The SEEK Podcast
Welcome to the SEEK Podcast – we're so glad you’re here. This podcast is a place of community, collaboration, and inspiration, created to invite and encourage you deeper into a relationship with Jesus. Join these podcasters and many others as we encounter Jesus at SEEK25, Jan 1st-5th. For more information and to register, visit seek.focus.org.
The SEEK Podcast
Real Discipleship Is Simple: knowHis.Love x SEEK
In this episode of the SEEK Podcast, join the know.Hislove crew as they dive into the practical and profound aspects of discipleship. The team explores their experiences with SEEK and how simple actions can lead to profound spiritual growth. With engaging stories and insightful reflections, they discuss their encounters at SEEK, the vibrant Catholic culture they’ve experienced, and the simplicity of living a life of discipleship through friendship and community.
Throughout the conversation, they share personal anecdotes from their involvement in various ministries and summer projects, illustrating how seemingly small interactions can lead to significant spiritual insights. They emphasize the importance of being present in the community, the power of intentional friendships in evangelization, and the ongoing call to conversion and deeper love that defines the Christian journey. Join them as they unpack the beauty of following Christ in everyday life and inspire listeners to embrace the simplicity of discipleship.
Welcome to the Seek Podcast, where we explore faith, inspire hope and build community. My name is John Michael Lucido and I'm excited to invite you to join us this season as we dive into topics about the faith with people from all over the Catholic world. Thank you for listening to today's episode. Know that we are praying for you.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to no Ease Love.
Speaker 4:I'm Julia, I'm Izzy and I'm madeline, and we are the hosts for know his love today.
Speaker 4:so father michael and molly are normally here, but we are here for the seek podcast streaming from ohio university yeah, from my bedroom floor and we're here to talk to you a little bit about seek 25 today, to talk about our past experiences at seek, to hype it up a bit because we love seek. We're here to talk about our experience with focus, with some projects and the theme that we're talking about follow me this is based on the verse john 8, verse 12.
Speaker 3:Jesus spoke to them again, saying I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life, and this is the theme for Seek this year. Come on, seek, come on. Okay, what's something that you remember from Seek last year?
Speaker 4:Something I remember is all of the booths. I remember getting to see a bunch of like friends that we know at the booths and just getting to like go around and see all the different like Catholic ministries and businesses and like things we can be involved in. I remember being really struck by that. Did you guys have any booths that stood out to you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I did. This past summer I spent seven weeks with an organization called kinship community food center and they're a catholic food pantry and they have a farm and they grow the produce the produce that they give out at the pantry and they're just really good at like building community with the homeless in Milwaukee, wisconsin, and I and I met them at Seek at their booth. We actually met them two years ago.
Speaker 2:They raffled us like a free hat.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they gave us a free hat and we got radish keychains.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we had these like keychains as a joke on our bags. But then Julia ended up working there.
Speaker 3:We kept calling them, the radish people, and then I ended up working there and it's actually a beet, it's not a radish.
Speaker 2:So oh well, yeah, that's crazy yeah.
Speaker 2:I vividly remember um Annalise, our friend from summer projects uh, I met up with her in Mission Way, all the booths, and we both like revealed to each other that we had brought like a portfolio of resumes we were walking around like okay, who should we give them to? And, um, we both ended up interviewing with multiple companies from, uh, mission way, which was awesome. She now works for a newman center at south carolina university of south carolina. Um, but yeah, I mean, we both, I think I did that too.
Speaker 4:I brought job opportunities I brought it to sales journal, which is a project I work on, and I gave it to this one magazine that I saw and I was like so excited about it. Um, but I also remember I think I met Christ in the city there for the first time and I remember when we were in Denver.
Speaker 4:All three of us have done summer projects the same summer in Denver in 2023, this summer, and we got to serve with Christ in the city there, um, just like a few times, um, just for their like lunch in the parks and then their like street walks um. But yeah, we got introduced to them there and like the beauty of their ministry and got to talk to the missionaries for the first time. I know, uh, damascus is always there and we love getting to talk to them. We're such fans.
Speaker 4:They're always trying to recruit Julia, because Julia hasn't worked there last year.
Speaker 2:Connell bro for context, we both.
