Death and Rebirth

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted you all to know (if there is anyone still out there after 2 years of silence) that this blog is dead (big shock) and a new one is in it's place following the daily life of a seminarian. You can find it here: http://maclennanshms.blogspot.com/

Holy COW!

Good gravy it's been a long time since I've posted!!! I think I may have lost what little following I had. Well I'm back and want to testify to all the amazing things that the Lord has been working through me. I'll give you the break down.

In Kansas City, MO we barely had time to breath between retreats which was AMAZING. There were some BOMB youth in that diocese and parish after parish, school after school was incredible. Kansas City was our first taste of inner city retreats and I have to say, I love THEM!!! We did a retreat for a Christo Rey (for more info: http://www.cristoreynetwork.org/ ) which was so awesome. The youth really responded and were VERY respectful, much more than your average 17 year old. It was so awesome seeing the way that the Lord was working in the lives of so many teens that had such obstacles. Kansas City will always hold a place in my heart. We also had a long series of MASSIVE retreats of over 120 a piece. These were awesome and gave us such a great experience with groups.

Then on to Vegas: I am currently posting from a public library in Ely, Nevada. You'll have to look on google maps to see just how far out into the desert I am. We did a series of retreats in a Vegas suburb called Henderson that were amazing, including an overnight where we had our first Men and Women Session. This is when we break the retreatants up and we minister to them as men and women. I gave an extended testimony about how I discovered my value as a man and what it means to be a son of God and a man of God. It was an amazing experience and I got to really know the guys in my small group and they were AWESOME!!! This is turning into such an amazing diocese. I can't wait to see what is in store next. I will be giving a talk on my birthday (best b-day present EVER!!!). It's going to be amazing. I'll hopefully be better about posting. Thank you for anyone who is reading this. Thank you for your prayers!!!

Spring Route

Guess what faithful reader! I have my Spring Route and who would have guessed it but the bomb went off on that route!!! So here it is, I suggest you wear a helmet because your mind is about to be BLOWN!

Kansas City, MO
Las Vegas, NV (for my birthday!!!)
San Diego, CA
Orange County, CA
San Bernadino, CA
Sacramento, CA

California for 2 months. Orange County = AWESOME possum. Vegas = double stipend or bust (Veni Sancte Spiritus!!!).

I'm REALLY excited. No more cold, no more hot dish and no more CORNFIELDS!!! I'm off to the land of awesome Asian food and Disneyland!!!

Crazy Crookeston

Oofta! That is how a Minnesotan would react to the last month. Oofta, indeed. This past month has been pure craziness of the most awesome variety. We have been scrambling all over the diocese of Crookeston, MN. There was a point where we had 12 days of retreats in a row! Most of the driving we did in this diocese was at night combined with early morning retreats made for some pretty h-core NET experiences. The common exclamation among our team (well atleast me) was "This diocese is trying to kill us!" It was an AMAZING time, though. Simply amazing.

We met some pretty awesome youth and did some awesome retreats, including some on Indian Reservations. This is Northern Minnesota at its finest. I think my small group ice breaker question was "So, anybody got a deer yet?" Opened everyone right up. There were whole RETREATS of hunters, including 13 year-old girls that talk about the buck they shot and gutted the other day with a look of pride gleeming from their eyes. We've been to towns that had less people than my all boys high school and been to towns where everyone owned atleast one gun. The best of all was one sign we drove past marked a town of 29 people! 29 PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! That is insane. 29 PEOPLE! My mind is still screaming in disbelief.

There have been some awesome moments where teens really opened up and we could see a great growth in the community. There have such awesome times. Including yesterday, where I spent my retreat off playing around on ATV's and going off jumps! The life of a Netter is full of awesome adventure and blessings. See you soon!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!!!!!! I am MaclenSD!

Keep on Truckin'

We are now in full swing as far as road life. It is pretty great. Life in the 12 passenger van is pretty amusing and sometimes very smelly. Things we've done to amuse ourselves: put on the gorilla mask and wave at traffic (especially school buses), turn things into projectiles, turn a large quantity of mattresses into a fort and then coat a stair case with them for sleeping bag luge, try to hold your breath for a mile on the road (Peter is best at that game), the game "My Cows" rules will be explained later, buy foam swords from Walmart and basically go nuts, read The Screwtape Letters out-loud in the van, flashlight tag with plastic guns that have flashlights taped to them, play "Sardines" (reverse hide and go seek) in a rectory that has atleast three "creepy tunnels" and rooms upon rooms of pitch black with no flashlights, invent new inventive forms of the hug (including the hugsplotion which is like an action movie tackle while screaming "GET DOWN!!!" and the less popular creepy hug) and of course stare at your teammates at creepy close distance so when they notice they get a little creeped. This is pretty much what happens when we are in a van for too long, we go a little crazy. Retreats are amazing. I'll break down what a NET Retreat consists of in a later post!!!

PICTURES!!!!

Some wishes do come true!!! Here are some pictures of my life as a NETter!!!

My wonderful team at a state park!!!

Us doing a drama called Saving Me... I get beaten during it.

INTRODUCING:

THE TEAM 4 GORILLA

He goes with us everywhere we go. He's part of the team. He even has his own photo collage.

First Fruits!

Hello everyone!!! The first fruits of the harvest are starting to come in! I just got finished with my second retreat and it was an overnight confirmation retreat. It was awesome. There was a definite sign of the Holy Spirit working within the retreatants. One of the teens in my small group said that he went from a 5 to a 7 as far as relationship with the Lord is concerned (thank Mary Buckley for your awesome rating system!!!). I feel like there is a significant possibility for future growth in many of the retreatants. It is such a rewarding ministry.
The first retreat was a one day affair for 6th graders. I forgot how small the average 6th grade boy is. It was an interesting lesson in humility because after a long day of hard work the first we opened the floor up to the teens to say what they experienced on the retreat and the first 15 got up and talked about all the neat games they learned... sigh! But that's not a proper estimate of the effect because they are, afterall, 6th graders and aren't about to talk about their faith life in front of the whole class. Pictures should be forth coming... at a time to later be determined.