In the Presence of a Saint

Have you ever been around someone and thought, "I am in the midst of a saint."?  The past two weeks we have been blessed to be in the presence of a living saint:  Br. Paul Kostka.  He is a seminarian and, by the grace of God, will be ordained a priest in the next year.  He is a founding member of a new order called Servants of Christ Jesus.

So, how do you know you are in the presence of a saint?  From the moment Br. Paul entered camp, every action and word led you to Christ.  He walked in and immediately began to serve wherever there was a need.  He did not ask, he did not seek recognition, and he did whatever needed to be done with joy, compassion, and kindness.  I never heard him complain.

As the week went on he never ceased ministering to the 170 teens, their chaperones, the summer/full-time missionaries, and our family.  He is unassuming, thoughtful, and willing to sacrifice his comfort for ANYONE around him.  He never lectured anyone or stood on a soapbox, actually, he never needed to speak one word for his actions spoke volumes about love and truth.  His humble demeanor permeated camp like a contagious epidemic, and as you would expect, Christ's love radiated all week.  I am certain there were times of great inconvenience and he had to forego his needs to serve others.  However, you would have never known because when you were with him you always seemed most important.  It was as if he could see the face of Jesus in each person.  What a gift!

He attended every opportunity to spend with Jesus, even if it meant sacrificing sleep, food, or any other personal need.  It was clear from the beginning, Jesus is his priority.   I think Gabe summed him up best when he said on the first day he met him, "if Jesus is there, so there will be Br. Paul."

His love for Christ was evident in the way he cared for us all.  My life will forever be changed because of him.  His most beautiful characteristic is that he would never think these things of himself...........that is saint.

Please pray for him as he heads to India for one month to serve alongside the Missionaries of Charity and for his final year of preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  What a day that will be!

Only in Covecrest

Family wiffle ball game at Covecrest-Tiger:  six families........Farrises, Allgeyers, Walthers, Martins, Balls, and Berrys..........29 children, 12 adults (not all pictured, some not cooperative, some not present):

Acts 2.42

One of the many extraordinary aspects of living in community and being at summer camp is the abundant opportunity for various forms of prayer.  One such prayer is The Divine Office.  Each morning the full-time and summer missionaries (and anyone who would like to join them) rise around 6am to participate in a holy hour (adoration) and then have morning prayer.  Morning prayer is called The Divine Office which “From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. In this way the Church fulfills the Lord’s precept to pray without ceasing, at once offering its praise to God the Father and interceding for the salvation of the world.”  – Office of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.  The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the whole People of God. In it, Christ himself “continues his priestly work through his Church.” His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office either with the priests, among themselves, or individually. The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper “understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms.”  (www.divineoffice.org)  One of my favorite parts of this is singing the "Salve Regina" at the end of the prayer.  Mary, Our Mother, has always brought me great comfort and as "camp mother" I find I am in constant need of her patience, kindness, compassion, meekness, and courage.  Salve Regina!  Ashley - Psalm 34.5

Our week three community.

Jessica, Life Teen full-time missionary and Camp Coordinator for Session 1, always radiating Mary's joy.

RADIANT JOY

Annie, Life Teen full-time missionary,
 always radiating God's Joy!

Music on the Square in uptown Hiawassee.
 Joe and the Elvis impersonator.

RADIANT JOY.  These two words have been heavy in my heart and mind for the past several months, as I knew I was going to be spending the summer attempting to unpack their meaning in my life.  Further, I have prayed for RADIANT JOY for our wonderful group from the Greenville Life Teen as they are preparing for Mission Trip 2012.  For me, to be completely honest, joy has been a struggle as of late...  I have found my heart heavy with the many struggles of this world and almost felt at times I had "lost" my joy.  The past 3 weeks have really pushed me to grow and seek joy.  I have been forced to re-open my closed and hardened heart and to be vulnerable with God and those around me.  I am in a place of both healing and growth.  Recently, I have had some super, intense moments of prayer.  The frequent reception of the Eucharist and the beauty of God's creation have struck me and changed me.  My need for fast paced life is slowly lifting.  I am entering further into the arms of my loving Father and am surrendering even my quiet time to Him.  Please pray for our family and know that we will pray for all of you daily.  God Bless!

Joe Farris--Luke 1.37

Christ is Risen

1 Corinthians 15:55

"Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"


In adoration, all I could think about was God's undying love and mercy for us, His people. It was the first time in my life that I felt totally one with Jesus. I felt no sting of death or sin and I opened my eyes to the Lord.  He cleared up so many questions, concerns, and doubts in my life. It was the most amazing moment of my life....so far! I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me.


- Gabe 

There is No Place I Would Rather Be

Week one has been a blessing in so many ways.  We are surrounded by 750,000 acres of absolute beauty and 16 summer missionaries and 6 full-time missionaries who radiate joy in all they do and say.  This experience is one my family and I will never forget as we draw closer to each other, our Lifeteen Covecrest-Hiawassee community, and most importantly, Christ.  I am constantly reminded of what is really important.