Speaker 3:Madeline and I both yeah and then we would walk around and stop at the booth every time because a different person was working and the different person would would turn to me and be like so have you thought about working at Damascus? And I had the same conversation about 15 times the whole.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it's like it's good for like finding, like, what ministries there are and like who you would possibly want to like serve with, for sure, I think all three of at least my summers and like your summers, and then two of your summers. We like, found our opportunities from yeah mission way yeah, which is amazing. That's such a wonderful yeah, that's actually really cool, yeah, you pay a lot to like go travel across the country to hang out with 24 000 people, but you're also like.
Speaker 3:I mean, I got three jobs from that you got three jobs from that yeah, two jobs from that.
Speaker 4:Like that's amazing kind of kind of well, I guess it's a lot of. It's a lot of like connecting and like seeing what's possible. It's a lot of like inspiring off of wow, this is possible in the catholic sphere, yeah, um, wow, what can I do? You know, and I think it's cool to also see like the catholic culture of like um, like merch design or like uh, sacramentals or anything like.
Speaker 4:One of my favorites is oreimus I don't know if that's how you pronounce it yeah but I remember I got like a rosary case um from them last time and like that was one of my favorites.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know you got something oh uh, january jane, that's like one of my favorite shops, yeah and I got their human of heaven, or, yeah, humans of heaven's book, and it has all these like modern day saints in their pictures.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a perfect coffee table book yeah I got a west coast catholic rosary too, did you gotta come? On yeah, shout out also.
Speaker 4:it's really cool to like see all the religious orders there. They have all of like the sisters and the brothers and they're all just there. They fly so many out probably and they're all just there getting to meet people, it's awesome.
Speaker 2:I do have some insider knowledge. The nuns I lived with this summer actually sent me a GoFundMe link Saying we're trying to make it to Sikh 25 in Utah. Oh they fundraise.
Speaker 4:I don't think Sikh doesn't get them yeah.
Speaker 2:But like the orders. Yeah, the orders fundraise. I thought you were saying that all of them get in free. I was like I don't think so.
Speaker 4:No, they don't. There would be way too many. No, but it's cool to there's hundreds. Yeah, it's really cool to see like in one place, yeah, and to get to like just like. Read it off all the posters and like talk to anyone in any charism you want and it's just like a really cool opportunity.
Speaker 2:Also, we got to karaoke in mission way oh, that was two years ago, that was two years, so I don't know what.
Speaker 4:What booth was it?
Speaker 3:oh, I don't know, it was like someone with a big tv screen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were doing like, because there's also a bunch of like media orgs there, like catholic media, uh, companies, which is really cool for like marketing and I don't remember what they were, but they had trivia and during the concert the ben rector concert we like kind of peeped in, popped in, but then we popped out and we just went and karaoke'd in mission way. Yeah, we like asked if we could drops on roses.
Speaker 4:We were being obnoxious. We get so obnoxious and then, yeah, we got to like interview a few orders and like businesses and just people who walk around, because, like, mission way is also social. So, like all of our friends that we know, um which is really cool, one of the best parts we just get to like see all your friends from throughout the country, of like past things you've done.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, everyone's at sea, that's one of the things I don't know if I'm like excited or kind of nervous. We're bringing two friends who have never been to seek and one who's, like, never been to any, like not like any catholic extracurricular but nothing outside of our newman center, sure, and I'm just like the dynamic of we walk through mission way and every two minutes you're seeing someone you've either seen on instagram, have worked with, have a connection, like a one degree connection.
Speaker 2:Yeah, even though there's 20 000 people, and I'm just like that's gonna be crazy for, like our friends who haven't been to something like this and don't like have a network yet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm just wondering what that's like yeah, it might be a little different this year too, because it's split that's true so a lot of the
Speaker 4:people we know might be at the other one.
Speaker 2:That'll be interesting yeah, that's a phenomenon that is really funny that's crazy yeah, they'll get to meet a bunch of people.
Speaker 3:That'll be cool for them because they'll be with us the whole time last year we got to do a meetup with all of our friends that we made at summer projects and that was the best it was.
Speaker 2:So it was really cute and our location snuck into a utility closet in the corner of the room.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was so hot and so crowded because there was so many people that did summer projects 30 denver, 23 summer. Yeah, we just sat. There was like 30 of us from summer projects made a brand new colorado times.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because at summer projects I'd always make a newsletter every friday.
Speaker 4:I'd hand it out and it was like my favorite thing, and so I printed off a newsletter like what was going on in everyone's lives and stuff and brought it and we all read it in this utility closet. But yeah, it was cool because they like directly put on a summer projects meetup at seek for, like, all of us to meet up. So then we got to like all like catch up of what was going on in our lives, um, verbally also aside from the colorado time yeah, it was really cute.
Speaker 3:Speaking of summer projects, a little transition. What is something that you learned in your summer, with summer projects that you have implemented in the year and a half? Since yeah, how long is yeah um in your college life?
Speaker 4:yeah, so summer projects is something that focus puts on. It's like a formation program and like a real life, like work experience thing and you get to like work a job and then also have intentional, intentional Catholic community, while there's focused missionaries there like forming you and you get to partake in like Bible studies, discipleship, all these like cool events they put on and it's just like really a time to like get with people that are our age and like be in that community and be loved well, for like nine weeks in the summer.
Speaker 3:And it really teaches you like to balance, like having a job, like we're all working nine to fives, and also like growing in your faith and pursuing your faith and pursuing community too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and there are locations like all over the country. There's probably like more than 10 locations, and we got to do it in Denver. So we did it two summers ago with like 30 other people yeah so there was a lot of like intentional formation so that we could take those lessons and bring it back to college yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:So my answer to the question of, like what's the biggest thing you learned that you've taken with you the next year and a half? Mine's more from my job. I guess that's fair. Like yeah, I mean because I worked at the focus headquarters. Izzy did as well at the DSC and then Julia had a internship at go-go aviation in.
Speaker 2:Denver um, but I worked in the media, the social media marketing department, and I think the biggest thing I learned was my boss said one day like the reason focus is so adamant about being on social media is because it's something that is clearly twisted to be the bad thing we know it as today, like the doom scrolling, the addiction to it, the um, like bad perception people get of themselves by simply looking at the other people's lives on social media.
Speaker 2:And the fact that we see how twisted and bad it is means that it was made for good and, like all things, when something is made for good, the devil tries to twist it for evil and for bad. And so focus is there, trying to redeem that space and get you to one encounter god there and then get off the app and want to learn more about god. So being someone who's working in Catholic media like that has totally transformed my perspective. Like when I get down about my career or like I'm in class and I'm hearing just things that are so not of the Lord at like a secular university, just knowing like this is the territory God's going to win back by my hand, being at the end of his fingertips.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I think it's a thing of like, if the people care about it, if the culture cares about it, then like the evangelist cares about it I saw that somewhere and it's like that's so true yeah, so that has been so prominent in my mind the last like year yeah, like you have to go where the people are yeah, and then also just the whole living in community thing. I didn't learn that, I just love it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that was like my favorite thing from summer projects.
Speaker 2:Yeah I guess another question, if you guys don't have your answer like right away, is I was wondering, like, what made you say yes to following god, to denver summer projects I think were you gonna say something she just really discerned hard about summer projects I discerned hard about summer projects and it ended up being so good.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, so I worked at damascus uh, summer 2022, and I really wanted to go back the next summer, and so when I interviewed for summer projects and I ended up getting the role, I was like really distraught about this like. I wanted them to deny me so I could go back to Damascus, because I wanted to work at the summer camp and I didn't want to work at a desk, whatever, but I also needed an internship to graduate college so I was like I made this like terrible pro con list and it was like it was like I wish you had it.
Speaker 3:It was like pro to damascus, the better choice that was the first one, that was the better option the better option, said like damascus fun summer projects, not fun girl you haven't been to summer projects it's just like terrible pro con list
Speaker 4:I've learned how to like make pro con lists a little better, it's like the day before christmas break too, and you get this, you're like calling
Speaker 2:yeah, possible supervisor, right?
Speaker 4:yeah, crying about it, I was like well, not when she was on the phone. I cried afterwards. I was like so upset. But I remember being like um a choice. I remember being like I could do Damascus or I could do summer projects, and it's like either way is fine.
Speaker 4:But I think there was like an open door there of like um, just like an opportunity to follow the Lord in a new way.
