More promo goods.

Lives are about to change this summer. Get in on the action now. :)

Promotional Poster = Ready to go!!

Use this poster (11 x 17) to promote Love Begins Here in your parish this year! Visit the Diocesan Webpage for LBH to download a PDF of the poster. Fill in your contact information and dates and you're ready to promote. Contact Lindsay (lbh at straphael dot org) for more information or promotional materials!!

2010 Theme: Choose Life

(This photograph was taken at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, while I traveled there on a pilgrimage for the March for Life in January.)

I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. - Dt 30:19-20

When our great ancestor and leader Moses spoke these words to the Israelite people, he did not intend on this message from the Lord to end being heard by those crowds alone. He knew that they would serve to inspire and call to action generations to come, both in the Old Covenant and the New. Blessed Mother Teresa certainly heard those words - through her service to the poorest of the poor, she lived them out and CHOSE LIFE every single day. We are called to do the same.

This summer, we will embrace the theme of CHOOSE LIFE in our own acts of service to those in our communities and homes. Things are going to start moving fast towards LBH2010. Stay tuned for more information coming your way soon. Let me know if you have any questions - lbh@straphael.org!

Peace,
Lindsay

On Life

Hello all,

We pray that you all are having a blessed January day right now. The LBH Core Team of 2009 did find their way into each other's company this past week, and it was a blast. In the midst of a long brunch at one of our favorite spots on the East side of Madison, we caught up on life, sought one another's advice, reminisced a bit about the summer, and played a game of Bananagrams, which I happened to win. All in all, I think it was long overdue and much enjoyed. That reminds me that we are still due for scheduling an LBH 2009 reunion. We'll get right on that.

But before that happens, let's spend a few (more) moments of our day contemplating the gift of life. Let's continue sending up the prayers and offering up sacrifices for the people of Haiti, and in particular the Missionaries of Charity who work there, that their work of sharing God's love may continue and bear fruit. Praise the Lord that the sisters there are still alive and doing the Lord's work on earth.

In other news, this week marks the 37th anniversary of the passing of Roe v. Wade. In thinking about the tragedy of abortion, let us be reminded of and inspired by Mother Teresa's words - "The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself… the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”

Please keep all of those headed out to the March for Life in DC in your prayers, as well as those who will be making their love for all life known more locally.

In Christ,

Lindsay

New Year's Resolutions

Hello LBH Participants, Supporters, Prayer Warriors...

It seems as if the Core Team from 2009 did not exactly hold up their resolution from the fall to continue blogging and entertaining you all via the World Wide Web. (I, as the team leader, will go ahead and assume a good deal of responsibility for this.) Things will be different this year. It's a New Year's Resolution, of sorts.

We pray that your Christmas' have been blessed and that this New Year brings you many opportunities to serve Christ in the poorest of the poor within your own backyard. I have a feeling God will not stop this year with the gifts of those opportunities.

Other than weekly posts, I think we also may launch an interactive feature to the LBH world, in the form of weekly questions. They will run the gamut from silly to serious. Please participate as often as you would like. I have a feeling the questions will also make their way to our Facebook page, so feel free to participate there as well.

How about we kick this week's off with a little reflection:
How has the experience of LBH changed your life during the past 6 months?

We look forward to hearing your answers!!

Peace,
Lindsay

Plans for 2010 have begun. For now, enjoy the new logo and preview of the color scheme we will be seeing more of as we prepare for next summer.

Also, in case your interest is peaked, the following are the planned Mission Trip weeks:

HS 1: Sunday, June 20 - Friday, June 25

HS 2: Sunday, June 27 - Friday, July 2

MS: Tuesday, July 6 - Friday, July 9

HS 3: Sunday, July 11 - Friday, July 16

We remain in prayer, united with all of those who participated in LBH 2009 and supported its mission! Please keep us in your prayers as well.

Peace,

Lindsay

Just Smile...

Hello Love Begins Here friends!

I hope you are all well! I had a funny little thing happen today that I thought I should share…

After morning mass and the pick-up of a cutie (reasonably priced!) dress from Kohl’s for Alison and Phil’s Wedding this weekend (YEAH marriage!) I made my way to the Catholic Family Bookstore in Kenosha (I’m spending some time with my family there) to pick up a breviary – Love Begins Here inspired me to finally get one (I’ve been meaning to for a while), so I can pray morning and evening prayer.

Anyhoo…I strolled in rockin my paprika flavored Love Begins Here t-shirt. After taking a few steps in the door, I caught the teary eye of a stranger who was talking with the owner. Visibly, she was struggling with something, so I flashed her the Missionary-of-Charity-encouraged smile…

To my surprise, she smiled in return, caught a look at my t-shirt, said, “well, if love begins here, then I need to be a part of it” and ran at me for a what turned out to be a good…L…O…N…G…15-20 second bear hug.

By the end of the hug, all three of us (the woman, the owner and I) were laughing and the woman said she felt “a lot better.” I’m still not sure who she was or what she was struggling with, but I do know that a paprika shirt and a smile opened the door for Love to begin in Kenosha today.

Stay near the Lord this week and “begin” His Love wherever you are!
Peace,
Gina