Author Archives: Melissa Ginther

I am beginning to realize more each day that my life is not my own. That all I am belongs to and is enriched by Christ. For a long time, the phrase “my life is not my own” frustrated me. Of course, I would protests and claim that my life is the only thing that is mine to keep. In all reality though, I knew that was not true. I knew from a very young age that I was meant for more than just living my life for my own satisfaction. Am I freely in control of my life and actions? Yes, but we are certainly

Over the past eight weeks, I have been blessed to witness the transformation of many lives here at camp, as well as at  Life Teen Convention in Arizona. In the midst of the busyness of camp, I have taken time to reflect on the words Mother Assumpta shared with us at convention. She spoke about sainthood, and the fact that we are all called to be the saints of the church of today. She reminded each of us of our need for daily prayer and silence before the Lord. So often, I encounter “holy people’

Two weeks ago thirteen missionaries from Covecrest journey to Haiti to serve alongside Moving with the Spirit, Mission Haiti. They have an orphanage that is about five hours away from Port-au-Prince on bumpy Haitian roads. During our time there we were able to meet many wonderful people. In the midst of one of our home visits, I realized in a very tangible way I was encountering Christ. He was hidden and disguised in the poorest of the poor. One day we hiked through the beautiful country side

So in the midst of Mass today, I had a rather simple but quite epic epiphany. After receiving the Eucharist, I knelt in my pew and gazed out the window of the church. It suddenly dawned upon me that the God who created every beautiful mountain that I was gazing at was dwelling within me. Growing up I often struggled with the reality of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I was often confronted by friends, relatives, and anyone willing to talk about the Catholic faith about true presence

So, it has been a little over a month since we arrived here at CoveCrest. It is hard to believe that we have already finished training and are diving more deeply into the life of radical hospitality and service. I love the life here, and am learning to appreciate LifeTeen’s Rule of Life. It is a simple document, full of scripture and based off of Saint Benedict’s Rule of Life, that outlines the life style for all community members.   One of the sections of the rule speaks of radical hospitality,