismatic movement has been a huge part of Phill's spiritual experience, and Matty and I both come from a slightly charismatic church, so we love being involved in that. Keep us in your prayers as we search for an increase in spirituality in our own lives and in our team. The next couple weeks are recovery weeks for our team, because we don't have any more planned retreats until we leave for Alaska on January 8, 2008, so much more of our time will be spent in prayer as a team and working on increasing our trust in each other.

With only two weeks left before we head home for Christmas break, it's hard to believe that three months ago we all began Reach. All of us have experienced things we never thought we would have to face. We've had trials and hardships, but the supportive community here makes all the difference. When one person is struggling the people around them are always there with a hug or a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear or a word of advice, and it's the greatest feeling in the world to know that there's a community here that cares about my well being and my eternal salvation. And that they care enough to tell me when I'm doing something that's detrimental to myself or my team is what means the most to me. It's the best and the hardest experience of my life, but in the end it's a search for a closer communion with God. And when the biggest goal of a person or a team is that closer communion, it makes life more interesting and exciting than anything else. So, once again, please keep us in your prayers, and for all those considering joining this amazing organization my biggest suggestion is to pray about it A LOT and to ask yourself, "Am I ready to sacrifice myself for my team and my God?"

May God bless you abundantly

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Reach Team

2007