Photo: Nat Abad
I was so close to missing this year’s Conference for two reasons; first, I did not have the money. I am a jobless seventeen year old. Second, my mom got very furious when she found out that my sister paid my conference fees without her consent. I remember sitting in my summer school class thinking, “If mom makes me cancel Calgary, at least there will be live stream!”
Praise God things pushed through, because my mom couldn’t help but just let me go.*
There are many ways to receive spiritual nourishment: reading scripture, praying the rosary, going to confession, attending households, hearing Mass… just to name a few. But to participate for an event as big as the True North Conference is a different story. Hundreds of brothers and sisters gathered with a common reason; to praise and to get to know the Lord. Besides that, everyone had the chance to share their talents through singing, dancing, playing an instrument, sports, and so on. I didn’t join anything for Conference except for praise parade so for the rest of the time I just sat back and lived the three days as a floater. Strangely, to see everyone have fun was enough for me to have a good time.
In my previous blog posts, I shared my troubles with my faith. During praise and worship, a phrase lingered in my thoughts, and I am certain that the Lord was speaking to me. “Slow and steady,” He said. For months now, I felt very distant with Christ. I wasn’t going through any sort of “life crisis” to feel that way. In fact, everything was going well. I was volunteering, taking a summer school course, hanging out with my friends, going on mini vacations with my family. I was living my summer 2013.
But I still felt so disconnected with Him.
“In preparation for choir, I read the liturgy beforehand to know which songs to use for Mass. Because of that, I can say that the strengthening of our faith needs effort,” said my older brother during dinner a few days after Conference. That struck me quite a bit because through my brother’s words, I saw what I was not doing. Amidst my busy life, God wasn’t a part of my plan. I wasn’t consciously including Him in my time.
“Slow and steady.”
I was searching for some quick and cheap method in knowing Him when, in reality, there is no such thing. God is just like our friends; He wants and needs our time. When was the last time you became good friends with somebody without spending time with one another? Never. And what is so amazing about our God is that He never changes and He will never leave. A lot of people go through a stale time in their faith. For me, it is because I expected so much from the Lord yet did nothing to understand Him. The end of the Western True North Conference had me thinking, “I will do whatever He tells me, but at my own pace.”
Being able to attend this year’s conference was definitely a blessing. I could have just stayed home and streamed the Conference through the internet, but I know for sure that live stream can only capture so little. Nothing can ever be exchanged with the memories made on the bus ride with the Pacific West Cluster, the new people that I met, and the down time conversations that I had with other brothers and sisters; all these little details show God’s love.
Especially with the new school year starting soon, Conference left me feeling like I have a bag full of armour and weapons to conquer the hectic months ahead. My mom can also rest easy because next year’s conference will be way cheaper since it will be held in Vancouver!
God is really good.
In Him,
Charlene Puche, CFC-Youth Pacific Region
(*Don’t ever disobey your parents… It isn’t very nice. But THANK YOU TO MY MOM AND SISTER!)
