The best 20 minutes of your weekend.

Hello friends,

It is autumn. Wow. It seems like just yesterday that we were immersed in our work on this local mission field, dancing around with glow sticks attached to dark clothing, hearing jokes about cookies being tossed into rivers and enjoying community life in a way that is hard to put into words. However, summer is not meant to last forever, as the Scriptures remind us again and again (see Sirach 51:30) that the Lord's timing is providential, and by his grace, we are called to a wide variety of things in the different seasons of our lives.

Even though we are called to loving our families, working hard in our school work, cheering on our favorite football teams, and being watchful for opportunities for service this autumn, I hope you would not mind taking a break this weekend to watch a little summer in review video. Blaine did a great job putting this together for our Shareholder Dinner last month, and we are now very excited to share it with all of you.

It is about 20 minutes long, so I would suggest finding a warm beverage for you and a loved one, and settling in to laugh, reminisce and be inspired by all that happened this past summer.

Once again, thank you for checking in on the latest and greatest from Love Begins Here.

Peace,
Lindsay

LBH Travels the World

Hello Love Begins Here family,

Yesterday afternoon, the majority of Core Team's past happened to reunite on the streets of Madison after a daily Mass downtown. (Sadly, we were missing Michael & Jeff of LBH2009 and Jared & Molly of LBH2011, but seven for eleven on a random Monday isn't bad.) While friends of Peter were gathering about for a pizza party at St. Paul's to welcome the new freshmen to campus, he quite proudly exclaimed to his friends - new and old - this is my Love Begins Here family, when introductions were needed. I think the description is fitting, as that is what we aim to form on weeks at LBH - a close community where love can begin in the home. It was a pleasure to run into three former missionaries on the streets, as well. It makes me, and the Core Teams of summer's past, quite happy to see these young Catholics at Mass and desiring to be a part of communities in the Church.

As the masses head back to school this autumn, I wanted to take a moment and share a few newsworthy items from the LBH world. First off, the blog of the Women's Care Center in Madison featured Love Begins Here and the good work they did there at the end of July. Please check it out. As you do so, if you are in the Madison area, consider if you are able to help out with this year's 40 Days for Life.

(LBH2011 teens work to clear the landscape at the newly forming Women's Care Center.)

Ten Love Begins Here missionaries had the extreme blessing of being able to travel on an all-expenses paid trip to World Youth Day in Madrid from the 14th through the 23rd of August, where they were able to show their award winning short film at a film festival, as part of the official events of WYD! It was a blessed experience for sure, and we wanted to share a few Missionary of Charity related photos with all of you.

(Lindsay sported these LBH/Mother Teresa themed TOMS all week in Spain.)

(There was a number of exhibits about Bl. Teresa around Madrid that week, as this photo is advertising.)

(We spent a lot of time in Spain sharing with our new friends from all around the world about the mission of Love Begins Here. It was especially exciting when we ran into MCs and got to share about LBH with them.)

Not more than four days after returning from Spain, about a dozen members of the Love Begins Here family got together to host a Benefactor's Dinner for those who bought stock in LBH this past summer. It was such a beautiful occasion to share stories from the summer, enjoy some murkey with our guests and look ahead to the bright future ahead of us. To all of the supporters who came and those who could not - thank you. In all seriousness, you inspire us to continue doing this work and make it possible for us to do it with joyful, unburdened hearts.

As this new season arrives, know that the LBH team continues to keep all of your in prayer. Please do the same for us.

With love,

Lindsay

LBH Mission Director

August, already?

Hello Love Begins Here friends,

We're sorry to keep you waiting for almost a full month here. There will be a lot more reflecting to come in the next week or so, before 10 of us from Love Begins Here head to Spain for World Youth Day together. However, today we got a very sweet card from a parent of a two year LBH veteran with some words I wanted to share with you all, along with a few photos from the past couple of weeks.

"This program my daughter has attended for 2 years, and she actually beams and glows when I pick her up. She also says, "LBH is the only camp I ever want to attend!" The Holy Spirit is truly alive, growing, burning and shining in all of you and our children. Many blessings to all of you. My deepest appreciation and gratitude."

Well said, LBH mom! Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. The Core Team feels incredibly blessed to be able to do this work for the youth of the Diocese of Madison and beyond, and it would not be possible without parents entrusting to us the lives of their stellar children!