Speaker 4:Like I got to like learn his heart for like um summer camp counseling the summer before, but then I think, like that summer he was calling me to like learn his heart for like um summer camp counseling the summer before. But then, I think, like that summer, he was calling me to like learn his heart in a different way, um, and that was not a call that I liked at first. I feel like that was truly a thing of like come follow me and like leave this idea of what you had for what your summer was going to be behind and I didn't want to do that at first, but it was so like I don't know. He gave me the grace too, of like I remember sending the email and like taking formation that I had from Damascus. Of like we'd jump off this blob and we'd yell Jesus, I trust in you, and I remember sending off a deck onto a oh yeah, off the deck into the lake just into a lake it was like yeah, I'm like jump off a blob we jump off a blob.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we'd like throw yourself like 15 feet down on this like pillow thing and we would scream jesus, I trust in you. And I remember sending the email that I would come work at summer projects and I remember being like with my finger over the send button.
Speaker 4:I was like jesus I trust in you and then pressing it and because I was like I do not see, personally I didn't want to go work, like at the office, honestly, but like I was like I don't see how this could be more fruitful than Damascus, like getting to serve um. But then it was just such a time of like the Lord saw something I didn't and, like me, I would have been following him either way, but he was like inviting me in a different way and like just getting to like deny what I thought would happen, um, was really it really paid off of like getting to learn all those lessons like?
Speaker 4:living in community and um, yeah, just getting to learn his heart for um what it looks like practically to like work in an office. Um, I thought it was fruitful because I got to find him there when.
Speaker 4:I didn't think I could find him there. Um, so, yeah, I thought that was. Yeah, really, I learned a lot of lessons from summer projects, but like seeing him in a place that I like thought was so dead, um, like, like I mean like a nine to five, like yeah, office. I just my high school perception was like, oh, offices are so dead. But I got to like, really see him there um like through our like mass schedule and um, just through the people and just through like uniting my work to him.
Speaker 3:I got to follow him that summer through that yeah, I think I learned also learned a lot about finding God in places that you don't always think so, specifically through like evangelizing through friendship.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think I learned a lot, um, because I was working in like an engineering office and, like you know, I don't know who's Christian, I don't know who's Catholic, and it was like a quest. I'm like trying to find out who all the Catholic people are, um, but like, yeah, I think that that summer really challenged me to evangelize through just like being friends with people and like I remember I had all my friends for my internship over for dinner one night at our apartments and we all lived together and they were like meeting everyone, because we're in like apartment dorms, um, and there's like 30 of us, like all in the same area.
Speaker 3:Imagine a beach apartment, yeah, condo style, yeah, I feel and so they came over for dinner and they're like meeting everyone, everyone's like, walking in and out of our room and like in the stairwell, and then they kept being like so all of you guys are catholic yeah, yeah, we all are.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like the witness, we were all different flavors like yeah we weren't all the textbook.
Speaker 3:Catholics yeah and like I think they were shocked that like we weren't like weird and like awkward like they got a lot. We played pickleball with them. It was like fun and they're I don't know. I think it just taught me like to have, uh, more confidence too in sharing my faith, but not in a way of like oh, here's what the gospel is, but in a way of like, oh, like, this is how I live my life and like I want to like, show your actions and how you treat your friends.
Speaker 4:Yeah because Julia is really good at that too. Of like, yeah, of like I feel like you're good at like just being like a simple witness and like being friends with people and through that, like they see something different in you and then they like come find out for themselves and it works yeah because I think, like I think we can be weird about it and like I think we can be like discouraged about it, we think we always have to be like preaching at people or something but, like summer projects was like such a thing of like, oh, I can just be friends with people and like through my witness, through the accompaniment of that, it's like yeah that's.
Speaker 4:That's where like discipleship is yeah, because you can't speak into people's lives without like right having that foundation.
Speaker 3:If you don't know them, you're not gonna. Yeah, trust, it's all about trust, I feel so julia does that well yeah, and I want to share a glory story also.
Speaker 3:Um, so after summer projects, I was like I want to start a bible study because they taught us how to, how to like lead. We would like take turns um leading, like just the focus studies that are online. And so we started one up and I invited this girl from my class, meredith, and I'm like I don't know if she's Christian or not. Most of everyone else I invited like a nude. They were Christian or Catholic, but I'm like I don't know. I think she might be, I don't know. I'll invite her, but she wasn't but she decided to come.
Speaker 3:Um, and she came every week. She was the most dedicated member, like she had the best attendance. She would come when no one came. Yeah, there's like one week no one else came and it was just her. And I was like I can show you like what I was going to talk about.
Speaker 3:But then we just like hung out and like, yeah, just through like yeah, Then she started coming to adoration and just through like yeah, like the intentional friendship, and she met all of our friends in the Newman Center and I think she just noticed like there's something different about these people, like they're like joyful and like yeah, yeah, there's something here. Um, and she's an rcia this year, well, ocia this year, and she's gonna be catholic. Um, yeah, like it was, it's kind of like really simple.
