Days 166-170: Another NET Team Reunion; Supervisor Visit #3 (2/18-2/22/21)

For the next few days, we get to lay low in Georgia before heading to NC. During our 2-night stay in Georgia, we were able to do a few things. We received a ton of sacraments: Mass, Adoration and Confession, all at once, at our host homes’ (the Doty’s) local parish. That evening, NET Team 4 was expecting to stay the night at the Doty’s with us as well! They’re coming up from southern Georgia en route to Illinois, and staying as an in-between. This will be the 4th team we have seen on the road; to put it into perspective, it’s very rare to cross paths with just one NET Team, so I feel extra blessed. My teammate from last year, Adam, is on this team, so reuniting with him and my other friends— Alejandra, Tyler, Courtney, and Christy— was super amazing. They are such a fun team, and I absolutely loved catching up with them for the night. They left early the next morning, while we did more ministry prep and Whirlyball. If you do not know what whirlyball is, it is a mix of basketball and lacrosse, but while driving in bumper cars. It’s pretty intense, and the Doty’s took us out for a few hours to experience this fairly new sport. Grace and I left a little early so we could pick up our supervisors for their third visit!! We picked up Anthony and Christina from the Atlanta airport, then went to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant, catching up and preparing for the visit. We stuck around the Doty household the next morning before leaving for Huntersville, North Carolina. During that time, I asked host brother Austin, a NET alum and musician, what it means to praise God through music. He took this opportunity to lead our music practice, where he gave all of us really good perspective and insight. Praise the Lord for Austin, an absolute gem of a man both inside and out. I met him last year when we were both on NET, and he is an incredible disciple who truly knows Jesus as a best friend. After saying goodbye to the Doty’s, we left and arrived at a rectory across the street from out St. Mark’s, where our next retreat is. We ended the night watching old Youtube videos that we grew up with, which was a great mix of comedy and nostalgia, two of my favorite things. . . We only had one retreat at St. Mark’s, a 12-hour confirmation retreat, where the retreatants had very little clue on what was to come. Yet, they all dived in, and they all loved it! These kids were so flipping smart! When we did small group Family Feud, they knew all the answers to every question, from the saints to the stations of the cross, it was unreal. But, with the retreat, some said they finally had fun actually experiencing Christ through the retreat, and for one guy in my small group, the retreat helped reignite his faith! Praise the Lord, it was a good day. The next morning, Christina and Anthony took over the team for the third time this year, but this time it is a more meditative visit. We had grand silence and prayer until lunchtime, then broke into men’s and women’s groups until dinnertime, ending the day with team prayer. It was exactly what I needed. I had not gotten the proper rest since the chaos of Mississippi, so having a full day to reflect and sit in silence and meditate was everything for me. A full day to recharge before going after the mission again, thank you Jesus for providing!