If you say "11 more days", I'm gunna twist your knuckles and give you a snake bite

So there is this horrific countdown going on around Sacred Heart Church that sounds something like:

1 more host home change
1 more stipend
2 more edge nights
2 more Lifenights
11 more days until we start our drive back to Ottawa

Pretty crazy hey? Every time I hear it, I get sad. I have definately fit my little Australian self into the community of Wetaskiwin and into the parish of Sacred Heart.
I’m gunna miss Edge nights, Lifenights, playing music at Mass, going to Mass everyday with my team, meeting new people from the parish and hearing about their experiences with God.

I am currently staying with a family whose father is searching for his faith at the moment.
Last night I stayed up talking to him for a couple of hours about the Catholic faith in comparison to other faiths and that big question we all have in life: “why am I here?”
It was one of the most intriguing conversations I have ever had. Of course people are curious, and if you say you’re not then you’re lying.
This universe is massive, and there is such a thing as truth. Talking to this host dad about where he is at in his faith reminded me a lot of myself and where I have been.

I used to be an atheist; I tried to find meaning in the fact that there was no meaning, and needless to say I failed at this. The universe is just too bloody beautiful to have no Creator, so I started my search. After 3 months in Ireland, a week in Medjugorje and 2 weeks in Canada, (and a lot of help from Mumma Mary through prayer) I met God which thus in turn led me to NET.
But I love the curiosity of those people who aren’t necessarily Catholic. I was surprised to hear him say that he had no idea that when we go to Mass every Sunday, we don’t consume bread and wine as a symbol of Christ’s death and love for us, but we as Catholics believe that the priest consecrates bread and wine and it turns into Christ’s Body and Blood, so we actually consume Jesus.

If you’re waiting for the punch line of this blog, I guess it’s that I’m glad to be a Catholic. I’m so flippin’ lucky that God chose to reveal His Massive and Incredible mystery to a little 18-year old girl from Port Pirie, South Australia; I’m glad that I get “it” and that I have the answer to that question “Why am I here?”. Part of that answer MUST be to have great conversations like mine with this host father, spreading the Word of God.
So please pray for him. He believes in God, but not quite sure as to which one that is. He needs to personally experience God, so join with me and Mumma Mary that he may find the God who is endlessly seeking him.

God Bless ya
Emma
Team 4 - Wetaskiwin