Speaker 4:I feel like it wasn't anything crazy I think the way we think it's supposed to be so complicated distracts us away from the simplicity of it, and that's where we fail, I think like when we stop walking in the simplicity of it, that's where we fail you know what I'm saying I?
Speaker 2:think it has to be this grand plan, yeah, I think the other thing for me is I just think it has to be so complicated because I'm, like, so convicted of what I believe now that I like. Forget that half the world just has no convictions like, right like right. Like your friend, she was just like blank slate.
Speaker 1:Like I called.
Speaker 2:Izzy, the independent variable of politics the other day. She's just like she just chooses to be independent of like just listens to what the she doesn't seek it out necessarily Listen to what the world says, and then like, does her own research after, but like, but, like your friend who's now all our friends, like she was, just like the independent variable of the world no faith, nothing like it doesn't need to be this big, complex gospel presentation necessarily right and we were talking about this at bible study last week too, and one of the questions in the study was like what do you think you should start with when discipling someone, or like evangelizing to someone?
Speaker 3:and in my mind I'm like thinking of like these complex church teachings and then our friend Izzy our other friend, izzy, not this one um, she just became Christian, like last year, and she was talking about how this Protestant group like came up to her and like just explain like who Jesus was. And she's like, yeah, I think this is a great way to start. Like you were created by God and like God loves you and wants a relationship. It was like so simple.
Speaker 2:Like you know the the gospel presentation we're all like, but in my mind I'm like thinking all these complicated things.
Speaker 3:I'm, I'm like, actually it's really simple, like like once she said that I'm like, oh my gosh, like it is simple. Like yeah, I don't know why, I think it's so complicated?
Speaker 4:and I think, I think it does. I think the biggest thing for me too, like in class, like nowadays, is like, oh, I'm gonna intentionally like befriend these people. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, I'm gonna intentionally befriend the girl in my ceramics class and like invest in her every class and like. I think that like, just like shows so much yeah, what you're talking about, it's just like oh, why does he care to ask me?
Speaker 1:how.
Speaker 4:I am every time like why does she care about my project?
Speaker 2:so much.
Speaker 4:Why does she care?
Speaker 2:you know what I'm saying yeah people notice.
Speaker 4:I feel like that's like low-key, what jesus probably did too like yeah before he went off.
Speaker 2:You know like he's just like before he went before he went off, before his career, really just like I feel, like it's, it's yeah, before his career took off, I feel like it was a lot of like, humble, like yeah it was a lot of like humble listening and a
Speaker 2:lot of like humble, just like being that presence for people, and like I think that goes a long way, like genuinely I was gonna say like being like a preschooler again, like that child, like I don't care what you guys believe, because you don't believe anything when you're like in preschool really, I mean somewhat, but like we were all friends, like why were we all friends in preschool, and then like the last month of high school and then like in between, that's so funny.
Speaker 4:We were friends the last one. Yeah, that's really funny, like I feel like college.
Speaker 2:For me has been like getting back to that like yeah, yeah understanding it's just like doesn't matter what you believe like.
Speaker 4:Being a friend to someone is probably the catalyst to actually falling in love with what I have fallen in love with yeah, so yeah, and I feel like we think like also like, in following Christ and trying to like invite people to follow him too, we think we have to like invite the whole world, you know what I'm saying and then we get discouraged when like yeah, we don't invite, like the whole world doesn't follow that, and I think like the Congress's whole thing is like just felt like invite one, like walk with one, yeah, the eucharistic congress yeah, the eucharistic congress they're all about like walk with one, invest in one, and it's like because jesus invested in 12, but like really like three, like really intentionally, and it's like if he changed the world through just like that investment, like we're not called to do more than christ did.
