conversion part 2

O.k. so I let off where we were attending the Church we do now, I started rcia in the fall of that year and I'll tell you I could really have cared less about going. I was only going because I thought if my husband and children were Catholic I might as well be too. I spent most of the first part of the year trying to find a reason so that I couldn't go, maybe the kids were sick or I had a headache. Around Christmas of that year I started to not mind going to rcia and was actually liking it. In January I was diagnosed with uterine and cervical cancer. The people at rcia prayed for me and I was happy they did then the deacon and his wife who teach rcia asked if the Priest could came and pray over me. And I laughed a little on the inside, but said o.k. The next week after class the deacon, his wife, and Father stayed after class to pray for me, They started by giving me Holy Water from Lourdes to drink no less, I was a bit shocked that I was really supposed to drink it. Then they laid hands on me and Father started to pray, I could barely hear him he prayed so quite and I don't know what he said, but as soon as he started praying, I can't even describe it. I felt like I could not even breathe. It was truly a Holy experience. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it afterwards. But then Father came to the house the day before my surgery, I gad a complete hysterectomy and had my ovaries taken as well. I am fine by the way the cancer had not spread and I required no further treatment. And when he prayed over me, I could not receive the anointing of the sick because I was not Catholic at the time,  I felt that same Holy, God is with you, washed over by the Holy Spirit feeling. When I was waiting for them to put me under for surgery the next day, I just laid there in the operating room praying, "Jesus I trust in you" over and over until I was put under. It was that day that I really decided to Love God as I came to realize that He loved me. And I have spent my days since then trying to please God and do His will. I was going to be received into the church that year but because I was off for my surgery I missed the Easter Vigil. So I went back to rcia the next year and loved it. And I came into the church last year. Since turning my life over to God I have felt His love everywhere and in everything I do. It amazes me every time I have a God moment, and I love teaching my children about our faith, the saints, and spreading the Good News.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

my life in a post, part 1

I thought it might be nice for people reading this to have some background on my life, so I will do my life in a post. I guess this would also be like my conversion story.
I grew up living with my mom in S.W. Michigan. My dad lived in Illinois, I saw him mostly on holidays and summer breaks. My mom always believed in God, but until recently need not feel the need for organized religion. When I was fresh out of high school, about 3 weeks, I found out I was pregnant I then decided to live with and marry my then boyfriend, although was quick to find out he was, to put it nicely, a loser. Several years, 2 more babies, and a few dozen other girlfriends for him, and 1 more baby that wasn't mine, later I filed for divorce. At the urging of my mom I decided to go and apply at the new IHOP they were building in our area. I got the job and the first week after they opened meet the Manager, who had not been there much because he lived in Iowa and was still working at an IHOP there. Well let me tell you it was LOVE at first sight. 2 months later we moved in together, 2 weeks later we got married.  A short time later we back to Iowa, there was a church 2 doors down that was Luthren, and had a preschool, so we attended very irregular and my youngest went to the school. Now my husband grew up Catholic, but thought it was better that the kids go to a church, if the only other option was no church. We then moved to Wisconsin and the only church in town happened to be Catholic, so we went. I would like to break for a quick second and say growing up my step-sister was Catholic and went to a Catholic school, I was always fascinated with what she learned in religion class, nuns, priests and the sign of the cross. back to the story. My son was in 2nd grade so we signed up all the kids for ccd, which was sunday morning before mass, so we went to church almost every Sunday.  I was going to sign up for rcia but the class had already started and the girl in charge said it was best to start at the beginning of the year. So I decided to to wait. Now I would like to say I was not excited about joining the church, I was doing it more to be the same as the rest of the family. I figured if we ever moved and found a differnet church we would go there. I thought all churches were interchangable. We would go to which ever was closest to our house. So my son took his first communion. I started to take a little interest in the church towards the end of that Spring.  That Summer we moved back to Michigan and I enrolled the kids in Catholic school and I started to kind of like this Catholic thing. But I put off joining rcia because I just didn't feel like going. My middle child was going to take her 1st communion that year, but since the kids went to church in school we did not go alot on Sundays. In the middle of that year we moved to Illionis, we move alot. I knew we needed tofind a church soon so my daughter could make her communion, so with in a week we found a church, which happened to be the church my dad went to as a child. I will take another break to say my dad went to catholic school as a child and took his 1st communion in the Catholic Church. All of which I did not know until we moved here and were church hunting. My dads, dads family was Baptist and his moms family was Mormon and to avoid a fight my grandma decided to raise my dad and my aunt Catholic. So we started to go to that church, and we still do. And I decided to go to rcia. I will break her eso my post is not to long, as the next part is probably to long all by it's self. I will try to finish it this week


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi