The Daughters of St. Paul - Teens Share the Mission

Compiled and edited by
the Daughters of St. Paul

Foreword by Britt Leigh

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Teens share the mission / compiled and edited by the Daughters of St. Paul; foreword by Britt Leigh.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-8198-7509-9 -- ISBN 0-8198-7509-0 1. Youth in missionary work.
I. Daughters of St. Paul.
BV2617.T44 2014
266.00835--dc23
2014003904

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The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 18 17 16 15 14

Evangelizing

is the

Churchs mission.

It is not

the mission of only a few,

but it is MINE,

YOURS,

and OUR mission.

Pope Francis,
General Audience,
May 22, 2013

When I was a teen not so long ago, I did lots of service hours. Im talking tons. I dont know how many service hours I had by the end of high school, but it must have been somewhere in the hundreds or thousands. I mean, I got awards for them! Now, mind you, I did not volunteer with the mission of I want to get an award but I enjoy doing this, it takes care of a requirement, and hey, people are helpedso everyone feels good! But it took waaay longer than it should have to realize what my true mission was and how my true reward was so much more than any paper certificates could be.

Mission is a call from God to serve his people. Its a call to serve his mission to go out into the world, spread the Gospel, and make new disciples. Mission is more than just a service project, volunteer hours, or trip to a foreign country. Mission can be praying with a friend whos upset, writing about your faith on a blog, or doing extra chores for your dad. Mission is mission when, in the spirit of Christ Jesus, you share Gods love to the world. Mission is about those you serve, not about you.

Of course being on mission can be something you already enjoy doing and can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But God is calling you and your work to a higher purpose: he wants you to feel the joy of helping others just for the sake of the others, to continue helping others feel goodeven when youre not. Because our reward for mission isnt meeting some hours requirement or recognitionits that God was made present to someone who needs him.

In this book, youll hear from teens like you who have started on their missions, serving others in many different ways. After each story, there are two prompts for reflection. Take some time to think on them, pray with them, and act on them. Some will just be questions to consider about yourself, your relationship with God, and your own mission. Others might have Scripture quotes or other churchy things to look up, so it might be helpful to have a Bible handy. If youre not near the Internet to look stuff up, dont worry; you can always come back to them later. Theres no set order to read them in or work through them. Pick a new story or question. For those writerly types like yours truly, you can journal your answers.

Now that Im all grown up, I continue to serve. And God continues to work on my mind and heart. The way God asks me to be of service to others has shifted in terms of what I do and how I do it. Now I serve with the ever-present focus of How is this mission? How is this benefiting Gods people and bringing them closer to him? The call to mission is ongoing; there is no final stop; the work is never over. But right here, right now, in this time of your lives, God is calling you. Get ready to listen, prepare yourself, and respond to him.

Pope Francis believes you are the best person for the job. In his closing homily at World Youth Day 2013, he said, Do you know what the best tool is for evangelizing the young? Another young person. This is the path to follow!... The Church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of you.

Well, what do you say? Are you ready to share the mission?

Go.

Britt Leigh, author of the teen novel
Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean

A Bolivian sun will burn Caucasians. I should know; Im really quite fair-skinned, and I did get burned some, though a hat and 45 SPF sunscreen a few times a day kept the burn at a minimum. The sun is no trouble for Bolivians; their beautiful brown faces have borne it since the days of the Incas. Their dark eyes have a shape that looked mournful to me. They have wise old faces, worn by years of oppression and poverty in a country where 70 percent are poor. But once they smiled, the age disappeared and joy filled their features.

Seventeen of us stayed at a parish two hours away from Santa Cruz, a city in the eastern part of Bolivia. We visited communities with the padre when he made Mass rounds, fixed up a chapel, visited an orphanage, and helped with childrens games. I remember so much: the friendships, the people, the poverty that had most of us in tears... But there was such faith, too; faith in God alive in the community. I am often asked which part of the experience was best, and I dont know what to say. It was all so wonderful, and sad, and joyous all at once that my response is only, The people. So giving and welcoming. I cried when we left; most of us did.

I will always remember the joy of my new Bolivian friends, the jovenes (youths) of Buena Vista. Whether they were teaching us a Bolivian cheering chant, or learning Boom Chicka Boom from us (I think we started a new trend), they were very happy. Those beautiful brown people with sad-shaped eyes taught me joy. Joy is elusive; sometimes its not found even in the noblest of pursuits. But these people, all of whom were so willing, so happy, so self-giving, so Christ-like, understood joy and gave it freely.

Going to Bolivia, I knew I could never give more than receivebut I never expected to feel like I had done so little. Maybe thats how the apostles felt listening to Christlike theyd done nothing but be filled with Gods love, joy, and hope.