Testimony from the Life Teen Leadership Conference

I was blessed to go on the Life Teen Leadership Conference and now I’m grounded. God stretched my heart to the limit and I thank him for that. Everyone talks about “Retreat Highs”, but I finally am solid and can feel my feet firmly planted on the ground. There’s no usual high because I’m me.

Sometimes after retreats, I would come back a completely different person and want to conquer the world; that would fade. God presented to me this as a journey. I’m not a new person, but I am different. I’ve learned and I’ve been reminded of so much. I’ve learned to open myself and there will always be another layer of myself I need to peel back until I’m called to my forever home with God. I’ve learned God can take over my body and the wonderful release that comes with that. I’ve learned the church is truly one; it’s a beautiful mess of saintly sinners who make the one body of Jesus’ bride. I’ve learned openness is a way of life and a choice you make every day, every moment.

More importantly, I’ve been reminded. I’ve been reminded that God, the Perfect One, the Creator, the Big Guy himself loves me, HIS broken child. I’ve been reminded there is only one form of true life and that is a life consumed by the Holy Spirit and Jesus and our Father. I’ve been reminded true love exists. All I need to do to jog my memory of that is look at Jesus on the cross and see his side bleeding and the church, his bride, coming from that. I’ve seen miracles. I’ve seen boys turn into men of God and women open their arms like our mommy Mary. In one of the speeches, Lisa said (while she was talking about her engagement), “ He asked. I just said yes.” When I took it out of context, it became my battle cry, or one of them at least.

I’ve seen people fall face down on the ground because they were looking at Jesus in the holy host. The most perfect miracle I saw was at Mass. I saw two men become true servants of God and wash the people’s feet. One was Jesus in body and flesh through the Eucharist and the other was a humble Brother caring for all silently. I will never forget how powerful Mass can and should be.

So, I haven’t become a new person though all of this. I am the girl from St. Pat’s that went to a camp where God chiseled, molded, and dusted off to become herself. I’ve seen so much, done so much, and witnessed so much. I can’t retell it right. I can only think of this verse: …his mother kept all these things in her heart. Luke 3:51. Like Mary, I will keep it in my heart and just say yes.

- Emy Stevens