Speaker 4:You know what I'm saying like how much can we change the world if, like we actually just like radically invest in like three or like? One and it's like I love that proposal of just like, what if that's following the gospel, just like the simplicity of that um and yeah, just like following him simply and well like that I think that's, yeah, born a lot of fruit from, yeah, their proposal.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I feel like the simplicity of like following christ is like seen at seek too, because, like, um, the simplicity of following christ is like something that's continual and every day. It's not like like a one-time oh, I chose to follow Christ Like you make that initial decision, but then it's like an everyday, like call to conversion and deeper love, and I feel like that's something that Sikh is trying to emphasize too. Of like, this conference isn't just for people who haven't encountered Christ, people who are lukewarm, it's for, like, all of us, it's who are lukewarm, it's for, like all of us, it's for, it's for the lukewarm, it's for those who haven't encountered christ and it's for, like the devout, to like get deeper into your faith, um, to just like, come into communion with the church more and, yeah, to come seek opportunities, to come hear new information, because there's so much conversion, um and love to be done.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I feel like another analogy would just be like like with scripture, like the holy spirit works differently every time you read the exact same line I could read john 3 16, every single day and something new would be revealed. Yeah, who am I to think that god can't move again?
Speaker 2:I don't know, yeah so yeah yeah um, how would you guys say, like, thinking back, like so, when we were talking about how, like, we have been called to follow Christ, how would you say it's changed over the years, like, what did you see yourself freshman year doing to like come follow him, versus now as seniors?
Speaker 4:I like that question.
Speaker 3:I feel like when I came into college, izzy was like, oh, there's this Newman Center and like I was texting the priest on the Newman app Wait what you used an app they used to use the Newman app. Well, I thought it was going to be weird and I'm like, okay, I'll go check it out, like this welcome week.
Speaker 3:And then I don't know if I knew what crew was, but I was like then I'll join the other, like the really popping off Christian group because I was like, oh the cat, the Newman Center's like probably kind of weird, so I'll just go to mass and then hang out with the, with other people, like that was my, that's what. I thought coming in. But yeah now. Now we're like totally invested in the newman center um, it's where all my friends are from I live the ou catholics lifestyle mass rosary sunday supper yeah, like I don't think, I don't think I thought I would be involved in minecraft okay, we haven't really like.
Speaker 3:I came in like intentionally wanting like christian or catholic friends, but it wasn't like, oh, like I need to find good community.
Speaker 2:Like you know, I didn't think that that was as important as I do now, I think okay, something that I was thinking back to, like the beginning of our freshman year because of what you're saying and I think something that's so necessary, but like prayer about following Jesus, because all three of us, I feel like, could testify to the fact that it's like, yeah, the Newman Center was like, yeah, I'll show up, but like my friends will probably be, like for me, I was gonna go make friends with the gymnastics team and then the club gymnastics team and then have my one or two mass buddies is what I said to my sister.
Speaker 2:I was like there's probably gonna be two people in my whole grade. And then it's like but I prayed every night leading up to college like god, please let there be a friend group for me at the Newman Center. And then it's like, suddenly, after COVID, like our grade revived the Newman Center to have like 10 people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and our friend group just clicked like instantly yeah same people four years later yeah, and I feel like I'm starting to remember how much I prayed and like begged for community yeah, because.
Speaker 4:I came in like I remember that summer before I like decided I was like I need to live for this and like I need like intentional community to live this with. I really want Catholic friends. I remember thinking that I remember praying so much for like Catholic community and now I remember that and I'm like how much was provided and like how much I grew from what was provided and like now we're seniors and it's like I've been starting to pray for that like community.
Speaker 4:Next, year because of like the faithfulness of, like how faithful he was to my prayers that first time like those four years ago. It's like Lord, please be faithful again you know because like now we're getting ready to graduate and I don't know where we're going but it's like I don't know, I've started like praying. A lot about that and like offering stuff up for that and like because it's so cool. Like it's so cool because, like, I'm praying for these, like people to like come and people are probably praying for me to come.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? We're all praying for each other, like we need some girl who's really good at graphics like just magazine.
Speaker 3:Magazine work like we need a girl with a really cool rug that matches all her clothes a girl in 20 cylinders that she made in ceramics blue, Green, blue and tan, she's going to make you cut her hair like once a month.
Speaker 2:She wants a short bob. It's actually too long right now. Julia, please cut it for her.
Speaker 4:Please, julia, please, cut my hair. Guys, I kind of want a bob. You want a bob, I'll cut your hair. I need a bob.
Speaker 2:Because I want mine a little shorter.
Speaker 3:I was inspired by Gracie Abrs because she has the cutest little bob and she has she's like the same hair hey same color hair, as me a trim this weekend.
Speaker 2:Let's all just like I think it can't be an impulse decision.
Speaker 3:Well, I need it.