Yes, you are seeing correctly in that center photo. Our great Bishop - His Excellency Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison - visited this past week on our final night of Mission Trips! What a blessing.

Look forward to more from the Mission Field coming your way very soon.

Peace,
Lindsay

The Holy Spirit is moving!

Hello Blog Readers,

Happy 4th of July! We here at Love Begins Here hope that this day brings you a chance to offer up some prayers of thanksgiving for the great gift of freedom and spend some quality time with your loved ones. I know the Core Team has spent a few days off doing just that. Before we totally switch gears to the awesome 35 Middle Schoolers coming our way to Baraboo tomorrow, we wanted to share a few reflections from High School Week 2!

Interspersed with these notable quotations from our evaluations will be photos from the car groups. These small groups provided for much fun, some spontaneous stops along the journey and a community to share the experience of service with throughout the week.

LBH is many things. It means a conscious choice to embrace Jesus. It means the beginning of a joy that remains constant and burning within all present. It means songs from our lips and our hearts. It means my cow and roundabouts and mulberries. It means inspiring people doing inspired work. It means hard work. It means the greatest of rewards. It can mean whatever it is made to mean, and we made it to mean everything. Love begins where love is given. Love begins here. - Erin, McFarland

In response to the question: What in your life might change as a result of your experience on LBH this week? Pray more. Love people. Serve them. Make more turkey meatloaf. Eat a lot of bacon. Rosary. Go to Kwik Trip more often.

To me, Love Begins Here means that anyone can spread the joy that is Jesus Christ. It means that a bunch of high schoolers can work to change lives and spread that joy. Love Begins Here means that anyone can bring love to others, no matter where they are or who they bring it to. - Dan, Madison

I have learned that although people need help all over the world, sometimes people in your own community are the ones who need the most love. Whether it's pulling weeds for them or just sharing a smile, any act of kindness is an act of love.

I've grown to appreciate our Catholic faith, our Blessed Mother, the Saints and the Trinity. After this week, I will try more to find Jesus in every experience and in more people. I will also become more aware of myself as a living tabernacle.

(This car group was missing Blaine, Susan & Ana who all had to duck out before the photo session!)

 

All in all, we had a marvelous week filled with so many blessed opportunities to serve our neighbors in the Madison Diocese. A special shoutout to Shileng (Christ the King's - McFarland) Youth Minister, Alex (a CtK Catechist), and Jessica (Sacred Heart's - Sun Prairie) Youth Minister. It was a blessing to have you all on board. We look forward to seeing most of you more often this summer.

With that, please pray for us this week as we welcome 35+ Middle Schoolers to Baraboo for a week of local, life changing work on the Mission Field!

Happy 4th of July,
Lindsay

Week 1: SUMMARY!

Well friends, LBH Week 1 2011 has come to an end, and boy, did we have a phenomenal week. To summarize some of the beautiful lessons learned, I will treat you to a few photos and quotes from evaluations. Thank you to the beautiful young poeple who come and shared their hearts with the poor of the Madison Diocese from Madison, Dodgeville, Watertown, Ripon, Waunakee, Baraboo, Cuba City and more wonderful places!

The force... or the Holy Spirit really guided us through the week! Lots of Star Wars learning was completed, along with some seriously awesome learning about the truth and beauty of our Catholic Church.

Our opportunities to serve were widely varied this week from spending time at the Ronald McDonald House, Second Harvest food bank, the Mount Horeb Senior Center, helping out the Make A Wish Foundation and helping one another out in our community, we encountered the poor in many ways in our own backyards!

Everyone is jumping for joy in honor of evaluations like this:

Love Begins Here has changed my life. This experience has brought me so much closer to God and has helped remind me that everything isn't about me. I would be back to Love Begins Here in a heartbeat.

LBH is the chance to connect more with God and serve others in God's name. It's a chance for personal growth and self examination. It develops great friendships and makes everyone laugh. In short, LBH means I'm going to have the greatest week of my life.

For me, LBH means rejoicing for young people who are getting formation and catechesis that so many never have and might never receive... I am edified that this and future generations will be much more prepared for a world that can be toxic towards faithful Catholics. I look forward to the day when, as a priest, I will be able to support this program financially and spiritually. - Garrett Kau (Third Year Major Seminarian, Diocese of Madison - Pictured below with leftovers from the most incredible dinner of the week.)

