A Canceled Retreat

By some freak accident, our retreat in Corbett, OR got canceled this weekend, so we're spending time in Salem and Portland with some of our family. It's a nice time to relax and enjoy the beautiful fall weather in Oregon. We've gone two weeks without any substantial retreats, which is different for our team after going non-stop for a month and a half.

For all those who wish to see more picture of our team, please visit our photobucket account at Our Lady of Guadalupe. You can view all our wonderful and amazing photos there, as i know you're just dying to do.

For all those who are considering Reach, my advice is to get involved in your own church. Help out for the younger kids in your church, volunteer on mission trips, spend time praying and getting to know God on a more personal level. This is a job unlike any other, but it requires work. And, in the end, you get out of it how much you put into it. It's a daily commitment to loving the people around you (especially those you would be most inclined not to love), to following God's suggestions (even when they don't make any sense), and to do everything in your power to allow God to work through you. You will join a community that has also committed to working for God, but every year and every team are completely different. Have no expectations, but plan on being changed by the people around you and by God. He will mold you if you allow Him to, and the more you move out of His way and allow Him to do His work, the more you'll get out of it. It's one of the hardest things to do, but you've always got a community around you to rely on when things get hard. It's a wonderful and amazing experience in faith and community that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. So, if you're considering joining or someone on team has talked to you about it, please pray about it. If God wants you here He'll be persistant, but you need to listen to what He has to say about it.

God bless!
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Reach Team 2007