Speaker 2:You saw gracie abrams I need to discern about it. Yeah, it hasn't been long, but yeah, praying for okay. Gonna be honest, I'm ratting myself out.
Speaker 2:I haven't thought about that like you know, I kind of just there's certain groups I've like I have no idea where I'm ending up, but there's certain groups in each city that I'm so far, like right now, looking at possibly ending up in. Then I'm like, oh, I'll just join those groups, but I should still be praying like that those groups not that they accept me, but that like when I show up, like god has prepared the way right, yeah like this is made for you to come join madeline yeah um which he'll do like yeah he did it here and I kid you not our newman center, like not no shade to like the newman center.
Speaker 2:It's just like covid kind of killed it it was like maybe five to ten people when we showed up. Yeah, now we have what like 80 people coming weekly to dinner yeah so like god prepares the way when you pray, yeah I have this sticky note up on my wall.
Speaker 4:It says are you? Are you praying like your words change reality my words of like begging god to like provide community. It's like that can change things and it will it will, because he's been faithful before and I feel like that's like call to like follow him. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:It like starts with that prayer yeah like intimacy and then it like comes forth because if it's not just for the intimacy of it too, it's like am I just praying to like get things, and you know what I'm saying and to like do well, but it's like all for that intimacy and to end with that intimacy and the other things are a plus, to like guide us. But then it's like I don't know, we're seniors and it's like how are we going to use what we've learned from like things like seek and focus?
Speaker 4:um how are we going to use that to like go out into the world?
Speaker 3:it's like we're adults right now, but like to be adults adults you know, I think we're going to be able to take these tools from like what we've learned at focus and seek, and just like be able to like live that out right as we follow him um because I don't know that we'll have like all these like conference opportunities when we graduate oh my gosh, we've gotten to do this all these years I've been thinking about that a lot, but in a little bit different way, of not looking into the future as much, but like we're seniors now and there's so many people at our newman center that haven't had the same opportunities as us, and I'm like, oh gosh, what can we teach them before we leave. You know, it kind of stresses me out sometimes same.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm dying.
Speaker 3:This one does summer projects genuinely yeah, cuz, like I, we learned a lot in our four years here, and not that like, oh, if we don't tell them, they're never gonna learn. Because, like you know, like god can teach people, like you know, on their own, but also we have these skills, so why would we not? Share them and, like god, wants to use us to help form them too, through what we've received and I think, like all those things we've learned, will just like impact, like our vocation.
Speaker 4:So much too, like we're gonna be able to love so much better. I think also. Also, I'm kind of going to treat SEEK this year, too, as like what are the opportunities out there? Because like. I practically need to do something.
Speaker 3:I know, are you going to bring your resume.
Speaker 4:I probably will. I will be. Should we all print off resumes, if I?
Speaker 1:don't already have it on the TV, I already have some printed out from the career fair.
Speaker 4:I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but I'm going to be using SEEK as a hey. What should I do with my life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, I think it's a good opportunity which honestly, college students that aren't graduating also should be like well, what the heck am I going to do with my life? Yeah, because it's also Mission way.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's good inspiration too of of like, if I'm not going to join one of these like later down the line like can I live like these people?
Speaker 1:can I like start this like?
Speaker 4:yeah, what are the virtues behind it? And like, how do I live my life that way?
Speaker 2:yeah, this is very like not profound, but I got this little document today of all the small businesses started up by focus alumni whoa, that's crazy.
Speaker 4:I'm like scrolling through it.
Speaker 3:I'm like yeah I want to do that.
Speaker 2:I want to be like on the list of catholic people who have really like entered the world and provided something that's really service a good that is glorifying god like what are you gonna do with your life? That's what I want to do with my life and I think seek is a great opportunity to spark that inspiration.
Speaker 3:For that there's so many people doing what you already want to do. No, it's really cool. I feel like every time we walk through there, I like remember again that like you can like start your own thing, like I don't know. I was thinking about it a lot this summer at kinship because, like the people that were like the, like the head, I'm just like they kind of like made this out of like not a lot and I'm like you can just like start something and like completely change it, like I always forget that, like you can like go and do your own thing.
Speaker 2:Is it its own non-profit, or is it just like off of a church?
Speaker 3:um, I think it's its own, but they work in a church basement, yeah, okay that's cool.
