Info, Info, and more Info

Hello all!

Just a quick update on fundraising and our next event.  We are at $25,000 (only 5,000 more to go)!  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our trip whether through coffee sales, different dinners we held, or even just donating.  All of these funds would not have been possible if it wasn't for all of you, so THANK YOU.

Just a reminder: this weekend (June 1-2) is our last major fundraiser.  We are having a Bake Sale at church after every mass both Saturday and Sunday.  We will also be selling our coffee and tea.  There is going to be lots of goodies so get hungry :) .  Members of the Ecuador team will be selling the items and speaking at masses so don't hesitate on asking/talking to us about the trip.

Just a little something to entice you :)

Can't wait to see everyone out there!  Only 58 days until take-off!

Mitchell's Feelings

      Words cannot express how blessed I feel to be a part of this amazing journey. Not just the physical journey to Ecuador, but also the spiritual journey to find myself. I absolutely love hearing the stories of those who have already gone because I know that I too will be able to experience that soon. My biggest worry is that I won’t make a good impression on the patients at Damien House. I also worry that people will think that I’m the “obnoxious American”, and so I’m trying to be more conservative while we’re there. 

      “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”. And although this trip is most definitely about the destination, getting there with the help of all these wonderful people has been incredible. Sometimes maybe a little too incredible ? You know those people that are so morally amazing, you feel bad about yourself? Yeah, that’s this group. A better team to do something like this could not have been chosen. 
With Jesus as our guide, we are led down an amazing path of greater fulfillment.

Carlo's Thoughts

In just over two months I will be heading to Guayaquil, Ecuador with 11 teenagers and three adults on a mission trip. But I am not only going as a team member but as a leader.  Being a leader of the group is both exciting and scary at the same time.

Exciting because I didn’t have the chance to go last year on the trip, but watching the preparation from afar and then hearing about the experience from those that went stirred in me a desire to make sure I could be a part of the Ecuador mission trip this summer.  It has been an absolute joy getting to know each of the team members and working with them on our fundraising efforts. Each of the teens and adults bring something beautiful to the group that makes evident the mystery of the Body of Christ. This body is preparing itself to go and share Jesus with the residents at Damien House. It’s exciting because of the people involved.

Scary because this will be my first mission trip outside the United States, my first time to South America, and my first experience in a Spanish speaking country. But I hear in my soul Jesus saying “Be not afraid”, so I trust. The entire experience so far has been a lesson in learning to trust God.  The biggest area of trust has been with our fundraising. I am happy to announce that we are over $22000; almost to our goal of $30000. God is good!

 I ask for your continued prayers and if possible financial support for the 2013 Ecuador Mission Team. We thank you so very much for all your prayers and support. You are making it possible for this team, this body to go and reach out to those in need. God Bless you!

Look what we Found!

Snippets is an inspirational column for women, and just recently, Jane Lorenzi submitted an article about our Ecuador trip and it got posted!  Scroll down a bit (under SNIPPETS handy helper) and see what was said about the trip :)

