GOD IS SO GOOD! I mean, just look at ALL the incredible people he has put in my life already, and it is only the beginning! But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me bring you back to St. Louis, when I getting ready to board a plane to serve in a city I’d never been (except once for three hours), with people I hardly knew (if at all), and little to no clue what the Lord would have in store for me.
The Lord had been prepping me, pruning in places that He was calling me to surrender and bearing fruit in relationships or experiences that revealed more of His love. Most of my summer was spent going to mass in the mornings, eating at the Daily Bread, thrifting, and switching between reading the Brother Karamazov and The Portal of the Mystery of Hope (seemingly polar opposites haha). I knew I would be leaving on July 14th to come here, but that date seemed so far away in May and June. Up until the Monday before I left, I didn’t know my specific community or school placement, so there was nothing to expect or anticipate. I was forced (in the best way) to trust in His plan because I couldn’t do anything else.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them will bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:5,11
All summer, he was constructing a home with me. One that could only be found in Him, and simultaneously, one that could be brought wherever I went. It’s a home that does not simply connect me to Him but also to the people I love, strengthening my heart for the great change that was about to occur. It was one that he was about to expand; adding new rooms for people, places, and growth to occur. Little did I know that my heart would almost burst from the joy and love I was about to encounter!
This brings me back to those people in the top picture, cohort Gr8! One of the most rambunctious, passionate, authentic, and down-right goofy bunch of people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. From the first night of sitting around the house introducing ourselves with our confirmation saints to unintentionally walking fifty+ blocks down Manhattan (sorry again for that guys…) to see St. Vincent Ferrer, I knew this was where the Lord wanted me. We come from all different hometowns, colleges, majors, and levels of teaching experience. There are artists, musicians, intellectuals, cooks, dancers, writers, and athletes. We are all unique branches on the tree, with One Vine to connect us all, Jesus. We have laughed together, many of us have cried together, and ALL of us have prayed together. Each of us have a burning love and desire to serve, and we all have trust in Our Father that the Bronx is where he is asking us to be.
My three roommates, Paige (Top Left), Michelle (Bottom Left), and Becca (Bottom Right)! Truly they have been consistent joys throughout these past couple weeks. 
Taken on one of the many Central Park excursions, these guys are always up for an adventure! 
TINTON HOUSE! Truly the best house in my completely biased opinion, just because I know that the Lord wanted these specific men and women to sanctify me. NOTE: in reality all the houses are phenomenal and they each have their own spice, ours is Kev 
The amount of laughter that has bubbled up inside me since coming here has convinced me they put something in the water! Everyone embodies Christ’s message of being childlike so well, side effects of that include: giddiness, dance parties, jumping off walls, drinking too much LaCroix, and loads of Jesus time!
If I am being honest though, I didn’t know I believed in that last statement until a week after I got here. I had gone through a lot of discernment (and a lot of the Lord having to remind me why Seton), so I knew that this what where he wanted me. However, knowing is very different than trusting, and there were many limitations I was placing on His Providence. The most significant one: prior to this, I never had a significant desire to work with children or at a school. However, the Lord once asked me, “Do you trust that I will give you the desire to love?” And after agreeing to come here, without realizing it, the Lord began to slowly permeate my heart, filling it up with little encounters I have had with the community in the Bronx, with the sacraments, and with the Child Jesus Himself. He kept building more and more room in my heart, until one day after on-boarding, I found myself kneeling before Him in adoration St. Rita’s, feeling as though it would explode from all the grace and love.
I am the vine, you are the branches. You have blossomed forth from me. Are you then surprised if a drop of my Heart’s blood trickles into your every thought and deed?…Are you surprised if the desire comes upon you to risk your life and all your strength and put them in jeopardy for your brothers?
Heart of the World – Hans Urs Von Balthasar
I am left with something one of the priests here in the Bronx told some of the fellows after mass. “These kids,” he said, “are horrible — you will love them! They have had some very bad pasts and will not trust you. But if you love them, they will love you back.” I pray that my love will only grow with time as I continue to head dive into this year with Seton. I will certainly be stretched and pushed beyond my limits, but as long as I remain connected to the Vine in my Father’s Vineyard, I have nothing to fear!
Abiding In Joy 