Speaker 4:And also I was thinking when I saw the dominicans convent this weekend or yeah, I was literally like a few sisters like probably fundraising, yeah, like that's the faithfulness. Oh my god, that's faithfulness, do you?
Speaker 2:remember that quote from hayden. So one of our summer projects friends, he said so he goes to um texas a&m, which is like one of the biggest newman centers in the nation. And he said, every time I'm like atxas a&m, which is like one of the biggest newman centers in the nation, and he said, every time I'm like at my newman center, I just think like who was the group of friends that started this?
Speaker 2:oh, I forgot about that that just popped in my head because I remember, like right after summer, I used to think like whenever I was down about where I thought our newman center was going or like ministry was going, I was like wait, I just have to be the group of friends that like sparked it yeah, cause he was like. I see that in you guys oh my gosh, that was a big compliment. Well, hopefully we are still a group of friends that sparks things after college even if we're like across the nation or if we're all in the same place, who knows?
Speaker 2:hey, we'll see you in mission, we'll see you well. So we're gonna keep trying to be that group of friends that like loves each other so well that it like sparks something, quite like the texas aggies aa whoop newman center.
Speaker 2:And we'll definitely something like focus or something like focus, because the group of friends started that um and a group of friends started the catholic church. So with god, of course, yeah, but on that note, I think, like we'll see them, we'll see them in mission way, right yeah, I think we'll see everyone. I think so will we be like karaoke at like some booth?
Speaker 4:that's definitely not made for karaoke?
Speaker 2:I think so, and we'll like karaoke at like some booth. That's definitely not made for karaoke?
Speaker 4:I think so, and we'll probably be at the biking for babies electric oh oh yeah, cycling, getting a workout, actually we might be getting coffee from young life, though, don't you?
Speaker 3:think oh at seek.
Speaker 2:Yeah, remember, they have like that drip coffee. They have young life we might be. Oh my gosh, I'm at life team.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I knew what you meant. I was like what wait?
Speaker 1:hey we might be like a live podcast booth too yeah, we might be.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't know we'll see them later.
Speaker 2:That'll be kind of cool, but izzy will definitely be like nose deep into an oreimu's. Like yeah, yeah, she'll be. Like yeah, it smells good I'm gonna be nose deep.
Speaker 4:Also, I'm gonna be at a monsignor shea talk oh, me too.
Speaker 2:If he's there, I'll be there. I didn't even know. I think he is.
Speaker 4:I'm just banking on him being there, because like, why else would we all be there? I mean like, okay, wait, cut that out.
Speaker 2:Well, like or why else should we all be there? What?
Speaker 4:I meant by that?
Speaker 2:What I meant by that is I'm really excited to see Monsignor.
Speaker 4:Shay, wait, cut that out Only if Damascus' booth is there and they can ask Julia to sign up their praise and worship event.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they have praise and worship at both locations.
Speaker 4:Really? Yes, they do. Oh, now hype me up.
Speaker 2:We'll probably be talking to the sister who sits in the Five Cents for Help booth.
Speaker 4:And the Sisters for Peace.
Speaker 3:Oh, the Dominican Sisters for Peace, we'll be praying for peace. We will be praying for peace. We'll be praying for peace.
Speaker 4:We ask that you pray for peace as we follow him because we will be praying for peace.
Speaker 3:I'm praying that the franciscan friars are there. Yeah, they'll be there. I don't, even I would assume they'd be there, I would guess, don't you think some of them?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't know we'll probably be just like well making a poco a poco, probably will be all right and I'm just excited.
Speaker 4:Are we excited to see curtis, martin and edward?
Speaker 3:street oh yeah curtis martin and dr edward do you think there's probably splitting them up, though one is he, edward, he's not edward, he's ted, isn't he?
Speaker 2:or wait ted is edward wait, I don't know dr ted street, edward I have no idea, hey I don't know, but we'll be seeing you in mission way. Yes, we will see you in mission way we're excited.
Speaker 4:Thank you for thank you for listening to this podcast thank you know his love, know his dot love, know his dot love and yeah, we'll see you. We'll see you next time, we'll see you in mission.
Speaker 2:Mission Way. We'll see you in Mission Way With a tiny mic. With a tiny mic.
Speaker 4:Yes, come interview. Bye, Bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us for this episode. We hope you learned something and encountered Christ in some way. If you enjoy what we do, please subscribe and share this podcast with a friend. This helps us reach more people with and for Christ. Until next time, this is John Michael Peace.