friday april 26  2013 SNIPPETS is formatted with photos, graphics and in color. If you see TEXT ONLY, adjust your email settings to "display/download images" when opening this email. Or visitSNIPPETSinspiration.com to view in its full glory. snippeteer backtalk SNIPPETS e-mailbox was quiet this week!        Email your snippetful thoughts and  reactions here (include first name, town and state). Please mention if you prefer NOTto have your comment published in the next issue.    new snippeteer welcome! ANN!   "Everybody dances. We've all got a drum inside of us. We're all full of rhythm. Now get out and express yourself. Find your dance." Len on Dancing With The Stars  a giggle Bob opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend Larry.    "Did you see the paper?" asked Bob. "It says that I died!"   "Yes, I saw it!" replied Larry. "Where are you calling from?!?!?"   prayer flares  FOR Luci in NY to feel good and be regulated as she deals daily with Crohn's disease FOR Papa Felice in MD to get better and get out of rehab FOR Dawn's sadness (MD) FOR Rachel's safety and growth as she travels the country for an unspecified time FOR the victims still in the hospital after the Boston Marathon bombing, may they heal emotionally and physically FOR Sue M (MD) in getting her blood pressure regulated what's your happy little something?  DARLENE in Florida talks about her happy little something ... "Friends and family, that's what it's all about in life. Sharing time with them. Time with the ones I love. We all get so caught up with daily activities and work that we rush through our meals or get them on the run, not taking the time to enjoy the important moments. Now that my kids are older and rushing through their own lives, we have made it a date on Friday evenings to have dinner together at a restaurant and enjoy the food and the company with the ones we love. Knowing that this can't last forever, this is my most happy time now.  Thanks for even asking the question so that I can bring a smile to my face even thinking about the fun we have together."  What's YOUR happy little something? Tell us here.     inspiration station   not the time for worry   I read 'worry' across my friend Joe's face as I watched him from across the restaurant table at his family member's birthday dinner last weekend. Joe is a giant worrier by nature (aren't most of us?). I asked him what he was thinking about - and he shared.  I said, "Joe. What if for RIGHT NOW you shelved that worry? Just for this dinner. Just for this afternoon. Will it be there tomorrow?" He laughed and said, "Oh yes."  I reminded Joe of the enjoyment surrounding him in his family. There was good food set before us, and our families were in each other's company (always a bonus, since we live four states apart).    Joe chuckled.   I don't know if Joe used my suggestion and stopped worrying temporarily, but I do know that I can use that advice sometimes myself.  We all have worries - large and tiny - things sitting on our brains driving us nutty as we focus on them way too much. We carry worry around. We fret. We waste energy on it. We are human. Yet does that mean we have to SIT on the worry 24/7? Could we "take 5?" Shelve the worry to enjoy THE MOMENT. Could we set aside the worry and pick it up again later? Deal with it another time? It will be there (well actually - only if we allow it to remain). Everything has a yin and yang side to it. We can enjoy white in the middle of the black ... a high in the middle of the low ... light in the middle of dark ... a peak in the middle of a valley ... the good in the middle of evil. What if for RIGHT NOW you shelved your worry? "Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." Benjamin Franklin SNIPPETS handy helper I would like to share these profound and elegant words written by my friend Jane in Maryland, a 17-year-old high school student who will be returning to Guayaquil, Ecuador for a week this summer on a mission trip. About her trip last summer, Jane wrote that it was the "most wonderful experience of my life." This is an excerpt from her trip reflection:  "I can still hear Mercedes singing. I can still feel the warm embrace of Pedro's hugs. I can still smell Sister Annie's famous aroz con pollo. I can still see the sadness on Juan's face when he told us his story. Almost eight months later and Ecuador is still very much alive. In my mind. In my heart. In my words. In my actions. I still get chills every time I think about it. That is the power of Ecuador. That is the beauty of Ecuador. It changes your life forever.   As a result of the trip, I am stronger, braver, more thoughtful, more intentional, more simplistic, more grateful, more inspired ... and most importantly, happier - happier thanI have ever been in my life.   There is something magical about that charming country - and I think it's the people. Although they might be materialistically poor, the Ecuadoreans are rich in spirituality - perhaps the richest people I have ever met. Through their selfless actions, devout faith, and immense gratitude, they have taught me more than any book ever could. They see us, the volunteers, as an extraordinary gift from God, but I see them as the truly extraordinary gift. I never realized how much of an impact these people would have on my life - and in such a short amount of time. It was only after looking at things in retrospect that I discovered their true influence. I think about Abel and Pedro and Esther and Wellington every day. I think about their struggles, their sorrows, and their joys. And I think of all of the wonderful little moments we shared. And I can't decide if I should cry or smile. Cry because I miss them so much my heart hurts or smile because I was blessed to get to know such amazing people. How can I ever repay someone who changed my life?" Jane and the others in her youth group will volunteer with the U.S. based nonprofitDAMIEN HOUSE, a residential hospital for over 60 patients with Hansen's disease (formerly leprosy) and 700 outpatients. Patients receive dental care, physical therapy, medication, and three hot meals daily. The group is busy fundraising to cover the trip costs and support Damien House. Once there, they will work with patients and live simply to reflect on the experience. Donations are being accepted at the address below. Payable to St. Joseph Parish with "JANE L, ECUADOR 2013" in memo line:  St. Joseph Parish Youth Ministry c/o Carlo Stebbings 100 Church Lane Cockeysville MD 21030     sometimes when things are falling apart they are actually falling into place CIAO ...  and thanks for snippeting    Suzanne Molino Singleton SNIPPETS creator (talk to me here)  empowering women  (and some men!) every Friday since 2006 SNIPPETSinspiration.com         Perhaps a friend forwarded SNIPPETS to you? Join the free list ... snippet with us! Inspiration is contagious. Please provide your first name so SNIPPETS can welcome you as a  new splendid snippeteer in the next issue! gift SNIPPETS to a friend ... always free!      click logo for more SNIPPETS online since 2006 ...   7 years of Friday-filled inspiration!