And two quotes from a very profound evaluation from a young participant:

People may not be poor, but they may be sad, lonely, depressed or feel hopeless and unloved. We can serve people by just loving them and offering ourselves to them. Also, there is so much you can do to help people nearby; you don't have to go very far to find someone that needs help, everybody needs help in some way, and everybody and give it.

I definitely learned more about the vastness of Love and how I can love people better and more completely. I also find myself yearning for God to fill me up completely, so I can experience His love the same way I see the Core Team experiencing it. This experience this week has really healed part of me that I felt was broken, and I didn't know how to fix it. It may not be perfect, but it has been a start... This week has been amazing.

Well, that about wraps up our Week One reflection, and good thing, because we have 25 young people coming in tonight to experience another week of local, life changing mission trips. Thanks to all of the great people from Week One. The Core Team definitely loves you very much and is keeping you in our prayers.

A special shout out to the stellar adults that joined us this past week: Jenna, Renata, Tess, Garrett and Jared! You guys were all star chaperones and great models of holiness. You're all welcome back anytime.

Week One Video Blogging Adventures

Hello blog readers,

We're happy that you have stopped by. This week has been one full of tons of adventure so far and many great friendships being formed! We hope you are keeping up with our Vimeo Channel where we are posting our videos every day: www.vimeo.com/channels/lovebeginshere. We have posted a new video every day so far.

Some definite highlights of this week so far has been getting to serve the poor in so many cool ways, lots of fun at the Bishop O'Connor Center Pool, some epic relay races, the creation of some delicious, gourmet dinners and much, much laughter in the midst. From helping out on the East side of Madison with the Schoenstatt Sisters to the Senior Center in Mount Horeb we are truly finding that Blessed Mother Teresa was onto something when she encouraged us to find the poor right in our own communities before looking elsewhere.

Our spiritual lives have also been rocked lately with the beautiful homilies of Fr. Rick Heilman and the inspiring Collatio talks by the Core Team Members! Tonight we are in for a good helping of grace as we partake in the Sacrament of Confession.

Thanks for staying in touch! Try to begin some love in your own home today.

Peace,
Lindsay

Are you as EXCITED as we are?!?!?!!!

So, Blaine here.  Lindsay has been getting everyone excited for my first submission and I can finally say that it is ready.  Head on over to Vimeo to check out our first week of preparation for Love Begins Here.  Go ahead and bookmark this page because that very same page will be where we upload the daily vlogs.  Go ahead and tell your family and friends to check us out and check out the awesome service that everyone is doing... and how much FUN we are having!

Follow this link (www.vimeo.com/channels/lovebeginshere) and sit back and enjoy watching great people do great things!  We can't wait for High School Week 1 to start!

Core Team Fun

Hello LBH Readers,

This morning we are pleased to bring you the first official photo of the Love Begins Here 2011 Core Team. It sure looks like this is going to be a stellar summer with this energetic, faithful and super cool group of 6 leading the way.

Ned, Lindsay, Peter, Blaine, Molly and Nicky = CT LBH2011

We've been busy in the northwoods bonding over the past couple of days taking in the sun, tons of laughter, enjoying the lake and planning our hearts out for what's to come. Get ready to experience the first day of the rest of your lives in a whole new way!

Keep praying for us. We're definitely praying for you all.

The video is still to come! In the meantime our official A/V guy Blaine is updating our facebook page, so check us out there too: facebook.com/lovebeginshere.

Peace out!

Lindsay

Coming soon... the official Core Team Trailer.

Hello readers!

A special welcome this day to any of the good people out there joining us on the blog after reading the most recent write up in the Catholic Herald. We're excited to share the good news about LBH with you. Feel free to come back and visit our blog often.

Things have been very busy in the LBH world this past few months, hence the lack of blog posting. However, you can start to expect big things in the next week, as our summer kicks off on Sunday with a week of preparations for the Core Team. This group of six really spectacular young adults will be journeying to the northwoods, planning, bonding and setting up our first site at St. Mary in Pine Bluff. We are in for quite the summer.

