Greetings friends!
Welcome to the blog of Encounter Team Two, a NET team on fire with the Holy Spirit and committed to serving God this year. Our team is currently in the final week of training, and our excitement to start the year is rising. As part of this final week of training, our team puts on two retreats under the supervision and guidance of the NET staff. We had our first retreat today in Russell, ON, a short drive from Ottawa, and are busy preparing for a confirmation retreat later this week.
Praise God for such a beautiful first retreat. We had approximately one hundred grade seven's from St. Thomas Aquinas School in Russell, and delivered the "Who Are You?" theme, which focuses on taking our identity in Christ. Through the talk, drama, testimonies, and small groups, the students experienced this theme and learned that God made them, knows them, loves them, and has a plan for them. In the afternoon the students had an opportunity for prayer, and many of them were found flipping through Bibles during this time.
Our team found the students to be such a blessing. We were inspired by the witness of some of them, and moved by the openess of others. In small groups, some of the youth shared with us how they turn to prayer throughout the day, seeking God's help when times are difficult, and thanking God when times are good. Other students also shared with us their struggles and triumphs in seeing the good qualities in themselves. Related to that, some students came to the realization that when they look at themselves and see only things that they don't like and wish were different, they are reflecting that ingratitude back to the God who created them. Overall, our team found that the Catholic faith was alive and present in the group, with a few students already full out embracing their Catholic faith. Groups like today's really reflect the beauty of the school's staff in building a community of faith and really passing on the seeds of faith to their students.
In conclusion, our first retreat was amazing. While there is still room to grow, our team has passion and love for this ministry, and will only continue to improve from here. We are super excited to start out on the road and begin this great task of evangelization, and we look forward to seeing how God will work in our lives and in the lives of those we encounter. We ask for your prayers as we conclude our training and are commissioned on Saturday by the Archbishop of Ottawa. Our work would be for nothing if the power of God was not behind it, and so we rely fully on His grace.
God Bless!
Encounter Team Two
(Top picture- The Encounter Team after their first retreat. L-R: Mariah Fortune, Colin Hay, Katie Foster, Matthew Scott, Sarah Masters, Matthew Sullivan, Melissa Yaceyko, Eoin Ginty, Julia Lannon, and Emily Craig Penner)
