FOCUS is Legit




New and Veteran FOCUS Staff for 2012-2013



Since May 21^st I have been in Champaign, IL at FOCUS New Staff Training. I have been amazed and encouraged at the growth of FOCUS and the energy from all of the new and veteran staff in the past three weeks. It has been so interesting to learn about new missionaries and to hear about the path they have taken to becoming a missionary.

 I am very excited to be returning for my 3^rd as a FOCUS missionary and excited for the opportunity to serve Seton Hall University as the Team Director. During my first two New Staff Trainings the new staff here was, I guess you could say, “traditional”. Meaning that most of the new staff being hired were less than a month removed from their college graduation and were single at the time they joined staff.  But this year there are more new missionaries than just the “traditional” missionaries, although there are plenty of those as well.

Seton Hall FOCUS team for 2012-2013, new team members are in their brand new SHU shirts! Welcome Caitlyn, Tim, Megan, and Terry!!

I’m sure there are more stories than 3 I will mention but these are 3 that I think are pretty interesting. 1 man has decided to become a FOCUS missionary along with his wife and 2 children after spending a few years working in Colorado. He and his wife were involved with FOCUS as students at Colorado State. I asked him why he didn’t join staff out of college and he just said “we were scared” to fundraise their salary. Obviously that fear has faded as he will now be serving as a missionary this fall.

The 2^nd story I want to share is another married man who has 2 children and 1 on the way. This guy previously served on FOCUS staff 4 years ago. After spending a few years at “real” job, he decided that he wanted to return to ministry and that he wanted to return to FOCUS. He, his wife, and children will be on a college campus this fall where he will be a missionary.

Finally, a neat story about a man who went to college with someone who has served as a missionary for the past several years and has financially supported his friend’s missionary work. I asked him about why he joined FOCUS staff and he said “the newsletters got me”. At least 4 times a year FOCUS missionaries send out a newsletter highlighting some stories with pictures from their work on campus to share with our mission partners (those financially or prayerfully supporting us). This guy went on to say that he went to a FOCUS Conference as a donor and the Lord was continually asking him to give more, so he did. He said finally that the Lord made it clear to him that He was asking for even more. This man too, who is leaving a teaching job, will be serving next fall on campus as a FOCUS missionary.

A powerful and neat moment I experienced this last Thursday night, it was just such an odd scene as far as the secular world is concerned. The St. John’s Newman Center at the University of Illinois hosts all summer. We live in a dorm and use different rooms and spaces around campus for our training. Last Thursday was the first day that the new missionaries made phone calls asking to meet with people in a few weeks. They’re calling to ask to meet with them to share the mission and vision of FOCUS and to invite them to become a mission partner, a financial supporter of our work on campus. Last Thursday everywhere I went I saw several missionaries all making phone calls, some sitting, some pacing, some praying, some laughing, but it was beautiful to see. I thought, how bad do these people want to serve our Lord and be missionaries! Again and again I have been encouraged in the work FOCUS is doing for the Church in the name of our Lord and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve in this way. God bless you.

Check out #focusislegit on Twitter for daily updates on the FOCUS world at New Staff Training.

Tip of the Devil's hat

This past weekend I had the joy of attending a men's retreat in Newark that was put on by the CFR's. The main speaker was John LaBriola (definitely worth Googling). He presented and challenged us a men in a real and great way to be the men of God that we were created to be.

He also presented us with some truths that we often fail to recognize, or choose not to recognize. The idea he presented which stands out to me is the realness of the devil. I've talked about it before in other posts, but somehow I'm always surprised to think about how real and present the devil is. But it makes sense because I'm pretty sure what the devil wants. What helped me to realize the realness of the devil is this idea that John shared that the devil looks to establish a toehold on your life. Slowly that toehold becomes a foothold and before you know it the foothold becomes a stronghold - or a waist hold. Meaning that sin and evil slowly or in a small way enter your life, but if you allow it (sin/evil) to it will consume and take over your life. Another idea he shared is how often our thoughts when not good can be evil and even from the devil. Which really makes sense to me. I know that when I'm confronted with sin and a decision to make so often the thought enters in my mind "its ok, do it, you can go to confession." And confession is great and beautiful but not meant to be used as a service, but really as an experience and tool to help you grow and experience a grace that you do not deserve. And then after I choose to sin I have the thought, "you are such a bad Catholic, how can you do that and now walk into a Church or be in presence of Jesus?" Devil alert, devil alert! Man he's sneaky! He is someone and something we must be aware of, combat, and avoid.

On Monday the FOCUS missionaries at Seton Hall prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the campus chapel at 3. Once a month we try to invite students to pray with us, we call it "Divine Mercy Monday". Last month we did some active inviting, distributing and posting fliers. This time the approach was much more laid back with word of mouth invites and some passive advertising. I brought our rather large Divine Mercy image to campus. The image usually hangs on our wall and was kindly given to us by a Seton Hall seminarian.

