Totus Tuus; An Unbreakable Bond

Last summer I was blessed to be part of a wonderful Missionary Program called Totus Tuus. Not only was I able to serve teenagers, grow in faith, and meet some of the greatest people I was able to do it in my favorite Diocese (The Diocese of Cheyenne). Many things happened last summer; my patience was tested, I learned so much about myself, I met some teens that I would be blessed to journey with in the last year, and I made three friends that might as well be family.

For those of you who don't know, as a Totus Tuus Missionary you spend every minute of every day with your teammates. Not even kidding, at a lot of homes my female teammate and I even shared a bed. 

I am confident in saying that my male teammates Keith and Dylan will FOREVER hold a special place in my heart. They are two of the most incredible men I know and truly show me what it is like to be Christ to the World. It doesn't matter how often I see them or how frequently we talk, I know at the end of the day my brothers are there to support me and pray for me whenever I need them.

Although the entire team became part of my heart I have a very incredible bond with my female teammate Jacquie. See, before the summer started Jacquie and I had been roommates in college, we took classes together, and we worshiped together. None of that would prepare us for the bond that we were about to create as summer missionaries. Jacquie became my person. Whenever I was upset, happy, excited, angry, hurt, or joyful Jacquie was the one I talked to about it. See we talked about a lot of things as a team, but there are some conversations that took place in our bedroom before calling it a night that would forever change the woman I am today. I am proud to say that during Totus Tuus I found my sister that I never had and one of my best friends in this world. It blows me away that a year after our summer of service we are still just as close as before and every time we see each other we just pick up right where we left off. Jacquie constantly challenges me to be a better person and to love people like Christ loves them. And the funny thing is that she probably doesn't even realize that she is doing it.

I am beginning to realize just how important friendships like these are. To have men and women in your life who see you as their sister and truly want whats best for you is such an incredible thing. Although we may have our differences from time to time spending the summer with my teammates truly was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I hope each of you have found or will find a group of friends who challenge you to be a better person each and every time you interact with them.