"Trust Me"

Click . All that I’ve worked for these past four years. Click . Every single test, class, and homework assignment. Click . Lord, please. I’ve done everything that I could. I know this is where I belong.  Enter . I’ve wanted this forever, Lord. Please. *Slowly scrolls down* . For a moment that I thought was going to be the most important one in my entire life, it was over in a flash. I remember lying on my bed, absolutely crushed that I had been rejected from Notre Dame. A few months later I officially committed to UVA (even after taking some slack for the loss to UMBC… I’d say I got the last laugh on that one).

Full disclosure, I was unsure about my choice to come to UVA. Was it the right decision? Was I rushing so as to avoid any extra stress? Should I go to a Catholic school like Villanova? These thoughts swirled through my head as I arrived on Grounds and met my super tall roommate as we moved into the best dorm at UVA (Tuttle > Lile).
 I got to the pig roast and found a spot at one of the tables. I sat and sat and sat trying to think of how I was going to quickly make my escape (the inner introvert in me would’ve been screaming, but that would have taken too much social excursion). Eventually, I filled out an interest form and met some really cool Catholic students!

A couple of days later I received an email from a woman I had never met about meeting with her to discuss high school ministry at STA. I thought I was going to an interest meeting but that was not the case. Before long, I was holding a shirt in one hand, a taco in the other, and had a 150-page semester guide in front of me. I had been thrown into the EDGE team.
If you told me five years ago that I would be working with a youth ministry program I probably would have laughed and thought you were crazy. A few months ago, in prayer, I remember smiling and just thinking, You got me, God. Well played. At that moment, I was able to see the pieces that God had laid before me and put them together (although let’s be honest, He put them together it just took me years to see them).

In high school, I had been involved in ministry and grew close to a few mentors who were invested in me. They led to understanding and fully taking on the faith as my own. I went into my college search with the idea that I had to go to a Catholic school because only there would my faith be nourished and challenged. God had other (much better) plans. He (lovingly) slapped me across the face and said, Trust me, and led me to Charlottesville. He gave me Catholic friends who would walk with me towards Him. I thought that I would come here and study to be a diplomat, but God had bigger plans.

Working with EDGE middle school ministry has been one of the highlights of my UVA experience. Each Sunday, forty kids come to EDGE following the 5:15 mass for two hours of food, games, and Christ! We start each night with dinner following the example of the Apostles (Acts 2:42). Following our shared meal (normally homemade!), we play a large group game ranging from anything like life-size foosball to the mini-Olympic games. The night is highlighted by a talk and the small group discussion that follows. For me, the small groups have been an absolute blessing. Working with the 7th-grade boys is definitely an amazing opportunity to serve the Lord through these youth (when they are not trying to tackle me!). As with all good things, we end the night with some form of prayer; a beautiful way to send the kids out for the rest of the week rooted in their faith.

Mary’s “fiat” is the perfect example of listening to God’s will, not out of submission, but out of unrelenting trust. Her example is one that always points to Christ and one that I have grown a strong devotion towards over the past year. I challenge each of you to listen in prayer to where you are called to serve the Lord and our STA community whether it be through something like EDGE or one of the many other ministries we offer. Following God’s will has guided me to the absolute best place for me and I am honestly in awe of his plan. Step back, look up, and find the pieces he has put before you. Even if they are not all there yet, He will give them to in time. All you have to do is have the courage to say yes and put them together.
           
            We are always looking for more EDGE and Lifeteen (High school ministry) volunteers. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at rwg3ec@virginia.edu!