One of the coolest things you can be looking for on our blog this summer are vlogs (video blogs for the less hip). One of the CT members is our resident social media expert this summer, and he is quite jazzed to bring you the latest and greatest with me through film, along with write ups and photos like you have experienced throughout the past two summers.

To formally introduce ourselves, check back next week for a little video, but for now, enjoy the photos and brief descriptions.

From the right:
Science expert and lover of the UP, Molly is fresh off a year of teaching Middle Schoolers in Platteville and is excited to be spending her first official summer on the Core Team, after volunteering for 75% of LBH2010.

Next up is our resident videographer, Blaine who has recently graduated from Platteville this spring and is very happy to have the summer to discern what God wants from him next.

Like Molly, Nicky spent a fair amount of volunteered time working with the youth on LBH2010 and is going to be spending her summer away from her 2nd grade classroom to change lives on the Mission Field.

The only brand new face to the LBH world this summer is Peter, who hails from West Bend, is a very proud Badger, and could not be more happy to bring his previous mission experience to the Madison Diocese this summer.

The fifth face there is me - Lindsay - the usual voice of the LBH blog, who is SO excited to announce that this summer I will be changing jobs, beginning a position as Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Madison. (This means I get to spend even more time on LBH an the like!)

Last but certainly not least is Ned, coming back for his second summer on the CT, to experience more of the "best thing" he's ever been a part of.

That's the team, and like I said, those coming on the trips better be ready to have the time of their lives because these folks are a whole lot of fun and inspiration all rolled into one. Please pray for us during our week of preparation!

Until next week,
Lindsay

Holy Week

Hello LBH faithful,

All those charged with the task of making Love Begins Here possible are praying for you in the midst of this most holy week. Come this week, I for one get so excited for the start to the Easter Vigil liturgy and especially the proclamation that this is the night. The night when the exsultet reminds us...


This is the night
when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

While we have many exciting things to share and a funny video on its way, we'll save that for the great feast we'll find ourselves celebrating next week. In the meantime, enjoy a few HW treats to help aid you in your preparation for the coming of Easter, as we remember that it was not with out sacrifice and an abundance of God's mercy that such a Sunday morning was made possible.

Also, Archbishop Dolan of New York had a great blog post on Holy Week last year, and I would encourage you all to check it out.

That's all for today friends. Please continue to lift up the intentions of Love Begins Here during this week.

Peace,

Lindsay

Buy stock in LBH!

Do you believe in the mission of Love Begins Here?

Great. We sure think it's well worth our time in service to our neighbors and Our Lord!

Have you ever wanted to join in our work on the mission field?

We sure hope so, because we have a lot of fun while doing so. However, we do understand that not everyone has the opportunity to take a week away during the summer. In that case, we would ask for you to join in our mission through the buying of stock. It's a pretty simple process that begins with you clicking on the Stockholder Investment Program tab towards the top of this page.

Of course, we understand that everyone who wants to join in our work may not be able to support us financially at this time. In that case, we ask that everyone prayerfully support us - after all, it is what makes our work possible in the first place.

If you have any questions, please be in touch!

Early April Update!

Where did March go? I was shocked to come on here today to give a little update only to find that it has been a full month since we last shared the good news happening in the LBH world.

Before we get going too deep into all of the good things related to LBH2011, we have some sad news to share in the event you aren't a regular follower of our facebook page. On March 19, 2011, Our Lord called Madi from this earth. We place our hope in Him who come to earth to redeem us, as we are in the midst of remembering during this season of Lent. Please continue to pray for the repose of this dear young woman's soul. As I wrote in our last post, I think our summer theme is going to pay fitting tribute to her life and especially the battle she fought the last nine months of her life on earth.

In the midst of preparing for this coming summer, I have perused many photographs of this past summer, looking back on great memories, hearts changed, weeds pulled and people we served. So many of these memories have brought laughter at first sight, and this is no exception. On this - the first night of our last week of LBH2010, we found ourselves engaging in some intense competition while getting to know one another. I cannot remember the exact details of what made me prone to judging the efforts of a rival team, but I do remember how half hearted my apology must have been. While I was trying to make amends with a fellow Core Team member, all I could hear was the laughter of the youth all around us. I love that you can see this laughter and joy on the faces of those around us. If you're new to LBH or considering coming this summer, let this serve as an accurate reflection of how much fun we have with one another.

