Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting with my family at Mass. Its not unusual to find us there together, but yesterday was special because my daughter was speaking to the parish. Some of you may know my daughter Brianna, others may know of her, some of you may not know her at all. She is an exceptional young lady who amazes me with her spirituality, devotion to God, and her never ending journey to make a difference in this world. She brought me to tears yesterday as I realized this young lady will make a difference. These were her words... Thank you Father, its good to be here with you all this evening. My name is Brianna OBrien, I am a resident of Hampton Falls, a 2013 Winnacunnet Grad and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Vermont. And I want to save the world. Ive wanted to save the world since I was a very young girl. When I was in kindergarten I wanted to save the lady bugs that got caught in my bathroom, in second grade I wanted to save the wolves from extinction, in fourth grade I wanted to save the homeless from poverty, in fifth grade I wanted to save the maple trees from global warming, each year it was something different until I learned that as a daughter of God, through His strength, I not only could, but I was called to. FOCUS- the Fellowship of Catholic University Students- is an organization that sends missionaries- recent college graduates- to different college and university campuses around the country. Their job is to work with students on the campus form relationships with Christ, to help students grow deeper in their faith and to spread the love of God on the campus. The organization also directs over 60 mission trips to different domestic and international locations. It is through the help of FOCUS on my campus that I have found a way to serve God and fulfill the calling to save the world. Last year I was able to travel to the small island country of St. Lucia on a short mission trip to help restore faith to the destitute area. We had a day of prayer where we walked through the villages and would stop at different houses and pray with the elderly, the sick and the dying. It was nearly 100 degrees, we ran out of food and water and we lost the driver who had been bringing us to the appropriate locations. We prayed for hours with people wrapped in shrouds who had days left to live. It was one of the worst things I have ever experienced but it changed my heart forever. I understood the power of prayer, I understood the power of Gods love, but I think most importantly I understood that saving the world is not about what I can do, it is in fact not about me at all. I am certain that without the presence of Christ in my life I could not have made it through that emotional day, I get upset seeing roadkill. Earlier this year I was blessed with another incredible opportunity, to travel to India for 5 weeks this summer to work in Kolkata in the Home of the Dying that Blessed Mother Teresa started with her Missionaries of Charity. This will undoubtably be one of the most physically, emotionally and spiritually challenging experiences of my life. I am absolutely terrified, but at the same time I am confident in Gods calling and the power of His love to protect my heart the way He did in St. Lucia. There are a lot of unknowns about this trip, but what I do know is that it will be life changing and incredibly memorable. I have been a member of this parish family since my baptism and it has been an amazing part of my faith journey. I am reaching out to you all today to ask for your help in continuing my faith journey in this very special way. Please keep me in your prayers as I fundraise and prepare for this new and exciting opportunity in my life. If you are in a place to support financially please know that your help is greatly appreciated, I need to raise about $3000 for this mission and as a college student that is a difficult feat to face on my own. You can support me online through my fund page, at focusonline.org/goto/72047 and there are free will offering baskets by the doors. I will be around after mass to talk and to answer any of your questions. Thank you so much for your time, thank you Father, God bless.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 22:44:17 +0000
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