So at 2pm, an hour before we would begin the Chaplet I sat around "the seal" at Seton Hall. In the middle of the campus "green", this is just a large open area on campus that gets a lot of foot traffic. I saw on a bench with the image, some rosaries, and Divine Mercy prayer cards. I decided that if some people stopped I would tell them about what was going on, but wasn't looking to actively engage, just let Jesus do the work.

A few minutes passed and someone from across the seal (15-20 yards or so) took a picture with their phone. So I moved to another bench and left Jesus alone. I then put a sign that said "come pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3pm." I then watched as people walked by and looked at the image. I wondered what they were thinking. For some people it was very clear what they were thinking. Most were just surprised. There were a few double takes, which I couldn't help but laugh at. One of my teammates and I, Eric, got into a few conversations where we were able to give out a few rosaries, talk about the devotion, and how to pray with it!

My favorite response to the image was a young man wearing a straight brimmed hat. I saw him as he approached the image, he was very aware of it, and it really caught his attention. He started at almost the entire time it was in his sight. As he came directly across from it, he looked sort of uncomfortable....like he needed to do something. He never broke stride, but he slightly turned his body toward the image and pulled the brim of his cap as if to acknowledge Jesus. As he pulled the brim I looked and laughed as I read "New Jersey Devils".

Thank you Jesus.

Year 2 Week 1 in NJ and a Nugget from St. Alphonsus L.

What a crazy week! Last Monday I left Wisconsin at 7am to return to New Jersey for another school year at Seton Hall serving the student athletes. It was a long drive, but an enjoyable one. The 16 hours and 42 minutes really did fly by as the excitement to return to Seton Hall outweighed the thought of the long drive. I arrived in South Orange, NJ around 12:30am, unloaded the truck, and was in bed by about 2am.

We spent Tuesday getting to know the new team. There are 6 FOCUS missionaries at Seton Hall, Melissa and myself work with the athletes and the other 4 Anthony, Katie, Mary, and Eric work with the general population of students. Anthony, Katie, Melissa and I are returning to Seton Hall while Mary is joining us after serving 2 years at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and Eric is joining us as a graduate from St. Mary's in Winona, MN. With one week down we have already grown close together and seem to really have gelled as a team. I'm excited to continue to grow with them as we share Jesus Christ with the students at Seton Hall.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning the six of us spent time together planning how we are going to welcome new and returning students to campus this next week and also some long term planning of events we hope to hold throughout the school year. Melissa and also spent some time around the athletic department visiting with coaches and other athletic department staff. Friday afternoon we relaxed along the Jersey Shore took in some rays and rode some waves. A great first week for FOCUS team Seton Hall, we are all very excited to welcome the FOCUS student leaders tomorrow and to welcome the freshmen to campus next week Thursday. Please pray for Seton Hall this next week as the new students will be faced with many choices that they never have been before.

As I mentioned in a recent post I've been reading a book by St. Alphonsus Liguori about visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Every day it seems I am given something new to think about.

http://ajgarciavc.blogspot.com/2011/08/visits-to-blessed-sacrament-with-st.html

Today I want to share with you an excerpt that I've been reading every day. That is how the book is designed, there is an excerpt for each day, meaning there is something new each day (the days are numbered). But it also has you read parts each day, meaning you read 3 sections every day that are the same. I really enjoy doing this. The excerpt is from the section titled "Prayer to Our Lady after each visit" here it is:

"And since you have such power with God, deliver me from all temptations, OR RATHER, OBTAIN FOR ME THE STRENGTH TO TRIUMPH OVER THEM UNTIL DEATH." (I added the caps lock for emphasis).

I really like this excerpt because it shows how that we as Catholics, as Christians must rely on Jesus, but also His mother. I also like the humility of this prayer from St. Alphonsus. He asks her to deliver us from temptations and then it seems he realizes the need to ask for more and asks her to not JUST be delivered from the temptations but to be allowed, to be granted the strength to triumph over the temptations until DEATH! What a beautiful prayer! I think of when we use the word triumph in modern times. I think of sports and I think the word may be used out of context, what does it mean to truly triumph something? When I first read this and many times since I often think why are we so eager to "triumph" in day to day tasks where we clearly achieve something, or "triumph" over something athletically, but why do we become so content and settle to not truly triumph over our temptations and struggles that keep us from holiness? Please, most lovable Lady do not only deliver us from temptations, but obtain for us the strength to TRIUMPH over them until death!! Our Lady of Good Help, Pray for us!

I've been curious, a number of you mentioned how you were hoping to "jumpstart" your adoration time, how has that gone for everyone? You're in my prayers.