Witnessing Truth

IAP. SLS. MFL.  Okay, so I truly made up that last acronym, but the other two are actual abbreviations that I have been using over the past month.  The first is IAP or Independent Activities Period.  The second, SLS, is Student Leader Summit.  The third (the fictitious one) is March for Life.  But why this scramble of letters?  Why this not-so-tasty version of alphabet soup?  Let me tell you... Beginning January 9th, MIT began IAP, which is a fusion of a Winter Session, a time for epic amounts of research, and a hang out session if MIT ever did see one.  Arriving on campus a few days after the commencement of IAP, I had the pleasure of experiencing MIT students when they actually have "free time."  I got back to campus and without a moment to spare students were wanting to hang out with me, just talk, and go to Mass with me.  I had the pleasure of spending time with students from Spanish House for more than just the 45 minute long Stud...

Businesses, corporations, stores, non-profits, religious orders.  What do all of these have in common?  Mission statements.  A small phrase or sentence that encompasses what it is these groups of people have set out to do.  FOCUS itself has a mission statement, as does our Team at MIT so that we might all be united.  But I also, through the encouragement of my wise Team Director Joey Gruber, have created a mission statement for myself.  What is mission?  Why am I at MIT?  Why am I serving with FOCUS?  All of those questions are very succinctly answered in my mission statement.  And I wish to share it with you: To boldly enter into students' lives in order to combat the lonely isolation created by today's society by sharing and witnessing God's unconditional, uncalculating, Fatherly love and by giving God permission to act through me.   This is the thing that drives me.  This is my purpose.  This is my mission as Ann G...

"Thank you for praying with us." --Woman who led the Rosary at St. Robert's today So beautiful.

A while back--okay, so only back in December of 2011, but already 2011 seems so long ago--one of my students and I were having a conversation about the US Women's Soccer Team, because we both thoroughly enjoy soccer (though, I will admit she is a bigger fan and a better follower than I).  We had this conversation after attending a Saturday daily Mass together along with another student, while we were sitting eating a very delectable brunch at one of the more famous Bostonian eateries, we had this conversation.  A day or two later, she emailed me a video of Tobin Heath (the soccer player) talking about her faith.  I would like to share said video with you: It's always reassuring whether you're a soccer fan or not, that there are athletes out there who live their faith (and it's not only Tim Tebow).  I'm glad that there are models/witnesses out there for my girls to look up to. I wish you all the very best of 2012!  Later days and God bless! Ann

After a fairly hectic day in the midst of the Christmas Octave, I found myself steering my vehicle (or my brother's, whose it really is, is still under debate) toward Roychester Park, walking down (or really practically sliding down in the mud) the hill toward the creek, hopping over said creek into the baseball field we used to play on in C-League and climbing up one last hill to the school playground. I took some time to pray on top of this hill that I used to frequently sit upon between baseball games, during Tom's games, or even just for the heck of it.  I remembered those moments as a kid when I thought I could paint the scene before me.  The trees gently rising with the hill; the houses lining the street.  I have probably a hundred sketches of this painting that I was going to create one day... One day... As children, we are so free to play, to imagine, to take delight in all things around us, to see the possibilities God might lay before us.  Where does th...

Hello friends, family, and Mission Partners! I began this blog in order to better keep you all posted on my antics for Christ at MIT (and wherever else the Lord may take me)!  It is a fun adventure and I have one too many stories to fit into a quarterly newsletter (and a handful too many pictures--though the pictures are mostly courtesy of my teammates Ashley and Levi). Be sure to return to this page whenever you feel the desire to read up on how the Holy Spirit is working through FOCUS--the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.  I'll keep you posted with highlights from my days, tweet-sized commentary on life as a missionary, and various pictures and links! Enjoy! Later days and God bless! Ann Gennaro