While taking this trip down memory lane, I also created a little promo video for this summer. I think it's pretty cool, so take a few minutes and check it out! Special thanks to Danielle and Eric from Waunakee for sharing their thoughts about LBH with the world!

Good memories all! Let's get excited to make a whole lot of new ones while committing ourselves to the service of the poor in our Diocese.

This month, please offer up some prayers for LBH lover and Madison Seminarian David Johannes. Next month, he will be ordained a deacon for the Church! We look forward to hearing his homilies this summer as they gear us up for work on the mission field. 

(This photo of David was taken while contemplating this item

and determining its worth at a yard sale last summer.)

Look forward to more frequent updates as the summer draws near!

Peace,
Lindsay

The First Day

Hey all,

Thanks for being patient in waiting for the next official blog update to be published. Things have been busy in light of the missionary endeavor we know as Love Begins Here, as Core Team members are being recruited, registration materials are officially published, and more.

Before we get to the big announcement and reflection on our theme for the LBH2011, there is a prayer request to note. Lindsay, along with support and help from the good people over at our Diocesan Offices, have submitted the FIRST Love Begins Here grant proposal to the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities. With the help of this grant, LBH would be able to grow in many new and exciting ways. Please pray for the meeting of the board which will decide on whether or not our grant gets funded, which will be happening on May 14th.

The First Day

This summer, we are going to explore what it means to live like every day is the first day of the rest of our lives. Living life knowing that we have been made a new creation through the Incarnation, continually restored through the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession means that our lives can be full of hope.

When we have been filled with hope, we will then be able to share it with our neighbors. And, that is the mission of love begins here.

The theme for this summer comes from a song by Catholic Musical Rockstar Matt Maher in his song Hold Us Together. Some of the lyrics from this song have not only helped in creating the theme for this summer, but they have also been able to provide hope and light in the midst of the toughest kind of news that has been delivered to the LBH family this past month.

Many of you have been united in prayer with the us as we have prayed for Madi, who was diagnosed with leukemia this past summer during her week on LBH. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and support for this amazing young woman. A few weeks ago, Madi and her family learned that her body stopped responding to the treatments and she has not gone into remission.

As her mom wrote on her blog while delivering the news, "What I want for my girl, as does she, is for all who come in contact with her to CELEBRATE HER. Her life now. Live with her in this moment. Please do not grieve with her. She doesn't want to waste another second in tears. Just be present. Just enjoy. Do not ask her or us, how much time we have. We only know that we have NOW. Do not dwell in a place of sorrow with her."

And, by the grace of God and love of family and friends, they are doing just that. During a visit of some LBH friends with Madi, we saw her full of smiles, funny stories and hope of the life to come with Our Lord. She is living like today is the first day, an opportunity to be alive, love and change the lives of those around us. As Matt sings in our theme song...

This is the first, day of the rest of your life
'Cause even in the dark you can still see the light
It's gonna be alright, s'gonna be alright

Love, will, hold us together
Make us a shelter
to weather the storm

And I'll, be, my brothers keeper
So the whole world will know
That we're not alone

Madi, your LBH family loves you very much, and we are all continuing to offer up prayers for you every day.

Madi (left) with her favorite car group members, Slade, Jeff and Gina. Circa LBH2009.

Thanks for staying up with the latest greatest from the Love Begins Here world. Look forward to more regular updates as the summer draws near!


Peace,
Lindsay

Promo Video #1 2011 & More

For those keeping track at home, we are 129 days and 16 hours away from kicking off our first LBH Mission Trip of the summer.

Where will we be kicking off exactly? Well, that's yet to be determined, but we should know in the coming weeks, and you will be some of the first to know.

We here at Love Begins Here do have some great news to share with you... our second location for the middle two weeks of LBH is ST. JOSEPH in BARABOO! The good people in that parish and Father Bakke are quite excited to have us for the week, and we are excited to see what good work can begin in that community. Look out Baraboo, love is about to begin from July 5 - 15.

Before we get to showing you our first PROMO VIDEO of the summer, the last exciting piece of information is that on Friday we will be rolling out our complete registration packages. We will officially start accepting parish rosters and individual registrations on Friday, February 18th.

With all of those great updates out of the way, please enjoy watching this inspiration flick.