The Promptings Of The Spirit

Hello Friends!   Welcome to the last Leamington Update From The Road for the 2022-2023 season!  Praise God for our mission this year, and the mission yet to come!  Our team has been busy here in Leamington ON, and we are in the midst of wrapping up our ministry this year.  We are sad to be counting down the last of our school visits and youth groups, but it is clear to me that our mission is not yet over; small things like smiling and waving at the students, spending lunch with them and just being present to the youth is what makes the biggest difference.  Even though a small act may not seem important, we have seen firsthand how small acts have sparked love and trust within the students.  What a grace and privilege it is to love others as Christ does!

This has been a place of tremendous growth among our team; we have truly come together as one body in Christ to serve and to love, not only each other but all those that we encounter.  There are so many examples where ‘going the extra mile’ is an opportunity right in front of our eyes.  This we have learnt from our team’s patron Saint, St. Therese of Lisieux.  All things done with the love of Christ, are things done as if it were for Christ.  Such a way of living has helped my team and I look closer into the movements of God in the hearts of the youth.  Sometimes it can be hard to see how the Lord God is moving, but by our small acts, we almost instantly see the impact of our actions.

Something that stood out to me recently happened at a small group one of my teammates and I were running.  We have a group of eight homeschooled girls ages thirteen to sixteen.  Every other week we meet up, have fun together and then talk about calling each other higher and how we can deepen our relationship with Jesus.  One week we had finished watching a video series all about becoming a disciple of Christ.  When we were finishing up our discussion I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to ask them if they felt their relationship with God has grown since we started the series.  I didn’t feel like it was that important to ask, and since it was very bold I was a little worried to ask it.  When I did, all the girls exclaimed that they felt growth in their spiritual lives.  One girl even said she felt like she better understood what it meant to be a follower of Christ and that she was even more ready to embark on that journey with Him!  Even though this seemed like such a small question to ask, I realized just how touched these lives were by asking it!  All glory be to the Holy Spirit for His inspiration! Even the smallest prompts of the Holy Spirit can have the greatest impact on someone’s life! 

My team and I are so blessed to have listened to the call of the Lord to be missionaries this year.  My hope is that all the lives we encountered here in Leamington may nurture the seeds of faith that were planted.  On behalf of my team and I, thank you so much for journeying with us!  Thank you for all your support and prayers, without you the mission of NET would not be the same.  It was an honour for me to share with you God’s work that He has done through us, and all the wonders of His Merciful Love.  May God bless you, Mary keep you, and St. Joseph protects you!  This is the Leamington Team signing off.

With the Holy Spirit as our Guide,

Lucas, Thomas, Anna, Marie, Hailey