Oh dear!!! Holy Week flew by and I completely forgot to Post this excellent Guest Blogger article my Mae Anne!! My sincere apologies. Do take the time to read it as it it is a very suitable Good Friday piece, all about the power of prayer in difficult situations.
Welcome Mae Anne de Vera!
Hello beautiful people. Although it feels like summer 2013 is buried under all the snow we’ve been getting, I remember it clearly like it was just yesterday. In the midst of my hectic and insane schedule, taking the time to dig up that memory of almost a year ago brings me warmth in my heart. Now before I forget, let me introduce myself to those who have no idea who I am. I am Lamb’s favourite of my kind. I often pick up Lamb’s crumbs that Lamb leaves behind after a meal. I am tiny, quiet, soft-spoken, and most importantly very strong. My name? Mae Ant; the small but powerful one (in Christ). Of course, I am just joking. My name is actually Mae Anne and Mae Ant was a nickname that was given to me years ago. However, my summer spent in Saskatchewan with Andrea, Emmanuel and God, ministering to children gave me an even better reason to give myself this nickname. That summer being my first year as team leader, I discovered parts of me that I never knew that God put there.
I consider that the scariest part of my summer adventure was before the adventure even began. Before leaving for Saskatchewan, I spent days questioning my own skill and capability of being a leader. The thought scared me, and I worried about it more than anything else in the world. Being a quiet and natural introvert, there was no way in my mind that I could boss two teenagers around, let alone a parish and children. Even if I heard God calling me in that direction, I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do once I got there. I asked myself, “How could this little body of mine, lead a big body for Christ?” It was an internal struggle that took me very long to overcome. It was only until I spoke to Jillian that I finally answered that question that lingered for so long. In fact, I was asking myself how I could accomplish something I wasn’t even called to do to begin with, when in reality, God just wanted me to recognize him as my leader and not the other way around. Before sending me off on my mission, God made sure that I figured all of this out first.
Once the summer actually began, our team took off for Saskatchewan, expecting the overwhelming challenge of working in reserves. The first two weeks were the hardest weeks I’ve ever had to face in my life. Getting the children to listen to me for the first couple of days was like getting a frog to sit still. My non-existent height and my gentleness were the biggest obstacles I had to overcome. Children in reserves were just not capable of following the rules or taking orders from a tiny girl who looked like a 14 year old when she is actually 17. Yes, I am talking about myself. Thankfully God was in control and soon the children learned how to trust me as a friend, but also respect me as a leader. The children responded to God’s Word in different ways. Many were curious and asked 101 questions non-stop. Others just didn’t seem to care, making my heart sink a little. The children in these reserves were lacking God, but they needed him more than anyone else. Looking back on those two weeks in the reserves, I realised how much God’s presence has an impact on people. Being used to well-behaved church children in Montreal, seeing kids who lacked spirituality came as a shock to me. I figured out that without a God in our World, there is nothing but destruction. Andrea, Emmanuel and I came out of that experience with empty energy tanks, but full on spiritual food. It was a challenge that stung in the moment, but stayed in our hearts for food.
The three of us became a family that summer.Emmanuel and Andrea still call me mommy, and I often refer to them as my children. Although we did not always agree on everything, God was our common denominator. Did we have fun? Of course not (Valerie wouldn’t allow it)! Did we succeed on our mission? God can answer that…
our mission? God can answer that…